Members reflect on Louisville Governor's Forum

Members left a gubernatorial forum in Louisville feeling like they didn’t hear much, and nothing that they’d hoped to.

The forum was hosted by non-profits that work with health and family services, a setting ripe for hearing some clear plans about policies to reform Kentucky’s tax code and generate good revenue for our schools, health systems, public protection, and a good quality of life.

Daniel Morgan, of the Jefferson County Chapter, went because as a public school teacher, he wanted to know how the candidates were planning to invest in education. “I appreciate that through our government, we have many benefits that no one individual or company could provide, like education systems and public schools, roads so people can travel places and businesses can access their markets, and first responders to provide assistance in times of emergency. Most people consider these programs worthwhile if not outright essential. They take our public dollars to sustain.”

So Morgan was interested in learning how the candidates planned to sustain them. He was disappointed. “Bevin managed to talk a lot about why state budgets should reflect a state’s values, but didn’t explain what he thought those values were nor how he would implement them.”  

Morgan continued, “People who have higher incomes have benefitted more from society’s hard work together. We know that our state government can reform our taxes in a fair way that requires them to pay in a higher percentage of their income towards making those benefits possible. Unfortunately, Kentucky’s tax system works just the opposite. People making $15,000 to $47,000 per year in Kentucky pay nearly 11% of their income in state and local taxes; meanwhile, people those making over $346,000 pay only 6% of their income on the same taxes. If Mr. Bevin wants to talk about how budgets reflect our society’s values and priorities, addressing this mismatch would be a great place to start.”

K. A. Owens, also of Jefferson County, also noted Bevin’s marked disinterest in revenue reform. “He was marketing austerity. But the people who are offering austerity are the people who can’t be hurt by austerity. They won’t miss a meal. They won’t miss a country club membership. Austerity doesn’t work to rebuild the economy. Austerity is a tool used to lower the standard of living for people who lack the political power to defend themselves, whether it’s the declining middle class, unionized employees, or the working poor.”

There were similar gaps in what members heard as Bevin’s commitment to anti-worker and anti-labor laws, and to dismantle Kynect. Morgan reflected on the impact this would have on the half-million Kentuckians who have access to health insurance through Kynect. “Before Kynect went live, I cut my finger while preparing dinner. I probably should have got to get stitches, but I knew I could not afford it. It took several weeks to heal and has left a scar and some nerve damage. If something worse had happened, it would have left me either in bad shape or with a large medical bill that would have bankrupted me. I was able to gain access to insurance when I moved, before I found work. It makes a big difference in life. I also know people who benefited from Kynect because they work for non-profits that are not large enough to be required to provide health care. But the employees can still get coverage through Kynect. When one of my friends at a non-profit became sick, their Kynect coverage made sure they got the care they needed so they could continue to do the outstanding work that benefits all of society.”

Members couldn’t gauge other candidates’ responses; Bevin was the only candidate present. But there are six scheduled debates that both Bevin and Conway have committed to. (It’s not clear if Drew Curtis, who is also running, will be present.)

Oct. 6: Centre College in Danville. This will be broadcast on television

Oct. 19: Kentucky Educational Television’s Kentucky Tonight forum for lieutenant governor candidates in Lexington. This will be broadcast on statewide television.

Oct. 25: Eastern Kentucky University in Richmond. This will be broadcast on television.

Oct. 26: KET’s Kentucky Tonight forum for gubernatorial candidates in Lexington. This will be broadcast on statewide television.

Morgan would like to hear more defined plans, and better plans, as the debates and forums continue. “As a Kentuckian, I do not want us to move backwards in this way. If we want to become the commonwealth we can envision for ourselves, and future generations of Kentuckians, we have to have leaders who find ways for people to work together to improve life here for everyone. Only when we look out for each other can we truly prosper.”