In light of the recent announcement that my opponent has suddenly changed her tune regarding right to work, I’m reminded of a quote by President Lincoln: “You can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time.” Paula Robinson would have you believe she is now suddenly committed to the working men and women of Kentucky, but nobody should be fooled by this sudden change of heart. The reality is that, based on her past social media posts, she has long favored what I call “right to work for less.” Switching positions this late in the campaign on such a crucial issue, especially one so important to her party, calls into question her ability to stand up for the people of the 6th House District. How can we trust her not to switch positions again? If her vote would be the deciding one during a legislative session, do we really think she would oppose what is the governor’s main goal economically? As we have seen, he does not take dissent very well. At the same time, my commitment to those who built this country into what it is today has never wavered. Growing up, I saw first-hand the sacrifices they made and know the difficulties they still face today, which is why I have a long record of supporting them. Indeed, while recovering from back surgery early this year, I cast a vote against repealing the prevailing wage from my hospital bed via video conferencing. I refused to let my condition stop me from opposing something that, if enacted, would cut our working families’ incomes and put our public projects at risk of being built with cheap, untrained labor. I would have done the same had the issue been “right to work.” Studies have shown that states with this policy have lower wages and greater incidents of workplace injuries, since unions are less able to stop unsafe practices. How can anyone be for that? The supporters of “right to work” think there is something noble about an employee not contributing to efforts designed to improve his or her wages. I would call that freeloading, and it is no different than if someone tried to avoid paying dues to a club or service organization. I do not have enough space to counter every lie told by those who support “right to work,” but my point is not so much about that issue, anyway. It’s about those willing to say anything to get what they want, even if it means betraying a core belief. That’s not the kind of person I am, and that’s not the kind of candidate the people of the 6th House District deserve. It’s something to keep in mind as we decide whom we want to be our voice in the Kentucky House of Representatives during the next two years.
