Kentucky Post's voters guide is a great resource.

Kentucky Post's voters guide is a great resource. Check it out here. Here are excerpts:

A voters guide

Here's where the candidates stand on the issues
By Dan Hassert
Post staff reporter

THE RACE

Ernie Fletcher, the Republican incumbent, is a 54-year-old doctor and former Air Force pilot who hails from Lexington. Prior to being elected governor in 2003, he served as a state representative and a U.S. Congressman. His running mate is Robbie Rudolph, secretary of Fletcher's executive cabinet and a businessman from Western Kentucky. His Web site is www.erniefletcher.com.

Steve Beshear, the Democrat challenger, is a 63-year-old lawyer from Lexington. He is a former state representative, attorney general and lieutenant governor under Gov. Martha Layne Collins. His running mate is state Sen. Daniel Mongiardo, a doctor from Eastern Kentucky. His Web site is www.stevebeshear.com.

Casino gambling. Kentucky Central. The hiring scandal.

The hiring scandal. Casino gambling. Kentucky Central.

Kentucky Central. The hiring scandal. Casino gambling.

Through a dozen campaign ads, a couple of dozen joint appearances, hundreds of newspaper articles and thousands of blog posts, those three topics, in one order or another, have dominated 90 percent of the rhetoric in the 2007 Kentucky governor's race.

But there's a lot more to the candidacies of Republican incumbent Ernie Fletcher and Democratic challenger Steve Beshear.

For example, Fletcher wants to create a simpler Web-based testing program to track students' scores, to boost enrollment at Kentucky's medical schools, to give more money to Meals on Wheels and to expand a state health insurance program to businesses with up to 50 employees.

Beshear wants to create report cards for nursing homes, set up a cabinet-level energy adviser position, forgive student loans for college graduates who stay in state and create a Parent Involvement Pledge to ensure schoolchildren get support at home.

But chances are, with all the fury over who wants to do what with gaming and who does or doesn't have ethics scandals in their background, voters haven't heard much about the candidates' plans for health care, education or the economy.

The candidates blame each other, of course.

Fletcher's campaign says Democrats have exaggerated to would-be voters the significance of an investigation that ended last year into whether the administration violated rules on hiring.

Beshear's campaign says Fletcher has successfully kept the discussion off the policy documents the former lieutenant governor has been rolling out since the summer.

"Ernie's wedge issues often end up getting more ink and television time than the major issues that Beshear and Kentuckians want to discuss," charged Vicki Glass, spokeswoman for Beshear.

But to cut through all the inflammatory rhetoric and sound bites and to try to fathom what the next governor of the state plans to do over the next four years, The Post has compiled a head-to-head comparison of the candidates' positions on major and some minor policy issues. To do this, we interviewed the candidates, attended debates and perused hundreds of pages of policy positions, press releases, e-mails and news articles.

In some ways, the candidates' plans are similar. But differences abound:

HIGHER EDUCATION

College tuition:

Beshear would create Kentucky First Scholarships, a program that would forgive one year of a student loan for each year worked in Kentucky after graduation. He would also create more programs that blend high school and college classes so students can earn college credits early.

Fletcher would pursue his Kentucky Covenant plan, a needs-based scholarship plan that encourages students at an early age to attend college and helps them find funding. He would also continue to support tuition tax credits for families with children in Kentucky higher education institutions, and work to include adult and part-time students. But Fletcher said he wants to evaluate the KEES scholarship program to standardize GPA measurements and make the awards more consistent school to school.

Funding:

Beshear said the Bucks for Brains program, which matches public dollars with private donations to fund research programs and faculty, needs to be funded better. Fletcher said the current system of allocating funding for higher education doesn't hold public institutions accountable for things such as student retention and graduation rates.

University bonds:

Beshear believes universities should be able to issue revenue bonds to pay for projects that generate revenue, such as dormitories and parking garages, provided the state provides oversight. Fletcher thinks the governor's office should retain control over that decision to protect the state's bond rating.

SCHOOLS

Teacher pay:

Fletcher said increasing teacher pay is a top priority. He also supports rewards for teachers who do extra work and tuition reimbursements for teachers who go into areas of critical need. Beshear said he too wants to raise salaries, but he would not favor different pay scales for different subject areas.

SEEK formula:

Both candidates said they were sensitive to the financial plight of high-growth school districts, particularly ones like some in Northern Kentucky whose wealthier property values caused them to lose out on state funding. Both said they would be willing to look at the revenue-sharing formula, called SEEK, but would be leery of doing anything to hurt poorer districts. Fletcher has suggested a separate mechanism that addressed the facility needs of growth districts.

Early childhood:

Beshear's plan calls for expanding pre-kindergarten programs to every 3- and 4-year-old and creating a committee that would coordinate work of early childhood care providers and educators to build consistency and reduce duplication. Fletcher, whose administration has expanded pre-school funding, said he would like to work toward fully funded all-day kindergarten and pre-school programs but would need to build new classrooms and hire more teachers to do so. He said his administration is working on addressing early childhood development before pre-school.

Elementary/secondary schools:

Beshear's plan calls for more focus on classroom safety and discipline, redesigning high schools to expand use of advanced placement courses, smaller class sizes and classrooms and more use of technology for distance learning. He also would create a Parent Involvement Pledge and put extra focus on science and math by creating Science, Technology, Engineering and Math Academies for middle and high school students.

Fletcher would continue to push his Read to Achieve program, put additional resources and focus into raising math and science scores, continue to invest in technology, and create a simpler, less time-consuming Web-based testing program to track students' scores.

HEALTH

Health care coverage:

Beshear would focus on expanding health care coverage to all Kentuckians, especially children, by increasing outreach efforts for children eligible but not enrolled in Medicaid or the Kentucky Children's Health Insurance Program. He would allow moderate-income families to buy into KCHIP at partial or full prices; help small businesses afford insurance and let young adults stay on their parents' health plans until age 25.

Fletcher's plan would allow businesses with up to 50 employees (instead of 25) to seek help in paying for health insurance premiums under the state's new ICARE plan; would have KCHIP pay into private health insurance plans offered by small businesses to cover dependents of employee; and would offer tax credits to businesses with employee wellness programs.

Health care costs:

Fletcher would continue to target obesity, heart disease and diabetes complications through his Get Healthy Kentucky campaign; continue to modernize the Medicaid system; and increase the use of health information technology and e-prescribing.

Beshear would push for further implementation of electronic technology for records; form an Academy for Health Care Improvement and Cost Reduction to focus on preventing medical errors and reducing costs; invest in preventive care, such as the Patient Navigator Program in place at St. Elizabeth Medical Centers; control pharmaceutical spending; and crack down on Medicaid fraud and abuse.

Smoking ban:

Neither candidate supports a statewide ban on cigarette smoking in public places, leaving that decision to local communities.

Medical malpractice liability:

A strong supporter of caps on malpractice awards, Fletcher supports a constitutional amendment that would allow the General Assembly to change state statutes to allow medical liability reform. But he's willing to compromise and rely on independent boards to weed out frivolous lawsuits. Beshear opposes caps but would support other ways to reduce lawsuits, such as a Medical Error Disclosure Act to restore trust among patients.

Physician recruitment:

Fletcher would work to bring more doctors to the state by focusing on preventing medical malpractice suits, increasing the amount of Medicaid reimbursements and expanding slots at state medical schools. Beshear would assess the need for a student loan forgiveness program for medical providers working in certain specialties or geographic areas, and would adjust Medicaid reimbursements in some areas, like dentistry.

Senior citizens:

Both candidates have detailed plans on aging issues.

Fletcher created the Department of Aging and Independent Living in November 2006 to coordinate agencies, programs and information related to aging. Among those are programs to help pay for prescription drugs, to support grandparent caregivers and to prevent elder abuse. He has proposed adding $15 million for Meals on Wheels, adult day care and other programs; creating incentives for the purchase of long-term care coverage; creating caregiver tax credits for families who provide in-home care for elderly relatives; and continuing a study by the University of Kentucky on the state's readiness for a booming elderly population.

Beshear's "Putting Kentucky Senior Citizens First" plan includes funding the Pharmaceutical Assistance Program passed by the legislature in 2005 to cover a gap in the Medicare Part D benefit. He would also launch a campaign to ensure prescription drug safety that would include education for senior citizens as well as pushing electronic prescribing to reduce errors. He pledges to create a Nursing Home Report Card that can be accessed by the public and to push for stronger laws to prevent abuse, exploitation and neglect, as well as target financial predators.

TAXES AND BUDGET

Gaming:

Beshear vows to push the General Assembly to let voters decide on a constitutional amendment that would allow expanded gambling, whether at established horse tracks or stand-alone casinos. He said taxes on gambling could produce $500 million in state revenue. Fletcher said he would fight the effort at every turn, saying gambling is unreliable as a revenue source and would bring social problems.

Tax pledge:

Fletcher has signed a national special interest group's promise that he will not raise taxes under any circumstances. Beshear has not signed it and said he will not, saying it hamstrings him as a leader.

Cigarette taxes:

Neither candidate would support an increase in the state's cigarette tax.

Local sales tax:

Both candidates oppose giving local communities the power to add local sales taxes.

Budget efficiency:

Beshear would implement a top-to-bottom efficiency study of state government that could save $160 million to $180 million. Fletcher would continue efforts to target Medicaid fraud, to limit change orders on transportation projects and to trim the number of full-time employees.

Public retiree benefits:

Both candidates say the estimated $18.8 billion unfunded liability facing the benefits programs for state, county, city and public education retirees is one of the biggest problems facing the state. Neither candidate has a detailed plan for how to address the crisis, however.

Both Fletcher and Beshear said they want to see the recommendations of a panel Fletcher set up to look at the situation. It's to report back by Dec. 1. Fletcher said he supports selling bonds to give the programs an influx of cash, while Beshear has said the state might have to reduce benefits for future employees.

SOCIAL ISSUES

Abortion:

Fletcher often stresses his opposition to abortion and says government should outlaw it. Beshear says he believes abortion is always "a tragedy" but he thinks the decision should be made by families.

Intelligent design:

Fletcher has said schools should have the freedom to teach this alternative to evolution. Beshear disagrees, saying schools should teach science and families and churches should teach religion.

Domestic partner benefits:

Fletcher said universities should not offer these, saying taxpayers shouldn't be paying for "insurance for gay couples." Beshear said universities should have the autonomy to design their own health care and benefits packages because they're competing for faculty and staff with national schools.

Guns:

Both candidates say they own at least one gun and are strong supporters of in the Second Amendment right to own firearms. The National Rifle Association has endorsed Fletcher, giving him an A+ rating, but it also has given Beshear an A rating.

TRANSPORTATION

Brent Spence Bridge:

Both candidates say they'd be committed to building the Brent Spence Bridge replacement, as well as Louisville's two bridges. But neither has a firm plan for paying the state's significant portion of those bridges' costs. Both say they oppose raising the gasoline tax for that purpose, and neither supports using tolls for the Brent Spence. Beshear said the problem will require public-private partnerships and other creative solutions, while Fletcher said he wants to analyze a legislative proposal that suggests local authorities and to continue cost-saving measures in the Transportation Cabinet.

Formula of the Fifths:

Neither candidate is willing to adjust the formula that distributes gas tax revenue to communities for roads even though they agree it favors rural areas.

LABOR

Right to Work

Fletcher supports passing so-called Right-to-Work laws, a designation that hurts unions' abilities to collect dues and recruit members, saying the current situation hurts Kentucky's ability to recruit businesses. Beshear opposes Right-to-Work laws, saying they suppress wages.

Prevailing wages:

Fletcher wants to eliminate prevailing wage laws, which set minimum wages on public projects. Beshear wants to keep them.

Jobs:

Beshear said he would attract new jobs with a program that would provide incentives for businesses with high-growth potential in high-wage jobs, that would improve confidence in government with ethics reform, that would modernize Kentucky's workforce development and training system and that would improve health care coverage for workers. Fletcher would make Kentucky more attractive to businesses by improving its education and health care system, and would work to bring high-tech and alternative energy jobs to Appalachia.

ETHICS/ACCOUNTABILITY

Pardon powers:

Beshear supports a constitutional amendment to limit the power of a governor to pardon a criminal only after he or she is convicted. Fletcher said the power to pardon should be retained as is but used sparingly.

Transparency:

Fletcher says Kentucky should protect information related to tax incentives and companies' related performance goals, saying to reveal that would hurt recruitment. But Beshear said more public analysis is needed to make sure companies live up to their end of the deals.

Ethics:

Both candidates say "scandals" in their opponents' past make them unfit to be governor.

So who do you believe or support?