News of KFTC and our issues
Solving Kentucky pension crisis requires tax reform, more revenue and clear heads
September 20, 2017
Do legislators have a responsibility to keep pensions intact? Of course they do.
We cannot solitary budget cut our way out of this. New revenue is also required.
Waking up to the boom in cheaper natural gas
September 14, 2017
Moving away from natural gas might sound radical, but it’s not unrealistic – and there are promising ways to work toward that goal in Kentucky.
It Took This Coal Miner 14 Years to Secure Black Lung Benefits. How Come?
September 7, 2017
RETIRED COAL MINER BETHEL BROCK had to fight for 14 years to win his federal black lung claim. One may think that Mr. Brock's legal fight is rare, but it is not. His story is common among Appalachian coal miners.
Owning and disowning the past without forgetting what happened
September 6, 2017
For Kentuckians, the issue of Confederate monument removal or reinterpretation has come up in Louisville, Lexington and Frankfort. In Lexington, Mayor Gray is proposing the relocation of the statues of slavery defenders John C. Breckinridge and John Hunt Morgan from the front of the old courthouse, where a slave auction block once stood.
Don’t hide from science. People near mines are dying; we need to know why
August 25, 2017
People in Appalachian Kentucky are dying at rates significantly higher than national averages.
We need to better understand why, through scientific research, to begin curing the health crises in the region.
Major tax breaks for Kentucky's wealthiest under McConnell health care bill
June 22, 2017
Kentucky's millionaires could see an average tax cut of close to $48,000 a year if the Senate GOPhealth care bill becomes law, according to a new analysis. Those tax cuts would be paid for in part by removing roughly 250,000 Kentuckians from health insurance rolls.
Pension Benefits Inject $3.4 Billion into the Economies of Kentucky Counties
June 6, 2017
As the governor and General Assembly consider additional cuts to pension benefits for employees, it’s important to understand the role such benefits play in local economies...
Why Black Lung Disease Is Deadlier Than Ever Before
May 16, 2017
More than 76,000 miners have died from black lung disease since 1968, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor. And now there's a resurgence of this deadly disease that should have been wiped out decades ago.
What Good Tax Reform Looks Like
May 11, 2017
Though the details remain unknown, Governor Bevin has described the kind of tax reform he’ll introduce in a special session this year as shifting Kentucky toward a “consumption-based” tax system, or from income to sales taxes. In contrast, HB 263, filed in Kentucky’s 2017 General Assembly by Rep.
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