Private Sector

In his March 4 column on public sector unions, Bob Martin repeated that old canard about how the wages and benefits of state and local government workers are higher than those of private sector workers. In fact, once the data are adjusted for equivalent educational levels the total compensation for state and local government workers is several points lower than for comparable private sector employees. A learned economist such as Bob Martin would surely know that the average educational level of public sector workers is considerably higher than that of private sector workers, and that any analysis of relative wages and benefits would have to take that factor into account in order to have any validity.

Conventional wisdom claims government workers should get Cadillac benefit packages because their salaries lag far behind the private sector. But the facts reveal such claims offer little more than convenient myths for large voting blocs of public workers and enabling politicians who intend to avoid their wrath at all costs. The myth of underpaid public employees hits a brick wall of reality at every level of government. A recent USA Today analysis found that federal workers receive significantly higher salaries than private-sector workers and an even wider benefits gap exists.

Adam Edelen, Democratic candidate for state auditor of public accounts, spoke to the Clark County Democratic Women's Club picnic at Beech Springs Market Aug. 1. He spoke about growing up in Meade County, his service on the boards of the United Way and KET, his 10 years of experience in the private sector and his service in state government. The former chief of staff to the governor, Edelen also worked in Kentucky's Department of Homeland Security. He promised common sense, accountability and transparency in the office if elected.

According to Jody Lassiter, president and chief executive officer of the Danville-Boyle County Economic Development Partnership, there's a lot more capital available for economic development in Danville and he aims to explore all available resources. The EDP is considering a contractual, fee-for-service partnership with a fundraising firm for an eight- to 10-month investment campaign focused on private-sector business in the Danville community. Lassiter estimated only 33 percent of the EDP's funds currently come from the private sector, while the remaining two-thirds are provided publicly.

My recent column on public sector unions caused something of a kerfuffle among my loyal critics. Appropriately, they note that comparing average compensation between groups does not establish impropriety; that is, differences between average male/female salaries does not mean those differentials are unjustified. In the public sector unions column, I noted there are two types of factors that must be considered when comparing compensation differentials: individual worker characteristics and job characteristics.

Danville/Boyle County Economic Development Partnership may have scrapped plans to hire a fundraising firm to conduct a major investment drive, but that doesn't mean it's no long targeting the private sector. EDP had hoped to conduct an eight-to-10 month investment campaign aimed at raising $3 million over five years but decided to hold off because of the economy. Now, the partnership is moving to Plan B. "We as a group, because of the current economic conditions and the way other campaigns are going, are moving away from Plan A and going to focus on Plan B, which means targeting individual businesses," explained John Caywood, vice chairman of EDP and the subcommittee chairman.

Can't count on revenue Our city will be losing revenue next year from employees of LifePoint and the new George Rogers Clark High School as the hospital and school open in new locations in the unincorporated part of the county. Federal and state funding that cities have relied upon for years is rapidly drying up. Yet leaders in our government failed to accept that this was more than just waiting for revenue and the economy to rebound. They failed to accept that government needs change.

I will attempt to use facts to let you know why Romney is my choice for president - I will keep opinions to a minimum. Romney has created thousands of jobs in the private sector - no taxpayers' money paid for those jobs. Obama has never created private sector jobs. His job creation does use taxpayers' money. Note, there are less people working today than were working when Obama took office. Romney values the relationship we have with Israel. He traveled to Israel to talk to Netanyahu.

This is what he said: "The private sector got us into this mess. The government has to get us out of it. " Addressing the television audience, swelled with the gall that can only come from arrogance, Barney Frank, sweating from all the pores in his face, faced the camera and had the audacity to imply that the private sector of American business created the current meltdown of Wall Street. That's his story, and evidently, he intends to stick with it. He continued this high wire act and ventured that the meltdown was caused by "bad decisions that were made by people in the private sector.

“Raise our taxes!” Can you imagine chanting such a slogan at a public rally? Neither could most Americans. There is one notable exception, however: government-union activists. They’re pretty explicit these days about their desire to see taxes go up. If that surprises you, you may be unaware of how dramatically the face of organized labor has changed over the last few decades. There’s a very good reason they’ve got your wallet in their sights — more and more, that’s where their wages comes from.

This is the season political junkies live for. Presidential elections, with all of their twists and turns, polls and prognostications, are what partisans crave.  The most recent debate between Gov. Romney and President Obama was - if little else - great political theater. I must admit, it was fun - at least for a moment.   But most Americans are not enjoying their current economic lives.  Around 23 million are struggling to find employment. Gas prices are off the charts.

I will attempt to use facts to let you know why Romney is my choice for president - I will keep opinions to a minimum. Romney has created thousands of jobs in the private sector - no taxpayers' money paid for those jobs. Obama has never created private sector jobs. His job creation does use taxpayers' money. Note, there are less people working today than were working when Obama took office. Romney values the relationship we have with Israel. He traveled to Israel to talk to Netanyahu.

Boyle County Fiscal Court voted to a 25 percent increase in employee health insurance prices - not as much as had been proposed - in a meeting postponed three hours due to a bomb threat at the courthouse. Following an evacuation of the building for what turned out to be a false alarm, the court voted to raise health insurance deductibles for employee medical plans by 25 percent. The amount individual employees have to pay for medical care within the plan's network of providers before the insurance benefits kick in was increased from $200 to $250.

I wonder where our beloved country is heading. I ordered my sandwich at Chick-fil-A to commend a Christian man who expressed his view on what marriage has been for thousands of years. Our president agreed until he became politically correct. I pondered the loss of our freedoms as taxpayers now must pay for all birth control pills, abortion-inducing drugs and devices, as well as sterilization procedures, and next will be for elective abortions, no matter what one's beliefs. I think of the thousands of good works by Catholic hospitals, clinics, educational institutions and charities worldwide and wonder what our country will look like for our 17 grandchildren.

“If you've got a business you didn't build that. Somebody else made that happen.” - President Barack Obama, July 13, 2012. In political terms, a “gaff” is when you accidentally let the truth come out. Barack Obama has made a career fooling people into thinking he is a moderate. He has revealed what is truly in his heart of hearts. Small business owners give blood, sweat and tears to build their businesses - taking risks and spending many long hours. “Somebody else” did it?

The Winchester-Clark County Activities Coalition is gaining statewide recognition for its efforts to improve the health of Clark County residents. In recent months, the Activities Coalition has received three awards: The United Way of the Bluegrass Live United Excellence in Health award, the Joe F. Reed Service Award from the American Heart Association and last month, the Kentucky Professional Health Association Group Award for its work in establishing the Winchester Traveling Trail.

Not only will Boyle County not be impacted by recent budget shortfalls that caused Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Bluegrass to cut programs in Franklin County, but CEO Dale Suttles actually expects the program to grow in the coming years. The Lexington-based nonprofit sent letters recently to Franklin County volunteers to notify them of the closure, citing “financial constraints and limited staff resources. Big Brothers Big Sisters matches adults who have been screened with at-risk youths for one-on-one mentorship.

The Obama administration has come completely unhinged in trying to sell its “jobs plan.” In the latest of a long line of embarrassing gaffes, Vice President Joe Biden put forth the ridiculous notion that if Republicans don't support Obama's “jobs plan,” they must want to see more people raped and murdered. In a speech to public sector workers, Biden said, “I wish they (Republicans) had some notion of what it was like to be on the other side of a gun, or [to have] a 200-pound man standing over you, telling you to submit.” Aside from the disgusting insensitivity of this remark, I have news for Mr. Biden; the police cannot completely prevent crime, they can only respond to it. To make his ludicrous point, Biden cited erroneous statistics about rising violent crime rates, which the Associated Press later debunked.

Here's the Merriam-Webster definition of dystopia: an imaginary place where people lead dehumanized and often fearful lives. It's a good description of the kind of society promoted by the GOP. Of course, Republicans don't go into much detail about what will happen if they get their way. They keep their prescription vague and happy sounding, as in this statement by Mitt Romney: “Every time you have an occasion to take something from the...