Monday Links
Owensboro: The city of Owensboro has long been searching for a solution for what to do with the jail-looking Executive Inn. Recent proposals have included doubling insurance taxes on everyone in the county, with ridiculous carve-out exceptions for nurses, teachers, city employees and other groups who obviously shouldn't be considered part of the community. It seems that the city has settled on the tax increases, and will purchase and raze the site for $7.5 million.
SCHIP: In these tough economic times, who would be against better health care for children? Apparently Congress and Governor Beshear, who have pushed an unaffordable expansion of SCHIP, an expensive program that fails to improve health for children. SCHIP (Kentucky's system is called KCHIP) is the state health insurance fund for children. While the program does provide expensive health insurance for children, it frequently enrolls children who would otherwise hold private insurance, there's no "evidence that SCHIP actually improves health outcomes, or that the program addresses the systemic quality problems that confront even insured children." Additionally, there is evidence that SCHIP creates more uninsured children than would exist if SCHIP were limited. Why is a financial crisis such an excuse to expand bad programs? Or, why is the state expanding bad programs while it so obviously can't afford the programs that exist?
Stumbo's Goons:As Attorney General, Greg Stumbo created a farce called the KBI which he used to bring down Governor Ernie Fletcher, and was promptly dismantled by succeeding AG Jack Conway. Now he wants to create a similar agency for the legislature, designed to block and stall the release of public information. One of these days, there will be a public realization that Greg Stumbo should run for statewide office in Illinois.
New IT tax:Here's a list of items that will be newly taxed by HB 347. Also, it's a tax that the Northern Kentucky Chamber actually opposes.
