catallaxy.net

David Adams of the Bluegrass Institute, in opposing a bill to restore voting rights for ex-cons, says that “we hardly need to expand the base of voters electing themselves bigger entitlements from taxpayers.”

Skeptical Cat is fraught with skepticism. After all, if the main objection to restoring voting rights to folks who have done their time is that they might vote for candidates promising free goodies, then would David endorse repealing voting rights for Medicaid and food stamp recipients, state workers (retired and otherwise), public school teachers, members of the military, overtaxed entrepreneurs, mooching war widows or anyone else likely to vote for politicians promising taxpayer-funded freebies?

The problem is that wanting to deny ex-cons the right to vote because they might vote for free stuff doesn’t separate ex-cons from, well, anyone.

Currently, state workers may take a half day so that they have time to vote. I’ve been in favor of the following deal for them: Give state workers a full day off (which they may use at any time) and $500 … if they pledge not to vote.

KFC: Kentucky Fat Children

Sounds like it.

Imagine if leading lawmakers in Kentucky rolled the entire state budget and other items (including new taxes, fees, special tax breaks, etc.) into the same bill, prevented lawmakers from seeing it until the last minute and then rammed it through the legislature?

Oh yeah. They did.

Here’s an AP story from March 24, 2006:

The conference committee met publicly on Thursday, a contrast to the closed-door sessions the House and Senate used to develop their initial budget proposals. In years past, the conference committee has met part of the time publicly and part privately.

The tradition of closed budget meetings was criticized Thursday by Jim Waters, policy director at Bluegrass Institute, a Bowling Green-based organization that advocates open government. He said the conference committee should continue meeting publicly.

“If the politicians in Frankfort don’t want their constituents to be privy to the process, then they must realize that a lot of the decisions are not in the best interest of Kentuckians,” Waters said. “When you’re confident of the decisions you’re making, you want your constituents to be privy to the process and discussions taking place.”

Waters said many legislators seem to prefer meeting privately, then holding perfunctory open meetings to vote.

“We have consistently seen unanimous votes on some of the largest expenditures, and by the time those votes are taken on the floors of the House and Senate, the debate has already taken place. The question simply is why,” he said. “Why can’t the taxpayers whose money these politicians are spending, why can’t they at least be privy to the budget process? The budget affects the greatest number of Kentuckians, more than any other decisions these folks make.”

Richard Beliles, chairman of the advocacy group Common Cause in Kentucky, said legislative leaders should open all budget discussions to the public.

“How can the citizens really be fairly represented when they go into these closed meetings? It’s a great disadvantage to the average Kentuckian,” Beliles said. “Even if they make the right decisions, it’s still bad for government. People should have good feelings about their government.”

Beliles said holding budget discussions behind closed doors hurts public trust.

“We as citizens should complain about it enough to get both parties to not hold these closed-door meetings,” Beliles said.