News opinion 2008-07-12 Andanh.com

Gaddie is very capable as sheriff Fri, 11 Jul 2008 12:00:29 -0500
We have never known Butler County Sheriff Joe Gaddie to be anything but an honorable man who is dedicated to law enforcement and protecting the citizens in the county that he serves. This is why it is troubling that some in his community are calling for his ouster. Gaddie said there is a new move afoot to remove him from office and that at least two magistrates have been working to remove him since he took office. Some tensions arose from the Kirby family in Butler County who were upset about deputies breaking up their beer party, according to Gaddie. Members of the family have alleged deputies used excessive force during a June 7 incident that led to two arrests. There are often two sides to a story, particularly where arrests are involved, but we have seen no valid reason why Sheriff Gaddie deserves removal from office. People can disagree with Gaddie and his tactics all they want, but to our knowledge he has not committed any illegal acts as sheriff and is apparently just trying to do the job the people of Butler County elected him to do in 2006. Sheriff Gaddie has a long record of service in Butler County, not only as sheriff, but also as a Kentucky State Police trooper. One would hope that the good residents of Butler County would realize that and stand up for him at a time when he appears to be receiving unfair treatment and unsubstantiated comments about his character and the way he runs the county’s sheriff department. We believe those individuals throwing the dirt at Sheriff Gaddie should cease and desist, unless they have something substantive enough to take before a grand jury. Otherwise they are simply harming the sheriff’s name and character. Law enforcement, particularly in rural Kentucky, is often a thankless job and we believe that Sheriff Joe Gaddie has done a fine job as sheriff and should remain in that position as long as the voters want him there.

Obama and McCain should offer specifics Fri, 11 Jul 2008 12:00:30 -0500
The presidential candidates are focusing on the economy this week, pushing plans that are designed to appeal to huge swaths of voters - from college students to Medicare recipients. But what’s all this going to cost, and where will the money come from? After all, government spending already far outstrips tax revenue. President Bush and lawmakers in both parties have failed for years to develop responsible budgets. The result: the federal debt is climbing past the $9.5 trillion mark. Sen. John McCain is at least talking about trying to get the federal budget back on track. The economic plan he unveiled this week declares: “Reduced spending means making choices. John McCain will not leave office without balancing the federal budget.” But the Republican’s plan is short on specifics as to what these tough choices might be. Instead, it offers a long list of proposals that actually would increase spending and decrease the money available to pay for it. Sen. Barack Obama notes correctly that this plan doesn’t add up. But Obama says he’s not sure he would even reduce deficits during that period, let alone end them. Obama argues that the United States needs “to make some critical investments right now in America’s families.” The investments he has in mind may be worthwhile. But he should at least try to estimate the costs and how they might be financed in a responsible fashion. Just leaving the bills for younger Americans and future generations to pay is neither wise nor fair. When there are no price tags attached, political promises are easy. Both candidates owe the voters more precise financial information about their plans.

Wooing Hispanics Fri, 11 Jul 2008 11:59:52 -0500
WASHINGTON — La cucaracha, la cucaracha, ya no puede caminar. La cucaracha, la cuca ... Oh, perdon. I was just tuning up for an interview with Baracko Obama and Juan McCain. Juan y Baracko have been busy lately wooing los que hablan espanol. That is, people who speak Spanish. With an estimated 9.2 million Hispanic votes in play this November, the stakes are high. And the pandering is in high gear. Both men have put out Spanish-language ads and both made appearances Tuesday at the national convention of the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC). Obama, however, seems to know something about the Hispanic soul that McCain doesn't. Anyone familiar with Hispanic art and literature knows that poetry isn’t only a genre. Poetry is in the DNA of this romantic, passionate people. Obama knows this language without speaking Spanish. Thus, while McCain spoke PowerPoint about his economic plan - creating jobs, stimulating small business, keeping taxes down - Obama told stories of a little Hispanic girl stuck in a crumbling school building and a nursing mother torn from her baby during a government raid to round up illegal immigrants. While McCain talked about clean energy initiatives as alternatives to foreign oil, Obama recalled a young girl named Cristina, who asked for Obama's autograph, then translated his comments for her non-English-speaking parents. It was in that moment that Obama, dream weaver and healer, realized that Americans have nothing to fear but fear itself - “that for all the noise and anger that so often clouds the discussion about immigration in this country, America has nothing to fear from our newcomers. They have come here for the same reason that families have always come here ... in the hope that here, in America, you can make it if you try.” (Cue Jimmy Cliff: “You can get it if you really want.”) The danger to the American way of life isn’t that we’ll be overrun by those who look and speak differently, said Obama. “It will come if we fail to recognize the humanity of Cristina and her family - if we withhold from them the same opportunities we take for granted.” Yes! Si se puede! Suddenly, we’re all feeling so loving toward Cristina and so worried about the nursing baby and the little girl in that lousy school building that we forget that Americans have legitimate concerns about how those children got here. It may be true, as Obama said, that a problem for one American is a problem for all Americans. But are problems for non-Americans also problems for all Americans? Are those 12 million people “hiding in this country” because paranoid, xenophobic Americans fear people of different colors who speak other languages, as Obama implied? Or, are they hiding because they came here illegally? Does that matter? By all means, let’s frame the immigration debate in humanitarian terms, but preaching unity will only get us so far. Grounding the soaring spirit of e pluribus unum is a terra-firma rule of law that has to be reckoned with. And it is helpful if all concerned can read and comprehend the law. The key to achieving that goal, obviously, is that everyone speak English. Yet, speaking at a town hall in Georgia recently, Obama said that “instead of worrying about whether immigrants can learn English, they'll learn English, you need to make sure your child can speak Spanish.” Americans certainly could benefit from learning other languages for numerous reasons, including job competition in a global marketplace. But such rhetoric obscures the detail that millions of immigrants do not learn English in part because government accommodation makes it unnecessary. Drop by Little Havana sometime and ask for directions. Non-English-speaking people, meanwhile, do not fare well in this country. Rendered effectively mute by ignorance, they are condemned to menial jobs, low wages and dim futures. Immigrants need to learn the language of our government and business so that they may prosper, but also to prevent our becoming balkanized and less inclined to understand each other. One nation under English is a necessary step toward true assimilation. Encouraging anything less, even in the name of compassion, ultimately will keep Hispanics down. And dependent - just the way some people like them best. Some poetry, alas, is just doggerel.

Medicare drama Thu, 10 Jul 2008 21:36:00 EST
This week Sen. Mitch McConnell recklessly threatened the Medicare system, but was stopped cold by a coalition of Senate Democrats, the American Association of Retired Persons, the American Medical Association and service groups including the Military Officers Association.

Another green revolution Thu, 10 Jul 2008 21:37:00 EST
Whoever gave the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research its bland, unwieldy name clearly lacked a sense of drama. But the seemingly mundane CGIAR, as it is sometimes called, has played a quietly astonishing role in recent world history.

Deserving recognition Thu, 10 Jul 2008 21:37:00 EST
My husband and I had the pleasure of visiting Louisville last week to participate in the tandem division of the USA Cycling Masters National Championships. Louisville was a great host, and the Cherokee Park venue was perfect.

Which is more disappointing? Thu, 10 Jul 2008 21:41:00 EST
Which is more disappointing: Cartoonist Signe Wilkinson's absurd comparison of disgraced Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe to certified war hero John McCain, or the Courier-Journal editors' decision to print it? Tough call.

Beer: to your health? Thu, 10 Jul 2008 21:38:00 EST
Perhaps like many sensible citizens, you read Investor's Business Daily for its sturdy common sense in defending free markets and other rational arrangements.

Tireless quest for justice Thu, 10 Jul 2008 21:39:00 EST
What would be your response if someone suggested that you stand on a corner for 100 nights calling for an end to violence that is destroying neighborhoods?

Lunch With...Carla Sue Broecker Thu, 10 Jul 2008 21:32:00 EST
How did you get such a great job? By accident. I'm a home ec major, and I can't cook. Twenty-five years ago, the editor of the Voice was without a wife. She had put his clothes out on the street. He'd been suitcased. Brad took pity on him and had him out to dinner one night. And I said, "You've got to hire someone.

Obama and McCain... Wed, 09 Jul 2008 21:42:00 EST

Quick to compromise Fri, 11 Jul 2008 08:56 EDT

Chinese Dir