Opinion

The following guest editorial, written by Kathy Kiely, also appeared in the October 9, 2019 print edition of the News Journal... Once upon a time, having a job at a newspaper meant working in one of the most imposing buildings in town, inhaling the acrid aroma of fresh ink and the dusty breath of cheap newsprint and feeling mini-earthquakes under our feet every time the presses started to roll. For those of us old enough to remember those days, National Newspaper Week 2019 could be one big, fat elegiac nostalgia trip. Today, many newspapers are ditching the imposing buildings for low-rent storefronts and have outsourced the printing. Those could be the...

The following editorial was written by Mr. Jack Miles... Freedom of the press, of speech, of religion, of assembly and to petition the government are woven, like stars in the flag, into the fabric of the First Amendment. The blood of patriots is the seed of the Republic. The founders and those who followed in their footsteps invested their lives in this country. They assured there would be freedom of religion, and from religion, so the government could neither bless nor ban what anyone believes, as occurs under radical theocracies and communist regimes. The founders secured freedom of speech, to assemble and to petition the government to redress grievances, which is...

Note to the reader: This column was first made available in 2015, but remains thoroughly relevant in 2019. By Gene Policinski WASHINGTON – The power of the press rests in the ability of journalists to hold government accountable, to mobilize public opinion on matters that are important to individuals, communities or the nation, and to provide necessary information of value. Notice in those words not a mention of celebrity content, mobile devices nor “aspirational” reportage that feels good without doing any good. But also notice in those words the key to the future for newsrooms across the nation: A visible role in the daily life of the nation rooted in real benefit and...

To the Editor: Saul D. Alinsky (1909-1972) “The Father of modern community organizing” wrote a book called “Rules for Radicals” which outlined procedures to, more or less, stir up trouble for some political aim. Supposedly, the book begins with a dedication to Lucifer. I haven’t read it. Hillary Clinton and Barrack Obama are his devoted followers. She wrote her senior thesis on Alinsky’s work and Obama had numerous involvements with his work through the years. One important principle for the effective troublemaker … er radical, is never wasting a good crisis. Some folks would like the 2nd Amendment to go away just as we are having a spike in the number of...

To the Editor: The Old Fashioned Trading Days Board of Directors would like to sincerely thank all those that played a role in making Old Fashioned Trading Days possible and successful this year! Thank you to the City of Williamsburg and thank you to the Whitley County Fiscal Court. Thank You to the City and County crews that did a spectacular job in maintaining such an inviting and clean environment. Thank you to the city Police and their presence for helping maintain a safe environment for all our festival goers. Thank you to our night security and additional building facility workers. Thank you to our corporate sponsors. Thank you to our...

There has been a lot of talk lately about the Electoral College. If you read social media, you will see many opinions on why it should or should not continue to choose the American president. Those who want to retain the Electoral College tend to focus on the numbers and how several cities have larger populations than some states and if the College is removed, basically a handful of states will choose the next president. One post even claimed that the reason the Founding Fathers instituted the College was to protect the smaller states from the domination of the larger ones. Though I support the Electoral College and agree...

Changes paying off for pension systems, but steep challenges remain No issue has received more legislative attention over the last two years than the potential failure of our public pension systems. Our state employee pension system remains one of the worst-funded in the United States. Other systems, including the Teachers’ Retirement System (TRS), still have a funding ratio that is well below actuarial recommendations.  From the beginning of the talks regarding all pensions, I have stood firmly that all promises to current employees must remain intact.  I voted against HB1, the Quasi-government pension bill during the recent special session because employees with decades of service could, under certain circumstances, face changes...

A lack of transparency and judicial good sense provide this edition of “Liberty Boosters and Busters.” Liberty Booster: Kentucky Auditor Mike Harmon, who released an audit confirming a culture of secrecy continues to exist within the commonwealth’s two largest public-retirement systems more than two years after the General Assembly unanimously passed legislation requiring the two major pension plans disclose information regarding investments, particularly fees paid to investment-fund managers. Harmon’s audit also reveals that a startling number of investment contracts aren’t even posted. Both the Teachers’ Retirement System (TRS) and Kentucky Retirement Systems (KRS) failed to post more than 80% of its investment contracts on their websites – a blatant slap in the...

It’s just as legitimate for congressmen in the Capitol to consider the precedent proposed policies would establish in regard to future lawmaking as it for justices at the Supreme Court to contemplate how their decisions in current legal challenges will affect the way future cases get argued and decided. Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Arkansas, obviously was thinking about what kind of precedent would be established should Washington decide to bail out states which have mismanaged their pension systems when he recently introduced his 237-word resolution “expressing the sense of the Senate that the Federal Government should not bail out any State.” In case that wasn’t clear enough, Cotton’s resolution adds “the Federal...

I know that everyone has heard significant discussion about the pensions systems of our state employees, teachers, state workers, and other public servants. These systems affect taxpayers and public employees alike. Thousands of Kentuckians receive or will receive retirement through the funds and Kentucky spends 14 percent of our total budget on pension contributions and that number is expected to grow. Due to a wide range of issues, including poor management and oversight of the funds and a lack of commitment to proper funding, Kentucky has the second-worst funded pension system in America and over $60 billion in unfunded liabilities. This enormous hole was not dug in a short period...