Wealth

With the news last week that scientists have been actively deceiving the public about global warming, I am hoping that Congressman Ben Chandler is feeling kind of sheepish about his vote in support of Cap and Trade about now. The University of East Anglia Climate Institute is one of the main conduits of scientific information on global warming for the U.N.'s IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change). They are the organization most responsible for disseminating Al Gore's farcical fancies about man made global warming.

Dear Editor, My name is Mary Carol Porter, mother of two biracial children in the Danville school system and a special education teacher at Bate Middle School. If "we" have a problem, where do "I" fit in? Where do my children fit in? Oh, you were upset about "AA" - lucky you, your child gets to be labeled what she is, my children are mere "Others. " Have you ever looked up the definition of the word "other"? Webster defines the word "other" as "a different or additional one; something or other.

Dear Editor: George W. Bush flew into Lexington Oct. 9 to raise money for Ernie Fletcher, his faithful ally in Congress. He did not speak in public, but rather to a select audience of donors who had arrived at Heritage Hall in a stream of luxury sedans, doing their best to ignore hundreds of picketers along the streets. To his invited guests Bush proclaimed that "The true strength of this country is the heart of the American people. We're a compassionate, decent nation. " Presumably, he saw himself as an embodiment of American decency and compassion.

Dear Editor, I believe Mr. Griffin and I have very different definitions of freedom and prosperity. According to his letter to the editor on July 10: "More than 300 million men, women and children are free due to our corrupt system. " What exactly is his definition of freedom? Alexander Berkman once defined freedom as simply "the opportunity to satisfy your needs and wants. " By this definition, there are many people who are not free, because they are dependent on their employers and their salaries, which cannot adequately satisfy these needs and wants.

For all its dangers, the current economic crisis also is a unique opportunity for creating an economy that respects the value of work. It is time to reduce the massive economic inequality created during the Reagan and Bush administrations. This inequality is not only a social injustice; it has also played a large role in pushing our economy to the brink of depression. The chart below says a lot about why we're in so much trouble today. The upper line represents changes in productivity (output per worker)

They tried to make me go to rehab, I said no, no, no. - Amy Winehouse I don't know if they have rehab for spending addicts. If not, someone ought to start one. I was flipping though the news channels when I heard a guest demand that we give tax rebates to poor people. "Rich people accumulate wealth. Poor people accumulate things," he said. He had a trickle-up theory of economics. He believed that poor people will go on a wild spending spree. The money will burn a hole in a poor person's pocket while wealthy people would sock it away.

“Fairness” apparently becomes hip only when it benefits the “Occupy Wall Street” crowd, which promotes a philosophy of wealth distribution while shunning gainful employment, respect for property and proper hygiene. What if the OWS (Offering Worthless Shenanigans) gang knew about the corporate scam run by teachers' unions in Kentucky? Included among the more than 1,700 organizations participating in the commonwealth's ailing public pension system are private - private - organizations, like the Kentucky Education Association, the state's teachers' union.

A new catch phrase is sweeping the modern world. A Google search on this group of words generated 10,600 hits. What is it? "Water is the new oil. " The scorching drought of 2007 has awakened a new concern in the American south, one that is actually a very old concern in some parts of the country. Old-time western movies often depicted the struggle in bone-dry towns over who controlled the flow of water. The villain was usually a rich, nasty old man bent on starving out the up-and-coming homesteaders.

To retire comfortably, you need to save and invest regularly. For example, you need to contribute as much as you can afford to your 401(k) and IRA. But once you retire, you'll need to "switch gears" somewhat and move from wealth-accumulation strategies to wealth-transfer strategies. An effective wealth-transfer strategy can help you accomplish a variety of goals, such as distributing your assets the way you choose, avoiding probate and reducing estate taxes. And you can explore a variety of wealth-transfer tools, including the following: - Gifting You can give up to $12,000 per year to as many people as you'd like without incurring gift taxes.

In his last years, the Colonel would amble in, limping slightly, often wearing a hat and carrying a piece of paper. On it would be something he hoped we would publish, or perhaps something about which he was just proud. While he didn't always get our attention, neither did he take it personally. He always left with a smile, and you always knew he would be back. Eben Henson wore many hats in the minds of the people of Danville. But to the rest of the state, to many newspaper editors anyway, he wore just one - entertainer.