Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Booksmart
Check out my brilliant sister's book reviews:

"Against the Machine: Being Human in the Age of the Electronic Mob" by Lee Seigel and "People of the Book" by Geraldine Brooks, here.

"The Good Soldier" by Ford Maddox Ford, here.

"Someday This Pain Will Be Useful to You by Peter Cameron" and "Before I Die" by Jenny Downham, here.
Summary of My Discontent
The superdelegate: democracy’s Simon Cowell
What a Week, 3/19

+8
The House approved its version of the budget, restoring many of the cuts Governor Beshear proposed. The new-math House version restores funding to universities, gives state workers and teachers a raise, includes funding for road construction, and avoids the most painful cuts in social services. The plan includes a 25-cent cigarette tax and a 6% sales tax on some services, whereas the Guv wants a 70-cent cigarette tax and deeper cuts. The discrepancy set off a polite debate between Beshear and Representative Harry Moberly about which leader was most disingenuous jagoff.

-5
If higher cigarette taxes make it easier for you to breathe, don’t get your hopes up. At the urging of Polluter-in-Chief George W. Bush, the EPA rejected its own scientists and set a pro-business, 75-parts-per-billion standard for ozone, which is a perpetual throat-tickler in Louisville.

+2
Judge John Heyburn rejected Louisville attorney Ted Gordon’s challenge to the Jefferson County Public Schools’ interim desegregation plan. Gordon, diversity’s hemorrhoid, claimed the plan uses a racial quota system and is therefore unconstitutional. The interim school-assignment plan will use geography to assign students, but doesn’t take into consideration any individual student’s race. Heyburn told Gordon to find a plaintiff and file a lawsuit if he wants to challenge the new plan, whereupon Gordon dashed off in pursuit of a passing ambulance.

-3
In economic news, oil prices continued to soar, gas rose to nearly $3.50 per gallon, and your mom threw away all your old baseball cards. Also, your Civic is fixin’ to blow a head gasket. With gold at $1000, it might be time to hock that wedding ring.
World-classness:
+2

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

What a Week, 3/12

+ 5
Governor Steve Beshear finally looked in a mirror, discovered he's not Ernie Fletcher and started making some sense. The Guv came out in support of Kentucky education reform, a 70-cent cigarette tax, and voting rights for reformed felons. Momentarily reFletcherizing, he strongly hinted the that casino gambling is dead in the water. In other butt news, a new survey (at www.kyyouth.org) shows one in four pregnant women in Kentucky smoke. Possibly coming to the rescue is California Rep Henry Waxman, whose 20-year effort to bring cigs under FDA control is gaining momentum.

- 4
The Kentucky House passed a bill to give tax breaks for installing renewable energy systems in homes or businesses; Meanwhile, a desperately needed "stream saver" bill actually got a hearing, thanks to a wild parliamentary "camel ride." Rep Harry Moberly attached the surface-mining measure to a bogus bill giving "tax breaks to camels" (as opposed to Camel Lights), just to force a discussion. In the end, the coal creeps won as usual, but at least somebody's fighting for Kentucky waterways. Putting a damper on those good environmental efforts was this bummer: Kentucky's environmental agencies face 20% cuts in the proposed budget.

+ 2
Taking a cue from the downsizing experts at Ford, Kentucky is offering state workers retirement buyouts. 5400 state workers are eligible for enhanced benefits if they retire by January 1. The state would save $180 million by not replacing them or hiring cheaper help. Meanwhile, the House Budget Committee approved a bill that authorizes the use of tolls to finance "megaprojects," which is code for "bridges," put presumably could also finance a soul transplant for Representative Jim Gooch.

World-classness:
+ 3
Louisville Magazine - End Insight
Giving Us Gas
Summary of My Discontent
Courting the imbecile vote
What a Week, 3/5

+5
Because of a "competitive religious marketplace," nearly half of Americans have switched religions, according to a study by the Pew Forum. But the fastest growing "religion" is no religion - fully 16% of us (a record number for America) abstain. Protestantism, which could soon become a minority religion for the first time in American history, still comprises 66% of the population in Kentucky. God could not be reached for comment.

+ 1
Senate Republicans (whose likeness you'll find if you look up "bully" in the dictionary) defeated a proposed bill aimed at combating bullying in Kentucky schools. In brighter news, the House approved the governor's pension-bailout bill and a bill to toughen penalties for sexual abusers. Both measures passed 96-0.

-10
Where Kentucky is going to put those sex pervs is another matter. A Pew Center study revealed that Kentucky, at 12%, led the nation in prisoner growth last year. If you're reading this on the outside, pat yourself on the back. The U.S. leads the world in both number and percentage of incarcerated citizens. One in 100 adults (2.3 million), including one in 15 black men in America are in prison at a cost of $55 billion.

+ 7
Nowhere is planning more important than in parenthood, a point that Planned Parenthood Federation of America president Cecile Richards made in Louisville last week. Richards was in town to commemorate Kentucky's Bluegrass and Louisville chapters' well planned urge to merge, which recently gave birth to Planned Parenthood of Kentucky. The new organization will reach out to women and men in rural and Hispanic communities. Learn more at plannedparenthood.org/kentucky.

World-classness
+ 3
What a Week, 2/27

- 10
Kentucky House lawmakers recommended building nine casinos, a compromise between Governor Beshear's 12-casino proposal and the Senate's recommendation that we fear gays. Senate Republicans meanwhile declared war on education with Senate Bill 1, which would eliminate Kentucky's nationally renowned CATS testing system. Hillbillies David Williams and Dan Kelly want to retain reading and 'rithmatic, but remove 'riting, science, arts and humanities from school accountability. Beshear's deafening silence had some wondering if there's a "We'll-support-casinos-if-we-can-kill-CATS" deal afoot.

+ 5
Über-capitalists David and Dan Jones backed off a controversial plan for 21st Century Parks to take control of 700 acres of public parkland. The plan would have protected the parkland "forever" with no requirement for open meetings. The compromise allows the city to control the parks while preserving the parkland, thanks to a political procedure known as "making this stuff up as we go."

- 7
Home of the Innocents and similar children's agencies are facing more financial cuts, this time from the feds. Unless Congress acts, state agencies that care for abused, neglected and delinquent children face Medicaid cuts of $94 million, or roughly 1.5 times what America spent last week to shoot down one of its own spy satellites.

+ 8
But it's not all vinegar and redneckery in The 502. Thanks to grassroots kick-asstivism, Rubbertown clocked 84% lower emissions of cancer-causing 1,3-butadiene than in 2003. And the governor proposed a partial solution to the state's $26.6 billion pension crisis, which would no longer let state workers retire at age 45 and "double dip" -- throwbacks to the glory days when we could afford to educate our kids and build bridges.

World-classness
- 4
Summary of My Discontent
Summary of y’all are crazy
What a Week, 2/20
-2
Governor Beshear unveiled his blackjack plans, proposing 12 Kentucky casinos - including one in Louisville - that could generate $600 million. The proposal faces stiff opposition in the Senate, which responded by passing a bill to ban health insurance for gay partners of state workers and one to require women to get an ultrasound before getting an abortion.

-1
The Transportation Department took a break from not building an east-end bridge to focus on not rebuilding Spaghetti Junction. The bridge construction, which was slated to begin this year, is now slated to begin "when pigs fly," (which seems like an unnecessary dig at local commuters), with the junction portion beginning first.

+5
While state leaders were busy scratching themselves, Metro Council was hard at work easing your pain. The Council wants to tap federal and state funds to synchronize traffic lights on Shelbyville Road and Dixie Highway via wireless instead of their current system, which is apparently Windows 95. The upgrade will eventually add 281 signals and cost up to $10 million, which for that price better also deliver Internet porn and ESPN SportsCenter. The Council also wants to allow restaurants to get quick zoning approval to serve booze outdoors, bringing relief to thirsty smokers.

+7
In other good news, Mayor Abramson announced that the economic downturn has increased competition among contractors so much that the Arena Project could save up to $70 million dollars, prompting hopes that the economy will get so bad the arena will be free. And job-training agency KentuckianaWorks has surplus bucks to train 1000 workers to upgrade their job skills. Get in on the action at www.kentucianworks.org.

World-classness:
+ 9
What a Week, 2/13

-3
Despite a new AP/Ipsos poll showing that most Americans believe getting out of Iraq would be the best way to stimulate the economy (with 48% adding, "Duh!"), the Senate OKed the $168 billion "Buy-Shit-At-Target" anti-recession plan instead. Meanwhile, our ever-innovative corporate predators began unveiling their plans to keep you coming back to your favorite toxins: Yum announced 99-cent menus and Kroger announced $4 prescriptions, meaning recession-beleaguered Americans can cop the disease and its remedy for under $10.

But things won't be so sweet for Kentucky's shut-ins, elderly, and/or mentally ill. Governor Monty Beshear's budget calls for cuts in human services, including Meals on Wheels and other services for the disabled – services that tend to keep shut-ins from needing far costlier nursing-home care. In a sad reminder that not all crazy people work in Frankfort, Central State Hospital laid off 16 psychologists and social workers.

-5
Speaking of lunacy, the Brady Campaign ranked Kentucky in a last-place tie with Oklahoma for the nation's most lax gun laws (www.stategunlaws.org). Requiring businesses to allow guns in the workplace and allowing deadly force to be a first resort in public helped us edge out those second-last-place pussies in Missouri and Louisiana. Putting an exclamation point behind the Brady report were gun-wielding maniacs in St. Louis (6 dead, council meeting) and Baton Rouge (3 dead, classroom).

-2
Not to be outdone, scores of tornadoes pulled a Bobby Knight, choking three states, then abruptly leaving. The storms left 59 dead, including seven Kentuckians but mercifully didn't admonish anybody to "relax and enjoy it." In other ker-powie news, this year's Thunder theme, "Out of This World," was chosen over runner-up "Rednecks Blowing Shit Up."

World-classness
-18