Didn’t see a press release from Gov. Steve Beshear touting the bailout request he sent to Washington D.C. for Detroit automakers who have spent decades wooing politicians while Toyota stuck to building quality cars.

The market always wins these battles and the market says out-of-control labor unions add too much to the cost of UAW-dominated auto manufacturers’ products. Sure have created an interesting precedent for adding taxpayers to the losing side once again.

No wonder he is asking for more of your money.

Kentucky would do better to skip the bailout begging and lower taxes on businesses across-the-board. That way, when businesses fail there will be more opportunities for displaced workers to keep working.

Never one to hold his rhetorical punches, Bluegrass Institute policy and communications director Jim Waters thrashes Louisville school officials trying to play duck-and-cover with data on failing schools:

“In responding to the report, Jefferson County Schools’ research director Bob Rodosky claimed the district, which enrolls nearly half of all black public-school students in Kentucky, was “blindsided” by the Bluegrass Institute’s report.”
“Forgive me if I don’t offer a hanky, Bob. You have part of it right. You and others have turned a “blind” eye toward implementing real solutions that would go a long way toward improving the education of poor, black kids in your inner city.”
“Twenty-three of the 35 “Tier 5” schools in Kentucky — schools failing to meet annual education goals for at least six consecutive years — operate in Jefferson County. Ten Jefferson County middle schools alone fall into the “Tier 5” category.”
“And administrators chant “blindsided?””
“Rodosky accused the Bluegrass Institute of “piling on” and attempting to paint the district “in the worst light possible.””

Rather that accepting the official whining from Jefferson County Schools, Waters offers these solutions:

“I’ve offered many ideas in this column — more transparency, bringing best practices from good to struggling schools, merit pay for badly needed, high-quality math and science teachers — and more choices for parents.”

Too many school officials refuse to stand toe-to-toe with these solutions. They prefer to cry and complain and demand more taxpayer money that we don’t have. It’s up to taxpayers to deliver a knockout punch to expensive and counterproductive “education” policies. The rest of Waters’ column is available here.

The Kentucky Department of Education’s Assessment and Accountability Task Force Meeting 6 has come and gone with little new to report.

In fact, after six of seven planned meetings, tentative consensus is limited to only one item – a program to assess the arts and humanities more effectively. And, even that consensus seemed to fracture a bit at the end of the meeting.

For meeting details, check out the Bluegrass Institute’s new public policy Wiki.

So far, this task force is on track to accomplish what many suspected from the start – almost nothing.

That’s a shame for our kids, because the group initially did develop a reasonably good list of education issues that needed to be examined. However, with only one meeting remaining, it isn’t likely the group will resolve its unending deadlock on writing portfolios, and time has all but run out for thoughtful development of any really worthwhile proposals for improvement in other areas.

Gov. Steve Beshear set the stage today for tax increases and another shot at casino gambling when he announced projections of $294 million in overspending for the current year:

“Kentucky is expected to have a $294 million shortfall in its state budget this year, Gov. Steve Beshear said Thursday.”

“At a Capitol news conference, Beshear said he would develop a plan over the next several weeks to address the shortfall for the current fiscal year, which ends June 30. He said the plan will include spending cuts and may include raising new revenue.”

Repealing prevailing wage would be a more sound policy for balancing the books than raising taxes and cutting public employee pension benefits and simplifying retirement system investing procedures would be more efficient than trying again to pass a questionable casino scheme.

The Bluegrass Institute hosted a viewing of The Call of the Entrepreneur last night at the Kentucky Theater in Lexington. The purpose of the event was to inspire Kentuckians to create opportunities for prosperity where others see only reasons to despair.

Speakers for the event included Jim Waters, Kathy Gornik, Warren Rogers, and Lee Greer.

A left-leaning Washington D.C. think tank, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities(CBPP), has found that Kentucky has the highest income tax in the nation on a family of four at 125% of the poverty level.

CBPP reports a two-parent family of four in Kentucky with $26,504 in 2007 income would owe state income tax of $923. This is effectively a transfer of the federal Earned Income Tax Credit to Kentucky’s general fund.

The report lists Kentucky as one of only eighteen states that hits two-parent families of four with any income tax at all.

Rep. Bill Farmer (R-Lexington) has announced plans to file a bill for the 2009 General Assembly to eliminate Kentucky’s income tax and replace it with consumption taxes.

Great new video from the CATO Institute explains that Sen. Barack Obama’s healthcare plan is more ambitious than HillaryCare in expanding the government’s role in personal health decisions.

Here’s the money quote from Director of Health Policy Studies Michael Cannon: “He would create a new government program that would essentially double the size of the current Medicare program. And he would exert a lot more control over all sorts of decisions Americans make about their health insurance and their health care.”

Kentuckians long ago proved that too much government in healthcare is a bad thing. Massachusetts is currently confirming our findings. It is amazing that we have to continue having this kind of discussion.

One of the more encouraging notes in the discouraging rhetoric from both sides in the 2008 presidential race is the questioning of government redistribution schemes as a means for “spreading the wealth around.”

As your heating bills go up this winter, try not to think about how much more you will have to pay because the government wants to take credit for “helping” those who they deem worthy of receiving your money to heat their homes.

LIHEAP eligibility extends upwards to almost $30,000 in annual income for a family of four. Might be interesting to see how many of those recipients have cell phones and satellite dishes.

Of course, only a heartless guttersnipe would begrudge someone a redistributive bureaucracy — and full funding — during a cold winter. Even worse to point out that mankind survived a few years before there was automated indoor heating.

Some people get awfully excited about college kids chasing each other with a ball. There’s nothing wrong with that — I’ve even joined them a time or two — it’s just that we all choose different things that engage our imaginations or even inspire us to greater heights.

Hit the link to this blog post from a man who finds the highest joy in the workings of capitalism — government “assistance” not required.

Of course government does take its cut of the capitalism. Perhaps if they knew someone was getting so worked up about it, they might try to send the tax man after him for deriving a previously untaxed benefit.

And this plays into a plan in Tennessee to tax bird-watching. Yes, I’m serious. The obvious questions for us then are: what if some of the birds being watched are actually across the border in Kentucky while they are being watched? Or if Kentuckians wander into Tennessee to watch some birds, do we tax them if they come home happy?

Rep. Bill Farmer sent a letter to Gov. Steve Beshear last week urging swift action on the state’s fast-shrinking unemployment insurance fund.

“Several months ago, I contacted Finance and Administration Cabinet Secretary Jonathan Miller regarding this situation. At that time, I proposed the idea of merging our state’s unemployment tax returns with the withholding tax returns as one proposal to aid in healing the quickly ailing unemployment fund.”

“By merging these tax returns, not only would the state save untold amounts of money on paper, printing, and postage costs, but the unemployment fund would receive a much needed infusion of funds. Furthermore, the money accrued through this merger would be deposited to the unemployment fund earlier, as opposed to waiting until the beginning of May.”

“I trust that you share my level of concern for this escalating crisis.”

Rep. Farmer has been a tax consultant for twenty one years.