Ky Democrats can’t complain if they don’t do more to win back statehouse seats | Opinion

General Assembly

Hardly a day goes by without one friend or another friend telling me that the Kentucky General Assembly is hopeless. Bear in mind, we’re bunch of urban liberals.

The first couple of years after Kentucky Democrats lost the majority in the Kentucky House of Representatives, I commiserated with my friends. Now around 10 years later, it appears to me that our party has no plan for winning back all those ex-urban and rural districts we’ve lost. I’m not commiserating anymore. I’m getting angry with my party because its leaders and members commiserate too much. What we really need to do is study hard and learn more about how to appeal to Kentuckians statewide. Personally, I’ve come to believe we’re losing because we are not doing our homework.

Tom Louderback, Louisville

Transgender bills

Transgender people will continue to exist even if the Kentucky Legislature regulates things like who can receive gender-affirming care and who can say the words gay or transgender. Right now, there is an attack on transgender/gender-diverse people in the Legislative body of the Ky government in an attempt to distract constituents from issues like gun control and medical marijuana. Eleven bills introduced in this legislative session would harm LGBTQ individuals in Kentucky. One bill, House Bill 470, is one of the worst anti-trans bills in the country that combines language from 4 other bills. This bill would force teachers to out their students to their parents and criminalize care for healthcare officials working with gender-diverse youth. It has already started to create a culture where people feel like they can verbally or physically attack transgender people for simply existing. Research has shown that receiving gender-affirming healthcare reduces the risk of suicidality in youth by 73% (Tordoff et al., 2022). Transgender people will continue to be in Kentucky even if these bills pass. You cannot legislate Trans joy away. It spreads like wildfire and will continue to grow. Please contact your legislators to oppose HB 470.

Mel Lesch, Lexington

Beshear’s potholes

Roads and highways that are properly maintained are vital factors in a good economy. Good roads and highways mean lower expenditures for fuel and vehicle repairs. The tax on motor fuels — which Gov. Andy Beshear takes such pride in cutting — is the primary means of maintaining our roads and highways. Beshear’s blatant demagoguery on the gas tax is truly appalling.

When you see roads and highways in disrepair thank Gov. Beshear for his role in problem.

Jack Fish, Lexington

Drag shows

I have been watching the anti-drag show legislation, but remain puzzled as to exactly how men dressed as stereotypical females (heavy make-up, elaborate hair, fancy gowns, exaggerated gestures) are harmful to children who might see them perform. Is it that girls might feel themselves inadequate compared to the exaggerated gender stereotype? Is it that boys might feel confused as to what the ideal woman might be?

In popular psychology this is called the Mother-Whore dichotomy. Frankly, I find far more harmful to children to see heavily armed, militarily clad (mostly) males parading around in public venues as part of political protests — well covered by the media that children have access to. The inherent threat of deadly violence permeates these gatherings.

If it’s OK for dad or uncle or grandpa to flaunt his AK-47 in public gatherings, then using violence to settle disputes is as well. Which lesson do you want your children to learn? That male/female gender stereotypes can be the source of entertainment or that using firearms is the way to deal with life’s problems?

Sally Wasielewski, Lexington

KET board

Say NO to Senate Bill 104.

In Ky. Sen. Damon Thayer’s (R-Georgetown) own words, attacking KET, “It’s time to BLOW UP that board.” Senator Thayer talks like a terrorist. He would love KET to become FOX GOP. Good luck getting Renee Shaw to pirouette into a Tucker Carlson. Shaw speaks Truth. It’s a foreign language to FOX .

The autocratic Thayer’s greedy grasp to control all elements of governance, with constant side-hustles for his gain, became full-blown with majority Republican Rule. Soon everyone will have to state party allegiance — be it for a driver’s license or library card. All Boards of Directors will be “Impartial” Republicans.

Damon Thayer has true animosity towards library boards’ independence and their money. Thayer complained, without explanation, why Gov. Andy Beshear spent $300,000 for a security fence. Was it because armed tourist/terrorists, cheered on by Ky. Rep. Savannah Maddox (R-Dry Ridge), erected a scaffold for him on the lawn of the Governor’s Mansion?

Since Jan. 6 scaffolds are the new calling cards warning people to obey. They replaced the burning cross.

Judy Rembacki, Lexington

Craft’s interests

Gubernatorial candidate Kelly Craft’s self-serving op-ed in the March 13 edition was not a revelation: “We’re Moving Away From Coal Too Fast.” However, I thought the Herald-Leader would have pointed out that her husband is the president and CEO of Alliance Resource Partners, L.P., the third-largest coal producer in the Eastern United States.

Is she really worried about Kentuckians? I think not. She’s campaigning for her own best interests, not ours.

Beth Harper, Lexington

Barr responsibility

Thank U.S. Rep. Andy Barr (R-Ky) for the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB).

Barr supported reducing Dodd-Frank regulations that required liquidity requirements to meet unexpected withdrawal demands. Thus, when S. 2155 arrived for a House vote in 2018, Barr voted yea.

SVB suddenly wasn’t required to meet Dodd-Frank regulations demanding specific liquidity requirements. SVB’s total assets exceeded $50 billion at the time, but the liquidity requirements was lifted by S.B. 2155 even for banks with $100 billion-$250 billion in assets.

Freed of regulations to take more risk, SVB did. Its assets grew to over $200 billion by the time it collapsed this year. SVB couldn’t meet the liquidity needs associated with a run on the bank. Remove bank regulations so they can do whatever they like and some will take excessive risks costing taxpayers and businesses.

Businesses are no better than the individuals who operate them. Some may have the interest of the community at heart. Others will only be concerned with making money regardless of the risk they pose to society. Regulations are essential for checks and balances to ensure accountability and trust in society. Both remain deficient in our society because Barr continually ignores their relevance and guts them.

Peter Wedlund, Lexington

Abortion policies

In Texas, and now other states, if a woman is carrying a fetus that is nonviable she has to wait until it dies before she can have it removed. Yes, you read that right; she has to have a dead body inside her living body before doctors can remove it. If she dies of sepsis - well that’s just too bad. It must have been God’s will.

It feels to me as if we are returning to the dark ages. If these mentally diminished individuals can make and enforce these kind of laws there is little to keep them from hewing to the same patriarchal dogma that motivates the Taliban in Afghanistan. They have already set their sights on birth control and other women’s rights. In a time of daily mass shootings they now want people to be unhindered if they wish to carry loaded handguns on the campuses of America’s colleges. I simply do not and cannot understand the mentality that motivates such moral cretins. But we have many of them here in Kentucky. Among them Republican elected officials Ky. Rep. Savannah Maddox, U.S. Reps. Mike Comer and Thomas Massie, and U.S. Sen. Rand Paul.

Jim Porter, Danville

Federal taxation

Kentuckians railing against the Federal government is as common as comments about the weather. Pretty much no one in Congress or any of the endless number of agencies is excepted, especially those sending money back to Kentucky in the form of food stamps and welfare.

I got curious on a recent evening about how much of our tax donations find their way back to this state. Turns out, all of it.

There are many sites on Google which examine/analyze Kentucky’s return on Federal tax dollars, but, unfortunately, there is little commonality in how they present the information. At least two points, though, were clear: first - Kentucky gets more back in taxes than they send to Washington. And second – on a per capita basis, we get a larger portion than most states. Social Security, Health, and Medicare accounted for 45 percent of the Federal expenditures.

As for myself, I am thankful to those other states who subsidize my Social Security and Medicare.

Bennie G. Patton, Berea

Compiled by Liz Carey