In Money-Wasting News, Unions Attempt to Force Illegal PLA on Elementary School Construction

Union members in Carter County are attempting to force Project Labor Agreements on the construction of a new elementary school, against state laws.

Associated General Contractors of Kentucky, which represents about 700 companies, claims the district gave improper preference to union contractors when it signed a project labor agreement with the Tri-State Building and Construction Trades Council for the construction of Tygart Creek Elementary School.

The association filed a suit in Franklin Circuit Court Wednesday asking the court to stop the district from awarding bids under the agreement.

The agreement stifles competition by imposing union rules on contractors who work on the project, according to the suit.

"It excludes 92 percent of Kentucky open-shop contractors," said Richard Vincent, executive vice president of the association. "We will vigorously defend our membership for the right to compete on construction projects."

The agreement requires workers to be union members and requires contractors to hire workers from local union halls and follow union work rules, and that workers receive union wages and benefits and pay union dues and fees, according to the suit.

Not only is it discriminatory, it artificially raises the cost of the construction, wasting Kentucky taxpayer money.

We will keep you updated.

Posted by Andy Hightower at September 02, 2010 | Permalink | TrackBacks

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UPDATED: Franklin Circuit to Rule on Furlough

UPDATE: Judge will not block furlough, but will allow suit to continue.

A group of state workers had filed suit to block the six furlough days Governor Beshear had ordered in order to save the state $24 million and avoid layoffs. Today the judge will rule on the suit after admitting yesterday that the Governor was granted the authority to furlough in the law.

However, to grant an injunction blocking the furloughs, Shepherd said he would have to find that Beshear broke the law. The General Assembly this year gave Beshear permission to do what he did, Shepherd said.

"The budget bill gives the governor extremely broad authority to enact a furlough plan," Shepherd said.

The first of the six furlough days will be Friday.

Posted by Andy Hightower at September 02, 2010 | Permalink | TrackBacks

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KRS Wants To Be Audited

From the Courier-Journal:

The Kentucky Retirement Systems' audit committee voted Wednesday to recommend that the full board ask state Auditor Crit Luallen to examine the use of agents who advise the system's investment managers.

In addition, KRS Board of Trustees Chairman Randy Overstreet said he would ask Luallen to review the board's internal auditing process, as requested by Gov. Steve Beshear in a letter to Overstreet last week.

Whether or not Crit finds scandals, the system will still be underfunded to the tune of billions of dollars!

Posted by Andy Hightower at September 01, 2010 | Permalink | TrackBacks

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Williams - Farmer Announce

We are potentially in for the best gubernatorial debates in Kentucky history. Until then, play the count the basketball game:

Williams - Farmer 2011

Posted by Andy Hightower at September 01, 2010 | Permalink | TrackBacks

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KEA Causes Kentucky to Miss Out on Federal Funding Again

In April, the Kentucky Education Association caused Kentucky to miss out on federal funding through the 'Race to the Top' programs because of their opposition to school choice, just as David Williams had predicted.

Demonstrating a typical lack of accountability, the KEA and Beshear's administration pressed ahead with the same, unchanged proposal, still denying Kentucky the sort of school choice that 46 other states are using successfully.

Kentucky education commissioner Terry Holliday said that the state improved its performance on its second round application for the grant money, receiving more than 412 points out a possible 500. But the one category on which it received no points was charter schools, Holliday said, "and that was 32 points that we lost."

"I've called around (to) a few folks, and it looks like we would have been in the money if we had charters. ... I was never a strong supporter of charter schools; I just knew that to get this funding, we needed legislation."

If you keep doing what you've always done...

Posted by Andy Hightower at August 24, 2010 | Permalink | TrackBacks

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Delaying Instant Racing

The Kentucky Family Foundation has decided to challenge the Beshear Administration's regulatory approval of instant racing games at racetracks.

The game is based on the pari-mutuel system, with players using a machine to bet on previously run races in a common pool against each other. The identities of the old races remain a secret until after the bet is placed.

The Family Foundation argues the game is a slot machine and that Kentucky law only allows gambling through the lottery and live horse racing.

The game, in use at two Arkansas tracks, was approved in July by the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission as an alternative to traditional slot machines.

This is a high-risk decision for the Family Foundation, because losing my open the door to a larger window for expanded gaming options. We'll pay attention to this effort with great interest.

Posted by Andy Hightower at August 23, 2010 | Permalink | TrackBacks

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Horse Economics Revisited

About a year ago, we wrote about the simple economic lessons provided by the trend the equine industry is facing.

Apparently, there are too many foals to be sold, and the oversupply is depressing the prices paid. And how's the market reacting? The supply is contracting as breeders react to the new lower yield....That's how the market works.

Today, we learn the next chapter.

The Thoroughbred foal crop, on decline for the past five years, is expected to fall an additional 10 percent in 2011.

The Jockey Club on Saturday predicted a 2011 foal crop of 27,000, the smallest North American crop since 1973, when 26,811 foals were registered.

The prediction is based on reports, due by Aug. 1 of mares bred. The numbers are considered preliminary. In September, The Jockey Club will release numbers of foals born in 2010, with state-by-state figures, based on foals registered. The 2010 crop is estimated to be 30,000.

The market in action!

Posted by Andy Hightower at August 23, 2010 | Permalink | TrackBacks

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Kentucky's Workforce Continues to Shrink

Kentucky unemployment is down, but only because more workers have stopped looking for work.

The drop to 9.9 percent "continues to be a result of the decrease in the state's civilian labor force because people have become discouraged in their job search," said Ron Crouch, director of research and statistics in the state's Office of Employment and Training. "People who have not looked for a job in the last four weeks are no longer counted in the labor force."

July also marked the end of a spate of job gains. For four months, the state had added jobs each month, but in July, that reversed course to a drop of 8,000 positions.

How about that stimulus!

Posted by Andy Hightower at August 20, 2010 | Permalink | TrackBacks

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Steve Pence Ingratiates Himself

Apparently, Steve Pence would like to be appointed to a judgeship.

Posted by Andy Hightower at August 20, 2010 | Permalink | TrackBacks

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Commuting in Louisville to Get Worse

Enjoy a morning/evening commute through Spaghetti Junction in Louisville?

How would you like to add some expensive toll booths in the middle of it?

Under the Spaghetti Junction proposal, tolls would be difficult to escape without avoiding Interstate highways altogether. For example, a driver taking I-64 west into downtown Louisville would be tolled at some point in the interchange, even if the route doesn't require switching to another interstate.

Granted, traffic's already pretty slow through these sections...

The Wilbur Smith study envisions travelers entering or passing through the junction of Interstates 71, 64 and 65 paying a toll when they pass under an overhead device, which would take a photo of the license plate or read a transponder.

Oh good, they'll just send you a bill.

Posted by Andy Hightower at August 20, 2010 | Permalink | TrackBacks

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Thursday, August 19, 2010

Unemployment claims rise

Beshear defends expensive committee

Richie's gonna...

Kentucky 4th most medicated state

Record enrollment at Bluegrass CTC

Lexington Mayor candidate Gray releases platform

Pike residents sue mines for flooding

AARP recognizes Sen. Buford (Rank #3) and Rep. Damron (Rank #73)

Campbell County considers tax rate

Boone Tea Party fights Florence tax hike

Posted by Andy Hightower at August 19, 2010 | Permalink | TrackBacks

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Herald Leader Recognizes that State Workers Must Sometimes Be Treated Like Private Sector

In an editorial today, the Lexington Herald Leader recognizes what one group of state workers does not: that not even state workers are immune from the recession that is affecting the rest of the country.

The staff of the paper knows only too well the truth of the first line they write:

Furloughs have become something of the norm in the private sector during this ongoing recession.

Having faced this hard reality themselves, they recognize that state workers are not immune.

<

p>Painful and costly as they may be for employees, they are preferable to more of the layoffs that have also become a norm in private business.

Now, furloughs are becoming a reality for some public employees in Kentucky. With authorization from the General Assembly, Gov. Steve Beshear's administration is in the process of implementing a furlough plan for the executive branch of state government.

The furloughs -- six days for each employee, scattered throughout this fiscal year -- are expected to account for $24 million of the $131 million in savings the administration must find to balance the current budget.

Even before the furlough plan has been completely finalized, several state workers have challenged it in court.

Although we see no reason government employees should be more exempt from furloughs than workers in the private sector, the suit does raise some questions the Beshear administration needs to consider as it implements its plan.

The questions are legitimate asking are there situations where required overtime would be more expensive than a furlough. But let's note this occasion where we agree with the editorial board of the Herald Leader.

Posted by Andy Hightower at August 18, 2010 | Permalink | TrackBacks

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Wednesday, August 18, 2010

More trouble with Mountain Water District appointments

Beshear talks education in 10 cities

Huff, huff: advocates demand to speak right now, not scheduled at next month's meeting!

Lincoln and Garrard consider building new jail

Congratulations to Centre

Ryan Alessi keeps tabs on potential 2011 statewide office candidates

Regulatory efforts worldwide hurting burley sales

Cincinnati teacher's union playing games

Airports beg for taxpayer handouts

Posted by Andy Hightower at August 18, 2010 | Permalink | TrackBacks

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A Vision for Kentucky We Commend

In a recent speech to the Kentucky Chamber's economic summit, columnist John David Dyche called for a new vision in Kentucky politics. An article adapted from this speech contains a nice medley of Kentucky's political environment over the last century before getting to Dyche's recommendations.

At the core, Dyche references Indiana's Governor Daniels to create a new golden rule for Kentucky governance:

Simplify the complex. Indiana governor Mitch Daniels, who would make the best president this country could have come 2012, judges everything his administration does by whether it increases the disposable income of average Hoosiers. Kentucky needs a guiding rule just that concise, but featuring personal freedom as well as prosperity.

"Will it create growth and promote freedom?"

That's certainly a rule we can endorse.

Posted by Andy Hightower at August 17, 2010 | Permalink | TrackBacks

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