Get A Wiff Of Kentucky Politics, Would Ya?
Pressure to pay
This is a high-stakes election year in Kentucky, with races for governor and attorney general dominating the ballot. All the campaigns are soliciting donations from anyone who's willing to give.
But several recent stories in The Courier-Journal indicate that the customary fund-raising may be going to extremes — perhaps illegal extremes — as workers complain they are being coerced to support candidates by their employees.
Early this month, Tom Loftus reported that at least one state employee has complained they he and others were pressured to contribute to the Democratic ticket headed by Gov. Steve Beshear. About $465,000 has been donated to that campaign by state employees.
Thursday, Mr. Loftus and Chris Kenning reported that officials of Sullivan University in Louisville, a proprietary school, are actively raising money for Todd P'Pool, the Republican challenger of Attorney General Jack Conway. Mr. Conway, as the editorial above explains, has become a leader in the national effort to determine if for-profit colleges have violated consumer protection laws.
One employee of Sullivan, Kayla Porter, resigned from the admissions office after she was directly solicited for a contribution for Mr. P'Pool.
This odious behavior is old-style politics at its worst. In some cases, employers who coerce their employees into giving to a particular candidate are subject to criminal charges. If that sort of conduct has occurred here, indictments should follow.
Although they're slightly different, the large contributions made to the Governor's campaign by appointees to state university boards are odiferous as well. The best people should be recruited for those posts, not the fat-cats with the biggest checkbooks. The pay-to-play approach only solidifies those who argue that higher education in Kentucky is second rate.
This is a high-stakes election year in Kentucky, with races for governor and attorney general dominating the ballot. All the campaigns are soliciting donations from anyone who's willing to give.
But several recent stories in The Courier-Journal indicate that the customary fund-raising may be going to extremes — perhaps illegal extremes — as workers complain they are being coerced to support candidates by their employees.
Early this month, Tom Loftus reported that at least one state employee has complained they he and others were pressured to contribute to the Democratic ticket headed by Gov. Steve Beshear. About $465,000 has been donated to that campaign by state employees.
Thursday, Mr. Loftus and Chris Kenning reported that officials of Sullivan University in Louisville, a proprietary school, are actively raising money for Todd P'Pool, the Republican challenger of Attorney General Jack Conway. Mr. Conway, as the editorial above explains, has become a leader in the national effort to determine if for-profit colleges have violated consumer protection laws.
One employee of Sullivan, Kayla Porter, resigned from the admissions office after she was directly solicited for a contribution for Mr. P'Pool.
This odious behavior is old-style politics at its worst. In some cases, employers who coerce their employees into giving to a particular candidate are subject to criminal charges. If that sort of conduct has occurred here, indictments should follow.
Although they're slightly different, the large contributions made to the Governor's campaign by appointees to state university boards are odiferous as well. The best people should be recruited for those posts, not the fat-cats with the biggest checkbooks. The pay-to-play approach only solidifies those who argue that higher education in Kentucky is second rate.
Labels: News reporting
posted by KYJurisDoctor at 4:14 PM
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