http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/...EWS01/70919058
Gov. candidates wrangle over 2 core issues
Gov. Ernie Fletcher offered a rosy scenario Wednesday of Kentucky's performance under his leadership, while Democratic challenger Steve Beshear said the Republican incumbent has been "plagued by corruption and scandal" that has hurt the state.
The rivals in Kentucky's Nov. 6 gubernatorial election
wrangled over two core issues in the campaign —
Beshear's support of allowing casino gambling and an investigation of the Fletcher administration's hiring practices that led to numerous indictments, including one against the governor.
On another topic, Beshear said that global warming is a reality, but promised to push for more coal production along with new technology to burn the Kentucky-rich resource more cleanly. Fletcher sidestepped a question asking whether he acknowledges that global warming is occurring.
The two candidates took questions on a range of issues while appearing before the Louisville Forum, a nonpartisan public issues group.
Beshear took the offensive first, saying that "almost from the moment that this administration came to power, it has been plagued by corruption and scandal."
"Until this poisoned atmosphere that we have experienced for the past four years in state government is changed, we cannot make much progress" on such issues as health care, education and job growth, Beshear said.
Soon after taking office in 2003, a special grand jury began investigating a complaint that Fletcher's administration had violated state hiring laws in a scheme to reward political supporters with state jobs.
Fletcher and at least 14 of his aides and associates were indicted. Fletcher issued pardons for everyone except himself. His lawyers worked out a deal with prosecutors to have the charges against him dropped.
Meanwhile, Fletcher touted his accomplishments, which he said include more state spending on education, a revamped Medicaid system, increased tourism and efforts to help small businesses afford health insurance. He said he moved the state forward in spite of an atmosphere he described as the "politics of destruction."
"When you go to the polls, bet on sure results, and vote for somebody who has given those results,"
Fletcher said while taking a stab at Beshear for the Democrat's support of limited casino gambling.
Beshear countered by citing statistics showing Kentucky dropping further nationally in such categories as high tech jobs and its competitiveness.
"That's not a rosy picture, folks," he said. "It is time to change that."
Fletcher kept up his criticism of Beshear for supporting a change to Kentucky's constitution to allow casino gambling. The governor called it "a promise of fool's gold" that doesn't reflect Kentucky values and wouldn't deliver promised revenues.
"
We want Louisville to be a world-class city, not a casino town," Fletcher said.
Beshear said it's time for Kentuckians to decide the issue.
If voters legalized casinos, Beshear said the expanded gambling would be limited and done responsibly.
He said Kentuckians are spending huge amounts at casinos in other states, and said that revenue collected from such gambling in Kentucky would improve education, health care and job creation.
"I think in the long haul, it will do great things for our state," Beshear said.
On environmental issues, Beshear told the crowd that if he's elected "you're going to have a governor who understands that global warming is a reality."
Beshear said he would push for more coal production "because it's a great natural resource we have." He said he would create a $60 million fund to promote research so "when we burn our coal, it will be burned cleaner."
Fletcher said he has a good environmental record as governor and that he wants to promote clean-coal technology. He cited the energy bill that passed during a special legislative session this summer. The bill allows the state to provide hundreds of millions of dollars in financial incentives to companies that build plants to convert coal to cleaner-burning alternative fuels.
"We need to do everything we can do to take care of the environment," Fletcher said.
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You can read the article Mavdog and to some Ketuckians this is an issue. With Fletcher you get no casinos. It is not a right and wrong answer on casinos or what your faith is or what you believe in gay rights or abortion because you can ask 10 people and get 10 different answers. With Beshear, he will push for limited casinos like Il, Mo and In has that i know for a fact, it is taking big money out of Ky. I have no beliefs one way or another on casinos. The south went thru all this for years about a lottery. The bible belt. The facts are gambling is addicting, it brings money in from other states and it also ruins some people that have problems with it.
This governors race has more importance than dude knows and not just in a Democrat/Republican stand point. He keeps points by another Republican in or another Democrat out and as far as issues, i doubt he cares. He pretty much states it, as a dog catchers state and dog catchers job.
The bible belt is changing and for alot they do not like it and for another 50% they love it and are proud the south is moving on also.