With budget bill votes, McConnell, Barr and other legislators have betrayed KY | Opinion
Budget bill betrayal
Kentucky has been betrayed by the very people who are supposed to represent us! My 6th District Congressman Andy Barr voted for Trump’s evil budget bill and sent it to the Senate. Then Mitch McConnell betrayed us by supporting that same budget bill and commented that the harm it will do to Kentucky and its citizens is something “they’ll get over.” With such heartless representation Kentuckians don’t stand a chance. It is more important to both these men to please Trump and his billionaire buddies than do what is best for the citizens of Kentucky.
When folks lose their healthcare and seniors are kicked out of nursing homes due to cuts in Medicaid, blame McConnell, Barr and the Republicans in Congress. When rural hospitals and clinics have to close their doors due to lack of funding, blame the Republicans. When the SNAP program is cut taking food away from families, remember who to blame. There are many more detrimental results to our state because of the passage of this bill which we have yet to experience. When it comes time to vote again, remember who betrayed us and don’t be fooled by what they say; but remember what they did!
One big bill
U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., needs to know that the folks back home will not “get over it,” - not now, not ever. Nor will we EVER get over his condescending mockery of the people he was hired to represent.
That “Big . . . Bill” he just voted for is filled with BS that will cripple our economy, devastate the vulnerable, diminish the middle class, and further President Donald Trump’s authoritarian agenda; all to satisfy a bunch of grossly immoral, greedy, power-hungry, and corrupt fools. Hell could not be hot enough for the GOP Congressmembers and the billionaires they bow to. Shame on all of them!
Beverly C. Johnson-Miller, Lexington
Stop the BBB
We need to come together NOW and urge our representatives to block President Donald Trump’s budget, aka “One Big Beautiful Bill.” This bill is jam-packed with harmful policies, including massive cuts to things we rely on every day to take care of our families and educate our youth: Medicaid, SNAP, public education, and higher education. Also, after-school programs in high-need areas including five Boys & Girls Clubs sites in Appalachia would close, and many of our hospitals would be at risk of closing, too.
We’re told these cuts would bring down the federal deficit, but as Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., points out, this bill would actually increase the deficit by billions. If you supported this bill before, it’s not too late to rise up and oppose it now. But it will be soon.
Contact your representatives directly or call the House switchboard at (202)225-3121 to be connected. It’s easy to leave a voicemail—just state your name, home address, that you oppose the bill, and that you are a constituent. You can add details about why you oppose the bill if you would like. Don’t delay!
Rachel Dorroh, Berea
Big bad bill
Governor Andy Beshear said on MSNBC recently that President Donald Trump’s BBB (Big Ugly Bill) is going to cost Kentucky at least 20,000 jobs - and there will be many more when the knock-on effects are considered. Some 200,000 Kentuckians will lose their Medicaid or AFC policies. In Kentucky, 50 percent of children get their health care through Medicaid - and it’s going to be gone! It is estimated that 36 rural hospitals will have to close due to a shortfall in revenues because of the destruction of Medicaid. Many Kentuckians in rural areas will now have to drive many more miles for health care or to seek treatment at an ER. How many will die on the way?
Many nursing homes will also have to close. The elderly, many with dementia, will have to move back in with their children or other relatives. This bill is going to be a disaster for Kentucky and many other states as well. The hardest hit counties will be those in the eastern part of the state which voted overwhelmingly for Trump for President.
As has been frequently stated elections have consequences.
Jim Porter, Danville
MAGA madness
We now live in a country where masked ICE agents spread fear and terror and look more like enforcers of a drug cartel than federal law enforcement officials. We also see our constitution being violated as the stacked U.S. Supreme Court (thanks to U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell) continues to make rulings that support a power-hungry president.
People are still being illegally deported and denied due process. The “rule of law” is twisted and compromised by our authoritarian president, who pardons criminals, like the January 6 capitol rioters. Now we must deal with a massive budget bill that by all estimates will add between $2.4 - 5.0 trillion to our national debt, take health care from millions, and result in hospital closings in states like Kentucky.
If you are embarrassed and disgusted with what you are seeing, there are only two options available to take back this country. One, tell your legislators that they must stop this authoritarian, fascist-leaning administration. That option is not promising at this time but that may change. Second, make sure that MAGA candidates are defeated during subsequent elections.
This is a critical moment in our nation’s history.
William Farnau, Lexington
Trump v. CASA
It is becoming more difficult to respect the U.S. Supreme Court with each opinion related to President Donald Trump’s agenda and his outrageous executive orders.
In the case of Trump v. CASA, the Court specifically stated it was not deciding on birthright citizenship (it will address that later in a different case) nor on the merits of the underlying cases. It did curtail the jurisdiction of a district court to issue temporary injunctions applying to those who are not parties to the specific case in question. The underlying cases remain pending. The court only partially lifted the injunctions as to those who are not parties to the cases. The injunctions remain in effect as to the specific parties named in the original case. It is not a victory for the government.
It does raise new questions which will take some time. Approximately 50 federal courts have issued temporary nationwide injunctions staying the enforcement of much of Trump’s agenda and executive orders. This Supreme Court decision may not conflict with these judges. Time will tell, but I am beginning to lose faith in the Supreme Court.
D. Craig Dance, Lexington
Call for Peace
As the conflict escalates once more between Iran and Israel, it is ordinary citizens—mothers, children, families—who pay the heaviest price. History has shown that warfare breeds more warfare. As a member of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, I am compelled to speak up and remind our global conscience of the Islamic teaching: “Whosoever kills a person... it shall be as if he had killed all mankind” (Qur’an 5:33).
The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, under the guidance of His Holiness Mirza Masroor Ahmad, has long championed peace through dialogue, diplomacy, and justice. We urge both sides to step back from the brink of further violence and embrace mutual de-escalation.
No lasting peace can be built on bloodshed. It is only when leaders prioritize humanity over retaliation that healing begins. We call upon international stakeholders to act not in the interest of power, but in the pursuit of reconciliation.
Peace is not weakness. It is the highest form of strength.
Faizan Ahmed, Lexington
Childcare
I agreed with Don Pratt’s recent opinion entitled “Childcare.” It is insanity for people to bring children into the world they cannot support financially, intellectually, or mentally. Uneducated parents and grandparents ignorantly encourage unmarried teens and young adults to have children. These young people have no money. No jobs. No high school diplomas. And they often have the maturity level of a middle schooler.
They have unprotected sex like an accidental pregnancy is nowhere close to being a possibility. Then the baby arrives and goes straight to foster care! The grandparents are denied custody because they were rightfully deemed physically unable and income deficient.
A 67-year-old preacher/coworker told me that his 16-year-old grandson wanted to get married. He is a high-school dropout! He said he, “wasn’t sure it was a good idea.”
WHAT!?!?! I told him, “Of course it’s a terrible idea! They’re 16 – no jobs. Both are dropouts. Both live with grandparents. They’re going to live with who? You can’t permit this just because they’re having premarital sex!”
They next day he said, “You’re absolutely right. My thinking was off. They would end up living with me and immediately start having kids. It is a terrible idea.”
Yolanda Averette, Lexington
Edited by Liz Carey