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EDITORIAL- October 2003
We are however, endorsing a change in the way state government operates. Kentucky government needs a new management team, reorganization, and the checks and balances of a strong two-party political system. Throughout Kentucky’s 211-year history, the Democratic Party has controlled our state’s politics. Although seven of Kentucky’s governors have been Republicans – six in the last century – until 2000 the entire General Assembly was exclusively in the Democrats’ control. In most years, Kentucky’s state government has been operated to perpetuate the governor in power and the Democratic Party. Decisions on who would manage, who would be employed, who would receive benefits, who would be awarded state contracts and where the roads would be built, have been impacted to a lesser or greater degree by partisan politics. Especially during the last 100 years, what was best for Kentucky’s taxpayers was secondary to what was best for the Democrats. To quote Lowell Reese, editor and publisher of The Kentucky Gazette, “The prevailing wisdom in Kentucky is that once elected, officeholders seek re-election aided by government expenditures”. Governor Paul Patton’s administration has been tarnished by an exaggerated use of patronage, no-bid contracts, nepotism and personal service contracts – at taxpayers’ expense. The number of state employees working outside the walls of government – through “Memorandums of Agreement” – has reached such a high level that no one in Frankfort knows how many people actually work for the state. In January, Governor Patton pleaded for additional taxes. Taxpayer concerns about requests for more taxes and reports about government waste have been intensified by the fact that revenues in the state’s General Fund increased 46 percent over the last 10 years. Even with the bigger stream of tax revenues, state government recently has been operating with budget shortfalls (budget expenditures exceed projected revenues) that have virtually depleted the state’s rainy day fund. Governor Patton’s pardons of two aides and two labor union leaders; the Tina Connor affair; the hiring of family, friends and out-of-work Democratic Party bureaucrats; and alleged corruption in the Transportation Cabinet are other issues that illustrate the depth and scope of mismanagement and deficiencies in state government. Attorney General Ben Chandler seems to agree with our assessment of the situation in Frankfort. He asked Governor Patton to resign from office. Chandler believes $900 million dollars of waste can be identified. State government needs a major overhaul – new ideas and an injection of ethics. Specifically, on the management side, the state is in urgent need of modernized financial controls, activity-based cost accounting, streamlining, productivity gains, and improved cost efficiencies. Simply stated – better management, more services for constituents, and less waste. The opportunities for improvement are great. The
Republican Option The Fletcher-Pence ticket is exceptional. Fletcher has excelled as an aviator, medical doctor, state legislator, U.S. Congressman, lay minister, husband, father and grandfather. He is intelligent, has a reputation for being compassionate and conservative. He is a person with integrity who all Kentuckians can admire and respect. Fletcher can be the catalyst to re-engineer state government. He has an excellent relationship with Kentucky’s congressional delegation and the Republican administration in Washington. Steve Pence, as a former U.S. attorney, helped eliminate corruption and malfeasance in state government. His experience will make him a strong working lieutenant governor who can help the governor rather than serve as a do-little figurehead. The Democrat
Option As the grandson of former Governor A.B. “Happy” Chandler, Ben Chandler also brings the Chandler family legacy to this election. As auditor and attorney general during the past 12 years, Chandler has convicted some crooked Democrat and Republican politicians. However, as the state’s chief law enforcement officer, he has been unable to effectively restrict the abuses and excesses of the Democratic Party run by the governor. The Decision Kentucky needs excellent management, new ideas, and an injection of ethics to become a top-tier state. To compete with other states and succeed, government must innovatively and creatively invest the state’s assets to make Kentucky a national leader instead of a laggard. Kentucky cannot afford to squander its opportunity to excel by mismanaging its limited resources for the benefit of any political party. Cast your vote on
November 4th for a positive change in state government. |
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Copyright 1996-2003, by Kentucky Business Online. All rights reserved. Editorial content
is copyright 2003, Lane Communications Group The Lane Report is a trademark of Lane Communications Group. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. |
The
Lane Report has served Kentucky for 18 years and has never endorsed
a candidate for political office. Our primary reason for not making
endorsements is our confidence in the highly informed and intelligent
readers of our magazine. Our goal is to provide meaningful information
that assists readers in making their own objective decisions. This year
we are not deviating from that tradition.