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Additional News and
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Doug Goodman announces his
run for the 10th District Senate Seat |
There are several issues where I think I can make a difference, and I feel that
the District 10 Senate seat needs someone with more energy, a greater vision and
knowledge of what is really going on in this community.
One of my major concerns is education in the commonwealth of Kentucky. Since
educational reform began in 1990, we have made great strides in providing a good
education to Kentucky’s children and helping them to compete in a global society
once they have graduated. We must insure that Kentucky’s educational reform will
continue to be funded at the rate that it was designed to be, and we must demand
that we have a certified, highly skilled educator in every classroom. The only
way that is going to happen is if we provide competitive salaries for our
teachers. When we fail to keep up with the salaries earned by teachers in our 7
surrounding states, then we are asking to have less than the best teachers in
our classrooms. That must not happen. I expect our school personnel to go about
the business of educating our students and not have to worry if the Executive
Branch is properly managing their health insurance fund or if the state is
really contributing funds to their retirement system.
I also am concerned that every year our college tuition increases – not 1 or 2
%, but 14%, 16% and even 19%. Our students are leaving college with entirely too
much indebtedness as it is, and this situation is only going to get worse. I
have heard Mike Weaver say that when a college education is no longer the means
for a person to escape poverty, then we will eliminate the middle class. We
simply can’t let the American dream of becoming anything you want to be die;
tuition increases must stop.
Teachers, this past year there was a bill before the house, HB 185, that
proposed tuition for a Master’s degree be paid by the state, providing that you
give five years of service in return. With each class costing over $1,000, our
young teachers are incurring even more debt once they enter the teaching
profession in order to obtain a state mandated Rank II teaching certificate. It
simply doesn’t make sense that there are no opportunities for reimbursement for
this degree that will cost you over $10,000. We can do better than this.
The next issue that I want to address is health care. We have an alarming number
of working families in Kentucky who cannot afford health care. A single illness
or surgery of one family member will send these families into financial ruin for
years to come. I am committed to ensuring that any Kentuckian who gets out of
bed and goes to work every day will have access to affordable quality health
care. We must use cutting edge technologies to improve the quality of health
care and at the same time, reduce the costs. This past legislature included
support for coverage of employees of small businesses, but this change is
temporary and is not designed to help enough people. The state of Massachusetts
just developed a health care plan that will insure coverage for every resident,
and several other states are following their lead. While I have some concerns
about this state plan, I admire their gumption to get in there and get something
on the board. Kentucky must not lag behind the other states on this important
issue. Our response is a matter of life and death to too many people every
single day.
The third issue that I want to address is the military. Our soldier in 2006 is
not the same soldier that fought in the Viet Nam war or in Desert Storm. In the
past, our service members were active duty men and women who either volunteered,
or in the case of View Nam, were drafted. Today, the National Guard and reserves
are heavily augmenting today’s active duty soldiers. These soldiers are our
neighbors, fellow church members and young kids down the street whom we have
watched grow up over the years. They are businessmen and women, teachers,
nurses, doctors, and factory workers. Thousands of these soldiers have had to
take substantial pay losses when then go on active duty; yet, the home mortgage,
car payment, day care payment, etc. continues as if nothing had changed. Our
government must make sure that these young families are given opportunities to
continue living in the same manner as they did before being deployed. The
General Assembly did take some long overdue steps this past session toward
helping our troops, their families, and our veterans, but there is still much to
do. I am concerned that the changes made during the 2006 session are temporary;
under the current plan, they will expire in two short years. The on-going war in
Iraq puts considerable and continuing pressure on everyone associated with the
military, National Guard and Reserves. I think we need to do all that we can on
a personal level, community level and state level to support our troops and
their families. I pledge to do just that when I go to Frankfort.
I have one promise to make to you tonight, and that is when I become your state
senator, I will remember who elected me. I will seek your input and suggestions,
and I will make sure that my thumb stays on the pulse of this community. You
will have a voice in your representation, and your voice will be respected and
appreciated.
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