Kentucky has had a rough economic time, especially now that President Bush has officially declared that the U.S. is in a recession.  Governor Steve Beshear has mentioned “belt tightening” in each one of his public speeches since November, and is still trying to push raising the tobacco tax to create some extra funding.  No big changes here… his ideas are still being shot down right and left. 

State budget cuts are now affecting the entire state.  Education, healthcare, jobs, emergency services… you name it, they’re all taking a hit.  Healthcare is the latest program that could get the proverbial axe.  “Belt tightening” is jeopardizing programs that help those who are lease able to help themselves. 

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Ok guys and gals, I apologize for taking an extended vacation from my think site.  I haven’t been doing anything interesting but working, and getting a promotion at work, and just pretty much kicking some tail at my fulltime job J  It’s been nice!   But I will neglect my blog no more!  I plan on making some regular updates catered to Kentucky when important information becomes available.

Sorry I have skipped out on most of November and December… I’ve really bypassed the super terrible economic issues going on.  It has certainly been crazy!

Anyway, I encourage you to read the newspaper and watch you’re favorite local news shows… because we’re all out there working for you! 

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Incumbent Mitch McConnell managed to hold off challenger  Bruce Lunsford in the race for U.S. Senate.

As polls began closing in Eastern and Central Kentucky, the Minority leader began emerging as the winner and headed toward his fifth term in the Senate.

 "We were ready for a tough fight and it was," said McConnell during his acceptance speech.

 The 66-year-old called the campaign "exhausting."

 Lunsford conceded the race just after 10 p.m.

 The two were in a nasty race, filled with attack ads that picked up as polls showed the race was tightening.

 The Lunsford campaign hoped high voter turnout and anti-Republican and anti-incumbent sentiment would sway voters.

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Republican U.S. Sen. John McCain has won Kentucky and collected eight electoral votes in a state that has picked the overall winner in presidential races dating back to 1964.

 With 87 percent of precincts reporting, McCain had 875,224 votes or 56 percent, compared with 655,757 votes or 42 percent for Democratic U.S. Sen. Barack Obama.

Kentucky voted Republican in more ways than one on Election Day.  Not only did John McCain take the state, but Republican Mitch McConnell won the US Senate.  This makes for McConnell’s 25th year in the Senate.  It seems as though Kentuckians are not ready for change. 

A lot of people I spoke to today did vote for McCain, but the youth voters swayed overwhelmingly toward Obama.  ABC has just said that in Kentucky about 80% of white evangelicals voted for McCain.  McCain voters say they were hit hard in the last few weeks by the Republican economic plan and believe we need to finish what we started in Iraq. 

Anyway, it is too soon to predict the president yet, and I am still looking for young folks to talk to about the election. 

LIVE Kentucky Numbers:

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If you’ve been following my blog, you know that voting in the primary was not the highlight of my life.  I broke the machine, I went to the wrong venue, and it seemed like all hope was lost.  I don’t even know if my vote was counted!  For a full account… check out my blog from May: 

http://think.mtv.com/044FDFFFF00989F1700080098F658/User/Blog/BlogPostDetail.aspx

Voting today, Election Day, wasn’t nearly as rough… well, as far as actually casting my ballot goes.  This time I checked online at https://cdcbp.ky.gov/VICWeb/index.jsp

to make sure I was going to the right venue.  There wasn’t a massive live when I arrived, which was nice, and I was able to vote on a brand new voting machine.  When I was done it politely said “Your Vote Has Been Counted”.  It was reassuring.

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Here are some helpful Election Day links to help you on your way!

Where to vote:

https://cdcbp.ky.gov/VICWeb/index.jsp

Kentucky state Senate races:

http://apps.sos.ky.gov/elections/candidatefilings/statewide/default.aspx?id=11

Kentucky state House races:

http://apps.sos.ky.gov/elections/candidatefilings/statewide/default.aspx?id=12

What a ballot looks like:

http://apps.sos.ky.gov/electionballots/

Electoral college explained:

http://vote2008.wtvq.com/electoral-college-explained.html

  Several students and faculty members reported seeing an effigy of presidential candidate Barack Obama hanging from a tree on campus.
UK police are heading up the investigation but the FBI and the Secret Service have also been notified of this incident.     People on campus first noticed the effigy hanging outside the Mining and Mineral Resources Building on Rose Street around 8:00 a.m. Wednesday.     The effigy was taken down and given to UK campus police.
"I am personally offended and deeply embarrassed by this disgusting episode," said UK President Lee Todd in a campus-wide e-mail. "This is not reasonable political expression; it is just malicious. And it is unacceptable."
Todd also said the university is apologizing to the senator and his family.
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With the election coming up in under a week, people in Kentucky are getting anxious to know who their next president may be.  Anxiety is turning into creativity for some, and pre-polling is underway across the state.

A Louisville bakery has gotten creative, and made Obama and McCain sugar cookies to ease the hunger pains of political junkies.  They’ve made these cookies identical… except for in color.  They’re regular sugar cookies, iced red for McCain, and blue for Obama.  So far, the Obama cookies are in the lead, but employees at the bakery don’t necessarily believe that this means the senator from Illinois will win the election. 

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While the economy is tanking, lawmakers in the House rejected President Bush’s big multi-billion-dollar bailout plan to save Wall Street.  The Senate is scheduled to vote on this bill tonight, but it has changed a little bit since Monday. 

Last night, Kentucky ’s Minority Leader Mitch McConnell from Kentucky , along with Senate Majority Leader, Harry Reid from Nevada that would add large tax measures to the bill.  Senate leaders think the House will have to approve the bill with the added tax cuts, since they are appealing to Republicans and they will seem important to most Democrats. 

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