Rand Paul Comes to Big Oil's Defense

Via ThinkProgress:

The top five oil companies in the United States have already made $5.8 billion in windfall profits from spiking gasoline prices this year. Yesterday, Senate Republicans agreed to debate a bill that repeals $2 billion in annual tax breaks for these super-wealthy oil giants. The move was purely a political calculation — don’t expect the GOP to end taxpayer welfare for their Big Oil allies. GOP senators like Rand Paul (R-KY) and Jon Kyl (R-AZ) have used their time on the Senate floor today to push error-riddled arguments coming straight from their oil industry donors.

Paul argued Big Oil deserves even more favors from government, because they’re doing such a good job extracting wealth from American families.

...Meanwhile, the oil industry is not using its profits to hire more people. Paul falsely claimed the oil companies employ 9.2 million people — in fact, there are only 2.2 million jobs in the entire oil industry, and 40 percent of those jobs are minimum-wage work at gas stations. Exxon Mobil, Chevron, Shell, and BP have shed their U.S. workforce by 11,200 between 2005 to 2010, according to a report last year. Big Oil isn’t investing in renewable energy or in reducing oil spills, either.

Senate mischief

The Courier-Journal addresses Katie Stine's latest stunt:

The Kentucky Senate continues down its merry path of irrelevancy and partisan mischief-making. On Wednesday the Republican majority approved a terrible piece of spite legislation that would make the office of attorney general non-partisan.

When Sen. Katie Stine, R-Southgate, introduced the legislation a few weeks ago, she lamely suggested that because of the importance of the job — the state’s chief legal officer — making the post non-partisan would eliminate any taint of partisanship. What Sen. Stine failed to say is that Republicans have been singularly unsuccessful in electing attorneys general in modern times. Even under Republican governors, the state has elected Democrats as attorney general. And the last time that happened, Attorney General (now House Speaker) Greg Stumbo made life miserable for Gov. Ernie Fletcher, as well he should have.

...No state in America has a non-partisan elected attorney general. And there is good reason for that. Politics is not bad, and neither are political parties. Particularly in these times, when the cleavage between Democrats and Republicans is so striking, voters want and need to know how their candidates line up.

McConnell Flip-Flops on Highway Bill

ThinkProgress has the details:

McConnell’s staff claimed, “Senator McConnell has been working to pass the highway bill in the U.S. Senate, which is currently slated for a vote on final passage next week.” A McConnell spokesman also told a Louisville, Kentucky radio station that the minority leader was working with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) to pass the highway bill.

...McConnell joined 21 other Republicans — and no Democrats — in voting against the bill.

McConnell’s office did not respond to a request for comment on why he voted against a bill he’d pledged to support and no explanations were apparent on his senate or campaign websites.

Beshear Breaks Ground for DHL Express in NKY

Today Governor Beshear issued this press release:

Gov. Beshear, Lt. Gov. Abramson Break Ground for DHL Express in Northern Kentucky
International logistics leader to create 120 jobs, invest $47 million

ERLANGER, Ky.– Governor Steve Beshear and Lieutenant Governor Jerry Abramson today joined community leaders and officials from DHL Express to celebrate the groundbreaking for a new 193,000-square-foot sorting facility in Erlanger. The expansion brings 120 full-time jobs and an investment of $47 million.

DHL officials anticipate the new facility will be operational by November. Upgrades are also planned for an existing 520,000-square-foot facility.

“DHL is a global leader in the shipping industry, and we’re thrilled to have them make this substantial investment in northern Kentucky,” Gov. Beshear said. “Millions of packages are processed at its current facility each month, and now that amount will continue to grow.”

The expansion demonstrates Kentucky’s ability to provide an efficient infrastructure to meet the needs of such a significant international company, Gov. Beshear said, adding the expansion will also help Kentucky companies get products and packages into the global stream of commerce.

“DHL already employs about 2,000 people in this area, and now, 120 more Kentuckians will have jobs thanks to DHL,” said Lt. Gov. Abramson. “This reflects the high quality of Kentucky’s workforce and the ability of the Commonwealth to attract first-class companies such as DHL.”

DHL Express was founded in 1969 when three friends personally shipped papers by airplane from San Francisco to Honolulu so the customs clearance for a ship’s cargo could begin before the ship’s arrivals. The company has grown to become a world leader in the international express, air and ocean freight, road and rail transportation, logistics and international mail services. Today, DHL is part of Deutsche Post DHL, headquartered in Bonn, Germany. The company’s global network covers more than 220 countries and territories worldwide.

“This region is important for DHL as we continue to grow our international trade routes,” said DHL Express Regional CEO Stephen Fenwick. “Our multi-million dollar expansion at the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport builds upon our commitment to the U.S. market and our global clientele. DHL has made a significant investment in both the facility as well as the community that supports it. We are grateful to Gov. Beshear and to our local teams for helping us to ensure that we continue to provide the best possible service to our customers.”

DHL is one of more than 170 European companies that have a presence in the Commonwealth. Collectively, those companies employ more than 26,000 people.

To encourage the investment and job growth in Northern Kentucky, the Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority (KEDFA) preliminarily approved the company for tax incentives up to $1.5 million through the Kentucky Business Investment program. The performance-based incentive allows a company to keep a portion of its investment over the term of the agreement through corporate income tax credits and wage assessments by meeting job and investment targets.

KEDFA also approved DHL Express for tax benefits up to $500,000 through the Kentucky Enterprise Initiative Act that allows approved companies to recoup Kentucky sales and use tax on construction costs, building fixtures, equipment used in research and development and electronic processing equipment.

“I am pleased to hear DHL recognizes the solid work ethic and excellent quality of life in Boone County,” said Sen. John Schickel, of Union. “These new jobs will provide a boost to our economy and offer new opportunities for our workforce.”

“Today’s groundbreaking is further proof that Boone County as well as Northern Kentucky as a whole serves as an important economic hub for the entire Commonwealth,” said Rep. Addia Wuchner, of Florence. “DHL’s decision to locate and expand in our region is also a testament to the outstanding business climate, availability of our workforce, and the quality of life we offer.”

“DHL continues to impress Northern Kentucky Tri-ED with its aggressive growth at CVG (Cincinnati/ Northern Kentucky International Airport),” said Steve Arlinghaus, Kenton County Judge-Executive and chairman of Northern Kentucky Tri-ED. “We are blessed with ample acreage on the south side of the airport for DHL’s growth and our workforce continues to deliver for DHL.”

“The resurgence of DHL in Northern Kentucky has been phenomenal,” added Boone County Judge-Executive Gary Moore. “The county has established a strong working relationship with DHL and applauds DHL on its seventh project in our area resulting in more than 2,000 total jobs.”

For more information on DHL, visit www.dhl.com.

Information on Kentucky’s economic development efforts and programs is available at www.ThinkKentucky.com. Fans of the Cabinet for Economic Development can also join the discussion on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/ThinkKentucky or follow on Twitter at www.Twitter.com/ThinkKentucky.

For more about the Northern Kentucky Tri-ED, visit www.NorthernKentuckyusa.com. Northern Kentucky Tri-ED can also be followed through social media channels via Facebook , LinkedIn, Twitter and YouTube.

A detailed community profile for Northern Kentucky can be viewed at www.thinkkentucky.com/EDIS/cmnty/index.aspx?cw=049.

McConnell Filibusters 17 Judges Out of Spite

A great catch by ThinkProgress:

In an exchange that seems designed to prove why fewer Americans approve of Congress than approve of communism or the BP oil spill, Senate Leaders Harry Reid (D-NV) and Mitch McConnell (R-KY) engaged in a long debate this morning over why Reid is currently trying to break seventeen filibusters of President Obama’s judicial nominees. The exchange culminated with McConnell admitting that, even though all these judges will be confirmed eventually, he is blocking them now because he is upset that Reid’s making him look bad.

...If this is truly McConnell’s reason for blocking these judges, then he just made an absolutely shocking admission. Thanks to excessive judicial vacancies, America’s courts are increasingly unable to function. In some courts, judges are so overburdened they have to rush major felony cases through as if they involved minor traffic violations. In one court, felony caseloads nearly doubled in just two years. Every court that is unable to handle its caseload means wrongly fired workers waiting months or years for justice and businesses that must delay making new hires until they are sure they won’t be hit with an unwarranted legal judgment. And yet McConnell says he is willing to punish all of these workers and businesses because he is upset that Reid has made him look bad. America can ill afford this kind of tantrum.

Spiteful legislation

Today's Courier-Journal included this editorial on NKY's own Katie Stine:

Throughout modern history, the [attorney general] post (an elective one) has been held by Democrats. Even when Republicans Louie Nunn and Ernie Fletcher captured the governor’s office, they were served by Democratic attorneys general (John B. Breckinridge and Greg Stumbo, respectively).

However, the fact that voters have been consistent in electing Democrats doesn’t justify approval of a bill now before the General Assembly. State Sen. Katie Stine, R-Southgate, wants to make the office non-partisan. “So it’s a very important job and its one that frankly there should never even be a concern that ‘oh, could there be political motivation for whatever is being done?’ This makes sure if they’re nonpartisan that they run as a person who will be a servant of the people,” Ms. Stine told Louisville’s WFPL-FM.

...Sen. Stine’s bill is not about improving government. It’s about spite.