Conservative Musings

Not So High Taxed After All

I've heard a lot thru the years of how, in our local area, that Indiana's taxes are so much lower than Kentucky's taxes.  I never had numbers to disagree with the argument.

This story talks about the mass exodus in California.  Guess why?  You got it....taxes.  On a side note, they mention the 10 states with the top population gains, and those 10 with the most population loses.  They noted that the "(s)tates with the lowest tax, spending, and regulatory burdens win the competitiveness contest. These are primarily in the South and Southwest regions of the nation."

Of the top 10 population gain states, Kentucky is one of them.  In the top 10 losing states, Indiana is one of them.   

The article doesn't quite give the numbers I would like to see, but it does give me the feeling that just maybe my feelings about Kentucky's taxes may be more right than I thought.

-Colonel Steve

Lunar Eclipse

Tomorrow night is the last total Lunar Eclipse until December 20, 2010.  The eclipse peaks at about 10pm. The Louisville area looks ok, with a few high clouds starting around ending around 7-730pm.  The big problem?   Brrrrr......it'll be 20 degrees and below for most of the evening.

Better have a heater around those telescopes!

-Colonel Steve

More McCain Unity

--Red

McCain Unity

-Colonel Steve

Department Store's Future?

I see from Greg Reynolds and Lileks that other towns have seen what we've seen here.  Greg's Knoxville area has their Proffitt's stores turned into Belk's.  Lileks' Minneapolis had their Gimbels turned into Macy's.  We in Louisville have had our Bacon's turned into Dillard's.  All with the same results.

Looks like this trend towards consolidation has had it's economic downside.  Sure, decisions like this are always sold on the idea that the "economic efficiencies" of a larger corporation will bring more profits.  Those gains get soooo offset by the lack of the bigger chains true understanding of local markets.  The local guys, without those big efficiencies, made more of an economic impact in their area because they understood their local market.

I think we've seen that in the local area in another industry.  As much as I liked to complain about the Bingham family's liberalness with their media conglomerate, the broken up pieces (WHAS radio/TV and Courier-Journal) have definitely seen their better days under the Bingham's guidance.  Still speaks wonders about local control.

-Colonel Steve

McCain Supporters? Where Are You?

Tonight, whas11.com is doing a live streaming political roundtable about Super Tuesday.  As of 9:55am this morning, based on a email request I had received from WHAS's Joe Arnold, they still hadn't gotten a McCain supporter to fill a seat on this roundtable (see his blog request from 1:12am this morning).

What's up?  McCain's support light around here?

(Also noticing: Elephant's in the Bluegrass).

-Colonel Steve

Pictures Modeling Reality

Some folks in South Carolina I'm sure are familiar with a couple of local towns there.  I see they're not the only ones who have seen that prosperity and the Clinton's are in two different directions.

Just follow the signs.....head left for the Clinton's, head right for prosperity.

-Colonel Steve

A Local Hero

I didn't see this story from Friday's CJ until today.  Wow...what a young lady Natasha Turpin Preston is.

Too bad a place like San Francisco THINKS they have no use for ladies (and men) like you.  In spite of them, we in Kentucky are still proud of folks like Natasha serving in ROTC's, active duty, reserve, and national guard.  Thank all of you for your service.

-Colonel Steve