BY RONNIE ELLIS
Government and politics faded to the background of public consciousness Thursday with the news of Tubby Smith’s departure as the University of Kentucky’s men’s basketball coach.
With 10 candidates running for governor and lawmakers wrangling over a financial crisis in state employee and teacher retirement systems, everything stopped when word spread Smith was leaving UK.
I love college basketball, especially UK basketball, but I wonder what it says about my state when a coach with a 76 percent winning record decides he’s had enough of fans’ unrealistic demands and what it says when the public has higher expectations for its basketball coaches than its political leaders. Of course, those leaders aren’t providing much inspiration. If Smith’s detractors find his style of play boring, surely they aren’t excited by the performance of their state officials — or candidates for governor.
So far the campaign disappoints anyone looking for excitement and ideas.
On the Republican side, candidates sound like broken records. Gov. Ernie Fletcher quotes questionable job growth numbers and says he changed the culture in Frankfort (despite three indictments and a blanket pardon). He takes credit for legislation on which he had little or no influence. Anne Northup says Ernie can’t win but she can and finally offered positions on education and health care Friday. Billy Harper rails against the alternative minimum calculation, says education is good and says Northup and Fletcher are just politicians while he’s a businessman.
On the Democratic side, no one distinguishes himself despite talk of “bold, new ideas.” The similarity in candidates’ energy plans is striking and reflects existing legislation sponsored by House Majority Leader Rocky Adkins, D-Sandy Hook. When Jody Richards and Jonathan Miller offer their energy plans, Steve Beshear and Steve Henry followed.
Bruce Lunsford, whose health care company filed for bankruptcy, promises universal health care but doesn’t explain how he’ll do it. They’re all for job development, better education and higher teacher pay and they’re going to pay for it with expanded gambling. Beshear, at least, gets some credit for being first to take an unequivocal stand on the gambling question.
Otis “Bullman” Hensley, the likeable but unlikely candidate from Harlan County, tries to distinguish himself by openly opposing expanded gambling. (So, do the Republicans — more or less, because Fletcher and Northup are a bit vague on what they would do if the legislature passed an amendment to allow voters to decide.) Gatewood Galbraith offers the closest thing to a bold, new idea: $5,000 vouchers for students to pursue postsecondary education or training. But he’s as unlikely as Hensley to win.
Meanwhile, the Senate offers a serious proposal to do something about the growing costs — unsustainable costs Senate President David Williams says — of the employee retirement system. Give him and senators of both parties credit. But the plan doesn’t address the biggest cost for the system — health care — and critics legitimately complain the plan was developed without enough public debate and brought before the full General Assembly late. But House Democrats don’t have a better idea than to study what everyone already knows — we can’t afford to go on as we are now.
If only Kentucky voters were as demanding of their political leaders as they are of their basketball coaches, state government might get it right 76 percent of the time. But it’s March and Kentucky has no team in the NCAA tournament, and let’s face it — that’s what really matters around here.
