Switching Horses

Switching Horses

I have often said that as the City of Somerset goes, so goes the county. It just can't be ignored that the City influences and, in some cases, sets the agenda for the County. For me, from this point of view, what happens in the City of Somerset is cause for attention from the residents of the County. The mayoral race this fall is a prime example. Those of us in the County don't have a vote in this race but we do have an axe to grind. When the City is influential in attracting business to the area it is not only City residents that benefit and who work at these places. It is also County and that should give us a right to be interested even if we can't vote.

One of the issues facing the voters is one that is dear to County residents also. The City Council and the Mayor established a fuel center in order to provide respite from the recurring spikes in gasoline prices. That drew quite a bit of criticism from those who don't like any kind of government competition with private business. It's a matter of ideology for conservatives but I'll bet quite a few of them have taken advantage of gas prices when they have jumped 30 cents or 40 cents per gallon overnight. Personally, I think that if there is a way that government can protect citizens from predatory practices then doing so is a proper use of governmental prerogative. Mr. Keck has said that he would not move to close the facility since that power is held by the city council but there are some on the city council who did not want to see the facility opened and who would join him in closing it. My preference is for government to serve the average Joe rather than serve the business interests. In this case all that is being done is to provide an alternative when businesses take advantage of a captive market.

Mayor Girdler has caught a lot of flak from many who were of the opinion that Somerset did not need a new City Hall and that the new building has been a boondoggle. I don't think that most people understand the capabilities that became available with the new building. Prior to the building the gas service had someone else handle the billing and some other functions. The Somerset Gas Service is quite a massive operation and the new facility provided the ability to monitor the system and make changes in house. It also gave the City the ability to handle its own billings. Through the operation of the City owned gas service it has been possible for the City to make other services more affordable to its citizens. A question that I would have is that if the City Fuel Center is opposed would there be opposition to the City owning this business?

Mayor Girdler has announced that a large new company is going to locate on one of the old properties that has closed in Ferguson. The City will be providing massive amounts of natural gas from which the profits will flow to the City. The jobs will flow to both the City and County. This plant would not have been possible without the resources in the new City Hall building.

I have not had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Keck. I know quite a few people who have and from all accounts he is a great guy and I have no doubt that is true. People often point out that he is a Christian man and is very involved in charitable efforts and other civic actions. All of those things are important to me and it is also important that government be conducted in a transparent manner which he has pledged to do. From his appearance before the Democratic Women's Club we know that one of his goals is to maximize benefits from tourism and I can support that without question. Somerset lacks direct access to Lake Cumberland which is the tourism draw so the options are limited. Besides lodging and dining it seems that entertainment when not on the lake would be the only avenues open to development and I am unaware of any shortage of any of those venues. Perhaps more advertisement in surrounding cities could be helpful.

With Mayor Girdler there is a lengthy record of government service to be examined. That can be a good thing and sometimes a bad thing. With Mr. Keck there is not so much of a public record to be examined. In my opinion Mayor Girdler has done a pretty good job but certainly not without ruffling some feathers. He can be a little prickly to deal with but usually ends up on the right side of issues. There are a few issues where some have had some serious differences with him but that is one of the dangers of having to run on your record. With Mr. Keck one has to look at some other things such as business associations which include some of the major developers of the areas you see on South 27. He has been known to count the Governor among his friends and if his inclinations are anything like the Governor's it may make a difference to you. If you are a teacher this could be an indicator of his political leanings. There is just not as much history to look at.

My Take? From my perspective Mayor Girdler has done a good job and deserves to be reelected. I believe that absent any compelling reason to vote against him there is no reason to switch horses.

rmoore@somerset-kentucky.com

Mea Culpa

I hope that I am at least a little bit wiser than I was as a young man. Of course, that guy was an expert on about everything but still lacked wisdom.

I suppose that from the time that I became aware of the differences between boys and girls up until the time that I found my wife that one of my major pursuits was to convince girls to see things my way. Often drinking alcohol was part of that plan and it was sort of a game that I tried very hard to win but alcohol also impairs judgement. I do not recall ever even trying to force a female to acquiesce to my wishes or to simply overpower her. At some point no meant no. Disappointing but still the rules of the game. Where on earth is the fun in taking advantage of a woman who is unable to play the game? I think this is familiar territory for many of us both male and female. This is not the way that Judge Kavanaugh acted. He has stated that he did not experience sexual relations until what some of us would consider an advanced age but if his accuser's statements are true then he achieved sexual relations in a different way by forcing himself on women even though they were apparently able to fend him off. His methods were awkward and did not consider the wishes of the woman at all. To him she was simply a foil on which he could perform his acts for the enjoyment of others. To me that is despicable.

No doubt I have been guilty of less than honorable treatment of some of the women I have known but, if so, I am truly repentant just as I am a wiser man and can see nuance. If I were accused, as Judge Kavanaugh is, I would readily ask for forgiveness for any transgressions and hope that my request would be granted. Judge Kavanaugh's use of force and his lack of consideration of the will of the woman makes the incidents more than the usual sexual play. With his denial of the incidents he has counted as nothing the years of pain and the other psychological burdens that go with them. That is not acceptable and his lies as an adult make him unfit to serve at the highest levels of our government where he would exercise power over others who have been taken down this road. The path that he has chosen shows us that he considers his needs paramount and the needs of others less so. That is not the kind of person that is suited for the Supreme Court. In fact, if so, then he has already acceded far past what he deserves.

That so many still can't see the truth and reason in this is a sad indictment.

Drastic Measures Indicated

What Now?

The other day I went to my bank. I pulled up to my drive-through as usual to deposit some checks and noticed that I couldn't see into the bank through the window. As I was sitting there confused a young man came up to me and explained that they no longer had humans that would assist me. Instead they had installed machines on which I could see an image of a human (I suppose) in Lexington (as if that would awe me with WOW factor and assuage my concerns) who would assist me far better than a real personal person could. I told him I didn't think so and that I would park and go inside. After all, we used to do that all the time. So, I did that and expressed my dissatisfaction to the teller who tried to tell me it would be all better. I noted that there were two tellers and six windows and I had to wait.

I should have seen it coming. After all, they made it so that I could perform almost all of my banking functions on my cell phone. Also, it has been quite a while now since Wal-Mart installed “speedy checkout” machines. They also have perhaps two or three registers open for people who want a personal experience and who are curmudgeons who don't want to talk to machines.

Shortly after I turned 18 I got a job at a service station. Remember those things. We pumped gas, checked oil and water, washed the windshield and offered to check air pressure. Inside we could do oil changes and light repair such as fixing flats and sometimes we'd get to sell some big ticket item. I absolutely loved that job. It was during summer and I worked 80 or 90 hours a week. I'm sure I wasn't making much better than three bucks and hour but it was more money than I'd ever had. Plus, the drag cars would all gas up with the high octane and that did WOW me. In addition it was a great place to meet girls. I got kind of caught up in a time loop there but there is no place like that now. You even have to pump your own gas and it costs about ten times as much. No one there to ask you how you're doing and would you like those tires checked.

Now you can even order at a “kiosk” at McDonald's for your convenience. Is it convenient when you're standing there trying to figure out how to operate the “kiosk” while a line of millenials or evenyounger people are standing behind you looking at you like you're some kind of anachronism (which, of course, you are).

No matter how much of a curmudgeon I am there is no way I'm going to turn back the onslaught of automation. This is probably how the blacksmith felt when the automobile came along. What did the blacksmiths do for a job when that happened? One thing we older folks remember are the stories our parents told us of The Great Depression and what our history teachers told us of the Gilded Age and the birth of labor unions that restored a bit of hope to the laborer.

Where am I going with this? Here it is. What are all of these people who are losing these menial jobs going to do to earn a living, desperate though it may be? How will we, as a nation, deal with this new demographic that is unequipped to move along with the technology to a superior job. Where will your kids get summer jobs? Where will those who can't subsist on Social Security find additional income? Where will those who are too old to retrain and are undesirable to companies fill the void until their Social Security and Medicare kick in find the income they need?

I hear “experts” say that we will have jobs in the new economy. The “experts” also tell us that there will be jobs in the skilled trades for many. Both of these are true but not for the people that I have described. Right now we are creating a new underclass made up of the former middle class. Blue collar jobs as well as labor jobs are automating and putting people out of jobs. There is a whole underclass of Americans who innately know this but feel better blaming NAFTA and those immigrants because they can put a face on that. Those people are going to make an impact and they already have by electing a President who rails at them with false accusations to reinforce their anger. Make no mistake, this is a real change in the economic life of the United States. It is massive and no one is proposing solutions.

There are solutions but reasonable people are going to have to articulate them in order for them to take place. They are solutions that will require changing the fabric of society but the alternative for our citizens is to fall into the trap of fascism and demagoguery. The is the path that Germany took following WWI and it was ugly. It can't happen here? Don't be naive.

I'm going to offer a few. If you have alternatives feel free to express them. The skilled trades are a very good option. These are jobs that are in short supply and that can't be exported. Many of them will require robots to be far more sophisticated than they are now to do. More training and education in the technical fields such as coding and research and development. For a time the medical fields will be looking for employees but that won't last forever. Have you noticed what is missing? That's right. What about the people over fifty who won't have time to retrain or find anyone to hire them?

One of the ideas that is being tossed about is providing everyone with a Guaranteed Minimum Income. Many will rail about paying people who don't work or can't make enough to live. Many will say that we can't afford it and we can't if we continue to handle our economy the way we do. The cost will be massive and where will it come from?

Roughly speaking, the top 10% of families own 80% of the wealth in the United States. That disparity is greater than it was during the Gilded Age and we have just endured another round of tax cuts for the wealthy. Spending power for what used to be the middle class has been flat since the presidency of Ronald Reagan. 35 years. The wealth of the top 10% is another story entirely because that is where the money went.

My Take is that we've got to go where the money is. There's a lot of ways to do it but that is an inescapable fact. That light in the distance? That's the future and it's coming fast.

rmoore@somerset-kentucky.com

D

It's Almost Time

It's almost time.

That one weekend of the year that I set aside for myself. Turn off the phone, baby, 'cause I'm going to the festival! See some old friends, laugh a lot, buy tee shirts, listen to great music and burn up. Every year I say that next year I'm going to have to move to the shade but then it's always next year. Every year there are elements of the Master Musician's Festival that get better. The vendors are better, the music is better (overall I mean. Sometimes the best just can't be beat) and my love for my friends becomes more sweet and precious. When I think about those people it comes to me that there have been a lot of years spent with them and they seem more like family than anything else.

This year we get to enjoy John Prine. As I have said, he and I met in 1974 and we've been friends ever since. Well, he doesn't really know who I am but he has shared his music and storytelling with me for those 44 years now. Gosh, that's a long time but he's an exceptional storyteller. If you haven't picked up a copy of his latest offering, The Tree of Forgiveness, here is a grand opportunity to do so. Whatever you do you should check on you tube and listen to the songs so you'll be familiar with them Saturday night. While you at it, listen to some of the songs off that first album that imprinted itself on so many hearts.

I could go on rhapsodizing about Prine but there will be other performers there. Some I've heard of and listened to and some will be virgin music to my ears. Amanda Shires is a great accompanist to Jason Isbell but I am anxious to see her live in her own show. People tend to shine in these live shows. Recently I've seen some people talking about Robert Randolph and the Family Band. Talk about shining in a live performance. His is one of the best that our festival has ever seen.

Pick up a program or check out the web site to see the artist list. I am unfamiliar with many of them but I was unfamiliar with the Avett Brothers too and what a surprise that was. The timing in having them at MMF was spot on. They went big time right after our seeing them. There's no telling how much it would cost to get them here now. It looks like most of the music is going to fall into that catch-all category of Americana. My favorite. I think the best musicians in America are working in this undefinable genre and we get to experience them in a family friendly atmosphere. That does not happen everywhere. In addition the festival is going to have another stage down in the hollow where the crafts and such are that will provide entertainment while the next act is setting up on the main stage. This year could keep people on the move.

Tiffany Finley and the board deserve lots of thanks for the hard work that they do so that we can see these artists for what is a very low ticket price (have you seen the prices of tickets lately)? I have noticed that several of these board members have given up the comforts of their own homes to venture forth to scout out the myriad talents that are out there. For one, I really appreciate their sacrifice.

Somerset-Pulaski County is really lucky to have this festival call this home. It is becoming more and more well known not only for its atmosphere but also for the quality of the talent. It is one of two well know events that happen here. Things like these are what will make this area a destination one day but only if the community is supportive.

THIS IS THE 25TH ANNIVERSARY OF MMF. Who would have ever thought the festival would have this kind of staying power? Other than those hardy souls who set up a festival on a flatbed I mean and even in those down times someone would step up to do the hard work. Who would have ever thought that there was such a wealth of musical talent locally? The supporters of this movement have been very influential in the health of this festival and the blooming of local talent.

Friday afternoon I will be loading up and moving to Festival Field at SCC. Likely you will be able to find me front row center or very close to that. At least for a time. I may be forced to the shade. As usual, it will be hot as blue blazes. I really don't know how I used to do those big outdoor festivals in the blazing sun. The most logical explanation is youth.

Well, I'll see you there. I usually try to do some facebook posts while I'm there so you might be able to catch some info and photos there. Come on down and if you see me stop and say howdy.

As usual, My Take for this festival is be there or be square. Be bold and adventurous and come out to party with the rest of us.

The Princes of Power

Journalists have been taking a lot of flak for not calling out the lies and plain orneriness of the President but I begin to get a glimmer of the problem. The stuff comes at you so hard and often that it is hard to get a grip on exactly what to address. I've been having that problem trying to focus on my writing so if you will bear with me I'm going to give it a shot.

What I want to talk about is the way that our government is going headlong to give breaks to business and take services away from the people. Included in this is the massive transfer of wealth from the middle class to the top few percent of the population. Now, don't try to tell me they worked for it because they didn't. What they did was purchase the best legislators they could afford through the legalized bribery that we refer to as lobbying. It is very effective and returns profits of enormous proportions. In the midst of this there has been a tax cut that brings revenues to the lowest points since at least the Great Depression if considered as a percentage of GDP. When I was a kid the tax rate for revenues over a million or so was in the 90% range. We built the interstate system, schools and a military that we really don't know what to do with. We ignored President Eisenhowers warning about allowing certain industries and they patrons to accumulate excessive power. We have ridden on the back of those investments in infrastructure and the creation of the world's most prolific middle class for over half a century while we allowed those gains to be slowly stripped from us, most of us not even noticing.

In the 60s we got Medicare to go along with Social Security that provides a semblance of a safety net in our old age. Ever since those programs were initiated there have been elements of our society that have tried to take them away. They really don't believe it is the responsibility of government to take care of its citizens. They believe that government should serve corporate interests and then the corporate interests may deign to allow some crumbs to “trickle down.” I don't believe that at all.

Through the Vietnam Era there was always a surtax to support the wars but now we just put them on the credit card. You should realize that that borrowing to support wars ends up in the pockets of the very rich. War is a very profitable enterprise.

For a time we had progress on the idea that government should provide health care to all of its citizens like every other developed country does. We very nearly had it but now it is being stripped from those who need it most because “we can't afford it.” Really? Why not? The national debt has become so large that we are told that the only way to deal with it is “entitlement reform” which is another name for “let them eat cake.” It bears mentioning that Social Security has its own revenue stream which has in the past has shown surpluses. Those surpluses have been invested in Treasury Bonds which have been used to keep for raising taxes to pay for the services we have demanded. In other words, we have not asked the American people to pay their way and now we are looking for a way to keep those who actually have money to not have to pay it back.

Eventually what will happen is that we will unable to keep up and the burden of debt and services will cause us to have to make some drastic cuts. Where? There are only two places where that kind of money exists and that is in Social Services and Military. What gets cut? The military lobby is very strong and wise in the ways of statecraft. Those who rely on social services are many but disorganized and poor.

I read a rather lengthy paper some years back dealing with the role of the U.S. Military in our government. It was called “Caciques.” Google that word. Caciques are the princes of power who are the hands that steer profits and governmental policy. You may notice that there may come to mind some entities who fit that role. The paper went on to say that the U.S. Military dealt with National Security with about 15% of its resources. The balance went to serve the interests of these “Caciques.”

Our military is the most powerful the world has ever seen. We have 11 Carrier Groups while the largest number anyone else has is 2. Our Navy keeps the sea lanes open and is used to project power when our industries want to do business in any part of the world. Now, don't get me wrong. That is a noble goal but why should the United States taxpayer be on the hook for all of it? Who keeps the Strait of Hormuz open? Who keeps China from annexing then entire South China Sea? Who is it that is in the Polar regions trying to keep others from monopolizing resources that will be available after the ice melts a bit more? Who is it that provides the deterrence to keep North Korea from swarming across the 38^th parallel? Who provided the bulwark against Russian aggression in Europe? I could go on and on.

We must find another way. This way has worked but now it does not. Just like we have relieved the burden of taxes from the wealthy we have used the vast resources of our nation to further enrich them.

Try to ask yourself how the United States has been the victim of aggression and needful of a military that, as President Eisenhower said, deprives resources from schools, infrastructure and the needs of the American people.

I am not naive about this. I know it will be hard but we must begin to look for the resources and revenues that we require and taking it from the poor will only work for a very short time and it will destroy the soul of our country.

My Take is that as a nation we must make some tough decisions and stop lending credence to lies and fear. I have to tell you, I am not confident that we will be able to do so. Lee Kwan Yew who was the leader of Singapore once said “the United States is wealthy, it can have anything it chooses.” What will we choose?

Baby Charlie

I noticed a recent columnist for the Commonwealth-Journal going on about how much of a heathen nation that England is for its treatment of Baby Charlie. The English Medical System decided that there could be no benefit in continuing life support for this child who had been on life support for nearly 2 years and ordered the life support terminated. This has stirred up a hornet's nest of recriminations once again bringing up the topic of death panels and accusations that this is what liberals want for the United States. A British citizen remarked that the baby surely survived longer in Britain than he would have in the United States where he would have been cast aside if the parents did not have insurance, that the insurance would have been cut off far earlier. If Charlie's parents were not wealthy care would have been discontinued by default.

It strikes me as odd that some people will be willing to have our government pay millions to keep this baby on life support but will not favor life support for a child who has already been born and is healthy. Is death any less remorseful if it is by starvation and abuse than if it is by removing a non-sentient child from life support? How is it that we care about life if it has not seen the light of day but not if it has endured years of neglect and abuse?

Can someone explain this paradox to me?