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Guest Columns

  • Kentucky boasts women pioneers in many professions

    Last week, the United States celebrated the 95th anniversary of women’s right to vote, a milestone made possible by the passage of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
    Kentucky was the 23rd state to ratify that amendment, but it did not clear its final legislative hurdle until Tennessee became the 36th in Aug. 1920. Interestingly, that decision was a close one, occurring only when a young legislator voted in favor at the request of his mother.

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  • Choo-choo choosing to unhitch from the crazy train

    Just this morning my friend Tara and I were wondering if it’s possible to be addicted to drama.
    She calls it being on the crazy train. She said when the crazy train comes around and she hitches a ride on it she’s firing on all cylinders, she’s in high gear and overdrive, not to mention mixing metaphors.
    She feels alive, she says, yet at the same time she hates it with all her might.

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  • Standing up for rural postal delivery

    By Marie Powell
    Center for Rural Affairs    
    Post offices are crucial anywhere, but especially crucial in rural areas that depend on the postal service to stay connected through news delivery, services crucial to businesses, and, in some communities, a link to prescription drugs and other services.
    The mail service is a national treasure that has been in operation for 240 years. Every day, the Postal Service provides affordable, universal mail service to all—without using taxpayer dollars for its operation.

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  • Legislators working to ensure veterans receive benefits

    One of the ongoing challenges our country faces is making sure our veterans receive the full benefits they have rightfully earned.
    Unfortunately, as we discovered during a legislative meeting earlier this month, there are still some who are either unaware of what is available or who have become mired in bureaucracy. The good news is that, thanks to the Kentucky Department of Veterans Affairs (KDVA), we are making great strides in closing these twin gaps.

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  • More signs of grace

    Recently, two quotes from two very different people landed in my email inbox that have caused me to ponder.
    The first one came as a Christianity Today update about Tullian Tchividjian, the Fort Lauderdale pastor who resigned after admitting to an inappropriate relationship. The update said he has no plans to withdraw from the public eye.
    He wrote on his Facebook page: “One of the big questions I’ve wrestled with is, how do I properly steward this glorious ruin?”

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  • Massie questions Planned Parenthood ethics, proposes funding ban on abortion providers

    “It’s been years since I’ve talked about compensation [for the sale of fetal body parts], so let me just figure out what others are getting . . . . If [the price for selling the body parts is] low, we can bump it up. I want a Lamborghini.”

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  • Unemployment insurance among legislative issues

    When it comes to policy, unemployment insurance may not generate as many headlines as education and public safety, but for working families dealing with the loss of a job, few programs are more important.
    President Roosevelt signed this safety net into law 80 years ago last week as part of the Social Security Act. Since then, it has weathered numerous ups-and-downs in the economy, but beyond the Great Depression itself, none tested the system quite like the crisis that hit the country in 2008.

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  • Snakes in the Closet

    While writing this piece I realized the title may be met with skepticism.  Although it may be easier to state that the following is purely fictional, rest assured that every word is perfectly factual. Once again the tale takes place in our eccentric home which has gradually become more like me with the passage of time. Whether that is a good or bad thing remains to be seen.

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  • The return of shame

    When I was a kid, we used to sing the taunt, “Shame, shame, everybody knows your name!”
    I don’t remember who taught it to us, but we took great delight in singing it to anyone we wanted to shame and humiliate.
    I was a horrible child. I’m still horrible, but I clean up nicely and mostly refrain from pointing out people’s sin to their face in public.
    Still, what is it about us humans that we love to shame others?

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  • State making ‘positive strides’ in education

    There is a saying that you can’t know where you are going until you know where you have been. That’s especially true when it comes to our schools.
    Since education represents the single-largest category in state spending – more than half of every dollar when you include our public colleges and universities – the General Assembly understandably keeps a close eye on its progress, and with a two-year budget to enact in 2016, now is a good time for a more comprehensive review.

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