When your state is consistently among the worst in health categories and socioeconomic factors it speaks volumes about the state government and the citizenry having an approach to basic health care. When probably half to three quarters of the population is addicted to high calorie foods, cigarettes, and every other unhealthy habit it speaks volumes.

This mess wasn’t created just by Governor Stevie but it was created by the state legislature and the political hacks that have been creating a state of misery and impoverishment for quite some time. When hundreds of millions if not billions have been poured into Appalachia without any real success, what is the problem. Still despite infrastructure improvements, school improvements, etc it is still a culture of dependency.

This problem was not conceived overnight by a buffoon in Frankfort in the past 5 or 6 years. In fact, its been created for the last 30….40…..50 years. Not an overnight phenomena. To clean up this mess this state needs to focus on restoring common sense to state and local government and removing those that have none. The same could be said about local businesses that have basically trashed this city and shut their doors with no regard for anyone else.

Taxing your citizenry at 6 percent of their income on state income taxes also hurts because it creates lower wage jobs through people not having more money to spend on items that create higher wage jobs. Not to mention the 2.2 percent Jefferson County occupational tax which is higher than any county in the State of Indiana. I used to live across the river so I know a bit about that.

Also, it might help a lot to really push for economic development and real job creation in Louisville and other parts of the state. Focusing people on careers chucking boxes and opening warehouse jobs that pay 8 to 10 dollars an hour isn’t economic prosperity, its economic deprivation of the local population.

When your city has thousands if not tens of thousands of temp jobs and the employment market has been increasingly hijacked by staffing companies, you have another problem of wealth inequality because the temp agencies take anywhere from 20 to 30 percent of the wages just to have someone place a candidate into a position that may last only a few months in some cases or never go full time. What the temp employers really are is leeches because instead of getting a real job they have to drain the blood of the working person. Ever wonder why places have such high turnover.

Anyway, thats all for now and hope everyone has a merry Holiday season

Ernie Fletcher was SO innocent! (Never mind the ignorance that is/was Greg Stumbo….)