Restating His State

Fletchers State of the Commonwealth.... So many questions so little time....

"We lived within our means."

Secret doors? Limo rides? Stationary for a dog?

"I support restoring all projects"

More golf courses? Shrimp farms?

"We cut taxes"

And the AMT was?

"We created more jobs"

55,000 jobs lost in 2005 alone.

"Make Ford Moter company strong"

Again with the AMT.

Fletcher: From Promise to Pariah

From On the Right:

Then:

October 2003:

"The first priority is to clean up the mess in Frankfort. That message is resonating all across the state. Kentuckians have been embarrassed by the waste, fraud, abuse, inefficiencies, and scandals in Kentucky’s state government."

Now:

Governor indicted in merit hiring scandal;issuing blanket pardons for anyone involved in the merit hiring scandal; firing political appointees "who had done nothing wrong" after pardoning them; Chief of Staff Stan Cave's efforts to threaten legislators who were inclined to back Northup;using state funds to promote state parks and tourism during a political campaign after saying that he would not; passing out discretionary highway funds like political candy during a campaign and allowing a $12 billion shortfall in the Kentucky Retirement System.

He was our hope. Governor Fletcher pledged reform. He promised to transform the capitol. The Capitol transformed him. Today, he stands marred, scandalized, and previously indicted.

It’s the story of Newt Gingrich or one of the three stooges.

For Those About To Oink…

May 2002: Anne Northup is named CAGW’s “Porker of the Month”

Granted, this “honor” is four years old.

With that stated, Northup supporters tout her conservative credentials and ACU rating. This is contradictory evidence. Anne Northup is not a conservative. She is a RINO. Or more aptly… a pig.

Fiscal Gunslinger

From the Conservative Edge:

Kentucky.com provides this link to the Governor's speech today:

http://www.kentucky.com/multimedia/kentucky/pdfs/fletcherspeech.pdf

Governor Fletcher is proposing some major expendatures with the $401 million projected surplus. But more impressively, while he plans to put $50 million much needed dollars toward the state's ailing pension fund, he proposes taking $150 million dollars of the surplus and depositing it into the state's reserve trust fund. This deposit would bring the account balance to $386 million dollars - the most in Kentucky history.

While you may not agree with everything that Fletcher has done, nor all of his spending initiatives which also include money to upgrade Kentucky Horse Park for the upcoming Equestrian games and most importantly well over $30 million in additional money for the education system, Fletcher has acted as a true fiscal conservative. He has managed the state's money aptly, and no one can dispute this fact.

I hope he'll promise to repeal the Alternative Minimum Tax that is negatively effecting small businesses - but for the most part I am pleased with his overall management of the Commonwealth's check book. To my point about EF being the most fiscally conservative Governor in America - is anyone else talking about saving money on this scale? To put nearly half of a surplus into "savings" and then still be able to doll out funds for government projects is unheard of in this day and age. Like him or not, he's truly making conservative moves with the states budget.

A true fiscal conservative? The Governor has supported shrimp farms. He instituted the Alternative Minimum Tax. During his administration, dogs received stationary.

Fletcher is America’s most fiscally conservative Governor? And Rex Grossman is the NFL’s best quarterback?