brucemaples dot com

With leaders like these, who needs enemies?

First it was Steve Beshear presenting a budget that relied on a non-existent revenue source to make up the shortfall. Now it's state House leaders trying to get around hard choices by using another non-existent revenue source: a possible Federal stimulus to Medicaid that wouldn't happen until next year.

House leaders are proposing a daring budget maneuver that would strip $227 million in General Fund money from the state’s Medicaid program for the next budget year in hopes that the federal government will approve additional stimulus funds for the program starting in 2011.

So now we're reduced to playing Russian roulette with the budget, and the poor are the ones with the gun to their head. In order to only begin to balance this year's budget (still got to find $700 million), we're going to borrow from next year's budget and HOPE that our rich Uncle comes through with a gift in time to save our bacon.

There's an old, old saying -- "no guts, no glory." Leadership isn't just about being fawned over at campaign events, or getting a big office, or being asked to help dedicate the new Walmart. No, sometimes leadership is about making the tough choices, and then helping people to understand why those choices have to be made. It's about telling the people the truth about the situation, not papering it over with gambles and wishes and hoping no will notice. It's about having the guts to do the hard work to fix things, and then to do more hard work to try to prevent the train from wrecking again in the future.

I thought Greg Stumbo had some guts when he at least began talking about revenue reform. I thought there might be a moment of both clarity and courage coming to Frankfort. It looks as if I was wrong; we're back to the games, to the procrastination, to putting off the hard choices "till after the next election."

Well guess what, Frankfort "leaders" -- if you don't grow some balls and develop a spine, there won't BE a next election that means anything, because there won't be anything left to govern. The little bit of progress Kentucky made in the 1990s will be lost, and we'll be back to fighting for 50th out of 50.

You're paid to lead, not throw a Hail Mary and run out of the stadium. Stop worrying about who's going to be the next governor, and take care of the emergency happening now.

Or else, take the word "leader" out of your vocabulary. We sure will.