Letters to the Editor: Visitors, please mind these rules for horse farm etiquette

Horse farm rules

Ever wonder why horse farms have closed gates at the farm entrance? There can be several reasons, one of which is… tourists. Most farms welcome visitors if they call first and then stop at the farm office before going further into the farm. Horse farm etiquette includes: no climbing on fences, no feeding the horses, no trash thrown out of the car window, no driving on the grass, and if a gate is closed, leave it closed. Visitors should stop again at the farm office on their way out, and a note of thanks is always appreciated.

Tom Dixon, Lexington

KRS bill unnecessary

A bill introduced in the General Assembly would reorganize Kentucky Retirement Systems (KRS). Proponents say House Bill 484 is needed to address a perceived lack of representation for the County Employees Retirement System (CERS), one of three systems under the umbrella of KRS. KRS is overseen by a 17-member board.

HB 484 creates a new, duplicative bureaucracy. It establishes a CERS board and another board to represent the Kentucky employees and state police systems. This will mean duplicate expenditures to hire another group of auditors, investment consultants and actuaries. Investment and custodial fees to manage separate fund portfolios will increase. Chief executive officers would be hired for each of the two boards. The total price tag is estimated at $3.6 million to $6.7 million.

An argument can be made that the current board is top-heavy with gubernatorial trustees. A simple fix would be to do nothing more than change the board’s representation. No muss, no fuss, and no spending millions of dollars for a system that needs to hold on to every nickel to ensure fiscal stability.

HB 484 should be defeated, and a more practical approach to board representation should be explored by all affected stakeholder groups.

Jim Carroll, Frankfort, president of Kentucky Government Retirees advocacy group

Bring back U.S. industry

Growing up in Lexington, times were fantastic and many families worked at IBM, most for life. IBM family days and a large family Christmas party were common, demonstrating the company’s commitment to its employees. This was commonplace across America for most, but has vanished from the nation’s landscape. All was replaced for offshore profit for a select few of a new class of robber barons that have made themselves wealthy in the process.

Regardless of the political party, the writing is on the wall. The America we once knew may yet return but not without our industry. We need to return to the thing that raised families up and created people who were proud of their nation and the work they performed daily. The day of the hedge fund and financial elites is coming to a close and America must reinvest in its working class and the under-classes who have only the desire to set a stake in their futures and in America.

The average worker has been awakened to the fact that someone has been living off them while playing with their money and their families’ futures. Some people will disagree with this and any message of pride in America. That’s OK. The American worker is entitled to their fair share, as are all who work.

Michael and Lisa Johnson, Ravenna