Christmas is the celebration of Jesus' birth. The Prince of Peace came to save us all. It is our choice to take His Gift. We may likewise leave It. My greatest joys have come along because of my acceptance of His Gift to me, and Joy doesn't just happen on Christmas Day. Followers of Christ have Joy every single day!
May you and your family take time today to reflect upon that day in Bethlehem when the King of Kings came to Earth. Only through Him may man be saved.
Merry Christmas!
Sunday, December 25, 2011
Saturday, December 17, 2011
Our Petulant Child
“I have no problem bringing anything to fiscal court. My problem is standing up there being treated like a 6-year-old child,” Mutter said. “I’m not going to tolerate that.”
So sayeth Jailer Matt Mutter as he utters the words of a petulant 6-year old. Oh, what irony!
Fiscal Court is saddled with the responsibility of jail upkeep. It is the law. Fiscal Court is in complete charge of every penny of taxpayer money that is spent in Barren County. Every penny. Several pennies are spent at the jail. Magistrates have a duty to protect the interests of the taxpayers. It is pretty simple.
When an official who is given a public trust is questioned about the operations of his fiefdom, he must be man enough to face his questioners without losing his cool. As a former county judge executive, I know a little something about losing my cool, but I never hid in my office and refused to confront my questioners. Never.
I never met behind closed doors to keep things quiet. Never. Don't mistake me; we had meetings in executive session, but we met only for the legitimate purposes laid out in the law. We, every member of my court and I, upheld the absolute letter and spirit of the law.
The county and its insurance company has already paid a five hundred thousand dollar award ($500,000.00) for sexual harassment. At that time we all heard very much the same thing we are hearing now. "Let the jailer run his operation." HA! Look what we got.
Questioners should be respectful. The judge should preside fairly. A complete airing of the problem should occur after independent and thorough study of the questions. Never, ever trust the meetings behind closed doors.
It is time to choose: Do you want transparent controversy or closed door corruption?
Well?
So sayeth Jailer Matt Mutter as he utters the words of a petulant 6-year old. Oh, what irony!
Fiscal Court is saddled with the responsibility of jail upkeep. It is the law. Fiscal Court is in complete charge of every penny of taxpayer money that is spent in Barren County. Every penny. Several pennies are spent at the jail. Magistrates have a duty to protect the interests of the taxpayers. It is pretty simple.
When an official who is given a public trust is questioned about the operations of his fiefdom, he must be man enough to face his questioners without losing his cool. As a former county judge executive, I know a little something about losing my cool, but I never hid in my office and refused to confront my questioners. Never.
I never met behind closed doors to keep things quiet. Never. Don't mistake me; we had meetings in executive session, but we met only for the legitimate purposes laid out in the law. We, every member of my court and I, upheld the absolute letter and spirit of the law.
The county and its insurance company has already paid a five hundred thousand dollar award ($500,000.00) for sexual harassment. At that time we all heard very much the same thing we are hearing now. "Let the jailer run his operation." HA! Look what we got.
Questioners should be respectful. The judge should preside fairly. A complete airing of the problem should occur after independent and thorough study of the questions. Never, ever trust the meetings behind closed doors.
It is time to choose: Do you want transparent controversy or closed door corruption?
Well?
Friday, December 16, 2011
Sex, Lies, and Videotapes
Jailer Matt Mutter requested a Fiscal Court jail committee meeting to discuss 'concerns' about his corrections regime. He thinks erroneously that his appearance will satisfy the Court regarding the shenanigans at the jail.
Lots of rumors are floating around about the jail, its jailer, and his minions, not the least of which are exactly the same kinds of things that brought down Mutter's predecessor. Whether there is truth to the allegations or not, the air needs to be cleared by an independent investigation, one free from any taint of influence by either the jailer or the Court.
Mutter says nothing untoward is happening with his charges. If so, an independent investigation will corroborate his story and protect him from any charge that may be levied against him or his staff during the time period in question. It is to his benefit to cooperate fully with the Court by putting aside his animus toward any of the magistrates.
Judge Greer should favor an investigation. She spent much political capital for her jail project, and she is reluctant to see her legacy sullied by another sex scandal. A full, independent investigation will clean up her legacy. She is benefited by putting aside her distaste for the questions of the Court.
If Mutter and Greer fight against an investigation, and if they fail to cooperate fully, it appears that they have something to hide, that they have not been truthful with the Court, and that another sex scandal is brewing on Samson Street. For the best county in rural America in which to live, all that would be a less than sterling bit of material for the public resume'.
If on the other hand there is something amiss at the jail, an independent investigation will expose it for what it is, magistrates will have acted to end it, and the county will not be found negligent. Negligent is one of those words with devastating consequences when it is added to a list of charges against a defendant. After paying out over a half million dollars in damages in the Cox lawsuit, the Court should be sensitive to its responsibilities regarding protecting the public purse.
If videotapes exist of misconduct at the jail, the Court should be permitted to view them in executive session to determine its path for remedies to the problems such tapes would present. Termination of the offending parties is the minimum penalty. The maximum is unthinkable as it could be a blow to the County's finances that would be the governmental equivalent of the death penalty.
Take care of your problems now, Mr. Jailer, and spare us any hint of a coverup. The voters trusted you with your job. Live up to the trust. You can make or break your career right now. Choose wisely.
Lots of rumors are floating around about the jail, its jailer, and his minions, not the least of which are exactly the same kinds of things that brought down Mutter's predecessor. Whether there is truth to the allegations or not, the air needs to be cleared by an independent investigation, one free from any taint of influence by either the jailer or the Court.
Mutter says nothing untoward is happening with his charges. If so, an independent investigation will corroborate his story and protect him from any charge that may be levied against him or his staff during the time period in question. It is to his benefit to cooperate fully with the Court by putting aside his animus toward any of the magistrates.
Judge Greer should favor an investigation. She spent much political capital for her jail project, and she is reluctant to see her legacy sullied by another sex scandal. A full, independent investigation will clean up her legacy. She is benefited by putting aside her distaste for the questions of the Court.
If Mutter and Greer fight against an investigation, and if they fail to cooperate fully, it appears that they have something to hide, that they have not been truthful with the Court, and that another sex scandal is brewing on Samson Street. For the best county in rural America in which to live, all that would be a less than sterling bit of material for the public resume'.
If on the other hand there is something amiss at the jail, an independent investigation will expose it for what it is, magistrates will have acted to end it, and the county will not be found negligent. Negligent is one of those words with devastating consequences when it is added to a list of charges against a defendant. After paying out over a half million dollars in damages in the Cox lawsuit, the Court should be sensitive to its responsibilities regarding protecting the public purse.
If videotapes exist of misconduct at the jail, the Court should be permitted to view them in executive session to determine its path for remedies to the problems such tapes would present. Termination of the offending parties is the minimum penalty. The maximum is unthinkable as it could be a blow to the County's finances that would be the governmental equivalent of the death penalty.
Take care of your problems now, Mr. Jailer, and spare us any hint of a coverup. The voters trusted you with your job. Live up to the trust. You can make or break your career right now. Choose wisely.
Monday, December 12, 2011
Mitt, Mika, $10,000.00 Bets, and Income Inequality
It seems that every member of the chattering political class tries to crown Mittens Romney as the nominee of the GOP without one vote taken or tallied. It is inevitable, we are told. Not so fast.
The chatterers tell us this because they are comfortable with Mitt. He is one of them, an elite multi-millionaire. He vacations in Hawaii, the Hamptons, and Martha's Vineyard. He owns mansions and vacation homes. He can stay in the Presidential suite of any hotel in America. He can afford to offer to bet $10,000.00 without blinking. He is one of them. It doesn't really matter that he is rich; we should all try to become rich since the opportunity to do so is at the heart of what makes America.
Mika Brzezinski, daughter of Zbigniew (Jimmy Carter's national security adviser) and an MSNBC early-morning anchor with Joe Scarborough, talks about income inequality as the dominant theme of the 2012 election cycle. She has a sweet contract with MSNBC, I'm guessing, and she could equal my income and hers with a gift to me of about a million bucks or so. I don't know how much she is paid, but I would bet a dollar, not ten thousand, that she makes 7, 8, or 9 figures in U. S. dollars. She won't give me anything, and she won't write that check to the Treasury to equalize her income with the poverty level income for a family of four, or about four bets by Mitt. I don't expect her to, but she should realize that income equality could start with her if she was sincere about equaling it out for everyone.
The elite political class sees itself as deserving of our unquestioning and absolute support. Romney's offer of a bet with no more sincerity than Obama's every word is the perfect example of how out-of-touch the elites have become as it regards the country's well-being. They don't understand us, and they don't want to understand because they believe they have every answer to save us from ourselves.
I am sick of them. I have no desire for more of their brand of Change. It is time to return to our Founders' vision for America, and that vision does not include funding the nanny state as the final arbiter of all that is fair.
Don't tread on me! Give me my Liberty, get out of my way, and allow me to make choices for myself. Remove Americans from the food stamps roll, and allow them to return to the workplace by removing all business taxes. Make all income tax-free for everyone for a year, in 2012, instead of this piddling 3% one-year temporary gimmick.
Let us keep what we earn. All of us deserve better than we are getting from the elite and permanent political class. They don't get it, and my fear is they never will.
The chatterers tell us this because they are comfortable with Mitt. He is one of them, an elite multi-millionaire. He vacations in Hawaii, the Hamptons, and Martha's Vineyard. He owns mansions and vacation homes. He can stay in the Presidential suite of any hotel in America. He can afford to offer to bet $10,000.00 without blinking. He is one of them. It doesn't really matter that he is rich; we should all try to become rich since the opportunity to do so is at the heart of what makes America.
Mika Brzezinski, daughter of Zbigniew (Jimmy Carter's national security adviser) and an MSNBC early-morning anchor with Joe Scarborough, talks about income inequality as the dominant theme of the 2012 election cycle. She has a sweet contract with MSNBC, I'm guessing, and she could equal my income and hers with a gift to me of about a million bucks or so. I don't know how much she is paid, but I would bet a dollar, not ten thousand, that she makes 7, 8, or 9 figures in U. S. dollars. She won't give me anything, and she won't write that check to the Treasury to equalize her income with the poverty level income for a family of four, or about four bets by Mitt. I don't expect her to, but she should realize that income equality could start with her if she was sincere about equaling it out for everyone.
The elite political class sees itself as deserving of our unquestioning and absolute support. Romney's offer of a bet with no more sincerity than Obama's every word is the perfect example of how out-of-touch the elites have become as it regards the country's well-being. They don't understand us, and they don't want to understand because they believe they have every answer to save us from ourselves.
I am sick of them. I have no desire for more of their brand of Change. It is time to return to our Founders' vision for America, and that vision does not include funding the nanny state as the final arbiter of all that is fair.
Don't tread on me! Give me my Liberty, get out of my way, and allow me to make choices for myself. Remove Americans from the food stamps roll, and allow them to return to the workplace by removing all business taxes. Make all income tax-free for everyone for a year, in 2012, instead of this piddling 3% one-year temporary gimmick.
Let us keep what we earn. All of us deserve better than we are getting from the elite and permanent political class. They don't get it, and my fear is they never will.
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