Political legacies rely on Energizer taxpayers

When politicians seek to embellish their legacies by leaving personal monuments that serve as a continuing reminder that they once passed through and had some impact on the local, state or national political scene, taxpayers sometimes find themselves transformed into the Energizer Bunny in the sense that they keep paying and paying and paying for what can only be described as political ego trips. Consider a couple of expenditures authorized by House Bill 410, the initial package of projects that bought enough House votes to assure passage of a god-awful biennial budget.

In Floyd County, a total of $600,000 ($200,000 for the current budget year and $200,000 each for the next two years) was approved for "Mountain Top Recreational - Repair - Upkeep - Maintenance." The money will cover a variety of costs at the Stone Crest Golf Course and its surrounding residential community, a strip-mine reclamation project that will always be linked to the political legacy of Rep. (and former House Majority Floor Leader) Greg Stumbo, who championed its development and who owns a home there.

Over in Pike County, the East Kentucky Exposition Center, a legacy of former Gov. Paul Patton that he helped reach fruition by directing some contingency fund money its way after his career-ending scandal, will receive a total of $275,000 over the next two years to help cover operations and maintenance costs.

Yes, the personal monument legacies have a way of not paying for themselves after they're built. But that's OK, because politicians can always find a way to make those Energizer Bunny taxpayers keep paying and paying and paying.