Politics

Independent State House Candidate Releases 10-Point Platform to Improve State Government

Phillip M. Bailey — Fri, 17 May 2013 19:56:30 +0000

Independent state house candidate John-Mark Hack released a 10-point platform aimed at making Kentucky's government more accountable and transparent.

Hack is running for the 56th House District seat covering Woodford County, including parts Frankfort and Lexington vacated by former state Rep. Carl Rollins, who resigned.

The three-way special election also features Republican Lyen Crews and Democrat James Kay, and is being closely watched due to the close party margins in the state House, where Democrats hold the majority by just a 5-seat margin.

The proposals unveiled by Hack's campaign on Friday include withholding the salaries of state lawmakers if they fail to pass a budget, creating a non-partisan commission to draw legislative district lines and eliminating annual sessions.

Hack says the proposals are about changing the political culture of "arrogance and self-interest" in Frankfort.

Check them out:

Coalition Forms to Oppose Electricity Rate Increase in Western Kentucky from Smelter Deal

Kenny Colston — Fri, 17 May 2013 15:38:53 +0000

A coalition of western Kentucky businesses and residents has formed in hopes of minimizing the fallout of an electricity rates deal between Big Rivers Electric Co-Op and western Kentucky aluminum smelters.

The coalition is worried the deal will lead to higher utility bills for residents and businesses.

Aluminum prices have been low in the past few years, and across Kentucky, aluminum smelters have sought to save money on their electricity bills.

Ethics Questions Raised After Mitch McConnell's Chief of Staff Appears in Politico Ad

Phillip M. Bailey — Thu, 16 May 2013 22:52:39 +0000

A Politico video featuring the chief of staff for Senator Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., has been removed by the Washington publication after ethical questions were raised.

In a story first reported by Roll Call, an idea was pitched to McConnell chief of staff Josh Holmes to appear in a video endorsing Politico's coverage. It shows Holmes explaining his vision for America, love of public service and why he reads Politico all while sitting in the senator's office.

Watch:

Rand Paul Seeks to Cuts Corporate Tax, Fund Transportation

Kenny Colston — Thu, 16 May 2013 16:58:17 +0000

Through a single piece of legislation, Sen. Rand Paul is hoping to cut a corporate tax and get more revenue for transportation projects.

Congressman John Yarmuth Troubled by White House's String of Controversies

Phillip M. Bailey — Wed, 15 May 2013 20:27:56 +0000

Democratic Congressman John Yarmuth says the Internal Revenue Service should examine the tax-exempt status of non-profit groups, but the agency failed to apply the policy evenly.

The IRS has been scolded over flagging conservative organizations with "tea party" and "patriot" in their name.

Reports found that at least 300 such groups were put into a "bucket " that received extra scrutiny, which held up applications for months.

Agency leaders have blamed the additional views on two "rogue" employees in their Cincinnati offices.

Yarmuth says the IRS scandal undermines good government and cannot be excused, but argues looking at those groups should be a role the agency fulfills.

"That behavior on the part of IRS is totally intolerable and while I actually think the kind of scrutiny that was applied to these groups is appropriate it should be applied to every 501(c)4. The law has to be enforced evenly and fairly, and the IRS has not done that," he says.

Kentucky's Insurance Exchange Is Named, 'Similar to Travelocity or Expedia' Experience

Kenny Colston — Wed, 15 May 2013 17:24:13 +0000

Kentucky's new exchange for people on the market for healthcare now has a name and a website.

It'll be called Kynect—pronounced "connect." People can access it at kynect.ky.gov. A phone line will be running in August.

Kynect will be fully operational in time for October open health insurance enrollment.

MSNBC's Chris Matthews: Mitch McConnell 'Will Not Have a Serious Opponent' Due to IRS Scandal

Phillip M. Bailey — Wed, 15 May 2013 15:37:23 +0000

MSNBC host Chris Matthews is predicting the scandal involving the Internal Revenue Service targeting conservatives will benefit Republican Mitch McConnell, and could result in an easy re-election for Kentucky's senior senator.

The agency has apologized for flagging political organizations with "tea party" and "patriot" in their name, but Republicans and Democrats have jabbed the Obama administration for not responding forcefully enough.

McConnell has pounced on the IRS controversy after all but predicting the controversy when he spoke out against the IRS targeting such groups last summer. Speaking from the Senate floor Wednesday, McConnell warned the president shouldn't "stonewall" any investigation and dismissed the agency's explanation.

Speaking on Morning Joe, Matthews says the scandal will haunt President Obama and the Democratic Party in the 2014 elections, adding it will likely save McConnell from a serious challenge.

As IRS Scandal Endures, Kentucky Tea Party Activist Split on Mitch McConnell

Kenny Colston — Tue, 14 May 2013 18:57:17 +0000

As the scandal surrounding the targeting of tea party groups by the IRS continues, some Kentucky tea party activists are upset with Senator Mitch McConnell's role in the process—even as the state party is asking them to support him.

In Kentucky, only the statewide 9/12 project has come forward to acknowledge that they were targeted and that they were rejecting the IRS' apology on the matter.

Poll Shows Major Support for Medical Marijuana in Kentucky

Kenny Colston — Mon, 13 May 2013 19:19:35 +0000

A new poll shows 78 percent of Kentuckians support the legalization of medical marijuana, while others would be fine with widespread legalization.

The Kentucky Health Issues Poll has conducted polling on a wide array of issues for the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky over the past few months, from a statewide smoking ban to health insurance coverage.

IRS Targeted Additional Conservative Groups, Probe Shows

Mark Memmott — Mon, 13 May 2013 14:20:33 +0000

"The Internal Revenue Service's scrutiny of conservative groups went beyond those with 'tea party' or 'patriot' in their names — as the agency admitted Friday — to also include ones worried about government spending, debt or taxes, and even ones that lobbied to 'make America a better place to live,' " The Wall Street Journal reports.

Citing "new details of a government probe," the Journal adds that "the investigation also revealed that a hi