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Bluegrass Institute president resigns to run for House seat

Featured_News, Media, NewsBy Jim Waters February 8, 2012

For Immediate Release:

Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2012

(LOUISVILLE, Ky.) – Phil Moffett has resigned as president and CEO of the Bluegrass Institute, Kentucky’s free market think tank, in order to vie for a seat in the state House of Representatives.

Moffett, a Louisville businessman and former gubernatorial candidate, said redistricting developments in Frankfort offered him an opportunity to run for State Representative for the 32^nd House District.

“We think Phil will be a great friend and ally of the institute in public office but understand that by becoming involved with the political process, he will need to have a different relationship with the institute,” said Kathy Gornik, chairman of the institute’s board of directors. “We greatly appreciate Phil’s contribution and concur that the institute must remain nonpartisan and a source of credible, objective and accurate information that empowers citizens to hold policymakers accountable.”

The decision preserves the independence that allows the institute to cross party lines and promote sound policies aligned with its founding principles of individual liberty, economic prosperity and property rights, Gornik said.

“Phil and the institute share a vision of a free and prosperous Kentucky – where government protects the rights of citizens to determine their own directions in life,” she said. “Being a business owner myself, I know how important it is that we have policymakers in Frankfort who understand how high tax rates, lack of school choice, heavy-handed regulations and Nanny State edicts hinder job creation and economic growth. Phil can and will make a difference.”

While the relationship between the institute and Moffett will change, he said the need for effective policymakers to protect liberty and advance freedom, defend liberty and shine the light on state and local governments remains unchanged.

“I leave the Bluegrass Institute with great respect and admiration for their mission of smaller government, free-markets, and the protection of personal liberties,” Moffett said in a statement. “I intend to continue this fight from within state government.”

For more information, please contact Jim Waters at 270-782-2140 or jwaters@freedomkentucky.com

Hal Rogers helps himself

Increase Free Markets, Reduce Government Spending, Smaller Government, Transparency and AccountabilityBy Jim Waters February 7, 2012

Since 2002, U.S. Rep. Hal Rogers – Kentucky’s own “prince of pork” – has secured $7.1 million for improvements to College Street and other portions of Somerset, Ky. The main reason this is news is that Hal Rogers’ home is on College Street. The Washington Post today discusses the appearance of personal enrichment by many lawmakers and the possible impropriety.

The problem here isn’t that Mr. Rogers has enriched himself with this project to improve his own street (it probably has improved his home’s value), the problem is that Mr. Rogers can always enrich himself with federal handouts no matter who gets the direct benefit. The payoff to Rogers may not come in the form of home equity, but it could come in the form of future favors, future votes from other members of the House and future campaign contributions from thankful recipients of federal handouts.

So rather than ask why Hal Rogers is devoting a tiny portion of federal spending to fixing up his own street, we should be asking why the federal government has the money and power to fix any local street at all. The people who benefit most should be the people who pay for local improvements. Instead of taxpayers in New York and California paying for Hal Rogers’ street repair, it should be local city or county taxes that foot the bill.

Hal Rogers, of course, sees no problem with paving his street with federal tax money. His spokesman told the Post, “Congressman Rogers sees no conflict of interest in helping local leaders achieve their goals for growth at large or in this case in particular.”

Reason.tv and Citizens Against Government Waste named Hal Rogers their Porker of the Month in 2010. Surely he’s earned that honor again since then, right?

Inform yourself: Jim Waters will speak during tele-town hall on pseudoephedrine proposal tonight

Media, News, Smaller GovernmentBy bipps February 7, 2012

Jim Waters will speak during tele-town hall on pseudoephedrine proposal tonight to inform Kentuckians about a proposal being considered by the Senate Judiciary Committee that would require a prescription for safe and effective medicines containing pseudoephedrine (PSE) – medicines like Advil Cold & Sinus, Claritin-D and Sudafed.

Jim Waters, vice president of communications for the Bluegrass Institute, Kentucky’s free-market think tank, will be a featured speaker on the call. Also speaking will be Pat Davis, mother of six children and wife of 4th District Congressman Geoff Davis, and Carlos Gutierrez of the Consumer Healthcare Products Association.

To listen or participate, please call 877-228-2184. The code is 9449.

Become informed. Let lawmakers know you oppose all policies that penalize law-abiding citizens rather than criminals.

Video: Education analyst Richard Innes on KET’s ‘Kentucky Tonight’

Education, Smaller GovernmentBy Jim Waters February 7, 2012

Monday night, Bluegrass Institute education analyst Richard Innes took part in a panel discussion on KET’s ‘Kentucky Tonight’ about raising the high school dropout age to 18 across the state.

Quote of the day: Restricting pseudoephedrine…at what cost?

UncategorizedBy Jim Waters February 6, 2012

“No policy question is ever as simple as ‘How can we stop X’, unless ‘X’ is an imminent Nazi invasion. We also have to ask ‘at what cost?’ and ‘by what right?'” –Megan McArdle in The Atlantic magazine’s “Do We Need Even Tighter Controls on Sudafed?”

Jim Waters on cn|2’s ‘Pure Politics’

News, Smaller GovernmentBy Jim Waters February 6, 2012

Recently, Jim Waters took the time to speak to Ryan Alessi on cn|2’s ‘Pure Politics’ about the growing psuedoephedrine debate in Kentucky.

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