Building a Huge, Expensive Jail Would Be a Big Mistake for Madison County
Madison County residents are rightly concerned about extreme overcrowding in our jail – currently at 208% of capacity according to...
Op-Ed
How Are Kentucky Workers Faring This Labor Day?
The longest economic recovery on record and a state unemployment rate of 4.3% sounds like a strong foundation for Kentuckians’ prosperity. But a close look at the numbers this Labor...
Will Kentucky Keep Choosing Special Interests Over Our Commonwealth?
A few days before my two elementary schoolers bounded up the steps of the bus for their first day back to school, the Consensus Forecasting Group (CFG) – the official...
Alternative Pension Plan Is Much Better Than Governor’s
As legislators head to Frankfort for a special session this Friday, it’s important to be clear about the relative merits of proposals to provide relief from spiking pension costs to...
Average Kentucky Worker’s Paycheck Not Yet Benefitting from Growing Economy
With all of the claims about how great the economy is right now, the data shows that the average Kentuckian’s wages remained flat in 2018, continuing the trend of nearly...
Kentucky Has an Arbitrary Justice System Across Counties
In Kentucky, we use unaffordable cash bail to lock up too many people while they are awaiting trial, and it’s worse in some communities and for some people than others....
Kentucky Needs to Reverse Course on Criminal Justice Trends
It’s that time of year when national criminal justice data gets updated and Kentucky shows up on a number of “worst” lists. New data shows we are: 1 of 8...
On Tax Day, Let’s Celebrate What We Build Together With Taxes
“Nothing in life is certain except death and taxes.” This common idiom, often attributed to Benjamin Franklin, but with roots tracing back decades prior, heaps the negative connotations of death...
Watch Out for Attack on Pensions on Session’s Final Day
The General Assembly adjourned for the veto period without providing relief from soon-to-spike pension costs to quasi-governmental organizations like regional universities and community mental health centers. The legislature can still...
Troubling Cost, Content and Process of 2019 Tax Bill
This week, the General Assembly passed HB 354 - which started out as a bill to address unintended consequences and administrative issues with last year’s hastily passed tax bill, but...