Chandler, "Gaming" & Bourbon!

Democrat Ben Chandler, Kentucky’s Sixth District Congressman, heaved and groaned and delivered himself of an opinion piece published in the Lexington Herald-Leader of 11 October in which he castigated the state for not protecting the state’s “brand” industries, horses and bourbon. Okay...the “horses” part was actually all about slots at the race-tracks, so maybe Chandler wants the state to have another “brand,” which he called “gaming.” Hilariously, he identified those who participate in “gaming” as “gamblers” instead of “gamers.”

He can be excused for that little slip, however, actually nothing when compared to the fact that he voted out a “stimulus” bill he had never read and a “cap-and-trade” bill he had never read. In fact, nobody in the Congress had read either bill, at least meaningfully, and the republicans played it straight by not approving either. Predictably, the stimulus bill was hard-core pork, with the result being an unemployment rate at 9.8% and rising.

So...Chandler lectures his state (actually its legislature, where bills ARE read, at least most of the time) for being negligent in protecting gambling and bourbon. He didn’t mention tobacco (apparently no longer a “brand” industry, as formerly designated), which has also been taxed inordinately, despite the fact that liquor is a well-documented drug some people use to kill others by the thousands, while tobacco is only a self-inflicted problem hurting none but the users.

Chandler repeated the old claim that the horse industry employs 100,000 people in Kentucky. That figure never changes, no matter the condition of the “brand.” Has anyone ever seen any documentation noting that 100,000 people are actually employed in the thoroughbred industry? That figure works out to about 833 horse-employees per county. However, only a handful of counties are involved in the racing industry, so those 100,000 folks are actually concentrated in just a few pockets (mostly around Lexington and Louisville), where the largest tracks and most highly-mechanized horse-farms are located. The figure of 100,000 is preposterous, and probably even the industry pooh-bahs don’t believe it. Propaganda!

Chandler has been exposed to HR 3200, the House version of health-care that has passed out of committee, but does anyone remember what happened to HR 3200? This bill seemed to be designed to place the entire health-care system in the hands of the government, either directly or indirectly as its ramifications are realized.

So...Chandler is no doubt gearing up to vote on a health bill he most likely will not read, contrived some good day by a House-Senate committee. Of course, it hasn’t been written yet, not even in the Senate, in which the Finance Committee is scheduled to vote on a version tomorrow (the 13th). Once the debate starts, there’s no telling what will be brought forth. When a bill happens (if ever), it may be voted on by senators who probably have never read it – at least all of it – maybe even in committee. This is the way the people’s employees do their work these days. Just check with the caucus, where the party honchos put out the word, and then vote.

Yeah...it’s all about gaming and drinking and protecting and enriching the elite, the devil take the little guy. Kentucky is much, much better than that, but its 6th-district representative hasn’t caught on yet.

And so it goes.

Jim Clark