VIEWPOINTS A8 • COMMUNITY RECORDER • APRIL 4, 2013
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Editor: Nancy Daly, ndaly@nky.com, 578-1059
EDITORIALS | LETTERS | COLUMNS | CH@TROOM
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This ranking is cause for shame It’s not always a good thing to be at the top of a list. In a region ranked among the best in the country for college sports, places to raise a family and start a business, there is one ranking many of us may not be aware of and one we must change immediately. Kentucky is one of the top – meaning worst – Dr. Stephen states in the Wright nation for COMMUNITY frequency of RECORDER GUEST COLUMNIST child abuse and deaths due to non-accidental trauma. Child abuse is an unspeakable injustice that doesn’t discriminate against race, religion or socioeconomic status. Each year in Kentucky there are more than 14,000 substantiated reports of abuse and neglect. The result is that Kentucky averages 30 to 40 child deaths each year involving abuse and neglect, with another 30 to 60 near fatalities annu-
ally. Also, children who survive physical abuse often are left with lifetime debilitating injuries. Equally as heartbreaking to know is that child abuse is completely preventable. We see firsthand the devastating effects of abuse to our children on a far too regular basis. Incidents of child abuse must become a top priority for Kentucky residents. It is critical that we band together, as health care professionals, educators, lawmakers, business leaders, community members and human beings, to eliminate this horrible blight on our region. Sadly, a number of factors and pressures impact child abuse, including a lack of understanding of how children develop and expectations of how a child should behave. Patterns of alcohol and substance abuse, financial pressures, job loss and the inability to provide for the family can cause a parent to feel overwhelmed, unable to cope and more likely to lose control of emotions and tempers when pressures become too great.
PARTNERSHIP TO ELIMINATE CHILD ABUSE April is Child Abuse Prevention Month. Newspaper in Kentucky are working in cooperation with the Partnership to Eliminate Child Abuse to provide information including guest columns throughout April in the Recorder.
The best way we can eliminate child abuse within our community is through preventive education and resources focused on teaching parents and other caregivers how to react when tensions run high to prevent situations from getting out of control; helping parents understand the importance of knowing and trusting
Legislature delivers in 2013 Following the 2012 election cycle, there was widespread optimism across Kentucky for what the General Assembly had the ability to accomplish during the 2013 legislative session. All the stars were aligning with fresh, new leadership in the Kentucky Senate under the guide of President Robert Stivers. Recent sessions of the General Assembly have missed opportunities to produce needSteve Stevens ed and substantive public COMMUNITY policy changes RECORDER GUEST COLUMNIST to not only advance this region, but the entire commonwealth. The 2013 General Assembly will go down in history as one that saw lawmakers come together to solve the most pressing issues impacting our future. There was no greater issue facing the state than the reform of our public pension system. Schools don’t have the funds to purchase textbooks for students. Roads and bridges are deteriorating. Critical public investment needs are unable to be met. These problems may be attributed to the fact that the $30+ billion unfunded liability of our public pension system was limiting the state from meeting its obligations. During 2012, the NKY Chamber monitored and supported the efforts of the bipartisan, bicameral Task Force on Pension Reform. The result of that Task Force was Senate Bill 2 (sponsored by NKY Legislative Caucus Member and Senate Majority Floor Leader Damon Thayer) which offered substantial policy changes to the public pension system to put it on a sustainable path. Senate Bill 2 worked its way through the legislative process creating spirited debate and
meeting many challenges. Because of what had been witnessed in previous legislative sessions, many were quick to write off the possibility its passage. In a time when every public dollar must be invested wisely, the actions of the General Assembly have put Kentucky back on a path where dollars can be appropriated to key areas like education and economic development. Our elected officials did not stop there. In addition to solving our state’s own version of the “fiscal cliff” in its public pension system, the General Assembly also passed other important pieces of legislation, each having their own legacylike implications. These bills include: » Special Taxing District Reform/House Bill 1 was a result of the work of Auditor Adam Edelen and will bring greater transparency for taxpayers through a centralized registry for Kentucky’s special taxing districts. It requires districts to create that demonstrate funds are being used for their intended purposes. » Heroin Epidemic Solution/ House Bill 366 was promoted by the NKY Heroin Impact Task Force to allow third parties to administer nasal naloxone as an opioid overdose treatment. Northern Kentucky now has a treatment tool to combat the heroin epidemic and improve the chance for rehabilitation of users to become productive members of society. » High-School Dropout Age/ Senate Bill 97 gives local districts the ability to raise the dropout age from 16 to 18. Once 55 percent of local school districts adopt the policy, all school districts will then be required to adopt the compulsory attendance requirement. This bill will ensure our students are prepared for the 21st century workforce. » Industrial Hemp/Senate Bill 50 creates a structure for the regulation and production
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of what could be Kentucky’s next great cash crop: industrial hemp. Of course there were items that did not get addressed by the General Assembly, but the NKY Chamber will be working on major priorities for the next legislative session. Our No. 1 priority will be to build a new Brent Spence Bridge (BSB) Corridor safer, quicker and with the most positive benefit to the region. Although challenges remain, we should spend this time acknowledging and thanking members of the Kentucky General Assembly for being the leaders we need. In the past, we have come to expect partisan gridlock to be a barrier to solving complex issues. Fortunately, 2013 was different. This General Assembly came into the legislative session with new ideas to benefit businesses, employees, and citizens and … they delivered the results we needed. Steve Stevens is president and CEO of Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce.
ABOUT LETTERS AND COLUMNS We welcome your comments on editorials, columns, stories or other topics important to you in the Recorder. Include your name, address and phone number(s) so we may verify your letter. Letters of 200 or fewer words and columns of 500 or fewer words have the best chance of being published. All submissions may be edited for length, accuracy and clarity. Deadline: Noon Monday E-mail: kynews@ communitypress.com Fax: 859-283-7285 U.S. mail: See box below Letters, columns and articles submitted to the Recorder may be published or distributed in print, electronic or other forms.
the people they leave their children with; and recognizing the signs and knowing how to report incidents of abuse or suspected abuse. Understanding the longreaching effects of child abuse also is important in the campaign to eliminate it forever. For the children who are lucky enough to survive physical abuse, their trauma doesn’t end when the hitting, punching and shaking stops. For many child abuse survivors, the emotional and financial burdens impact the family and caregivers, and extend throughout the community as well. The aftermath of physical abuse usually requires ongoing treatment and therapy and often results in irreversible brain damage and limits cognitive development, causing lifelong learning and socialization challenges. What can you do? First, be aware of tips and steps to staying in control to prevent abuse. Remember that it is normal to feel frustrated when a baby or young child cries, but also remember that crying is the
way a baby or young child communicates. If you are feeling frustrated or angry – take a break. It’s OK to leave the baby in a crib or other safe place while you take a moment to regroup. Use extreme care when deciding who can watch your child. If you don’t have total and complete trust in the person, then don’t trust him or her with your child. Be aware that bruising is not normal on a young baby who is not yet walking. If you see bruising on your baby, seek medical attention immediately. Second, know how to report child abuse. Federal and state laws require that you report any suspected child abuse, and you have several options to do so. In situations involving children in immediate danger, call 911. In Kentucky, if you need an immediate response to your report, call the Kentucky Child Protection Hotline toll free 24/7 at 877- 597-2331. Anonymous calls are accepted. Dr. Stephen Wright is medical director of Kosair Children’s Hospital in Louisville.
Democrats are enslaving people Recent letters have stated Republicans have changed. However, neither Republican nor Democrat parties have changed much. Their principles are the same. But first, it appears from other writers that Democrats have conceded points that it was Democrats who led Ted Smith the Confederacy’s fight to COMMUNITY RECORDER GUEST continue COLUMNIST slavery, created segregation after the Civil War and that Democrats created the KKK to intimidate blacks into submission. They can’t deny it. Now Democrats revise history. Democrats refer to Lincoln as a “progressive” to make people think he was a Democrat, call Southern segregationists “conservatives” to make people think they were Republicans. Even Barack Obama even wraps himself in Republican Lincoln’s mantel. The Republican Party was formed by a group of people opposed to slavery. They either wanted to contain it in the South or abolish it altogether. Abolitionists like Fredrick Douglass became Republicans. Abraham Lincoln was the first Republican U.S. President. He freed slaves and urged the Republican dominated 39th Congress to pass the 13th Amendment which outlawed slavery. Lincoln signed it. It went to the states on Feb. 1, 1865. and ratified on Dec. 6, 1865. Shamefully, Kentucky Democrats voted against the 13th, 14th and 15th Amendments in the late 1860s and
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didn’t ratify them until 1976 because they were afraid the former slaves would take over the state. Thomas Jefferson is celebrated now as the first Democrat President. He tried to legitimize slavery, but failed. He owned 200 slaves, the most notable of whom, Sally Hemmings, bore him children. See the difference? Republican Lincoln freed slaves and helped outlaw slavery. Democrat Jefferson owned slaves and had sex with at least one of them. Democrats claim the 1964 Civil Rights Act as proof that their party changed. But, it was the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. who coerced President Lyndon Johnson into supporting the act. King and his father, Martin Sr., were registered Republicans. In 2010, the South elected the first black Republican congressmen since 1935, Rep. Tim Scott, (S.C.), now a U.S. Senator, and Lt. Col. Allen West (Fla.). West was defeated for re-election in 2012 by a Democrat. Republicans haven’t changed. We are still the party of liberty and life. Democrats haven’t changed, either. While Democrats claim to be “the party of the people,” they always leave out two most critical words, “control of.” From the people control of slavery, segregation and the KKK to thuggish unions, our mediocre public schools, to initiative robbing welfare programs, to ObamaCare forcing us into a government health care, the Democrats are enslaving people all over again. Ted Smith is former chairman of the Kenton Co. Republican Party.
Community Recorder Editor Nancy Daly ndaly@nky.com, 578-1059 Office hours: 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday See page A2 for additional contact information.