Letters to the Editor: Redistricting is always political, no matter which party
Dems did same
I have been following the articles on Kentucky redistricting with amusement, especially regarding the placement of Franklin County in Congressional District 1. The complaints from Democrats and the media are true hypocrisy; they seem to have forgotten the last redistricting 10 years ago. That was when the Democrats moved Garrard County out of the 6th District and put it in the 1st District. I believe this was done to move the mostly Republican county out of Rep. Ben Chandler’s district, but he lost to current Rep. Andy Barr anyway. Where was the outcry when the Democrats did this? Now Garrard is back in 6th District where it belongs. Funny how this is terrible when Republicans do it but was OK when Democrats did it.
William Riffe, Lancaster
‘Lunatic’s manifesto’
Per Ms. Blackford’s opinion suggestion, I donned a pair of gloves and reached into the bowels of the legislature and retrieved Sen Danny Carroll’s Senate Bill 44.
Only a person with limited intelligence and simian wit would consider this worthy to become a law. It reads like a lunatic’s manifesto filled with endless cliches and ramblings, like one of Donald Trump’s speeches.
Did Mr. Carroll have the Legislative Research Commission read it? Doubtful. They would have advised Mr. Carroll that he should read the U.S. Constitution or perhaps the Bill of Rights. They might also have alerted him to Section 8 of the constitution of Kentucky — “Every person may freely and fully speak, write and print on any subject, being responsible for the abuse of that liberty.”
This includes protesters who yell at police, politicians or the National Guard. It also includes the cowards in the state legislature shielding Rep. Savannah Maddox from prosecution.
The Kentucky Revised Statutes, Mr. Carroll, are there to protect the rights, the property of ALL the citizens even from those in power, like you. Only a coward uses that power to cause harm.
Damian Beach, Frankfort
Bill unwise
We all know that teachers are trained to teach students. I wonder what gives Sen. Max Wise the authority to override (with the help of the American Legislative Exchange Council/ALEC) the professionally and collaboratively written state curriculum. He has targeted middle and high school social studies standards. Why is he doing this? My guess is because members of his ruling party are uncomfortable with Kentucky students learning the truth about racism, sexism and other contemporary progressive movements. His bill, “Teaching American Principles Act”/Senate Bill 138, would end open discussion of current events and turn our schools into propaganda factories like the schools in Russia or Cuba. This cynical effort is so un-American! It will sow ignorance, confusion and distrust. Please call the Legislative Research Commission at (800) 372-7181 and ask your legislators to oppose SB 138.
Rosanne F. Klarer, Lexington
Merge counties too
A bill has been introduced in the Kentucky state legislature that would dissolve several small cities that no longer have the resources to support themselves. It’s past time that Kentucky also looked at consolidating a number of counties that do not have the population and tax base to provide basic services. The Kentucky Constitution in 1891 established a minimum population of 12,000 people to form a county, yet today, 28 counties have fewer residents than this with several having less than 5,000. That is 28 courthouses, 28 sets of county officials, 28 school systems, all requiring staffing and facility maintenance. Only three states — Texas, Georgia and Virginia, all with far greater populations than Kentucky — have more counties than we do. The courthouse gangs will fight this, but it only makes sense to merge counties with so few residents to better provide services at a lower cost.
Howard Stovall, Lexington
Tax ‘reform’
CBS “60 Minutes” reported that 1,700 people who applied to Kentucky nursing schools last year had to be rejected because schools didn’t have enough faculty to teach them and Louisville hospitals would hire hundreds more nurses if they could get the applicants.
In the latest census data Kentucky has the fifth highest percentage of people living below the poverty line. In 2019 we ranked 48th in life expectancy.
Despite our extreme needs for more funding in healthcare, education, and social services, the Chamber of Commerce and some legislators want to abolish state income tax and instead tax “consumption.” This will be of absolutely no benefit to the 770,000 Kentuckians who pay no income tax and will raise the cost of their basic necessities.
They say we should emulate Tennessee, which has no personal income tax. But Tennessee has state and local sales taxes that can add up to 10%. It has sales tax on groceries. Tennessee refuses to expand Medicaid, which one in three Kentuckians depend on.
Already Kentucky’s Republican-controlled legislature lowered income taxes to a flat rate for everyone instead of progressive rates. The chamber and politicians who would do away with income tax and raise sales tax show selfishness and callousness toward the poor.
Rita Swan, Lexington
Discourse, not assault
It looks like Rene Boucher’s conviction for assaulting Sen. Rand Paul should be immediately overturned on appeal. He was only subjecting Mr Paul to “legitimate political discourse” as defined by the Republican National Committee recently. Mr Paul should learn to accept constructive criticism gracefully and apologize for his behavior in this incident.
Kerry Kearns, Nicholasville
Truth crucial
Black history matters for the same reasons Black lives matter. The 90% white Republican Party of Donald Trump don’t get it. Failure to teach Black history is shameful. That failure contributes significantly to the dumbing down of America. To know the truth about slavery, Reconstruction, Jim Crow, and today’s systemic racism is the only way our country can overcome more than 400 years of evil racism, our country’s national sin. Today’s white Republican Party stands in the way of ending racism.
Paul L. Whiteley Sr., Louisville
Jones pays price
At last Alex Jones is going down for his totally made-up story that the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre was a government “false flag” operation. The grieving parents have endured years of relentless harassment from those gullible followers who believe Jones’s lies. The parents were not able to persuade Congress to do something about the school shooting problem, but they have prevailed in lawsuits against Jones.
Professional liar Jones is delusional. He thought he could stonewall giving any documentation to the courts and prevail by lying some more. The judges finally got sick of it and declared that he lost. Now juries in Texas and Connecticut must decide how much Jones owes those grieving parents. I hope it’s a billion dollars, although that isn’t enough to repay the parents for all they have endured. Then Jones would have to appeal to the conservative confederacy for help raising the money; the same gullible people who have been sending money to Donald Trump for his “legal defense fees.” Hopefully Jones and Trump can compete for the money from these suckers and start a little ideological war amongst themselves.
Kevin Kline, Lexington
Troubled times
On Feb. 4, the Republican National Committee described the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the U.S. Capitol as “legitimate political discourse.”
On Jan. 6, 2021: $1.5 million worth of damage to the U.S. Capitol building; more than 700 arrests; police officers assaulted and injured; people killed; threats on the life of the vice president and the speaker of the House; windows and doors broken and breached; videotapes of the brutality; attacks on the media trying to report the events; legislators locked in offices and hidden under desks; disruption of the House proceedings.
If one of our two major political parties describes this as “legitimate political discourse,” we are, indeed, in trouble as a country.
Legitimate political discourse can and should take place. We do know how to do that. Surely, none of us wants to see Jan. 6 repeated anywhere in this country.
Marilyn S. Daniel, Lexington
Old GOP gone
Sadly, the Republican Party of old is no more. Ronald Reagan’s “Big Tent” GOP has collapsed under Donald Trump’s lies and bigotry. Some from within the party have spoken but the majority of Republican politicians still seem obligated to Trumpism. That’s sad. The party previously stood for God, country and conservatism. That has changed. It has become a party beholden to Trump and to his daily tirades. Sen. Mitch McConnell said that he is waiting for the results of the Jan. 6 inquiry to come to a decision on how to handle Trumpism. That’s commendable but perhaps a little late. Democracies around the world are in peril. May God protect us all.
Don Rapske, Lexington
This story was originally published February 11, 2022 at 9:45 AM.