Thank you, Secretary Adams, for preserving privacy and election integrity | Opinion

Voter data

Thank you to Kentucky Secretary of State Michael Adams for resisting the Department of Justice request to turn over Kentucky’s voter rolls. I appreciate the state’s Republicans who continue to uphold a republican form of government and do not consent to this administration’s unrelenting efforts to centralize power under the executive branch. If only U.S. Rep. Andy Barr, R-Ky., would be equally concerned about putting the interests of Kentucky voters first.

Meg Upchurch, Lexington

Right to Vote

During the 2024 presidential campaign, then candidate Donald Trump told Christian conference attendees “get out and vote, just this time… you won’t have to do it any more… It’ll be fixed. It’ll be fine…” (Fox News, 7/30/24).

This was more than hyperbole. He is now threatening to nationalize and undermine the elections. Now President Trump claims he can change how we vote without approval by Congress, though the Constitution clearly gives states the right to run their elections, with oversight provided by Congress, not the president. Trump is also pushing the SAVE Act, which requires that voters prove their citizenship with a birth certificate or passport (which many don’t have) and disallows many forms of identification at the polls. You might be challenged if you have had an address change, name change (commonly due to marriage/divorce) or use a student ID.

We cannot cede our power to vote to any president, especially a man who still refuses to accept the repeatedly validated results of the 2020 election. We are grateful to our honorable KY Secretary of State Michael Adams who carefully protects the integrity of our elections. We the people must also stand strong and demand our right to vote.

Teri Faragher and Jeff Alexander, Versailles

Thanks, Trump

Thank God we have a president who has finally dealt with the most terrorist leader in the world. Sadly, it’s 47 years late.

Six presidents, three Democratic and three Republican have failed to confront evil for almost half a century. Iran has killed more American soldiers, sailors, diplomats and U.S. citizens than any other country. The response from past presidents has seen a variety of lackluster fiascos, some comical, and Biden’s failed efforts to help Iran obtain nuclear weapons. President Jimmy Carter had a “do nothing” strategy as the Iranian abuses began. Other presidents ignored the problem as Iran sponsored terrorism across the Middle East, while supporting Hamas and their anti-American protests on numerous university campuses. For years, Iran has funded terrorism in Cuba, Bolivia, and Venezuela with efforts to threaten stability in the Western Hemisphere.

John Kells Ingram, the Irish social philosopher, once wrote, “They rose in dark and evil days.” After the mullahs gained power every day since has been dark and evil under their regime. Let’s pray the Iranian people abandon the 13th century theological foolishness and rejoin the community of nations. Thanks to Israel and America for destroying evil.

Robert Adams, Lexington

ICE efforts

Laurel County is still recovering from last year’s tornado and other severe weather events. Many roofs have been repaired, and more are still in the process. We all know the majority of roofing crews are Hispanic. They work hard from daylight to dark, and their work ethic should be applauded.

While Laurel County is recovering from natural disasters, the Laurel County Sheriff’s Department entered into a cooperation agreement with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The Sheriff’s Department is actively arresting or attempting to arrest or detain Hispanics for ICE.

It is one thing to arrest criminals. It is another to harass hardworking men helping to support their families. (Think of how many Kentucky men are not doing this.) Any law enforcement agency who willingly works with the ill-trained, abusive ICE agents who allegedly kill American citizens should be ashamed that they are sinking to this level.

The Sheriff of Laurel County should never be re-elected for his willing association with ICE. VOTE HIM OUT.

David O. Smith, Corbin

Barr’s DEI

I have been a father and husband, a Field-Grade Army officer, an adult educator, and vice-president of a religious college. Along the way, I have learned leadership lessons that U.S. Rep. Andy Barr, R-Ky., forgets in his recent shallow, sarcastic DEI screed.

Here are some things I have learned about what DEI means from actual leadership on the ground:

Discipline shapes the courage and leadership to choose the hard over the easy, and to honor promises given and oaths taken.

Even-handedness meets all people openly under the law, provides simple fairness without the burdens of prejudice, and seeks to treat others as they would hope to be treated.

Integrity rejects currying favor and does not tolerate lying, cheating, or stealing, or those who do, whether it’s a neighbor down the block or the President of the United States.

These lessons cannot be learned from cults of personality, through the fog of prejudice or hatred, or by self-aggrandizement. They come from studying truth for yourself, by placing others before yourself, and by standing on your own strength of character and faith.

Perhaps this could give Barr and some of his colleagues something to actually think about—even about when to choose one’s country over one’s party.

David Arnold, Versailles

Credit union oversight

Credit unions were established as cooperative financial institutions organized around a defined common bond – for teachers, nurses, or service members, for example – and designed to operate for the mutual benefit of their members, rather than for profit. That mission justified their nonprofit status and preferential tax treatment. Today, however, that era is long gone. Credit unions across the country look very different from the institutions they once were.

They are expanding their field of membership aggressively and without regard to their previous intent to hold a community together, buying private jets, naming stadiums, and going state to state to acquire smaller community banks.

The growing disconnect between what credit unions were and what they are now raises serious questions. When institutions behave like banks and acquire banks, the rationale for their tax-exempt non-profit status becomes harder to defend, especially given that Kentucky lost out more than $24 million in taxes from them in 2024 alone.

Policymakers must scrutinize credit union activity in the state and reexamine their tax exemption, particularly as Kentucky communities face fiscal pressures and competing budget priorities. Ensuring accountability and fairness in Kentucky’s local financial system means protecting our resources and the communities that depend on them.

Jason Jones, Benton

Healthcare bills

For thousands of Kentuckians with chronic conditions, the pharmacy counter has become a place of daily crisis. Too many people across the Commonwealth are rationing medication or delaying treatment because it’s become unaffordable. This is not just a financial burden; it is a public health emergency.

The Kentucky General Assembly has an opportunity to act by passing House Bill 512 and Senate Bill 128.

A major driver of this crisis is the role of Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs). These middlemen negotiate large rebates from drug manufacturers, but patients rarely see those savings. Instead, PBMs and insurers often keep the rebates while patients are charged inflated list prices at the pharmacy counter.

When people skip doses because of cost, the consequences are serious: preventable complications, worsening health, and higher healthcare costs for Kentucky overall. House Bill 512 and Senate Bill 128 would require PBMs to pass at least 85 percent of rebate savings directly to patients at the point of sale, reducing out-of-pocket costs when it matters most. Similar policies in other states have helped lower costs while keeping premiums stable.

As a board member of the Diabetes Leadership Council, I am urging Kentucky lawmakers to put patients over middlemen.

Stewart Perry, Lexington

Iran War

On February 28, the U.S. and Israel launched an unprovoked attack on Iran. “Unprovoked” and “sovereign nation” are words absent from media descriptions of the bombings. Tune in locally for WVLK’s jingoistic regurgitation of the Trump Administration’s guileful provocation claims.

President Donald Trump, after the war started, listed destroying Iran’s nuclear, naval, and missile capabilities, and regime change as justifiable provocation. Iran poses no threat to the U.S. by land, sea, or air.

The war has spread to the Arab states of the Persian Gulf. Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates are unlikely to be able to defend themselves against Iran. The U.S. won’t until we control Iran’s oil. Oil is world’s choke point and dollar inflows into the U.S. is a goal of war planners.

The best thing for the U.S. is for the Democrats to prevail in the midterms, choose from a list of offenses and impeach Trump. The harm he does to the country is by factors exceeding any Congressional Democratic duplicity, influence peddling, and corporate pandering.

The imaginary line waiting for a place at the dock in The Hague was long before February 28. It’s even longer now.

Todd Kelly, Lexington

Volunteer firefighter legislation

Volunteer firefighters protect communities across Kentucky every day, especially in rural areas where there are no full-time fire departments. They respond to fires, accidents, and emergencies at all hours while balancing job and family responsibilities. Despite the critical service they provide, many volunteer departments struggle to recruit and retain members.

House Bill 225 would help address this challenge by creating a state tax credit for volunteer firefighters as a way to recognize their service and commitment. The bill currently has nine sponsors in the House, showing growing support for helping volunteer departments across the state.

However, the legislation is currently stalled in committee, meaning it cannot move forward unless legislative leadership allows it to be heard and voted on.

If you support Kentucky’s volunteer firefighters, now is the time to speak up.

Citizens can call the Kentucky Legislative Hotline at 1-800-372-7181 and ask their legislators to support HB 225, the Volunteer Firefighter Tax Credit. You can also email legislative leaders, such as Speaker David Osborne at David.Osborne@kylegislature.gov, and urge them to move the bill forward.

David Johnson, Richmond

Edited by Liz Carey