Pegasus Podcast

In the last few weeks, many of us have realized it is past time to make change in America. The issues with race in America permeate far too many areas of our life. From education, to healthcare and many things in between, policy makers are focused on rectifying these long standing issues. For Dr. OJ Oleka, starting the Anti-Racism Kentucky coalition was just the first step in sparking change. Hear from Dr. Oleka about his personal experiences, and how Anti-Racism Kentucky hopes to make change in the commonwealth.

Is a property tax hike in Jefferson County the solution to its education problems? Despite unprecedented unemployment, the JCPS school board seems to think it is a good time to raise taxes on Louisvillians in order to pump more money into the school system. But are there are ways forward? Theresa Camoriano, Resa, believes this is the wrong time, and wrong solution to JCPS's problems. Why is she so passionate about this issue? Hear her talk about her love for education, and why voters should have a say in this tax increase. Check out her website NoJCPSTaxHike.com to learn more.

As well on today's podcast we discuss our newest report on emergency powers in Kentucky. Should Kentucky's general assembly have a check on the Governor's powers? Many other states allow this, and it might just be time to bring it to the commonwealth.

As people and politicians around the country become more comfortable attacking the value of higher education - the evidence could not be more clear: they are wrong. Here in Kentucky, the Council on Post Secondary Education has produced a report to dispel the many myths on the affordability, invest, and returns for not just students but the entire state of Kentucky. College may just be the most effective anti-poverty, anti-welfare program that exists. On today's podcast we discuss with Dr. Aaron Thompson just why it is so important to support these programs, and what that could mean for the commonwealth of Kentucky.

What has to happen before we can trust Kentuckians to feel safe going back to work? What can we do to make sure businesses have a smooth transition reopening? These questions, and many more will the biggest questions as we move away from the economic shutdown and backs towards our new normal. With new rules in place, lawmakers must work to preserve the most important functions of government while letting the free market do what it does best. Tune in to today's episode to here our 5 policies for restarting Kentucky.

The healthcare sector in America is a wildly over-regulated market. With limits on where, who, and what licensed doctors can practice, we limit the capacity of our system. The coronavirus pandemic has shown us just how many silly, and useless rules exist that limit our economy. Restaurants could not serve alcohol to go. Trucker could not ship booze and food in the same truck. And licensed doctors could not cross a border and practice the next day on a sick patient. So on today's podcast, Ed Timmons of the Mercatus Center joins us to discuss his recommendations that a state like Kentucky can follow to optimize its healthcare sector. Hint: It involves removing barriers in the marketplace.

On today's episode of the Pegasus Podcast Dr. Emily Bonistall Postel of Marsy's Law Kentucky, and Dorislee Gilbert of The Mary Byron project, join the show to talk about one of the more unnoticed parts of the COVID-19 shutdown, how it effects victims and survivors. For domestic violence victims, they may not be stuck in a home with their abuser. For families who lose loved ones, they may not be able to have traditional funerals. For survivors, they may be cut off from their support system. All of this can make tough situations harder. So in today's conversation we discuss what struggles these people may be facing, and how we can help them now, and in the future.

The last couple of weeks have been a whirlwind for the Commonwealth of Kentucky. For many, the actions of Governor Beshear, and frankly Governors across the country, have hit a boiling point. While many seemed to tolerant the infringement on their rights through travel bans, stay at home orders, and bans on in-person church services, we have begun to see some important pushback. The economic pause we are has not just shut down everyday life, but caused Kentucky to nearly run out of money for unemployment, while at the same time crime begins to spike in our cities. Things seem to be getting worse day by day, as many Kentuckians fear we have no true end in sight.

Russell Weaver is a Professor of Law for the University of Louisville Brandeis School of Law. So what does he think about all the new rules, regulations, and lawsuits surrounding COVID-19? On today's episode we breakdown some of the important legal questions that have been brought up during these strange times, and how some of the recent lawsuits may or may not impact us. Prof. Weaver takes us through some of the similar lawsuits around church services, and the different opinions we've seen from judges. Tune in now!

On today's podcast we start with what we have started with for many weeks now, the coronavirus. Fortunately, although the fight with the virus is still a tough one, across our nation we seem to be heading towards the light at the end of the tunnel. The aggressive steps taken to limit the spread of the virus appear to have worked, and although we may not be done just yet, states are beginning to slowly and safely reopen their economies. Here in Kentucky, many of those same conversations are happening, and rightfully so.

As well, in a strange turn of events the end to the Kentucky legislative session happened last week and in some respects flew under the radar. Legislators finished up what will certainly be a memorable session, so we give our thoughts on the most important takeaways from the 2020 session, and how the strange ending might affect 2021.

In the last month Louisville Councilman Anthony Piagentini has been very vocal about how important is that we start planning on when we can re-open Kentucky's economy - post COVID19. We may not need the answers today, but at some point the Governor and our state leaders will need a plan to get Kentuckians back to work. So, on today's podcast we chatted with the Councilman about why he thinks this is so important and why our Governor must start discussing the exit strategy.