Kentucky

Kentucky Republicans
by Naomi Nelson

           Historical Perspective
           Like all states, Kentucky's political attitude is greatly determined by its economic, social, and demographic conditions. Kentucky has remained a rural and agricultural community since the eighteenth century and the state's income is heavily dependent on the tobacco, whiskey, and coal industries.
           Kentucky's population has experienced only a thirty percent growth increase in the last fifty years, creating strong traditions amongst generations of Kentuckians. Since the Civil War, most of the 120 counties have voted consistently. In areas populated with coal miners and in the western end of the state where slave-holding was long practiced there is Democratic support. In both the eastern mountains which have been generally pro-union and Louisville, which supports a large German-American community, Republican politics have been favored.
           Overall Kentucky's agricultural traditions and values have created strong support for the Democrats throughout the majority of the state. The Republican Kentucky Party faces a natural disadvantage but has been experiencing increasing support. This trend is accounted for as a dissatisfaction with agricultural and health policies relating to the regulation of tobacco sales under the Clinton administration.
           Platform and Issues
           The Republican Party of Kentucky defines itself as a vehicle for electing Republican candidates. The Kentucky GOP, on the whole, is more concerned with getting its candidates elected than it is with particular platform topics. This of course does not mean that party members are without opinion. Issues of importance to Kentucky Republicans are education and health care reform, tax simplification, the elimination of drug trafficking, and tobacco and whiskey regulations (and more recently the receipt of tobacco settlement funds). Foreign affairs and the national budget are of less weight to the state GOP platform.
           One of the most "traditional" Republican values is the belief in limited government involvement. Ideally, the theory holds that through minimal government involvement, free trade, and capitalism, optimal harmony and prosperity can be reached in the civil sphere. This places great faith in the potential of individual citizens to create their own physical and emotional wealth. The debate is about how to translate this ideology into functioning policies.
           Some of the major Kentucky issues concerning today's social policy are those of improving health care and education. The Republican Party feels that health care providers should be able to respond to consumer demands through consumer choice, making health care affordable, accessible, and reducing the role that the government and insurance companies play in health care. In recent response to a one billion to more than two and half billion rise in The Kentucky Medicaid Budget, the General Assembly created a Medicaid managed care demonstration project. The aim of the project was to get community providers together forming health care partnerships. Louisville and Lexington are two places where such partnerships have been created. The party is continuing to introduce legislation that addresses concerns raised over cost versus savings, quality, and access to services that are managed by non-Medicaid vehicles. Current legislation being considered includes the requirement of the Department of Medicaid Services to develop a comprehensive plan comparing the quality of managed Medicaid to traditional Medicaid, as well as requiring that copies of all studies and research be released.
           In the education department, the party stresses family choice on all levels of learning. This includes the abolishment of the board of education and federal involvement in the school system, placing control in the hands of parents, teachers, local school boards, and the community and tax payers in general. Education remains one of the most important issues considered each session by the Kentucky General Assembly. In 1990 the General Assembly enacted legislation which created an entirely new system of public education known as KERA; the Kentucky Education Reform Act. The main goal of KERA was to provide more state funds for public education directed towards higher standards for students, accountability for school districts, technology investment, and The EPSB -Education Professional Standards Board, to establish standards for teacher preparation and certification.
           Connected with educational issues are youth concerns such as gun and drug control. Over ninety percent of those incarcerated in Kentucky's jails have used illegal substances. Currently, Kentucky's efforts to eliminate trafficking in illegal drugs and addictions are spread over many agencies, with no organization uniting their efforts. A possible solution is the creation of a "Drug Czar," as a cabinet-level appointment to head an Office of Drug Control Policy. This would create a position where one person steers the drug policy in Kentucky and would be able to work with the community and local authorities in their efforts. Community and parental responsibility are also stressed as crime prevention. The punishment of minor crimes is considered necessary to prevent larger offenses. Truancy laws, adult trials for juveniles committing adult crimes and protecting the rights of victims are considered important elements of reducing juvenile crime rates.
           Kentucky faces two major concerns regarding its tax code. First, Kentucky taxes its working poor at the highest rate in the nation. Secondly, Kentucky has not enacted tax cuts in a systematic way, thus causing the tax code to become over complicated. It is felt that only a full-scale tax code revision will simplify the matter. In response to the first concern, the Interim Commission on Poverty has recently suggested to the General Assembly that it eliminate the Kentucky income tax for families of four at or below the poverty line. Another area where many Republican legislators are focussing on is the elimination of the Automobile property tax on vehicles under 20,000 in value.
           One of the most recent issues debated on is the receipt and use of tobacco settlement agreement funds. Under the 1998 Tobacco Settlement, Kentucky should receive about $3.5 billion distributed in phases over the next 25 years. The General Assembly is considering what to do with the funds and there are two schools of thought on the topic. One is to establish a spending scheme now, and then disburse the funds as they are received. Another idea is to create a trust for the money received, and fund programs from the interest generated by the trust.