The Virus And The Elections

What causes this virus?

Poverty.

If that surprises you, let me plead my case. Both COVID-19, and SARS and the Swine Flu (remember them?) and Ebola (far and away the most lethal and far from being controlled) have originated in areas where poverty rules. Yes, even with the world's 2nd largest economy, China's areas of poverty (rural and immense) have been the location where several of these diseases have started. Remember the millions (if not hundreds of millions) of chickens killed to try to stem one of these outbreaks? That didn't happen in the cities, only when the market brought them, and swine, to the cities, and the infected people from poor health areas along with them.


Poverty has been shown in Kentucky (and everywhere else) to be the cause of kids and adults not having the health they should (in the "richest nation on earth".) We should not be surprised at this. Poverty needs to be recognized as a public health problem, just as much as a political problem, and a moral problem for all of us.

The other thing we ought to "thank" COVID-19 for is putting to rest the idea that climate change is NOT happening. It isn't much of a leap of logic, given the fast spread and global spread, to realize we are, truly, all ONE  world. If China pollutes, the US gets sick; if Greenland melts, Savannah will suffer---and New York and Miami and Los Angeles, not to mention entire nations in the Pacific which will simply go out of existence. And we ARE getting warmer, and melting.

This needs to be addressed by our health and political leaders, just as soon as covid-19 is under control. And we voters need to demand certain promises from our elected leaders as they campaign in the next elections, whenever held.

I am not a fan of either early voting or mail-in voting. It was not just COVID-19 that cost a lot of Americans their choice for president recently. In those early voting states many a vote was cast for people--a whole slew of them--who dropped out before the elections were held, or even put off. And in Washington, the only state now entirely elected by mail-in votes, one week after the election, it still hadn't tabulated returns, including who got that states' presidential delegates. Maybe they had COVID-19 problems, or maybe mail-ins overwhelmed the state, but one way or another, it didn't work.

Now our new Sec. of State in Kentucky is rethinking mail-ins here. Don't. It's still untested, let alone whether it truly encourages Democracy. Same with early voting. I do support expanded reasons for absentee voting, but not "no excuse" absentee voting, unless the deadline is very close to election day.

And as for the contretemps between our governor, who is doing an excellent job marshaling all of us in these times, and the legislature over the session, I'm with the House and Senate, and their second attempt to get a constitutional amendment passed that allows them to set their own agenda when they call themselves back into session. I would give the governor similar special session powers, but not his alone. That is one-person rule, not democracy.
 
Stay safe!

Democrats Play Legislative Chicken!

A BAD IDEA!

Last week a worthwhile constitutional amendment failed in the House when previous Democrat sponsors suddenly withdrew their support. Later a spokeswoman said it was to remind the GOP  majority that the minority "counted" and needed to be taken into account.

Meanwhile the amendment failed, though there is a good chance it may be revived.
The proposal is needed. it would allow, but not require, local governments to find new sources of revenue--yes, new taxes. it is needed because of the current major financial squeeze on local government units--primarily brought about by the legislature's own mishandling, for years, of our pension system.

For the Republican majority to even think of allowing new taxes to be passed is a major step forward. For the Democrats to quash this progressive step is inconceivable. Let's hope the minority comes to its senses and get this important idea on the ballot.

And meanwhile, let me proposal my annual fave amendment: "So much of this Constitution as pertains to dueling is hereby rescinded." And, as the Supreme Court has required, amendments must not be so "dense" as to confuse their meanings; as the Marsy's Law one did. If passed, Kentucky will no longer be the laughing stock of the nation every four years when our new governor swears he has not taken part in, or facilitated a "duel,"  Ye Gods!

I'm just sayin'...