News opinion 2008-08-08 Andanh.com

Figures are impressive for our city Thu, 7 Aug 2008 11:21:32 -0500
It speaks volumes for the vitality of Bowling Green and Warren County that, in these times of economic softness, housing sales and unemployment rates in our county generally are healthier than in most areas of our state and nation. The federal Commerce Department and the U.S. Census Bureau reported that sales of new single-family homes reached 530,000 in June, 0.6 percent below the 533,000 sold in May and 33.2 percent below the 793,000 sales reported in June 2007. While home sales locally have also declined, Warren County is still above the national trend. From March 1 to June 30 this year, 471 have been sold, compared to 567 for the same period in 2007. While this is a decrease in sales in our county, it shows that our diverse local economy is keeping home sales above other regions of the country. It also shows that at a time when the housing market could be better and some people are apprehensive about buying a house, home sales activity has continued for Bowling Green and Warren County. Lonnie Gann, a Realtor and auctioneer for Hunt Real Estate and current president of the local Realtors association, made a good observation when he pointed to favorable interest rates and the housing rescue bill, which extends a tax credit of up to $7,500 to first-time homebuyers, as positive for housing sales. The fact that our unemployment rate is one of the lowest in the state at 5.8 percent points to the relative strength of our local economy and should be good for the housing market. While up from May, when the unemployment rate was 5.3 percent, and in June 2007, when the rate was 4.9 percent, the state average by comparison was 6.6 percent. Could those numbers be better? Of course, but compared to most surrounding counties and the state as a whole, we are ahead of the game. Our local economy has taken some hits, but our relatively low unemployment rate and relativley strong real estate market show that we are a lot better off than other areas thanks to our diverse economy.

Death of a prophet Thu, 7 Aug 2008 11:21:03 -0500
Alexandr Solzhenitsyn’s work and life can best be described as those of a prophet. The prophet died last Sunday at the age of 89. Solzhenitsyn was not only a critic of the Soviet Union, of communism and Socialism, he showed the West - and particularly the United States - more than a few of its own flaws. Thirty years ago this summer, Solzhenitsyn gave an address at Harvard that was biting in its critique, exemplary in its wisdom and visionary in its predictions for what the future would hold should America and the West remain on their present path. It was a monumental speech that many academics - at Harvard and elsewhere - who had cheered Solzhenitsyn while he resided in the gulag, hated, but I loved. Solzhenitsyn warned the West not to be deluded by what he said was a false belief that all nations yearn to be like us. This thinking is at the heart of President Bush’s doctrine for dealing with the Arab and Muslim world. Solzhenitsyn called this “the blindness of superiority” and warned against thinking that only “wicked governments” temporarily prevent other nations from “adopting the Western way of life.” The Russian novelist observed that a “decline in courage” has affected the West and especially, “the intellectual elite, causing an impression of loss of courage by the entire society. Should one point out that from ancient times decline in courage has been considered the beginning of the end?” Solzhenitsyn said that in the West, the pursuit of happiness through self-gratification and materialism has replaced moral and character development: “The constant desire to have still more things and a still better life and the struggle to obtain them imprints many Western faces with worry and even depression. ... The majority of people have been granted well-being to an extent their fathers and grandfathers could not even dream about.” And yet, “Today, well-being in the life of Western society has begun to reveal its pernicious mask.” What about America’s emphasis on individual rights? Solzhenitsyn said the result has been to ignore the welfare of the many: “The defense of individual rights has reached such extremes as to make society as a whole defenseless against certain individuals. It is time, in the West, to defend not so much human rights as human obligations.” There was more to disturb the self-satisfied intellectual elite. Surely faculty members at Harvard must have gnashed their teeth in the face of this remonstrance: “Destructive and irresponsible freedom has been granted boundless space. Society appears to have little defense against the abyss of human decadence, such as, for example, misuse of liberty for moral violence against young people, motion pictures full of pornography, crime and horror.” According to Solzhenitsyn, life organized around laws and the individual has shown an inability to “defend itself against the corrosion of evil.” Solzhenitsyn did not spare the media’s role in the decline of the West. He said the media’s constant parroting of the maxim “everyone is entitled to know everything” is “a false slogan, characteristic of a false era: people also have the right not to know, and it is a much more valuable one. The right not to have their divine souls stuffed with gossip, nonsense, vain talk. A person who works and leads a meaningful life does not need this excessive burdening flow of information.” Again, this was 1978, just two years after Ted Turner created WTBS, just six years after HBO was launched in Pennsylvania. Today, cable programming is filled with the vain, the vulgar and the vacuous and Solzhenitsyn’s critique rings even more true in 2008. Solzhenitsyn loved America, but said he couldn’t recommend it in its present state as a model for his country: “Through intense suffering our country has now achieved a spiritual development of such intensity that the Western system in its present state of spiritual exhaustion does not look attractive.” There’s plenty more and every student and politician - indeed, every American - ought to read, or re-read the speech. It was a sobering and prophetic address and contains far more substance than anything we’ll hear at the upcoming political conventions.

Reform credit card industry Wed, 06 Aug 2008 22:02:00 EST
In many ways, the credit card industry is an American success story. Only 30 years ago, access to "plastic" was the prerogative of a prosperous minority; today about three-quarters of U.S. households have at least one credit card.

Things in context Wed, 06 Aug 2008 21:51:00 EST
One of the many problems with the federal No Child Left Behind law is that it brands schools as failures based on narrow criteria and limited shortcomings -- even schools that are making progress.

Safety isn't optional Wed, 06 Aug 2008 21:51:00 EST
The dramatic testimony of Paul Ledford, the only survivor of the 2006 Darby No. 1 coal mine explosion that killed five in Harlan County, is powerful evidence in favor of what miners call "refuge chambers."

Too cool to be president? Says who? Wed, 06 Aug 2008 21:52:00 EST
Who exactly does respected New York Times columnist David Brooks think he's kidding -- claiming to be perplexed as to why Barack Obama has only "a slim two-or-three point lead" over John McCain according to an average of recent polls.

Reliability the key Wed, 06 Aug 2008 21:52:00 EST
I am all for electric cars, and I would love to see Kentucky have the opportunity to manufacture electric cars, but I am not optimistic as to the reliability of the current technology.

Time to end police brutality, ensure public safety Wed, 06 Aug 2008 21:53:00 EST
Are we, the citizens of Louisville, safe? Are we in the safe hands of those who vow to protect us from victimization? In most cases, we are their victims.

Politics as usual Wed, 06 Aug 2008 21:53:00 EST
At the beginning of this long political season -- if there ever was a beginning, since campaigns are now nonstop with only the players changing -- it appeared this one might, just might, be different.

WestVaTucky and race Wed, 06 Aug 2008 21:54:00 EST
When the Democratic primaries for the presidency reached their peak back in May -- specifically in parts of the two Virginias and neighboring Eastern Kentucky, a place I call WestVaTucky .

Have you seen me? Wed, 06 Aug 2008 21:35:00 EST

Olympic developments Thu, 07 Aug 2008 06:50 EDT

Our View: Breeden’s torch glows
Controversy has surged as the opening of the 2008 Summer Olympic Games draw near in Beijing, China.

Your View
Community support made World Series title possible

Favorite season about to return

Oversight on grants at WKU is a good thing Fri, 8 Aug 2008 11:50:58 -0500
An investigation by Western Kentucky University has turned up irregularities in the spending of a $4.8 million grant - something that was brought to light by a concerned former student. We are glad that WKU took the student’s allegations seriously, looked into the matter and turned information over to federal authorities to determine the extent of irregularities. We hope that the $33,000 being questioned now is all that was misused. Questions arose in July 2007, when a former WKU student reported concerns regarding possible fraud in two federally funded community outreach programs. The student provided a written statement and a copy of a university payroll stub to the Western Police Department and the university began an internal audit. A month later, the auditor substantiated the misuse of funds and reported it to General Counsel Deborah Wilkins. Then-director Katrina E. Phelps was removed as the ALIVE Center contact on grants on Oct. 25 by the U.S. Department of Justice, and she was removed from all ALIVE Center duties Nov. 8. Phelps formally left Western in December. The ALIVE Center is a very important organization whose stated goals are to create regional partnerships, provide assistance and training for community-based research and support child care, health, education, recreation, housing, meeting monetary needs and other services. The center also works to match WKU faculty, staff and students with service projects. This organization does a lot for the community, and we would hate to think that funds directed toward these important goals were misused or that future funding might be jeopardized. The situation here is comparable, albeit on a much smaller scale, to allegations that a former education dean at the University of Louisville mishandled a $694,000 federal grant. The university adopted more oversight after these allegations arose to monitor where and how grant money is spent. Western has done the same thing by reviewing its oversight procedures and has retained Jerry Fife, assistant vice chancellor for research finance at Vanderbilt University, who has reviewed the university’s grant process and has made recommendations, which are being reviewed. The university should be commended for being proactive in dealing with this matter, and at the same time taking steps to monitor more closely where grant money is spent in the future.

Some perspective Fri, 8 Aug 2008 11:51:06 -0500
It’s always good to take a break from the madding crowd, but especially now that American politics has surpassed itself in self-mockery. After four days avoiding television, blogs, YouTube and cell phones, it is possible to wonder how we get so exercised about the insignificant. Not that politics isn’t important. The debate about what role government should play in our lives is no small thing. And while we can’t all kick back at once and hope that our enemies work out their anger issues, a little perspective is salutary and productive in a fallow field kind of way. Some made fun of Barack Obama recently when he spoke of needing “think time.” He was chatting with Britain’s Conservative Party leader, David Cameron, who asked Obama whether he ever gets a vacation. Obama replied that he was planning to take a week in August and noted that the most important thing for a leader “is to have big chunks of time during the day when all you’re doing is thinking.” Why that was considered risible, I don’t know. Surely some extra thinking would have been helpful these past seven years. When I teach writing, I always tell my students to make time for nothingness. To unplug and stare out the window. Great ideas don’t materialize on command, but usually come unbidden when we let the mind roam. That’s what Obama surely meant, and he is right. Perhaps Nancy Pelosi was right, too, when, after Democrats voted themselves a five-week recess, she turned off the lights, microphones and cameras. It’s great political theater to imagine Republicans standing in the dark, orating into an echo chamber during their guerrilla session. And one could argue that Democrats are shirking their duty by adjourning without resolving the gas and energy crisis. But isn’t it also possible that taking a break from the profiling and pontificating ultimately might prove more productive than the dogfight we call “in session?” Perspective. I am sitting on the porch with my friend, Sally Hughes Smith - wife, mother of four, artist and author. We are talking about family, love, death - art and the art of living - the things that really matter to every civilized human on the planet. Sally’s oil paintings are worthy of a coffee-table tome, but I wanted to talk about a slender volume she recently wrote, “The Circle,” in which she chronicled her family’s journey as they helped Sally’s Alzheimer’s-stricken mother, now 96, move from the family home to a residential care facility. The book was Sally’s private journal, but friends and family convinced her to publish it. She teamed up with the Medical University of South Carolina’s Center on Aging and is donating all book proceeds to the university’s research on age-related disease. She’s also now on the speaking circuit and conducting podcast interviews. Anyone entering the world of Alzheimer’s and dementia would find inspiration in Sally’s beautifully written diary, but the book isn’t only about living with a relative in mental decline. It’s about life’s journey, the passage of time and the choices we make - from how we tackle the daily trials to how we navigate that big lonesome valley. The message in the bottle is: “We’re all on the same journey, you can choose to do it with joy,” says Sally. You’re going to walk it anyway, so you may as well enjoy it.” It’s all the same thing, she says. Life and death, yin and yang, mother to child, child to mother, the circle. Sally’s story is everybody’s and the revelations she experienced are both universal and timeless. Revelations, after all, are merely truths waiting to be remembered. Here’s the big one. As she packed up her childhood home and bid a final farewell to all the sights, smells and sounds she treasured, Sally suddenly realized that it wasn’t about the house. “It was about the relationships I was inheriting.” The family, in other words. The family is what gives our life meaning and makes our nation strong. The family is also what keeps government at a respectful distance - working for us and not the other way around. All our political choices should be made in the service of that understanding. That’s all. And we’ve got work to do.

Past elections show similarities to this one Fri, 8 Aug 2008 11:51:07 -0500
American presidential politics provide a prime example of the old adage that history often repeats itself. The two major parties rebound, often quickly, from even the worst electoral disasters. Second terms are difficult, even disastrous. The vice presidency is the second-best route to the presidency. Patterns of particular campaigns also recur, though sometimes several past scenarios could fit. At this stage, the 2008 campaign shows signs of mirroring at least three recent races. The question is which foreshadows the ultimate outcome. Here are the arguments: IS IT LIKE 1960? Like the epic battle between John F. Kennedy and Richard M. Nixon, this campaign pits a charismatic, though inexperienced, young warrior against a more experienced, though somewhat shopworn, veteran. By all signs, Barack Obama is the superior campaigner and creates more excitement on the trail. And the political climate suggests this should be a Democratic year, as 1960 was. But the fact that Obama’s election would break a historic barrier as Kennedy’s did is a mixed blessing. While blacks will vote in large numbers for him, the later Democratic primaries showed signs of a white backlash. In 1960, Kennedy’s strong support from fellow Roman Catholics was offset by resistance among some Protestants. In the end, despite his superior campaigning skills and strong performance in the first televised debates, the vote was very close. This one could be, too. OR 1980? As was the case then, the country wants change. But the outcome may depend on whether Obama, like Ronald Reagan, can overcome doubts about his experience or if a majority of voters opt for the safety of John McCain - even though he would pursue some policies the country considers failures. In 1980, many voters clearly had enough of Jimmy Carter. He won very few votes he lost four years earlier. But the lead seesawed until the last week. Then, Reagan’s performance in the only televised debate convinced enough undecided voters that they would be comfortable with him as president. Other, less experienced candidates also overcame concerns in the debates: Kennedy in 1960, Bill Clinton in 1992 and George W. Bush in 2000. This year, many analysts believe Obama’s performance in the debates will determine if he satisfies enough current doubters. OR 1988? This race also matched a relative newcomer against an experienced, less-than-inspiring veteran who sought to raise doubts about his rival’s background, ideology and leadership. In the spring, the newcomer, Massachusetts Gov. Michael Dukakis, held a considerable lead in the polls over his more experienced rival, Vice President George H.W. Bush. But the steady drumbeat of criticism focusing on Dukakis’ record in Massachusetts, much of it answered ineffectively, enabled Bush to overcome that deficit. Dukakis was still within reach, though behind, when he ensured his defeat with a stilted response to a very personal question about whether he would overcome his doubts about the death penalty if the victim were his wife. The debates again were decisive, and the lesser-known candidate failed his test. This summer, Obama has been under growing attack from McCain and his Republican allies, accused of everything from flip-flopping on issues to being personally arrogant. The next few months may determine if, like Dukakis, he defeats himself. But McCain lacks the advantage Bush had as the chosen successor of a popular president. Other elections also bear some similarities to the 2008 race. In 1952 and 1968, unpopular wars crippled the incumbent administration and led to election of the rival party. But 1960, 1980 or 1988 seem most likely to provide the decisive pattern for this election.

Beijing's Games Thu, 07 Aug 2008 23:44:00 EST
China will get much of what it wants from the Beijing Olympics -- particularly international admiration and respect for its economic success and organizational skills. And it will get much of what it does not want -- scrutiny and criticism of its human rights record.

Waterboard thrills? Thu, 07 Aug 2008 23:44:00 EST
Guantánamo waterboarding as a Coney Island sideshow -- that's what one political-minded artist has created on the Brooklyn seashore.

What choice? Thu, 07 Aug 2008 23:44:00 EST
Yesterday's C-J editorial on No Child Left Behind claims that the Jefferson County Public School district is one of America's most successful large urban systems.

'The greatest show the world has witnessed' Thu, 07 Aug 2008 23:45:00 EST
I can confidently and proudly predict that taking place inside the Bird's Nest -- the popular name of the innovatively designed National Stadium -- will be the greatest show the world has ever witnessed.

Inflate your tires, but expand domestic drilling, too Thu, 07 Aug 2008 23:45:00 EST
Let's see: housing meltdown, credit crunch, oil shock not seen since the 1970s. The economy is slowing, unemployment growing and inflation increasing. It's the sixth year of a highly unpopular war and the President's approval rating is at 30 percent.

Silencing China's critics Thu, 07 Aug 2008 23:26:00 EST
When you put the Olympics in the hands of a dictatorship, the results are predictable. Yet the Chinese government still found a way of surprising even its critics by behaving oppressively in a foolishly unnecessary way.

Hardball and hard calls Thu, 07 Aug 2008 23:27:00 EST
Britney Spears, blah blah blah. Paris Hilton, blah blah blah. Faces of presidents on dollar bills, blah blah blah.

Lofty military commissions, little results Thu, 07 Aug 2008 23:28:00 EST
The President's military commissions were inaugurated with the loftiest rhetoric. On Nov. 13, 2001, President Bush issued a military order authorizing trials of suspected terrorists before military commissions.

Importance of think time Thu, 07 Aug 2008 23:28:00 EST
It's always good to take a break from the madding crowd, but especially now that American politics has surpassed itself in self-mockery.

Lunch With...Bob Wise Thu, 07 Aug 2008 21:34:00 EST
Former West Virginia Gov. Bob Wise was the keynote speaker at the recent Greater Louisville High School Dropout Solutions Summit.

Readers' views Fri, 08 Aug 2008 01:48 EDT

Trial lawyers help keep justice system honest

At their soon to-be-held presidential convention, Republicans will again support a platform plank that urges that all trial attorneys be drawn and quartered as brigands, calling for the severe curtailment of their ability to achieve large jury awards for their clients.

The truth is, lawsuits instituted by trial attorneys are the only deterrent the public has against unscrupulous and uncaring manufacturers that knowingly put dangerous products on the market. Without the threat of meaningful lawsuits, such manufacturers, would continue to sell, with impunity, dangerous but highly profitable products despite knowing the harm the product will cause.

As a well-known example, cigarette manufacturers sold cigarettes for years with full knowledge that cigarettes caused cancer, concealing that fact from the public while unabashedly reaping in the profits.

Electric-car idea green, but not gold Fri, 08 Aug 2008 01:48 EDT

Gov. Steve Beshear's latest executive order, which cleared the way for Kentuckians to operate low-speed electric cars in the state's urban areas, made an admirable .green. statement.

Alternatives to today's gas-guzzling vehicles are a must if we, as a state and a nation, want to get serious about reducing our dependence on foreign oil and reducing our carbon footprint.

Allowing these vehicles on Kentucky streets could possibly result in the state landing a $100 million plant that would manufacture ZAP electric cars, which now are made in China. Officials with Integrity Manufacturing, which wants to partner with ZAP on the plant, says the choice will be between Kentucky and Indiana.

But as the negotiations over an incentive package for the plant progress, the Beshear administration would be wise to heed the advice of auto industry analyst Aaron Bragman, who recently told the Herald-Leader, .Kentucky politicians should proceed with caution with ZAP. because the company .has yet to prove they can deliver all they say they can..

Kentucky voices Fri, 08 Aug 2008 01:48 EDT

Pivotal moments, crossroad moments, occur in the life of every community, where the choices made reveal community values and set the pattern for years to come. In the CentrePointe debate, Lexington faced such a moment and made the wrong choice.

Instead of stretching for greatness, we settled for mediocrity. Instead of embracing new thinking about community-based urban development, we stuck with the old.

Instead of following the Downtown Master Plan, developed at considerable expense and with massive community input, we let an arrogant developer call all the shots, with virtually no public input.

Instead of listening to the unanimous voices of the Urban County Council members who represent the downtown area, we followed the dictates of a very few people in an office at the top of the Big Blue building.

Email from the Mayor Fri, 08 Aug 2008 11:30 EDT

YOUR VIEW: Lloyd Mabry Fundraiser was a great success
Lloyd Mabry fundraiser was a great successChurch of Deliverance offers open invitation

Lots to do close to home
Even with gasoline prices down a few cents this week, travel continues to be very expensive.

School signals season of change
It was with mixed emotions that I watched my children head off to school this wee

Chinese Dir