Guest Columns

Most legislation that the General Assembly passes each year falls in one of two categories: It either protects, or it promotes.

That was especially evident this past week in the Kentucky House of Representatives, which voted for bills that range from further limiting abuse of our youngest and oldest citizens to helping more students in the coalfields of Eastern Kentucky get their four-year college degree.

I was heartbroken to hear of the loss of life and property from the storms that ripped through parts of Kentucky on March 2. To those of you who were affected, my family and I hold you in our thoughts and prayers.

Many of you lost your homes, your businesses, your vehicles, and other property in the storms. You are frustrated, and you just want to get back to some sense of normalcy. Neither I nor anyone else can make the pain of loss go away. But there are sources of aid to help you in this difficult time.

For the last several years, the biggest challenge facing the General Assembly and Governor Beshear has been keeping the state on track as it weathers the toughest worldwide recession in more than 70 years.

It is mistakenly accepted that self-care is selfish, if a person doesn’t take care of his or her own needs, eventually the result is burnout. This same person will resent others because they failed to sacrifice as they have. They have a tendency to lose themselves in service in the process of martyrdom and then get upset if others are not martyrs.

Perhaps this is generationally passed down from the environment in which they were raised. Role models play an in important part in forming who a person becomes.