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A clearer picture of marriage
The U.S. Supreme Court has marriage under a microscope and in just a matter of weeks will render its verdict on two cases that could blur our understanding of what constitutes society’s most foundational relationship. Gay marriage advocates have masterfully refocused debate with phrases like “freedom to marry” and “marriage equality.” Persuasive rhetoric isn’t it? “How does my gay marriage affect your heterosexual marriage anyway?” “And what ...
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One-size-fits-every-state curriculum mandates just the latest federal education fiasco
The latest threat to our rights as Kentucky parents to educate our children in ways that best fit each child’s needs comes from a federally imposed, one-size-fits-every-state educational curriculum known as the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). The program bills itself on its website as offering a “consistent, clear understanding of what students are expected to learn, so teachers and parents know what they need to do to help them.” Fat...
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Remembering Dad on Fathers Day
I lost my father, Tom Westerfield, on September 11th last year. Each of my brothers lost their father, and my mother lost her husband. Dad was the leader of our family and was a teacher, especially for us boys. Each of us shared something of interest with Dad, from farming and old tractors to Ham radio and disaster relief, to community leadership. While we each connected to him in different ways we all still connected to him, and depended on ...
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‘Brain dead’ law denies state lawmakers constitutional control of Obamacare spending
Tea-party activists led by Jessamine County’s David Adams recently filed lawsuits in Franklin Circuit Court challenging Gov. Steve Beshear’s arrogant use of executive power to force Kentuckians to participate in the federal health-care boondoggle known as “Obamacare.” Beshear claims he has the right to create a government-run health exchange and expand Kentucky’s Medicaid rolls – Obamacare’s state mandates – without agreement by lawmakers. ...
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Investigating? Then do it right
By my count, 11 separate Washington investigations are looking into the three big issues besetting the Obama Administration right now: Benghazi, IRS targeting of Tea Party groups, and the Justice Department’s pursuit of national security leaks to Associated Press reporters. That’s a lot of scrutinizing by any measure. Don’t get me wrong. Each case raises important questions, and the investigations offer Americans the chance to find out what...
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Remembering a beloved friend and neighbor
in my life, I have been fortunate to have known many wonderful people - folks with endearing qualities such as kindness, generosity, gentleness - and sometimes as I watch the news or read the newspapers, I wonder if we, as a people, have lost something. Now that’s not to say there are not terrific people everywhere! It just seems like folks aren’t as neighborly as they once were; maybe it’s the way of life now-a-days, hectic schedules and l...
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Squawking about pension reform doesn’t make it so
Recently, I was a panelist on KET’s “Kentucky Tonight” program about the commonwealth’s public-pension crisis. Much of the discussion reminded me of an annoying rhetorical tactic generally reserved for parrots, but often employed by cheerleaders for bigger, more -costly government: repeating the same nonsense over and over until viewers cave to the pure monotony. For instance, liberals squawk that the state’s $31 billion in unfunded pensi...
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Risky prayer involves courage
The atmosphere was filled with tension. Players from both teams had been encouraged to protest the game. An outside source was trying to convince players that they were being exploited by big-time college sports. Everyone-including the 74,000 fans watching-was anticipating a conflict, but what people didn’t expect was some risky prayer. This 1986 football game between No. 3 Oklahoma and No. 5 Nebraska was one of the greatest of all time. Pr...
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The interim period of state legislature
For a little over a decade the General Assembly has been meeting every year, with alternating terms. The odd years see the legislature gavel into session on 30 legislative days, and short of something remarkable, the biennial budget is left untouched until the following even-numbered year. Those even years see a 60 day legislative session. But the legislator’s work is not confined to those short 30 and 60 day sessions. There is an enormous am...
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The invisible lawmakers
Want to know what’s causing a lot of people in Washington to work long hours right now? Here’s a hint: it’s not immigration reform or gun control or, for that matter, any other legislation coming down the pike. Instead, it’s a pair of three-year-old laws. The Affordable Care Act (known to most Americans as Obamacare) and the Wall Street reform act known as “Dodd-Frank” both became law in 2010. Most people consider these major pieces of legi...
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One kind of game
A couple of weeks ago, on May 7th, I was the keynote speaker at a ceremony commemorating the 100th anniversary of the laying of the cornerstone for the historic old Calloway County Courthouse in Murray. As we were gathering for the event on a fine spring afternoon on the front lawn of the courthouse, I was approached by a gray-haired man about my age and size. He stuck out his hand and said, “January 12, 1962. I’m Mickey Boggess.” I immedia...
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God has blessed us all with special talents
What does a basketball coach look for in his players when he walks into the gym before practice or a game? Perhaps what pleases the coach most is to see his players continuing to hone the skills that contribute to the team playing their best-shooting, dribbling, and passing. It would be disappointing if he were to observe the players constantly working on the art of spinning the ball on their fingers. Clearly, the object or purpose of a bas...
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