We just completed Day 31 of the General Assembly session and only five pieces of legislation have been sent to the Governor for his signature. I point that out only to reinforce my longstanding contention that extreme partisanship creates legislative gridlock.

Taxes…

In this space before, we have advocated expansion of the sales tax on services as a means of generating revenue. As I recall, there has been some discussion of expanding the tax on services all the way back to when Martha Layne Collins was Governor. That was 1983-1987. Why does it take us 25 years to come to certain realizations? Maybe Mark Twain was right.

Politics–good news, bad news

Call it newfound zest for public service or Scott Brown proves anyone can win, but a record number of candidates have filed to run for the legislature. All six Congressional races will be contested in November. And Jim Bunning’s open seat in the U.S. Senate has drawn some 11 candidates–not including any who might file later as an Independent.

Frankly, I’d be concerned if I were any incumbent be it D or R. The country is “mad as hell” like I haven’t seen since the 1994 Republic tsunami turned over control of the House.

The good news then is people are getting engaged in the process. The bad news is that some of our best and brightest drew opponents and given this environment, anything could happen.

Finally…

I continue to boast the title of Luckiest Man on the Planet. Great staff. Great family. Great clients. Great friends. Get out and enjoy some sunshine. We’ve earned it.