My Letter to Richard Henderson- State Rep

While many central Kentuckians are focused on which politician will soon be filling the pocket of Nancy Pelosi in which Ben Chandler is currently cradled, I have turned my attention of late to local politics. In my town, my state Rep, Richard Henderson, has a half-page spot every week where he details the events in Frankfort, his position and opinions. I have to admit that the tone of the article this week was much meeker than in the previous week and if there is a sense of order to the Clay City Times website, the article dated 4/15 might eventually end up on this page http://www.claycity-times.com/news/?cat=6 for those who missed it.

While I have never been one to spare Mr. Henderson my opinion, my eyes fell upon the article this morning before I had my coffee. Five minutes and several eye twitches later, I was on my computer- far too early in the morning- detailing why Mr. Henderson can bet on my vote going to his opponent [any opponent] this Fall.

For your reading pleasure, this was my letter to Representative Henderson:

"Mr. Henderson,

Kentucky legislators are acting irresponsibly with tax money. Basic math teaches students that when your budget hits zero, you are out of money and cannot spend anymore. Why haven't our legislators learned this basic lesson?

Disclosure: I am registered with neither party and am an official Independent. Thanks to legislators like Julian Carroll, the state doesn't feel like I have a right to vote in the primary because I don't swear my allegiance like some partisan zombie, but I digress.

In your article, you reject the idea that cuts in spending will create growth and that what is needed is more government spending, Quote: "I am doubtful that this would help the economy or the people of Kentucky in any way." It has been PROVEN between the recessions of 1920 and the 1930s that government interference in private sector matters is not only unhelpful, but actually slows recovery. The private sector problems that led to the 2007 recession were instigated by government regulations that forced lending to unqualified buyers, a policy begun under President Clinton and exacerbated by the market controls of the Federal Reserve. Unemployment had been at its lowest when taxes and government spending were also at their lowest. When Calvin Coolidge cut spending and CUT TAXES [that's a key], growth soared and unemployment plummeted to the lowest peace-time levels in history. When Hoover increased spending, the growth slowed and FDRs Progressive policies further drove the economy into the ground. Thanks to the free- market, our industrialization and the train-wreck that was European infrastructure after the second World War, we were able to manufacture our way back out of sheer luck. Still, he left in place a legacy of entitlement spending that continues to cripple our country, is already operating in the red, and will soon bankrupt us. Is this the legacy that you are comfortable leaving for our children?

Quote: "This, however, would mean no improvements to schools or infrastructure and no new jobs, only cuts." The education system of Kentucky has become a virtual black hole for revenue with little improvement to test scores. Nothing is being done to reign in the out of control waste in the education system and no one is being held accountable for the plethora of bad educators and shoddy administrators who continually demand annual raises. We don't need ANY more government jobs! Government employees already out-earn their private-sector counterparts by nearly one third without including benefits. This is a slap in the face to tax-payers, especially in light of the poor performance of most of our schools. Spending cuts and tax cuts would boost the private sector as it would give entrepreneurs the incentive to start businesses- and hire workers- in a way that tax credits NEVER will.

Why are you not working so tirelessly on bringing jobs to our county? Instead of pacifying people with ever more entitlement programs and "free" money to win their votes, how about giving them the opportunity to earn a paycheck to take care of their own families. That's a sense of pride that no government check can match. Making Powell County more attractive to the few businesses looking to get going is work that directly affects its citizens. Kentuckians can - and should- do for themselves if you let them. Continually taking more from the earners and producers in this state to give to those who are being paid not to work is akin to a person who begins to eat his own feet- as consumption continues you quickly run out of resources. You have been given many opportunities in the last session to make Kentucky a more appealing environment for business, like lowering the income tax rate for businesses, but you have chosen to keep cost of business high and dis-incentivizing job creation. Several states in this country are rushing toward bankruptcy. With the upcoming Healthcare takeover by the Federal government, Kentucky will soon follow.

Regards,
Rachael Collinsworth
Powell County"