Kentucky is in one of the most pivotal gubernatorial races in decades.
You don't have to apologize if you were not fully aware of the previous statement before reading it - it's likely you're part of the crowd.
Although the people of this state (or America for that matter) never have exhibited an attachment to their democratic duty to vote, usually most had the general idea who was running.
Enter the campaign financing laws passed since the last election, which restricts the amount of money candidates can spend to $1.8 million (of which, $1.2 million is gratuitously provided by the state treasury). Now candidates can afford just bare minimums during the mid-stages of the current primary season.
So, gone are the TV ads, billboards and rallies. Some I've talked with say they are happy the annoying advertisements are gone.
I say voter apathy stinks.
So I am now providing you with an insider's guide to the big names in the business on both sides of the partisan wall, and what effect they could have upon the college age population, particularly at UK.
This election is a novelty in Kentucky politics: Republicans and their 1995 stump-speaker Larry Forgy have a legitimate shot at the top, which could mean some interesting twists for the state of higher education - more about that later.
Most notable is Secretary of State Bob Babbage, who has single-handedly brought the sickening stereotype of a tax-and-spend liberal from the Lyndon Johnson administration back to the fore.
His polished, chicken-in-every-pot campaign is centerpieced by this offer: Free in-state college tuition and books for all high school students who graduate with at least a B average.
Babbage maintains that increasing the flow of the state's lottery revenues going into the General Fund can manage what can only be astronomical costs of his plan.
The state's lottery chief, Arch Gleason, however, says basically that Babbage is looney if he thinks lottery revenues could cover such costs.
I'm inclined to agree.
Keeping in steady stride with Babbage's blissful pledges, Lieutenant Governor Paul Patton (considered by many to be the Democratic nominee) has promised college students a mouthful - and them some.
None of us are so naive to believe a candidate's word anymore, and so the three positions on higher education he announced last week should rightfully remain in the realm of distrust.
His first priority, bringing in more jobs for graduates, is plausible and obviously a part of his job already.
When Patton followed that up by promising to fight for adding a community college student to the Board of Trustees and lifting the frequency of tuition increases from one to two years, I distinctly thought, for a moment, that I could see the crowds' eyes collectively roll.
If he does hold to his word (OK, stop laughing), then he could be higher education's best bet.
The only remaining Democratic candidate worth mentioning in this race, Senate Majority Leader John "Eck" Rose, doesn't seem to have a clear agenda on higher education, but has presided over a legislature that has axed higher education's budget considerably.
Before Wethington was appointed to temporarily replace David Roselle, he ran into some stiff opposition from a UK trustee named Forgy.
Forgy, who is now the gubernatorial frontrunner, failed by one vote Dec. 28, 1989, to force the Board of Trustees to make Wethington choose between being the interim chief or a candidate for the presidency.
The motion, of course, did not pass, and as expected Wethington went on to become UK's President.
Could this stormy record affect Wethington's ability to hold Frankfort support for UK if Forgy is elected?
It is an interesting question, and Forgy has not hinted by offering any specific higher education proposals that may lend clues.
Executive Editor Stephen Trimble is a journalism sophomore.
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