by Richard Nelson | Aug 1, 2017 | Blog
Pres. Trump's tweet barring transgendered persons from serving in the military caught everyone off guard, including policy makers who are still trying to figure out exactly what it means. As we navigate the minefields of this highly charged issue there's...
by Richard Nelson | Jul 31, 2017 | Blog
Nowhere is the culture war as evident in the controversy over transgender rights. In Minnesota, new guidelines were issued to public school teachers ordering them to call children by the pronoun of their choice. This means that boys who identify as girls should be...
by Richard Nelson | Jul 28, 2017 | Blog
Did you know that many pastors played a pivotal role in the colonist's battle for independence in the 1770's? British soldiers called them the Black Robe Regiment because it was customary for preachers to wear a black robe while preaching in that...
by Richard Nelson | Jul 27, 2017 | Blog
The Executive Branch Ethics Commission told Attorney General Andy Beshear that if he plans to run for governor in 2019, he should stop directly investigating Governor Matt Bevin. The Commission said that if any investigations are needed, an outside investigator...
by Richard Nelson | Jul 27, 2017 | Blog
The Executive Branch Ethics Commission (EBEC) cleared Gov. Bevin of any wrongdoing involving a deal on a home by a campaign donor but considering the way the Louisville Courier-Journal trotted out the story since it broke earlier this year, its uncertain they'll...
by Richard Nelson | Jul 26, 2017 | Blog
It's almost in the news daily: opioid overdoses across Kentucky. Opiods are supposed to be pain killers but our state is suffering because of widespread abuse. The governor just launched a campaign to raise awareness and stem the flow of drugs. But cutting off the...
by Richard Nelson | Jul 25, 2017 | Blog
Kentucky Today called out liberal bias against conservatives in the news media. They go on to say " until now, there was nothing that [conservative politicians] could do about it. Social media has evened the playing field so that politicians can strike back....
by Richard Nelson | Jul 24, 2017 | Blog
A news story criticized the governor's recent board appointment to the executive branch ethics commission. They didn't like that the appointee made a donation to his campaign. They also implied that since the commission is made up of a majority of his...
by Richard Nelson | Jul 21, 2017 | Blog
The Commonwealth Policy Center covers stories from all across Kentucky. Sometimes people ask why they should care about something that happens in another part of the state? The answer is simple. What happens in one part of Kentucky affects all of Kentucky....
by Richard Nelson | Jul 20, 2017 | Blog
A headline in the Louisville Courier-Journal said "Who decides if Matt Bevin's house deal broke ethics rules? A panel mostly appointed by him." Similar stories appeared in other major newspaper and radio outlets including U.S. News and World Reports. The...
by Richard Nelson | Jul 19, 2017 | Blog
The Ark Encounter celebrated its first anniversary this month but critics complain its message and argue that it shouldn't get a tax break from the state. Last year a federal court ruled that Answers in Genesis, the group behind the park, is entitled to...
by Richard Nelson | Jul 18, 2017 | Blog
Are you following what's going on in Kentucky when it comes to the healthcare debate? Last week, Vice President Mike Pence and Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont visited the Bluegrass to speak about healthcare. Kentucky Senators Mitch McConnell and Rand Paul...
by Richard Nelson | Jul 17, 2017 | Blog
A state representative from Louisville is calling on the Kentucky legislature to repeal a bill that California is protesting. The Kentucky General Assembly passed a law upholding religious freedom for public school students. The law affirms the First Amendment...
by Richard Nelson | Jul 14, 2017 | Blog
The United States government has built-in accountability. We have three branches of government and each provide a system of checks and balances. Ultimately we the people hold the greatest form of accountability to our government. We do this through...
by Richard Nelson | Jul 14, 2017 | Blog
The Ark Encounter celebrated its first anniversary this month but instead of fanfare and praise, some news media and protestors poured rain on its parade. The Biblical theme park, which consists of a life-size replica of Noah's Ark based in Northern Kentucky,...
by Richard Nelson | Jul 13, 2017 | Blog
How do you handle bad news? More specifically, how do you handle negative news? According to a recent study at Harvard University in the first 100 days of Donald Trump's presidency, 80% of the stories in the mainstream media were negative. ...
by Richard Nelson | Jul 12, 2017 | Blog
How bad is Kentucky's drug problem? Just ask Boyd County Sheriff Bobby Jack Woods. He says the drug problem in northeastern Kentucky has “reached past an epidemic to biblical plague proportions.” And woods should know. In just a six day time...
by Richard Nelson | Jul 11, 2017 | Blog
The Kentucky Lottery has a new CEO. His name is Tom Delacenserie, and his goal is to grow the Kentucky Lottery to $1 billion. This is another way of saying, he wants Kentuckians to lose more money. We should be asking if its good policy for the state to be...
by Richard Nelson | Jul 10, 2017 | Blog
California recently added Kentucky to its travel ban. This is because California considers Kentucky's newly enacted Student Religious Freedom Act "discriminatory legislation" toward the homosexual community. It's ironic that California imposes a...
by Richard Nelson | Jul 7, 2017 | Blog
Did you know that Kentucky ranks as one of the highest states in mistrusting the media? A recent survey released by Secretary of State Alison Grimes says Kentucky ranks 48th in citizen’s confidence in the media. At the recent Kentucky Bar Association...
