KEJA -- Raising The Bar: K.A. Owens Statement

Kentucky Can Do Better!

Raising the Bar: Kentucky's Real Budget Report

Teleconference Statement by K.A. Owens:
December 15, 2005

I’m K.A. Owens of Kentuckians for the Commonwealth. KFTC is here today as part of the Kentucky Economic Justice Alliance. Our KEJA partners are Kentucky Youth Advocates and Appalshop. KEJA has been working on issues of Economic Justice since 1998. Deb Miller of KYA will be speaking today as well as Toby Wilcher and Eric Lewis of KFTC.

We are here today to make sure that the people of this state have a clear and accurate view of Kentucky’s economic situation. We need to have a clear and accurate view of what is required for the state of Kentucky to maintain the same level of responsibility that we have had in the past and to support any additional levels of investment that may be required to move the state forward in the future.

In the 2005 session of the General Assembly some positive change was made. Corporate loopholes were eliminated and the system was made fairer for low-income Kentuckians. We are proud of helping to shape the debate. But, our task is not yet complete. We, and when I say we, I mean all of us, still have a long way to go before we can say that we have established a solid financial framework for Kentucky.

Unless we as Kentuckians make the investments we need we will end up fighting over crumbs off the table as we have in the past.

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