Right now, we have focused our attention on Washington and have forgotten the problems that we have growing in our state. Governor Steve Beshear has sat on his hands and done nothing but watch our state decline. We’ve had over 9,000 miners put out of work — numbers growing by the day — and he has done nothing.
Companies with jobs are shying away from us. He and Attorney General Jack Conway have done nothing to stop the federal government from destroying the health care industry in this state. He is facing a big deficit in this state.
Since people quit reading the paper, they don’t have a clue about what we will be facing the next two years. State retirement benefits are billions of dollars in the hole. More mines will be closed by the Environmental Protection Agency. Factories are closing down and moving to more tax-friendly states.
There are a few things he could do to stop this trend, but he doesn’t have the backbone to do them.
First, overhaul our high tax rates. A flat tax or a consumer tax is needed like the ones states surrounding us have. Next, pass a right-to-work law so companies will come here. Finally, make state workers pay into their own retirement like everybody else has to.
Taxing the smokers more is not going to make that much difference. That’s his only proposal so far. What a joke!
Kenneth Eades
Hustonville
