Wow, we’re still pretending that Frankfort isn’t bought and paid for by king coal, payday loan sharks and associated pals? And Kerri Richardson still feels comfortable officially lying? Hope she’s able to stay on long enough to get a good retirement – at least enough to make up for what’s sure to eat her conscience. [C-J/AKN]

Here’s the smart politician’s guide to avoiding scandal. Start with don’t being stupid. [NPR]

This is why the mortgage industry is a flipping disaster. It’s why America can’t have nice things. [Pro Publica]

Just cold caught in the net? Alabama’s immigration law is proving too strict and too costly. [The Economist]

Teabagger Phil Moffett officially filed to run for the State House in the 32nd District. [SoS]

Why groups like the ASPCA and Humane Society take what they can and give nothing in return. [Nathan Winograd]

Morehead State University’s president is skeptical of the University of Pikeville shenanigans. [Ryan Alessi]

This is the wet dream of Steve Beshear and Greg Fischer. The absolute tops for them. You know they’re aching to pull this stunt. [Mother Jones]

While Jack Conway has spent the past few weeks proclaiming Kentucky’s prescription pill mill problem water the the bridge, the war rages on in, you know, the real world. [HuffPo]

Will Kathy Stein joining the redistricting lawsuit matter at the end of the day? Who believes this will change anything in Kentucky? How fitting that Greg Stumbo and Larry Clark – two of the people who have worked since 2008 to remove Kathy Stein from office – would join the suit in support of all their shenanigans. [H-L]

Proposed anti-bullying legislation in Kentucky is horribly flawed and will likely die on the vine. Again. Bullying shouldn’t be illegal just for protected classes – it should be illegal AND IMMORAL to bully any child. This isn’t a gay-only thing. Or a race-only thing. This story about Rutgers student Tyler Clementi’s suicide illustrates it perfectly. [New Yorker]

A burning issue. Tighter regulation, bountiful natural gas and declining installation costs for renewable energy herald the end of America’s coal era. [The Economist]

HAHAHA PEE ALERT. The Muppets finally attacked Faux News. Miss Piggy lookin hongry. [Wonkette]

Here’s your reminder that this silly welfare drug testing legislation was withdrawn in Indiana after it was amended to include testing for legislators. This should happen in Frankfort ASAP. [HuffPo]

Quick, let’s pretend the Energy and Environment Cabinet cares about Earth Day! [Click the Clicky]

The state is now appealing the decision to release child abuse records. We repeat, Steve Beshear’s administration is now appealing the decision to release child abuse records. That’s how quickly they flip-flop and waste your tax dollars. [Debby Yetter]

And just like that, ANOTHER attorney was hired at the Cabinet for Health and Family Services. [SoS]

Jerry Abramson desperately wants to run for the U.S. Senate. Or for Congress. So papaw is floating him all over the state to sound official. [State-Journal]

Andy Barr says he’s raised $425,000 in his second bid against Ben Chandler. [Press Release]

Apparently the Council on Postsecondary Education didn’t pay attention to what President Barack Obama had to say in his State of the Union address. [C-J/AKN]

Do you want to read another story about people suing over the ridiculous Greg Stumbo-Damon g…Thayer redistricting poop? Of course you do. [Ronnie Ellis]

Maybe you want to read yet another story about the redistricting lawsuit. So. Here you go. [H-L]

Oh, nope, you need another story about it all. The case will be heard at 10:30 A.M. on Monday by Judge Phillip Shepherd, who will hopefully strike down this bogus mess. But don’t hold your breath. [AP/Amanda Van Benschoten's Replacement]

Maybe it’d be easier to just watch a video about the redistricting mess. [WKYT]

Yes, a bridge over Kentucky Lake was struck by a tugboat last night and it partially collapsed. No one died, though, so calm down. It’s not earth-shattering news and there’s no need for us to write 45 times about it. [Press Releases/Email Blasts]

When Jerry Abramson says small businesses should have a large role in tax reform in Kentucky? He means gigantic businesses that employ thousands and operate outside the state. [Business First]

Newspapers in Eastern Kentucky are on fire this week over pill mill busts throughout the region. Just a week ago, Jack Conway was saying the problem was disappearing. Funny how that works. [The Morehead News]

Kind of illustrates the state of affairs in Frankfort today, eh? Jeff looking timid, Greg looking down at him.

Have at it.

“It is my belief that this plan is the most fair and balanced of any of the redistricting plans offered in this session,” Rep. Waide said. “Many Kentuckians, despite their political beliefs, are up in arms over the blatant partisan nature of redistricting during this session. They want their voices heard in this process, which is why I decided to offer up an alternative.”

CLICK FOR PDF

From a release on the matter:

Under Rep. Waide’s proposal, only 24 counties are split and only 10 precincts are split compared to 28 counties split and 246 split precincts under the plan put forth by House Democrats and passed under House Bill 1. Rep. Waide’s plan only pairs 10 incumbent House members compared to 11; two pairs of Democrats would run against each other, two pairs of Democrats and Republicans would run against each other and one pairing where a Republican would run against a Republican.

“In the current redistricting proposals, each is weighted heavily in favor of Democrats or Republicans, which has created confusion and anger among Kentuckians,” added Rep. Waide. “Every effort was made in my plan to not place House incumbents against one another regardless of party.”

Under the law for House and Senate redistricting, the population of a district can be plus or minus 5 percent of the population, which for House districts is 43,394. Under Rep. Waide’s proposal, the population variance is plus 4.67 percent and negative 2.92 percent for a total of 7.58 percent. In the House Democrats plan their population variance was plus 5.38 percent and minus 4.62 percent for a total of 10 percent. Rep. Waide believes the House Democrats variance of plus 5.38 percent is outside the bounds of the Kentucky Constitution, and thinks it would not stand up to a challenge in court.

“Our plan proves that you only need to divide 24 counties instead of 28. This alone shows the House Democrat plan is unconstitutional,” Rep. Waide said. “In addition the cost to local counties whose precincts have been split is enormous. In Boone County alone the cost of stand up booths, signage and poll workers will exceed $90,000. My bill seeks to keep as many counties whole as possible, and keep as many people with their current representative as possible regardless of politics.”

Will it float?

All I know is that even if the Republicans file for an injunction, they ought to push to make this thing federal. Because Greg Stumbo has the Kentucky Supreme Court in his back pocket.

Papaw is really good at cutting educational funding while preserving funds for the bullshiz Ark Park. [Think Progress]

Have you read the latest from Ronnie Ellis? I’m betting that if you’ve followed the redistricting contortions birthed by the Democratic controlled House and Republican controlled Senate, you’re hardly shocked. [Ashland Independent]

Greg Fischer just got his ass handed to him – again – by Ed Hart and Bruce Lunsford. This time for campaign finance corruption. And Jennifer Moore was dumb enough to believe Fischer was telling the truth. She needs to ditch that crew because she’s better than that. [Dan Klepal]

Don’t hold your breath, Curt. Emily Dennis isn’t about to dig too deeply. And if the case got to the point where Jack Conway had to appoint a special prosecutor, it’d take a couple years for anything to happen. And then folks would plead down to misdemeanors. Won’t even get that far unless you’re willing to spend $30,000ish on attorneys to push it. [Curt Morrison]

You come across as partisan, disingenuous and disconnected, sadly, when you push the talking put that only Republicans in Washington are bought and sold by King Coal. Ignoring the reality that Democrats are probably in deeper with coal than Republicans really kills your argument. [H-L]

But when an organization as great as Kentuckians For The Commonwealth also pushes that same dishonest talking point by promoting your op-ed, well, then you just have to bang your head against a desk. [Twitter]

How many fights are there going to be over redistricting in Frankfort? [WTVQ]

Look how angry people were in Lexington over Kathy Stein’s State Senate seat getting ripped away by Greg Stumbo and Steve Beshear. [WKYT]

Wait for it. Wait for it. Rick Santorum is having a Conservatives Unite Moneybomb. You read that correctly. [CLICK THE CLICKY]

Are libertarians worrying too much about the presidency? Probably. [FMIKY]

We’re trying hard to remain positive, working diligently not to roll our eyes. But it doesn’t seem likely that Steve Beshear can actually get 300 new positions going at the Cabinet for Health and Family Services (it’s a whole cabinet, WFPL, not just a department). [WFPL]

HAHAHA. Here’s Greg Stumbo trying to “set the record straight” with “the hard facts, not political spin.” We almost died laughing. [House Dem Caucus]

Greg Fischer is getting his butt handed to him by Ed Hart and Bruce Lunsford at the Kentucky Registry of Election Finance. It’s a real shame Fischer and Jennifer Moore are trying to play pat-a-cake with campaign finance law with people who actually, you know, know campaign finance law. [The 'Ville Voice]

Redistricting political games are most certainly still being played in Frankfort. You can bet some folks are getting rich off the mess. [Ronnie Ellis]

Don’t miss Comment on Kentucky tonight on KET at 8:00 P.M. Eastern. Scheduled guests: Jack Brammer, Joe Gerth, Greg Stotelmyer. [KET]

Greg Stumbo isn’t merely “elusive” on redistricting. He’s playing pat-a-cake. All the Democrats are just too afraid to call him out. [WLKY]

David Williams – the guy with the talky box – filed for Congress in the 2nd District today. [Greaaaat]

Who pussed out today? That’s right, Papaw Steve Beshear pussed out today. His goal in 2008 was to hang Kathy Stein out to dry and today he accomplished that goal. She never should have believed him when he promised her a judgeship. [Page One]

Taxiing the rich in America. The wealthy need to pay more but is there a need to raise their income tax rates? [The Economist]

Kentucky education officials are working to prevent public school students from being restrained or confined alone in small rooms after citing two schools for violating the rights of three disabled students subjected to such treatment, according to documents obtained by The Associated Press. [H-L]

Mittens Romney has parked millions upon millions of dollars in offshore accounts. ABC News

Meanwhile, adulterous skank Newt Gingrich paid a 32% tax rate in the year 2010. [WaPo]

More than two-thirds of Americans would consider voting for a third-party presidential candidate, while nearly half of all voters think a third-party is needed, a new poll shows. [Politico]

Here’s a look at how property taxes climb even if your home’s value plunges off a cliff. [NPR]

Eastern Kentucky electeds are beginning to make noise in protest of using coal severance funds to make the University of Pikeville a public school. [C-J/AKN]

Last Thursday’s discussion and vote on redistricting may have been the Canary warning us of toxic fumes in the House Chamber. At its core, redistricting involves the shifting of lines, and voters, into or out of districts that have loss or gained population. It’s a kind of political “leveling”; required by law, and chocked with opportunity costs. It was this opportunity cost that had my good friends on the other side of the aisle howling at the tops of their lungs. If you want to see the debate, check the KET website. I encourage you to do so.

You know, when we see these seats as being private fiefdoms belonging to us, and we look at voters as if we own them, things get real personal real fast. When we exercise some perceived “ownership” of the districts we represent, it’s easy to feel like “my” voters are being taken away or “my” district is being split apart in these years of redistricting. Well, that didn’t sit well and the Repubs let everyone know it!

Read the rest after the jump…

They even offered a plan they claimed offered greater fairness. A plan that went so far as to create new Black majority districts in both Lexington and Louisville. Turns out this wasn’t quite cricket… I’m not sure whether they were upset that they were not able to slip something over on us or whether they were upset they got called out for trying. Either way, the sparks flamed up again on Tuesday and the Canaries began to sing once again.

Republican Leader, Jeff Hoover, used editorials from around the state to confirm their allegation that politics played a role in the redistricting plan passed on Thursday. He called for an apology from Speaker Stumbo for intimating there was a discriminatory or racial component to any vote for the plan offered by the Repub standard-bearer, Rep. Joseph Fischer.

Now let me ask you this. How can there NOT be a racial component to a plan that allegedly created two Black majority voting districts? Of course there was a racial component. The Repubs were attempting to use it to gain Democrat support for their plan and Speaker Stumbo was calling anyone voting for their plan as voting to violate the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

I hope no one is holding their breath waiting on that apology from the Speaker.

And so they sing, those wise Canaries….

That’s how Greg will get his way.

But there are all kinds of rumblings about the map being jacked up. Particularly when it comes to Louisville and the 3rd Congressional District. Almost to the point of it being unconstitutional.

All the rumblings are coming from Stumbo’s fellow Democrats.

Could this mean trouble’s afoot?

No?

Here:

Hall fully cooperated with the commission, which exhaustively reviewed the facts of the case. Following thoughtful deliberation, the commission ruled that there was “no evidence that Representative Hall acted improperly or illegally” in accepting, performing and billing for his work.

HAHAHA.

The only issue was whether Hall should have voted on the budget bill that contained funding for part of this project. Hall explained to the commission that he did not realize the bill had any relation to the sewer project. The commission ruled that even if Hall did not have actual knowledge of this minor provision in the budget, he should have.

Based on this finding, the commission levied a fine and sent a copy of its findings to me.

Yeah, that’s the only issue, all right. Never mind the massive audit from Crit Luallen or the tons of deliberation the Ethics Commission went through.

The Herald-Leader’s comparison of this case to former Gov. Ernie Fletcher’s hiring scandal is badly misguided. Suggesting that the full cooperation of Hall and the unfettered review by the commission are in any way comparable to the stonewalling, assertion of executive privilege and granting of pardons in the Fletcher case is ridiculous.

We acted upon the findings of the Fletcher grand jury exactly as we act upon the findings of the Ethics Commission, in each case following the directions of the investigative entity.

Nothing could be fairer than that.

Let’s put our drinks down for a second, here, because this is crazy.

Greg acts like the Ethics Commission is a-okay with what went down. That couldn’t be further from the truth. All but one member of the Commission have contacted me over the past several months to express outrage (to be politically correct) with the lack of cooperation from Hall and their lack of ability to take real action.

To act like this isn’t akin to the Fletcher scandal is what’s ridiculous. Because this cost taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars and it’s being covered up by the Eastern Kentucky good old boy network that once again runs the State House.

Greg Stumbo acted on the Fletcher grand jury findings for his personal benefit. Because he wanted to run for governor. He didn’t act on the Hall findings because Keith is his pal. And that’s why the Democratic caucus is ready to castrate him.

Up until this session, Hall’s district (93rd) has been inside Pike County. After the Democratic redistricting proposal? His district will be spread across three counties, stretching through Letcher and all the way into Harlan.

Take a look at the Democratic proposal:

Which makes sense from a Stumbo-Hall perspective. Gotta give him a district where people aren’t as familiar with his foibles.

The House Republican proposal, however, caught on to the shenanigans and wanted to part of it:

Here’s Hall’s district as it currently stands:

As you can see, not much change with Republicans.

You’d think two people who profess to care so much about Eastern Kentucky wouldn’t be quietly trying to work so hard to deceive its residents.