Opinion

FRANKFORT - As this holiday-shortened week wore on, legislative leaders began hinting at the outline and shape of a spending plan that would indeed, as speculated, count on additional federal stimulus dollars, along with certain targeted cuts, to spare elementary and secondary education of essential-funding reductions and bring manageable order to a state budget facing a billion-dollar shortfall or worse.

    If my recollection serves me, it is sweeps month for television viewership. If that still be the case, look for a lot of investigations.

    Was interested to see that one station is doing an investigation on Thursday over the decision to open or to close schools due to inclement weather.

    I’ll tape it (or whatever we do in this day and time) because I hope to gain some insight.

    NICHOLS - The fur could be flying during the next week as Bullitt County determines its official groundhog in time for the upcoming Groundhog Day holiday.

    In past years Nichols Nick, long-time county soothsayer, eluded local government attempts to control weather forecasts. Rather than continue pursuit of the slippery hedgehog, Bullitt Fiscal Court switched to plan B.

    A 3-2 split decision vote designated a new county groundhog officially recognized by local agencies.

FRANKFORT - As the clock tick-tocked on a session still without a formal budget proposal, the General Assembly this week stared down the barrel of what one leader called its ‘defining moment,’ moving ahead with what another leader called its greatest challenge since at least 1990.

In the wake of the earthquake disaster in Haiti, Americans are donating via text message more than ever before. The Better Business Bureau Wise Giving Alliance advises donors that giving through text can be a safe and easy way to give - but you should still use caution.

Within days following the disaster in Haiti, it was widely reported that more than $3 million was donated through text message to such organizations as the Red Cross and others.

FRANKFORT - Last week the Senate passed legislation designed to increase transparency across Kentucky government, open the primary election process to more voters, and aid crime victims in their efforts to recover stolen property.

We passed Senate Bill 40 known as the “Taxpayer Transparency Act of 2010.”

This important bill requires the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of state government to place their spending records into a searchable database available on the internet.

As immediate relief needs are assessed in the wake of the devastating earthquake in Haiti, many Americans are looking for ways to help by donating to a charity. The BBB Wise Giving Alliance warns that, as occurred following the tsunami in 2004 and Katrina in 2005, fraudulent charities will likely emerge to try and scam donations from well-meaning Americans.

Nearly two weeks ago I submitted a two-year budget proposal that included a bold new way to help fund, on a recurring basis, shared priorities like education and jobs, a way that eschewed the tax increases and destructive cuts being espoused by some legislative leaders.

As I had predicted, my proposal was met with a chorus of angry responses in some quarters, and the posturing and rhetoric was as stiff as it was unhelpful in moving the discussion forward.

In fact, some legislators declared my budget “dead” even before they examined it.