Correction
Two images featured in the May 30 art review had incorrect credit info. “Kindred Series Red No. 5” by Jonathan Capps and “San Jose Group 2004-6 #3” by Marvin Lipofsky were swapped. LEO regrets the error.
Meat is Neat
Attn: Heather Moore of PETA,?
Veggie burgers are horrible. I would rather die 20 years earlier than a vegan if it meant I get to eat delicious hamburgers and steaks. That being said, I approach with caution any survey or statistic put forth by any special interest group that supports their agenda. ?PETA thinks we should all value animals as friends and will quote any study that solidifies their opinion. Now pardon me as I go into McDonald’s and shorten my lifespan with a juicy, mouthwatering piece of heaven on earth called a Big Mac.
Kevin Potts, Jeffersonville
Open Market
In the May 16 LEO article about the recent Democratic primary for the 19th District state Senate, candidate Amy Shoemaker responded to a question about her party’s leadership with remarkable and refreshing candor: “… not explicitly but rather implicitly, they definitely endorsed a particular candidate, and I don’t know that that candidate was the best candidate for Kentucky moving forward.”
I am an independent. In full disclosure, I would have supported Sarah Lynn Cunningham because of her detailed positions. Anecdotally/second hand, though, I also had heard of activities that seem to fit Shoemaker’s conclusions — e.g., important endorsements apparently given without opportunity for other candidates to be interviewed, and disparaging comments about the “unanointed” three candidates coming by back-channels from party leaders to workers.
If the party machinery was indeed brought to bear to help the eventual winner, it is a sad day for Democrats and for democracy. The primary, more than any news poll, is a way for a pool of new people and new ideas to be tested against the will of the people. If good, skilled people are not given equal chances to convince voters of the value of their ideas, we will lose those ideas for solving Kentucky’s problems. We need a marketplace of ideas, not just a new generation meeting good ol’ boy expectations.
I hope Democrats will take their leaders to task and open up future primaries to invite true competition. That would encourage people to enter politics. This primary process did not.
Chris Harmer, Crescent Hill
Socialism in the Highlands
Recently I witnessed the ugly side of socialism. Strolling through Louisville’s Tyler Park, I watched 400 kids from Moore Elementary School running, swinging and playing tug of war.
Their screaming, laughing and smiling faces signaled a good time. None were whining, moping about or throwing a fit. It looked innocent enough, but to a professionally trained observer of human behavior like me, the underlying message was clear. Young malleable minds were being indoctrinated with toxic notions of entitlement and community at the expense of hard work and individualism that made this country great.
Tyler Park is free, no admission, paid for by public tax monies. Children lined up single file, 10 deep to drink from community water fountains. No funnel cakes, corn dogs, snow cones or flavored sugar water in sight. Opportunities for wealth enhancement were nonexistent. Why should we be forced to subsidize these little non-productive, non-tax-paying social parasites?
Surely, Mayor Fischer or members of the Metro Council know developers willing to take this “white elephant” off the taxpayer rolls. Located blocks from Bardstown Road, with its interesting shops and great restaurants, Tyler Park is ideal for apartments, condos or even a cul-de-sac leading to expensive McMansions that will enhance the city’s tax base. Profits from the park’s sale can be used to give the developers interest-free loans, default guarantees and tax incentives.
Next, we could privatize those parks with Indian names.
Sam Sloss, Highlands
