No Poverty of Stupid Rules | Thorn
A thorn goes to Gov. Matt “Elected on the Bell Curve” Bevin for allowing his state police to bar an anti-poverty group’s entrance to the Capitol yet again. State police said that, under a new rule, only two members would be allowed in at a time. Sounds Kremlin-esque. Sort of like how you need to show a driver’s license to get into Louisville Metro Hall. Small rules from small minds with too much time on their small hands.
What’s He Smoking? | Rose
U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell may not smoke dope, but he is a dope, and now he also is hemp’s new best friend. He has inserted the Hemp Farming Act of 2018 into the Senate Farm Bill. The bipartisan measure “would legalize and clearly define hemp as an agricultural commodity and remove it from the list of controlled substances.” Can he get it passed?
Whiskey Rebellion | Thorn
Speaking of Mitch acting like a dope, his non-response to tRump tariffs has helped place a target on the back of Kentucky’s sacred bourbon industry. The ensuing trade war will result in tariffs on our whiskey and potentially close smaller distilleries. “I don’t think anything good will come out of a trade war,” Mitch said recently in Louisville, according to Courier Journal. “We need to work this out in a way that’s comforting to everyone.” Comforting?! How much more, Mitch, will you take from tRump in exchange for getting your conservative, corporation-enriching, nation-destroying agenda through Congress? This latest blind-eye from you was enough to inspire CJ to write one of its rare editorials — and place it on its front page!
The Battle Within | Thorn and Rose
We give a thorn to the criminals who defaced a billboard in downtown, but we bestow a rose for their intent to get out the message: “22 vet suicides every day.” While recent celebrity suicides have garnered the most attention, the fact is that some 20 veterans kill themselves every day. The graffiti was written on a billboard at Second and Chestnut streets that advertised for the U.S. Marine Corps. It says: “Battles are won within.” If that is true, then we call on the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to do much more from within to help those who risk their lives, only to return to despair, long lines and closed doors.
