State Representative Reggie Meeks, of the 42nd District, penned his first update of the regular session on Friday and it’s time to take a look:

I don’t know about you, but hasn’t it been a crazy Fall, what with temps in the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s event into December! Trees and flowers remaining in bloom. And don’t you miss having to crank up your furnaces or lay in a supply of wood? – excuse me, coal. Hunting has been touch because the deer haven’t been moving; and I heard more than one anxious question from worried little ones about whether Santa could stop because there was no snow! If not global warming, there may be another explanation.

Hot air from the General Election cycle may account for the heat. Not to worry though. It’s session time and the irony of our returning to Frankfort accompanied by freezing temps, stinging winds and a brisk chill was not lost on this legislator. The winds were at least as chilly as the breeze has been thru Capitol hallways connecting the two chambers and the first floor. Ahhh, it’s good to be back!!

I pray you and your family have enjoyed these warm holy days and that you have girded up with that mustard seed of faith we Kentuckians have been raised to trust. It’s that faith which helps me believe this could be a great session! WT….? Wait. Did he say…

Read the rest from Meeks after the jump…

Yes, I said it. It could be a great session! We have a chance to let bygones remain, well, GONE! Governor Steve Beshear won an overwhelming victory. We expect him to move forward boldly and provide pragmatic, effective leadership in key areas — including extending the olive branch to President David Williams. He should all give the President every opportunity to change the flavor he’s left in the mouths of most Kentuckians. The President is an experienced, capable leader and we need his skills to compliment those of the Governor. They need to talk. And just because they haven’t doesn’t mean they can’t.

And, this session could bring back MY chosen political party! They can now come out of hiding – with the right leadership. They should be proud to have increased, by several hundred thousand Kentuckians, the number of our children and families now with healthcare coverage. My party should tout overseeing millions of federal dollars that came home to hire Kentucky workers and pay for everything from roadway, overpasses and bridges for our highway system, to supporting our state’s schools, teachers and our kid’s education. Kentucky received a tremendous booster shot in the arm for our financial health from these federal dollars — the same funds some in my party ran from acknowledging as coming from the President Barack Obama administration. Without them, our state budget shortfall will likely be as much at $300 M.

But it’s not just about the money, is it? Our students are graduating in near record numbers and in a number of categories, Kentucky students are at or near the top in accomplishments. In my community, there is a new spirit of civic leadership that is taking hard, honest looks at public blubber — cutting and trimming wasteful and bloated systems. Same here in Frankfort. Our Governor oversaw the balancing of the state’s budget no fewer than nine (9) times. It was not painless. Ask any furloughed state worker. Yet, because of these measures, we have weathered this economic storm far better than most states. We stand poised to take advantage of the oncoming economic turnaround much faster than other states that sank deeper into the economic morass than we. Such will be the challenge of Beshear2.

So, I hope you share my positive, if cautious, optimistic message as we begin this fresh, crisp new year. A new year filled with unbridled possibilities. My guess is there are many of our neighbors who would appreciate hearing something even cautiously optimistic from their government for a change…