Kentucky Rep. Jim Gooch of Providence has proposed the most ridiculous new legislation that I have seen in more than 20 years of reporting and covering government in the commonwealth.Gooch wants newspaper columnists and editorial cartoonists to register as lobbyists.
Absolutely insane. Whoever came up with the idea of citizen legislators meeting every year in the state capital was equally moronic. This is the kind of stuff we pay them for.
Gooch believes editorial writers like yours truly and cartoonists such as those talented individuals who use charcoal to make comment and statement through the use of wacky depictions of their favorite political buffoons are lobbyists? What is he thinking?
If Mr. Gooch thinks this is an appropriate retaliation against some newspapers that have recently painted him with pokey dots, he's sadly mistaken. This spiteful swing will come home to roost like a big red rooster.
His House Bill 468 adds only one sentence to existing law that regulates lobbyists. It simply states in paragraph 22, provision 3 that "editorial writing or cartooning for a news media organization which engages for profit, in these issues" is a legislative agent – a.k.a. lobbyist.
Thereby, if Frankfort officials ever get their way, those writers and cartoonists would have to pay an occupational tax in that city in order to report on the happenings in state government.
Absolutely amazing.
This one leaves me speechless ... which is precisely what some of these citizen legislators want. Many of them have no understanding of the U.S. Constitution, the Bill of Rights nor common sense.
I encourage readers to give Mr. Gooch a shout at Jim.Gooch@lrc.ky.gov. Be careful, he's carrying a muzzle and wants to use it.
I suggest calling him at home (270) 667-7327, in Frankfort (502) 564-8100 Ext. 687 or at work (270) 635-1139. He's an insurance agent by day and represents Webster, McLean and parts of Daviess and Hopkins counties.
