by Richard Nelson | May 11, 2018 | Blog
A recent study finds that America’s next big public health issue is loneliness. And surprisingly the group most affected is young people age 18-22. Medical professionals tell us that this is a major threat to our mental, emotional and physical...
by Richard Nelson | May 10, 2018 | Blog
Kentucky's new Education Commissioner Wayne Lewis proposed the state to take over failing Louisville public schools. Teachers and administrators are protesting but Lewis argues in his 90 page audit that too many schools are failing and too many kids are being left...
by Richard Nelson | May 9, 2018 | Blog
Lobbyists spent a record $8.4 million trying to influence Kentucky lawmakers this last legislative session. So should we be upset? Is lobbying corrupt? While there's a negative perception about lobbyists, there's nothing inherently corrupt. Lobbyists are...
by Richard Nelson | May 8, 2018 | Blog
One of the traditions in Washington D.C. is the annual White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner where comedian's poke fun at politicians, especially the president. But this year's speaker, Michelle Wolf crossed a line with her routine that was...
by Richard Nelson | May 7, 2018 | Blog
At least that's according to U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan. She recently ruled that government agencies must notify illegal immigrant children in state custody that they have a right to an abortion. They must also publish notices in foreign languages that says...
by Richard Nelson | May 4, 2018 | Blog
Have you heard the one about the monkey who went to court to sue over copyright infringement? No, it's not a joke. A monkey snapped a selfie that became famous but PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) filed for copyright infringement. The 9th U.S....
by Richard Nelson | May 3, 2018 | Blog
Today is the National Day of Prayer. It was created by Congress in 1952 and signed into law by President Harry S. Truman. In 1988, President Ronald Reagan signed a bill designating the first Thursday of May as a day of national prayer. As people go to local...
by Richard Nelson | May 2, 2018 | Blog
Kentucky has been a reliably democratic state for the past 100 years but a major political shift is taking place. Since Barack Obama was elected president in 2008 there have been 335, 744 new Republican registrations. There have been only 18,506 Democratic...
by Richard Nelson | May 1, 2018 | Blog
There's some good news regarding Kentucky's unemployment numbers. It's at 4 percent—which is the lowest it’s been since the Bureau of Labor statistics began tracking this number in 1976. One reason for the change is that Kentucky has attracted...
by Richard Nelson | Apr 30, 2018 | Blog
There's a story out of England where the government is pulling two-year old Alfie Evans off of life support. England's Supreme Court ordered the hospital to pull the plug on the disabled child. But the parents are fighting to keep him alive and want him...
by Richard Nelson | Apr 27, 2018 | Blog
The 2018 Kentucky General Assembly is in the books. Legislators considered nearly 900 bills. But too often government is viewed as the only solution to address pressing issues of the day. Have you ever considered that government can't adequately address all the...
by Richard Nelson | Apr 27, 2018 | Opinion Pieces
The 2018 General Assembly was incredibly productive and even took positive steps to shore up the state pension system, but incessant negative news reports by major media outlets implying Republicans were sticking it to protesting teachers and unfortunate comments by...
by Richard Nelson | Apr 26, 2018 | Blog
When you think of Chick fil-A, you think of a good chicken sandwich and great customer service. But if you're a writer for the New Yorker magazine, somehow it’s a creepy outfit with a devious agenda. Daniel Piepenbring's article is entitled "Chick...
by Richard Nelson | Apr 25, 2018 | Blog
California calls itself a diverse and tolerant state but they might need to rethink that because the state legislature is considering banning certain kinds of books. You heard that correctly, a bill that would ban the sale of books that express a Christian belief...
by Richard Nelson | Apr 24, 2018 | Opinion Pieces
Kentucky's latest pro-life law banned abortion after 11 weeks, but it’s being challenged in court by the ACLU. They argue the law takes away women’s rights, impose an onerous burden at one of the most difficult times in their lives and that Frankfort...
by Richard Nelson | Apr 23, 2018 | Blog
Seven new members have been appointed to the Kentucky Board of Education which means that the majority of the board has been reconfigured. Shortly after the new board met, Education Commissioner Stephen Pruitt resigned which appears to have been the result of policy...
by Richard Nelson | Apr 20, 2018 | Blog
There's an abundance of bitterness over proposals to fixing the state pension. There's plenty of labeling, name calling, and demeaning behavior—on both sides. This is no way to have a conversation. In fact, it's no way to accomplish anything. The...
by Richard Nelson | Apr 20, 2018 | Opinion Pieces
The 2018 General Assembly took a positive step to shoring up the state pension system but based on regular news reports of angry protestors opposed to pension reform, you'd never have guessed it. Some media outlets have unfortunately fanned the flames by...
by Richard Nelson | Apr 19, 2018 | Blog
There are some ironies in politics that emerge when you least expect them. The latest is found in Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richard's new book. Richards says that their daughter Lily was "unplanned," but she and her husband chose life. "In...
by Richard Nelson | Apr 18, 2018 | Blog
A pension reform bill finally passed into law. It mostly affects new hires and keeps the system essentially the same for existing teachers. One of the major changes is that it requires new Kentucky teachers to participate in a "hybrid" plan which has...
