Summary of recent Kentucky newspaper editorials:
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April 4
Lexington Herald-Leader on Gov. Matt Bevin’s defense of EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt:
Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin tweeted out a puzzler; but relax, the quandary is answered in Government Ethics 101.
Coming to the defense of Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt in a series of tweets Wednesday, Bevin said: “Let me get this straight. The media is attacking EPA Commissioner, Scott Pruitt, because they say he paid too much for certain plane tickets, but too little for renting a room to sleep in? … Also they are attacking him because he pays women as much as men in the same roles.”
OK, class, do we see a distinction?
Taxpayers get stuck with the tab for Pruitt’s deluxe travel arrangements, which the EPA says are required, even for personal trips, because of security threats.
The sweet deal on his private rent came courtesy of the wife of a lobbyist whose clients have business before the agency that Pruitt runs. Make a note: Government officials should never accept “favors,” especially from people who may want “favors” in return. Why? It looks like a kickback.
And, wouldn’t you know, The New York Times reports that a Canadian company, represented by a lobbying firm whose chairman is Pruitt’s then-landlady’s spouse, received EPA approval for an oil pipeline expansion while Pruitt was renting the condo for $50 a night. All parties insist there was no connection between the cheap rent and the pipeline OK. But it looks bad, especially since the company had been fined for a huge spill.
Bevin’s gender-equity point refers to pay raises for two aides who came with Pruitt to Washington from Oklahoma where he had been attorney general. On Wednesday afternoon, Pruitt told Fox News that he had rescinded the raises, he didn’t know who authorized them and “there will be some accountability.” So much for Bevin’s equal-pay defense.
Because both women are political appointees, the raises had to be approved by the White House, which refused. So, EPA used a provision in the Safe Drinking Water Act allowing it to hire and set salaries for up to 30 people without White House or congressional approval when experts are needed, reports The Atlantic.
A 26-year-old deputy to Pruitt who runs his scheduling and advance operation was given a $28,130 raise, boosting her pay to $114,590, which is more than her counterpart in the Obama administration made. The Washington Post reports that the aide also helped Pruitt search for new housing after he left the cheap condo, which also raises ethical concerns. Why? It would be a misuse of government resources.
The other raise - $56,765 to Pruitt’s 30-year-old general counsel - brought her pay to $164,200.
Pruitt, once a standout athlete at Lexington’s Lafayette High School, is flunking government ethics.
And Bevin gets demerits for quoting one of the crookedest politicians ever, Spiro Agnew, who resigned as vice president after pleading guilty to tax evasion. Bevin urged Pruitt to ignore the “nattering nabobs of negativism,” Agnew’s description of the media during the administration of ethical paragon Richard Nixon.
Bevin, who praised Pruitt as a “rare combination of intellect, competence and fearlessness,” may have impressed his intended audience (@POTUS). And Bevin’s assertions that environmental protection is little more than “red tape” impeding him and other “job creators” would thrill donors like the Kochs and other industrial polluters.
An objective grader, though, would have to mark down Bevin for low ethical awareness and lack of historical irony.
Online: http://www.kentucky.com/
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April 11
The Daily News of Bowling Green on school gun clubs:
Recent shootings at high schools in Kentucky and Florida were tragedies. Make no mistake about it.
After the shooting that killed 17 people at Parkland High School in Florida in February, students began protests calling for a ban on long rifles such as the AR-15, the type of weapon the killer used at the school. These students have taken their protest all across the country, and they have every right under the First Amendment to do so. But at the end of the day, those who died at Parkland were killed by a twisted murderer who happened to own this type of weapon, which was bought legally.
We are a pro-Second Amendment newspaper, and we don’t believe that amendment should ever be infringed upon. We have editorialized that we don’t believe that the AR-15 weapon should be banned, and that if a person is old enough to go into the military at 18, then they should be able to buy a long rifle such as an AR-15 as long as the proper background checks are done.
While so much attention has been given to trying to ban and restrict gun ownership, it is a breath of fresh air to see that many teenagers across the country are learning positive things about guns through their school gun clubs. There are an estimated 5,000 teams at high schools and universities around the country. Students at high schools and colleges gather not only to shoot, but to talk about the positive influence firearms have on their lives. Students at these gun clubs say they are taught “Patience. Discipline. Responsibility.”
Despite reports that the Parkland shooter had been a member of the JROTC rifle team, such clubs’ popularity hasn’t waned. The involved youths, coaches and parents say there’s an enormous difference between someone bent on violence and school gun clubs that focus on safety and teach skills that make navigating life’s hardships easier.
The clubs use a variety of firearms - from air rifles that shoot pellets to 9 mm pistols that fire bullets. Its members invest hundreds of dollars in specialized stiff uniforms and shoes that provide stability and support for spending hours standing, kneeling or lying prone to fire at targets down range. Some have hopes of representing the U.S. in the Olympics. Some simply love the camaraderie and mental focus required.
A coach affiliated with USA shootings, JP O’Connor, put it best when he talked about these clubs.
“So many people have assumed - and I picked that word on purpose - that guns are bad,” O’Connor told The Associated Press. “Some people are, ’I can’t believe you’re teaching kids to shoot.’ Well, I’m not teaching kids to shoot. I’m teaching kids life skills. And I’m teaching them about a topic that is very contentious … and when we educate people about something and they’re not ignorant about it, then we’re actually safer.”
O’Connor is exactly right. These types of clubs actually teach students gun safety, how to handle and fire a gun and, perhaps most importantly, how to respect a gun. This type of club also helps establish leadership skills in young adults.
At a time when so many people are trying to chip away at our Second Amendment and the thousands upon thousands of citizens who respect and abide by this amendment, it is nice to see clubs that teach young people about guns and teach them respect and discipline, not violence as some have inferred.
Online: http://www.bgdailynews.com/
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April 5
The Daily Independent of Ashland on rural economies:
Every month the state of Kentucky releases county unemployment statistics. Every month the same fact emerges - Eastern Kentucky, as a whole, lags behind the rest of the state.
The latest numbers demonstrate the unemployment statistics are up slightly in our immediate area. Boyd County’s unemployment rate was at 6.4 percent, Greenup County is at 7.6 percent and Carter County is at 10 percent for February of this year. Those numbers have risen slightly in the last couple of months.
Take that for what it is worth. Discerning the overall strength of economies, county by county, based on monthly numbers is not really a great way to paint a full picture of what is going on. The numbers regularly fluctuate and a single setback in one county - say involving the closure of one medium-sized business - could feasibly impact these numbers significantly. The Pew Research Center reminds us that a lot of other statistics can be very valuable when assessing the strength of the economy. Those numbers can include labor force participation rates, employment-population ratios, average weekly wages, average hours worked, etc.
But there are a couple of facts that are abundantly clear in both county unemployment statistics and pretty much all of the economic data when you put them under the microscope. Fact one - Eastern Kentucky as a region always has a higher unemployment rate than the rest of the state. Fact 2 - Both in the state, and nationally, rural America is falling further behind, and it is only going to get worse unless we completely rethink the way we approach the issue of economy.
Solving these alarming trends is a very complex conundrum. One bright spot in the immediate term is the fact that there is a growing demand for tradespeople - electricians, plumbers, welders, etc., and Ashland Community & Technical College and our other educational institutions are doing a great job on this front in training these workers for jobs of the future.
Another bright spot is Gov. Matt Bevin and the state showing solid leadership in helping to attract Braidy Industries to the region. This is another component of growing: bringing to the region entrepreneurial spirit on a big level like that of Braidy is beyond smart. If it requires significant investment by the taxpayer, it makes sense even if there is risk involved.
Another wise investment - although it may not seem like it right now - is pursuing projects like Kentucky Wired. The troubled internet connectivity project is just that, troubled, and is starting to look like a fiscal boondoggle. But if the state can somehow find a way to make this project work despite obvious flaws in a questionable public private partnership, over the long haul, the money will be well spent. The economy of the future will increasingly be about digital connectivity and less and less about heading down to the local plant for an eight hour shift. We don’t necessarily like this trend, but it is the new reality, and getting all of our rural communities connected is a huge, huge step that needs to be taken.
When it comes to Eastern Kentucky and rural areas, we believe job growth requires a complete rethinking of how we approach the economy. Technology, science, math and computerization are the future. This is where the high paying jobs are now and will be, and educating our young people on entrepreneurial trends - and teaching them where this new economy is headed - is a critical first step.
We will say it again: Technology, computerization and advanced skills are the future, and there is no avoiding it. If we don’t emphasize this to our young people day in and day out, our rural economies will only fall further and further behind.
Online: http://www.dailyindependent.com/
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