by Richard Nelson | Jan 30, 2018 | Blog
Kentucky ranks 44th in teen pregnancy. Sexually transmitted disease (STD) are at an all-time high. And one in four women will have had an abortion by age 45. These statistics point to broken sexuality but a recently proposed bill helps high schoolers avoid the...
by Richard Nelson | Jan 29, 2018 | Blog
Last Tuesday morning Marshall County High School should have been a typical school day. There should have been teenaged voices in the halls and sophomores and juniors scurrying off to class. But instead, at 7:57, shots rang out and struck 20 students. Two 15-year olds...
by Richard Nelson | Jan 26, 2018 | Blog
One of the areas that escaped cuts in the recent state budget proposal was foster care. In fact, the governor proposed the creation of a new adoption and foster care program funded at $11 million. Gov. Bevin said "you think of the role of government and its there...
by Richard Nelson | Jan 25, 2018 | Blog
Tuesday morning at Marshall County High School started out as a typical school day. Sophomores and juniors carrying books and backpacks scurried down the halls. Teachers were settling in for another day as lively voices filled the classrooms. But at 7:57 a.m. shots...
by Richard Nelson | Jan 25, 2018 | Blog
Kentucky became the first state in the nation to receive a federal waiver to require able-bodied Medicaid recipients to work, go to school, or engage in community service at least 20-hours per week. This is a major change to the Medicaid program. The plan is to...
by Richard Nelson | Jan 24, 2018 | Blog
Since 2014, nearly a half-million Kentuckians joined the Medicaid rolls since the Affordable Care Act lowered the participation threshold. Today, one out of every three Kentuckians are on Medicaid, which begs the question: is it a policy achievement to have more...
by Richard Nelson | Jan 23, 2018 | Blog
Governor Bevin started his budget address with the famous words of Thomas Paine. In 1776 Paine said "These are the times that try men's souls…." The analogy is clear. Kentucky is in difficult and trying financial times. His budget proposal...
by Richard Nelson | Jan 22, 2018 | Blog
Today, is the 45th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade decision. In 1973, the court legalized abortion on demand for any reason all the way through the 9th month of pregnancy. The ruling has sharply divided the nation. It's left an estimated 60...
by Richard Nelson | Jan 19, 2018 | Blog
According to the Kentucky Association of Food Banks, over 700,000 Kentuckians, don't always know where their next meal will come from. That's 1 in 6. This is tragic because we are a major agriculture region of the country. This prompted Agriculture...
by Richard Nelson | Jan 18, 2018 | Blog
It's no secret that Kentucky is facing a budget crunch. This year alone it needs to come up with one billion dollars in revenue to address the pension shortfall. So how should they do it? Several legislators say expanded gambling is the answer. Former governor,...
by Richard Nelson | Jan 17, 2018 | Blog
It seems that pro-life legislation comes up every legislative session and this one is no different. One bill modifies the recently enacted Ultrasound law to require abortionists to provide a written medical description of sonogram images an unborn child prior to an...
by Richard Nelson | Jan 16, 2018 | Opinion Pieces
A New Approach to a Healthy Kentucky Kentucky became the first state in the nation to receive a federal waiver to require able-bodied Medicaid recipients to work, go to school, or engage in community service at least 20-hours per week. Gov. Bevin said "This marks...
by Richard Nelson | Jan 16, 2018 | Blog
Whenever things get bad in our government, term limits seem like a good idea. But There are two sides. On one hand, political leaders understand the process, and carry important institutional knowledge. In a way, term limits are already here. They're called...
by Richard Nelson | Jan 15, 2018 | Blog
Paducah became the ninth Kentucky city to make sexual orientation and gender identity a civil right. The move was controversial. Several speakers warned about similar ordinances that were used to punish business owners who tried to do their business according to their...
by Richard Nelson | Jan 12, 2018 | Blog
Have you ever said something that as soon as the words left your mouth you regretted saying it? It's likely happened to all of us at one time or another. Our words have tremendous power. They can build up or they can tear down. They can be used with a tone of love...
by Richard Nelson | Jan 11, 2018 | Blog
Did you know that 44 percent of Americans get their news from Facebook? I'm a newsy. I read several newspapers a day in order to keep abreast of what's going on in Kentucky and around the world. But I don't just read anything. I look for credible balanced...
by Richard Nelson | Jan 10, 2018 | Blog
Pro-life means more than just defending unborn life in the womb. It means caring for human life in all its stages. The Kentucky General Assembly is considering legislation that seeks to protect and value life. One bill mandates suicide prevention training for...
by Richard Nelson | Jan 9, 2018 | Blog
The headlines of a major state newspaper questioned whether Republicans can lead Kentucky's state government in the aftermath of a sexual harassment settlement. The question of leadership in the 2018 General Assembly is real. So what makes for a good leader? It...
by Richard Nelson | Jan 9, 2018 | Blog
Being a state that is closely tied to the horse racing industry, it’s not a surprise that expanded gambling is frequently discussed in Kentucky. Even more, it’s no surprise this issue comes up when the woes of Kentucky’s economy are...
by Richard Nelson | Jan 6, 2018 | Opinion Pieces
Paducah's City Commission will vote this Tuesday to modify the human rights ordinance to include sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) language. The idea is to protect members of the LGBT community from unjust discrimination in areas of housing, employment...
