Thursday, June 22, 2006

Bluegrass Report

Several Kentuckly Blogs, notably this one called BluegrassReports.org, have reportedly been blocked from access by Kentucky State computers, and it so happens that all of these blogs are critical of Governor Ernie Fletcher and his Administration. One notable blog that is on theFletcher blacklist is BluegrassReports.org, but it is by no means the only one.

Aside from the obvious censorship issues, the question should be raised, since when do Kentucky State employees have the time to sit around reading blogs? Don’t they have supposedly important work to do? Shouldn’t this be construed as, more or less, a waste of state taxpayers money? Or should it be considered that there are, simply, way too many Kentucky State employees, and thus this bloated payroll is, in addition to also being a waste of tax money, an obvious indication of political patronage in state hiring.

But the most important point to be made about this story, is that it points out the rampant paranoia that saturates the Fletcher Administration. Obviously, there aren’t that many state employees who spend that much time on state time reading blogs. Assumming there are an appreciable percentage that have the time to do so-which I don’t doubt- how many actually do, at least for that long a time. Most of them probably prefer to spend their free time, which is in a good many cases probably close to half the work day or more, chit chatting with co-workers, checking up on their spouses, children, or lovers, or,if on the computer, checking out the humor and sports sites. Not reading a significant number of blogs. I would put the percentage of state workers who engage in this activity, for any appreciable amount of time, at well under one per cent.

This may well not have anything to do with Fletcher personally, but is more than likely an activity initiated by an overzealous department supervisor. If Fletcher is involved in this, he has indeed gone off the deep end, and this would be substantial proof of that.