Star Horse Manure

One of the greatest loads of horse manure ever to come from a state agency was shoveled onto the public stage this past week when Kentucky gave up on (finally) issuing the new Star drivers' license. This is the higher security license needed by next year to fly domestically. Yup, if you have a last minute funeral to attend, or a major business meeting comes up quickly and you don't have the special Star license, thumb your way there. And what about just flying on a vacation? Oh, BTW, you cant get on a military base to visit your son or daughter without the Star license; commonly referred to as Real ID.


Forget that the state has been on notice since 2005 that such a license was coming, and has had ten years to prepare for it. Several past legislatures balked on doing it, under both parties. The state got extension after extension (meaning our licenses could be used by terrorists who faked them) while legislatures and state agencies dithered. Then, Gov. Bevin finally supported a bill and the legislature passed it, only to have Bevin veto it because the Tea Party said it might violate personal rights. 


New attempts to come up with the so-called Star license continued, along with new federal extensions, later and the motor vehicles people, after delay after delay, rolled out a test system in Franklin county, then extended it to Woodford, announcing plans for a further rollout "this fall."

All that came to a grinding halt this week when Frankfort announced the 2 county rollout had not worked. Clerks there were spending too much time on the new system, which did require much more documentation and paperwork, and were not getting to their other duties as needed.

In its place the state said, we will set up a regional system; possibly as many as 12 regional centers, where specially trained people will handle the new license process. So instead of driving to one or more offices in your home county, drivers in as many as ten counties will have to motor to the new regional center, more time and money spent, and get the Star license there, ASSUMING other problems found during the rollout are overcome. Clerks and other officials praise this current plan as offering the best solution available.


Horse manure.

We, (you and I,) need those new licenses which are long overdue, and will become even more entangled if the feds deny us another extension. They have the right to do so. And with all the emphasis on fighting terrorist who could blame them? But patriotic Kentuckians would suffer--needlessly.

Instead of distant regional centers,why not add specially trained staff to every county clerk's office to handle Star. But that would even cost less than the "regional centers" (new buildings, equipment, same staff, training, etcetc.) We might get our needed licenses on time, and thwart terrorists. 


Meanwhile all the state's efforts so far, and its ridiculous plans for the future of this major Star program, boil down to an immense load of horse manure, piled high and deep on Kentucky citizens.

I'm just sayin'...

Terry Wilson And Politics

It took just a second or so, and everything changed.

(In sports and in politics)

One bad tackle and the prime QB for UK is gone for the season. It has happened so many times, maybe we just put it in the back of our minds and hope it doesn't happen here. But it did.  While wishing Terry Wilson a speedy recovery, and Sawyer Smith a great season, let me continue my analogy to politics.
 
Dan Rather said years ago "In politics overnight is a long time, and next week is an eternity." He was right. Unfortunately a lot of otherwise good political reporters forget this.  Trump is a shoo-in for renomination. Well, of course he is, unless there's one bad tackle; and far from "next week" it is months and months until the GOP convention and the November 2020 election. I thought of that this week when South Carolina cancelled its GOP primary convention, It has every legal right to do so. State parties control such events, and it is costly to hold them. Of course, democracy suffers when they don't, and the faithful don't get to meet and greet and get riled up, as well as meet future party candidates. 3-4 other GOP states are poised to do the same thing.
 
Democrats have done the same thing. in 2012, 10 states cancelled their conventions or caucuses. American democracy was the loser.


I do not wish Mr. Trump ill, though I disagree with many of His policies. He is our President (elected by an obsolete electoral college system, not by a majority of Americans, please remember, but he IS the president.) Now, should Mr. Pence somehow become president, how fast do you think opposing GOP candidates would come out of the woodwork??? And S.C. might just vote suddenly to hold that state convention.
On the other side we hear "Biden's a shoo-in." (or some other name, insert your own choice) Well, he isn't, and as a matter of fact he isn't even the "front runner" except in the minds of some reporters, and some pollsters (do I have to comment further on polls this far from election day here??)

We also hear "it will all come down to four states." (except that depending on which "expert" you believe those four states aren't always the same four.)  People who believe such crap often stay away from voting, and again, democracy is the loser.

So, while the Democrats sort out an ungainly field of dreamers and old pros, while the GOP faces a coronation not a nomination (also bad for democracy,) keep an open mind. Tomorrow isn't here, let alone the presidential election year of 2020. Between tomorrow and 2020, a lot can, and probably will, happen, or didn't you see what happened to Terry Wilson last Saturday?

I'm just sayin'...