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Opinion

  • What does that flag mean?

    When I was younger, I had a Confederate flag license plate on the front of my car. It was a 1974 Mustang that I paid $500 for and I used that car to deliver pizzas, drive to school, to church and it took me everywhere I needed to go.

    The flag had nothing to do with my attitude towards people of other races. Although admittedly, it may have had something to do with my attitude toward people who looked down their noses at anyone who lived in the country or in the south.

  • From our readers:Who is The...
  • America is in need of dads

    This Sunday is Father’s Day and many dads will be enjoying spending time with their kids, sharing dinner and opening gifts. Sadly, many won’t.

    The phone companies used to report that Mother’s Day was one of the busiest days of the season as children made sure to call home and talk to mom. Florists and card shops also do a brisk business on that Sunday in May that honors the women in our lives.

    However, Father’s Day for many is an afterthought. Unfortunately, for many men, fatherhood is an afterthought.

  • Spend road money on highway repairs

    At a recent House Rules committee hearing, one of my colleagues from New York declared that the potholes in the roads in her district are so bad, “you can lose your car in them.” Kentuckians and Americans from all over the country agree. It is long past time that something was done to address the deplorable state of the highways and infrastructure in this country.

  • Texting more dangerous than bears

    The Wilderness Road was blazed through southeastern Kentucky and wound it’s way up to the outskirts of the Bluegrass region. It was originally a buffalo path, later a trail for Shawnee, Cherokee and hunters of other tribes, and finally was the road Daniel Boone and his followers used to settle Kentucky.

  • Defining courage

    I’m beginning to understand the frustration of older generations who simply find it impossible to keep up with the English language.

    Those under 20, or those under 40 who want to act like they’re under 20, think it’s cool to misuse common words and twist their definitions to mean something entirely different than what Webster suggests.

  • From our readers: Apologies,...

    First, I need to apologize to Jerry Davis and Mike Moody for not acknowledging their efforts to control the spending of fiscal court during Bill Karrer’s administration. Sorry about that fellows. Also, from time to time, David Goodlett and Hobert Judd protested some of the expenditures, but spending was still high. That leaves the big spender that supported Bill Karrer.

  • The Class of 2015

    We often look to Frankfort for winds of change or doors of opportunity. Here in Spencer County, our local leaders rely heavily on decisions made in the General Assembly.

    Our schools get marching orders from state officials, as do numerous agencies that influence many aspects of our lives. What happens in Frankfort can determine what happens here at home, next week, next year, and for years to come.

  • Higdon outlines summer agenda

    As we transition from spring to summer, so many milestone events are taking place in the lives of our young people across Kentucky. I want to send out congratulations and best wishes to all our high school and higher education graduates. Kentucky has a bright future and it is in the hands of these capable young men and women, who are each beginning a new and important chapter in life.

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    Needle exchange saves lives

     

    Hospitalizations and deaths due to heroin overdoses are on the rise in Kentucky. According to the Kentucky Injury Prevention and Research Center, the number of Kentuckians hospitalized for heroin overdoses more than doubled from 2011 to 2012. In addition, deaths from heroin overdoses among Kentucky residents have skyrocketed from 12 in 2008 to 215 in 2013. Kentucky also has some of the highest rates of drug overdoses and acute hepatitis C infection in the nation.

  • From our readers: Government,...
  • Interim session begins in June

    While summer usually means time away from work at the beach or mountains, those of us in the General Assembly will begin gathering in Frankfort next month to begin our annual Interim Session.

    For those of you who might not be familiar with Kentucky’s Interim Session, over the next six months, beginning in June, joint committees of House and Senate members will gather to discuss various issues that were either taken up during the last Regular Session, or those that could become major points of discussion during the 2016 Regular Session scheduled for next January.

  • Protecting the vote

    In our Republic, our vote is our voice. With our vote, we speak our mind, we express our values and exercise our convictions. Voting is the heartbeat that pumps liberty through the veins of our nation. Anything that tarnishes the integrity of a single vote should be viewed as a threat to liberty.

  • From our readers: Honor the fallen...

    Each Memorial Day, since 1988, members of the 2nd Platoon of Kilo Company Marines, join together. They say Memorial Day isn’t about them. It’s about honoring those who didn’t come home. They reunite, share a few beers, have a cigar, catch up and talk about their families. They reminisce.

  • Honor freedom on Memorial Day

    One of our greatest presidents and Kentucky native, Abraham Lincoln, once said of our country, “America will never be destroyed from the outside.  If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves.”  That quote comes to mind as we gather in the coming days to honor those who have fought and died in wars foreign and domestic to continue to guarantee the freedom that makes us the envy of other nations and their people around the world.

  • Your voice matters

    It’s been said that following the legislative process is akin to watching sausage being made. It’s not the most appealing thing to witness.

    However, when that sausage sits on the same plate as our farm fresh eggs, then it’s a stark reminder that we need to pay closer attention.

  • From our readers: Bevin’s Blueprint...

    In six days, May 19th, the registered Republican voters in Kentucky will have the duty to choose which one of four candidates is the best qualified to win the November 2015 general election, and is best qualified to serve as Kentucky’s next Governor. Matt Bevin produced his written plan-- “Blueprint for a Better Kentucky” upon entering the race.

  • One chicken for every lot?

    Spencer County is not the city. In fact, most people who have chosen to move to Spencer County have fled the noise, the crowds, the congestion and the restrictive tentacles of metro government explicity because it is NOT the city.

    Imagine their surprise then, when learning that in this rural, country atmosphere, bureaucrats have moved to limit homeowners to having just one chicken per acre.

    We realize that doesn’t immediately impact most residents. The only chicken most of us own rests frozen in the freezer.

  • Reverence delivered in a bread truck

    The most inspiring message I witnessed during last Thursday’s National Day of Prayer observance in downtown Taylorsville did not come from a song, a proclamation, or even one of the prayers delivered by one of several local ministers.

    Instead, in came in the form of a Sara Lee bread truck. The driver was no doubt in the middle of a busy day on a busy route, but as he neared the courthouse and saw dozens of people out front, heads bowed in prayer, he stopped the truck and he waited.

  • Appeasement is surrendering

    Appeasement, while intended to avoid conflict, often only delays and intensifies it. It’s a lesson taught by history, both distant and recent, but a lesson obviously not learned.

    We saw appeasement in Ferguson, Missouri, last year when riots erupted following a false narrative describing a police shooting. The media continued to push the “Hands Up, Don’t Shoot” lie that many news outlets have finally admitted was erroneous. That lie only stoked the flames and fueled the fires that set that small St. Louis suburb ablaze.