balancing the scales Volume 27 Number 3
April 28, 2008
Kentucky families struggle as legislature fails to act and income inequality grows
“All I want to do is sock away a few bucks for tough times, make sure I save a little money for my kids’ college educations, pay for the essential services and durable good that we actually need, and see a doctor when we need care,” said Perry County member Leslie Craft. Most people would say that’s not too much to ask. But the Crafts will be unable to do all of these things, at least this year. They are just one of many families who face costs that are outpacing their wages, exacerbated by policies that keep lower-income working
families struggling while asking less from those who are already well off. And the Kentucky General Assembly failed to act on several proposals that would have aided poor and lower-income working families in its recently concluded session.
Trends worsening The Crafts’ situation is becoming more common, according to a new report by the Center for Budget and Public Priorities. CBPP studied changes in average income between the late 1980s and mid-2000s. They concluded that even though
Vo I te d
Bonny McDonald performed “Listen,” a poem urging people in Bowling Green to learn about the housing problems. Photo by WKU Herald photographer Luke Sharret
the costs of daily living like food, gas, fuel, health care, and childcare have steadily increased, the average income of the poorest Kentucky families stayed about the same, leaving them less and less able to meet even the most basic needs. Evidence of this is all over the state, as food banks and shelters consistently report higher needs. At the same time, income inequality is on a sharp rise in Kentucky. CBPP found that the income gap between Ken(Continued on page 6)
KFTC friends, led by UK Greenthumb, hoisted a mock wind turbine over a giant pile of coal next to the University of Kentucky’s coal power plant. The action, staged as a photoop for local media like was a part of the national Fossil Fools Day, a push to raise awareness around the destruction cause by the use of coal and oil.
Finding success in the General Assembly
KFTC members began the year with an ambitious legislative agenda. After a steady and visible presence in the halls of the Capitol Annex, testimony on six bills, and thousands of phone calls and faxes, KFTC’s presence had a noticeably positive influence but resulted in little legislation getting through the political process (HB 2 and SB 83). The session started with positive expectations. Several KFTC bills were in play early in the session. The state’s budget crisis made the revenue growth provided for in House Bill 262 catch the attention of
legislators. Broad public support for stopping mountaintop removal made it seem like House Bill 164 would get some attention. The restoration of voting rights for former felons, House Bill 70, passed the House last year and was rapidly picking up new cosponsors. “Our expectations were raised and a lot of people were quite hopeful,” said KFTC Chairperson Doug Doerrfeld. “There was a sense of optimism that these bill were re-
ally going to move.” KFTC provided it’s first testimony on January 22, helping the Special Task Force on Gaming understand how HB 262 would add a measure of fairness to our tax system while raising much-needed new revenue. On February 5, a House committee sent the restoration bill to the House floor. On Valentine’s Day, more than 1,200 citizens rallied to demand protections for the
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