KY Republicans promise to rein in Beshear, let freedom and COVID-19 reign instead.
We keep looking to 2021, talking about how much better it will be because of vaccines and the fact it’s not 2020. But when it comes to Kentucky politics, we got a little preview of the New Year on Wednesday and the only question left is: What fresh hell is this?
Republican legislators are going to bring an end to Gov. Andy Beshear’s tyrannical policies of saving lives during a pandemic, make sure he no longer has the power to do anything, and then implement ... well, I’m sure they’ll come up with something. We already saw how seriously they’re taking COVID-19 when a group of Republican freshmen came to orientation and refused to wear masks. Now, it might play havoc with quorums if that class was suddenly stricken with COVID-19, which is ok; what’s not acceptable is their willingness to infect all the staff in the Capitol, who don’t have a choice of whether to show up.
Sure, Indiana just banned elective medical procedures because COVID-19 cases are filling their hospitals so rapidly, but freedom!
Anyway, the political chest-thumping has already started with various bills to ban any rules in universities or state government that would require the COVID-19 vaccine. None currently exist, nor according to public officials, are there any in the works, but Rep. Mark Hart, R-Falmouth, must be pretty sure that such tyranny is lurking around the corner because he just pre-filed a bill that would ban any requirement in public universities unless you’re providing health services. Who wants to tell him that most universities do require that students be vaccinated for killers like meningitis, and public schools require a whole lot more?
If COVID-19 was a hoax, wait til they get a load of measles let loose in schools.
Now legislators often try to throw their weight around with universities, mostly because they believe they’re filled with dangerous liberals who will teach our innocent children about socialism. Usually cooler and smarter heads prevail, killing legislation that makes no sense. But now with this Frankfort superdupermajority, Republicans will feel more emboldened to make dumb bills, even as their constituents lose their jobs and apartments and businesses. Yes, we’ve heard that Republicans will get right to work on a bill to provide liability protection to businesses, but nothing of what they’re planning to help their suffering human constituents. Just taking a page from Sen. Mitch McConnell, I guess.
Speaking of that profile in courage, I guess we should be glad that Mitch’s protege, Attorney General Daniel Cameron hasn’t yet joined other Republican suckup states to overturn the presidential election because President Donald Trump is mad he lost. Yes, that’s the lawsuit that Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh described as “a cesspool of disproved charges, wild speculation, insupportable arguments and silly gibberish.”
Whoops! I spoke too soon, apparently, Cameron is having lunch at the White House on Thursday with Trump. Hey, if the presidential election was fraudulent, doesn’t that mean down ballot races were too?
Those of us who like science and election laws probably need to save our righteous indignation for a while, because by January, if the election is not overturned that is, Kentucky will see the full impact of this Republican juggernaut, full of legislation to ban abortion but nothing to stop COVID-19 from killing many more. I just hope Mark Hart and the rest of his crew choose not to get the COVID-19 vaccine because then there will be more for the rest of us.
This story was originally published December 10, 2020 at 10:09 AM.
