Have you seen the map of the new state congressional districts yet? You've gotta wonder what Republicans in Frankfort were smoking.
Let's start with the obvious. They lost the 93. I poured all over that map the entire hour and a half between the time they released it for public consumption and the time they sent the bill to the governor and could not find it.
As best as I could tell, Elkhorn City is now a part of the 94th district which may or may not still include parts of Pikeville at one end, running like a bloated snake down through Letcher county with a little tail flicking into Harlan that includes Cumberland. Or maybe not.
The lines on that thing were drawn with a sharpie which is not sharp at all. Go figure.
Some might argue the process of drawing up new districts that match the new census numbers should be transparent and that the process should be non-partisan using real math to create balanced and representative districts.
But real math means science and Republicans want no part of that and if it were transparent and non-partisan how could they jerrymander the whole kit and kaboodle to ensure GOP control for the next 10 years?
So here we are. The new congressional maps saw the light of day just long enough for a two hour debate and passage and now sits on the governor's desk. Andy can stall a few days and veto. But soon after that, the super blooper majority will over-ride his veto and the only hope will be court challenges.
Think a judge can find that 93? I'm not optimistic.
At least not as optimistic as 45% of Pike county's population. That's the percentage of our population that is not vaccinated against Covid at all. When you live in the county with the highest mortality rate from Covid-19 in the country and still refuse to take the shots that will keep you out of the hospital or from dying, you might be eat up with optimism.
Granted, a lot of those 45% are kids whose parents have decided their kid's health is a small price to pay to make a statement.
The omicron surge has hit Kentucky hard. Our positivity rate is the highest ever with thousands of new cases daily. Pike county has a 130 cases per 100,000 population, averaging 75 new cases per day. Our Covid hospitalizations are up 49% in the last two weeks.
Meanwhile, our friends in Frankfort are passing laws that prohibit businesses from mandating employee vaccinations, that prohibit mask requirements, and laws that stifle public health policy. All while a worldwide pandemic is taking 25 Kentuckians daily with no end in sight.
The governor can't do anything. They took his power to do anything.
What is happening in Kentucky is exactly what the death cult wants. If they didn't, more than 51% of Pike county would be fully vaccinated. They could shut down the objections if they wanted to.
How's that map looking now?