Matt Bevin, the new Tea Party governor of Kentucky spent his first month in office issuing 5 executive orders undoing executive orders that former governor Steve Beshear (Democrat) had made and proving that his main goal is to hammer any hopes Kentuckians had for improving their lives. (Even though Bevin claims he doesn’t think executive orders should ever be used.)
Among the new executive orders were these:
1. Rolled back the minimum wage increase Beshear introduced for state workers. (I’m not sure if the increase applied to workers not in state employ.)
2. Ex-felons convicted of certain non-violent crimes had been given their voting rights back . Bevin cancelled that.
3. Bevin ordered wording changes on state marriage licenses so that county clerks with religious objections to gay marriage would not have to sign the licenses. (Remember good ol’ Kim Davis?) He did not change the state statute that requires county clerk signatures.
Bevin also has promised to do away with Kynect, the Kentucky state version of ACA, and roll back the Medicaid expansion that will leave approximately 420,000 Kentuckians without healthcare.
I know I haven’t been the only person to ask “Why? Why do these poor white people continue to vote against candidates that would actually do things to help improve their lives?” I never could understand it, I was just glad I was out of that state and felt bad for the family still there.
Then today I read an article by a Republican that put it all in perspective for me. I know, I know, reading anything written by a Republican smacks of treason but this guy “GOPLifer” didn’t rant, rave, and throw craziness everywhere in his article. I think it’s worth linking to his article here: goplifer.com/…
It’s a bit long but even if you just scan it, you get his point — Poor white Americans know the only thing they have going for them is their whiteness. If they vote for horrible, racist politicians that tell them that racial equality will be done away with, then they won’t have as much competition for the crumbs tossed to the masses by the rich. I never, ever considered that. Do you agree?
Read it and let me know what you think. This is my first diary on DKos and I hope it sparks a good dialogue. Thanks.