1. Although they don’t mean diddly about filling a $456.1 million hole in the current state budget, thosevoluntary 10 percent pay cuts Gov. Steve Beshear, Lt. Gov. Daniel Mongiardo and senior members of the governor’s staff will take in 2009 make for a nice piece of symbolism. None of these folks, who earn more than $100,000 a year each, will feel the kind of pain others will suffer from another round of cuts in state funding of education and crucial social services. Still, their small gesture was a laudable one. Legislative leaders, who are as responsible as anyone for failing to generate adequate revenue for any of the state’s operations other than their own, should be ashamed if they don’t join in the sacrifice.
2. Who woulda thunk we would see the day when U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell, Kentucky’s fund-raising king of kings, would have to borrow money to stave off a challenger? But the Politico Web site reported last week that McConnell borrowed a total of $1.8 million in the closing days of his race against Democratic challenger Bruce Lunsford. The multimillionaire Louisville businessman may now be a three-time loser as a candidate, but give him credit for making the heretofore seemingly invincible McConnell work up such a sweat.
3. McConnell’s fellow Republican senator from the Bluegrass State, Jim Bunning, has said repeatedly that he will seek re-election in 2010. I hear he reiterated that stance during a teleconference with reporters Tuesday. But some of the recent whispers on the Kentucky political winds are starting to suggest otherwise. We’ll see. Assuming Bunning is the R candidate in ‘10, Democrats would be wise to get a name contender in the field shortly early in 2009 - unless they have another Lunsford on their bench who can self-fund a pricey campaign on short notice. Anyone else would have to start working early to raise the kind of money needed to pose a serious challenge to an incumbent senator.
Larry Dale Keeling, a columnist for the Lexington Herald-Leader, has spent most of his 35-plus years in journalism reporting on or writing editorials and columns about Kentucky’s politics and political issues. He now brings his experience and expertise on those topics to the KyKurmudgeon blog.
If Beshear and Mongiardo were really interested in setting an example during the state’s budget shortfall they would agree to work for an annual salary of $1 until this deficit is corrected.
You are right Larry, a 10 percent loss in pay doesn’t mean much to an attorney who made millions from the liquidation of Kentucky Central and a physician who is still practicing medicine at ARH.
You’re right, $1 a year would be of much more symbolic value. But I still think what they did do was commendable.
ldk