The slap heard around KY occurred today to KY’s workforce who showed up daily to work & never stopped working during the pandemic. A $1,500 incentive to the first 15,000 currently unemployed Kentuckians to re-enter the workplace?!? How about we end the govt handouts instead!

If you’re upset about a UFC fight on the White House lawn, can I remind you that not long ago the yard was packed with activists flashing their chests and a bag of cocaine being left behind? You don’t have to like the fight, but spare me the lecture about preserving the dignity of the White House. That horse left the barn a while ago.

12 more Saturdays…

Chicago Bears legend Brian Urlacher spoke out against Illinois Democrats for giving billions of dollars to illegal immigrants, while the Bears now plan to move to Indiana because Illinois failed to pass a tax relief and stadium incentive bill. "They just don't care."

It was great meeting @KeithCarterOM at Landry’s while in Oxford for Carter’s freshman orientation. His one ask & assignment was for Carter to be prepared & showing up on Sept 19th when LSU & Kiffin roll into town. Hotty Toddy! @CarterWise8

Enjoy the game…deal with it

FINAL: Ole Miss 5, Auburn 3 OLE MISS IS GOING TO THE COLLEGE WORLD SERIES, REBELS!!!!!

Chicago lost the Bears this week. A team that's been in the city since 1921. They didn't lose them to a bigger market or a better deal. The Bears decided they'd rather be a tenant in Indiana than deal with Illinois for one more year. Think about how badly you have to run a place for that to be the smart move. They lost them for two reasons. The people running Illinois would rather villainize a builder than keep one. And they're bad at their jobs. In 2021 the Bears spent $197M on the old Arlington Park racetrack. Before they could break ground, Cook County valued the empty lot at $192M (Bears said $60M). They were salivating at the chance to extort a building that didn't even exist yet. That fight dragged on for years. The Bears were ready to put $2B into the stadium. All they wanted was a promise the county wouldn't reassess them into oblivion, plus $855M for infrastructure everyone uses. Roads, transit, utilities. A $3B project, two thirds of it private money pouring into Illinois. Springfield had since 2021 to get this done. They dragged it to the final night of session, passed it through the Senate at 3:39AM, and the House went home without voting. So now it's all gone. The funniest part? This started because Cook County tried to grab the tax early. They knew a built stadium would pay $53M a year. Now they get under $4M on a vacant lot. No jobs, no buildout, no new anything. Congrats on fighting for scraps and losing the whole prize. Pritzker: they're "an $8.5B valued business" that doesn't need propping up. But be smart for a second. Almost every NFL city throws in public money for a stadium. Not charity. The return is real. Tourism, hotels, restaurants, jobs, game days, property tax on a huge development. The math works. Indiana did the math. While Illinois sat on it for years, Indiana passed a bill in months, put up $1B, and took the team. And the Bears took a worse deal to get there. In Illinois they were going to own their stadium. In Indiana they rent it from the state. A team that wanted to build its own home gave up ownership just to escape Chicago. Nobody won but Indiana. The Bears lost their stadium. Illinois lost the team, the $2B, and $53M a year in taxes. Pritzker after they left: "I wasn't willing to give up billions of dollars of taxpayer money to give it to a billionaire-owned family or team." There it is. "Billionaire-owned." That's how Democrats talk about any business right before they run it out of town. Call them a billionaire, act like you're saving working families, take a victory lap while the tax base drives across the state line. Meanwhile they're running the whole state into the ground. And you already know how this ends. You're living in it. Pensions are $143B in the hole, worst in the country and not close. You pay $6,285 a year in property taxes, double the $2,969 national average, for a city that's $1.15B in the red. The mayor called its finances "the point of no return." When you run things this badly, you sell what's left. They leased the parking meters for 75 years to Morgan Stanley and a sovereign wealth fund in Abu Dhabi. Took $1.15B and burned through it in two years. The investors already made it all back, with 58 years left to collect. Sold the Skyway. Sold the downtown garages. Every asset that made money, gone for one check. But a fixed property tax rate for a team that's been here 106 years? That's "propping up billionaires." Companies are leaving. Boeing for Virginia. Caterpillar for Texas. Citadel for Miami. In 2023 alone Illinois lost 56,000 people and $6B in income to other states. The ones who left earned a third more than the ones who moved in. Indiana didn't outbid anyone. AAA credit, 16 years straight. A $676M surplus. Fourth-lowest debt per person in the country. They just weren't a disaster. Illinois could have collected $53M a year. It chose zero. Ignore all the bad management but make sure to stick it to those evil, pesky billionaires.

I think this may be me…

The Kentucky General Assembly's 2026 Interim Period officially began today. Over the next six months, Kentucky senators and representatives will meet in committee, hear from stakeholders and subject-matter experts, examine issues facing the commonwealth and begin shaping policy proposals for consideration during the 2027 Regular Session. Interim committee meetings provide lawmakers with an opportunity to hear testimony from state agencies, industry leaders, advocacy organizations and members of the public while evaluating issues that may shape future legislation. The 2027 Regular Session is scheduled to begin Tuesday, Jan. 5. As an odd-numbered-year session, lawmakers will have 30 legislative days to consider legislation. The first Interim Joint Committee meetings are scheduled for tomorrow, June 2, with the Interim Joint Committee on Education meeting at 11 a.m., co-chaired by Sen. Steve West, followed by the Interim Joint Committee on Transportation at 1 p.m., co-chaired by Sen. Jimmy Higdon. Additional committee meetings are scheduled throughout the week, covering a broad range of topics including education, transportation, economic development, state government, public safety, health care and other issues important to Kentucky families and communities. Throughout the interim, Senate members will serve as co-chairs of the General Assembly's Interim Joint Committees. Senate co-chairs include: Sen. Jason Howell, Agriculture Sen. Chris McDaniel, Appropriations and Revenue Sen. Jared Carpenter, Banking and Insurance Sen. Phillip Wheeler, Economic Development and Workforce Investment Sen. Steve West, Education Sen. Danny Carroll, Families and Children Sen. Steve Meredith, Health Services Sen. Brandon Storm, Judiciary Sen. Julie Raque Adams, Licensing, Occupations and Administrative Regulations Sen. Mike Nemes, Local Government Sen. Brandon Smith, Natural Resources and Energy Sen. Mike Nemes, State Government Sen. Phillip Wheeler, Tourism, Small Business and Information Technology Sen. Jimmy Higdon, Transportation Sen. Matt Deneen, Veterans, Military Affairs and Public Protection To view materials such as information sheets, handouts and PowerPoint presentations compiled for lawmakers to review at committee meetings, click on the "Meeting Materials" tab on the right side of each committee's page on the legislative website, which is linked below. Meeting agendas are also posted on each committee page. In addition to Interim Joint Committees, several statutory committees and oversight bodies will continue meeting throughout the interim. Unlike Interim Joint Committees, these entities meet year-round and provide ongoing legislative oversight in key policy areas. Statutory committee and board co-chairs include: Sen. Steve West, Administrative Regulation Review Subcommittee Sen. Gary Boswell, Capital Planning Advisory Board Sen. Shelley Funke Frommeyer, Capital Projects and Bond Oversight Committee Sen. Amanda Mays Bledsoe, Commission on Race and Access to Opportunity Sen. Matt Deneen, Education Assessment and Accountability Review Subcommittee Sen. Donald Douglas, Government Contract Review Committee Sen. Gex Williams, Information Technology Oversight Committee Sen. Brandon Storm, Juvenile Justice Oversight Council Sen. Greg Elkins, Legislative Oversight and Investigations Committee Sen. Julie Raque Adams, Medicaid Oversight and Advisory Board Sen. Jimmy Higdon, Public Pension Oversight Board Sen. Jason Howell, Tobacco Settlement Agreement Fund Oversight Committee The interim period provides lawmakers an opportunity to take a deeper dive into policy issues, conduct oversight of state government, engage with Kentuckians and stakeholders and prepare legislation for future sessions. Constituents, stakeholders and members of the media can follow committee activity throughout the interim by attending meetings in Frankfort or watching live online through KET and the General Assembly's YouTube channel. Archived video of committee meetings is also available on both platforms. Links to livestreams and archived meetings are below. To share feedback on an issue with lawmakers, call the General Assembly's Message Line at 1-800-372-7181. Kentuckians with hearing loss can use Kentucky Relay by dialing 7-1-1. 📅 A link to the full 2026 Interim Calendar is in the thread below.

WALKOFF SAC FLY AND YOUR OLE ISS REBELS ARE HEADED TO THE SUPER REGIONALS!!!!

Hotty Toddy! HYDR

Congratulations Carter & to the class of 2026! Go do great things. @CarterWise8

100 days…let the countdown begin.

Many people ask me ‘what is yacht rock’….here’s your bingo card

Celebrating 25 years! Would not & could not be able to make it through life’s journey without my beautiful wife, Heather Wise. Love you! Cheers! @heatherhoodwise

Final Senior Sunday! Carter will head off to Ole Miss this Fall. I never expected to have sent two children off to Oxford, MS, when they were children, but if you know you know. We look forward to 4 more years in Oxford, the Grove & the Sip! HYDR! Hotty Toddy! @hydr_olemiss @OleMiss

RIP…an artist & song that spawned generations to ‘get down’…especially the 13 year old version of myself.

From the 1st day to the last day of school with HS graduation looming in days. @CarterWise8