By: Keith Kappes
Columnist
Carter County Times
The Republican supermajority in the Kentucky General Assembly apparently overlooked two famous sayings when they planned and executed the recent special legislative session
The first one is “don’t wish for things you don’t really want” and the second is “hope is not a strategy”.
To their credit, the Senate and House did sidestep the Florida quicksand position which forbids mask mandates by anyone.
Yes, they outlawed Gov. Andy Beshear’s statewide mask order but passed the buck to local school boards to decide for themselves to mask or not, depending on how many local folks are getting sick, going to the hospital, and dying.
They also gave local districts some maneuvering room on attendance and funding regulations. Thank goodness they had the sense to kill a Senate bill to advocate horse de-wormer as a treatment for COVID.
It was clear that stripping the governor of his emergency authority and making it more difficult for him to lead state government’s response to the pandemic likely was the GOP’s primary intent from the beginning.
Republican pretenders to the governor’s office already are lining up to keep Beshear from a second term in 2023. By that time, Kentucky voters will know if the GOP-dominated General Assembly failed or succeeded in protecting us from this disease which already has killed 8,000 in the Commonwealth.
As for administrators, teachers, and students in the public schools, they remain trapped in the middle of this power struggle. Depending on the strength of the anti-vaxx influence, as well as local opposition to masks in various parts of this state, it may come down to praying, home schooling and remote learning.
We were struck by the irony of Republican leadership criticizing the governor for talking too much about vaccinations. Nearly a year later, the GOP has placed itself in charge of encouraging more vaccinations by giving away pizza and using sound bites from local officials.
For those who are hoping for the best outcome without doing anything to protect themselves and their families, I hope you remember what I wrote today about hope not being a strategy.
Keith Kappes can be reached at keithkappes@gmail.com
