What, Williams worry?

This from C-J: Cartoon by Marc Murphy:

What a novel idea: Governors shouldn't get involved in partisan politics.

It's also one of the silliest claims any politician ever tried to sell.

Shrugging off the prospect of another $300 million in cuts, in a state budget that already fails to meet basic needs, Senate President David Williams airily says he and his Republican caucus are "not inclined to raise any taxes."

That is, they're not inclined to do anything about layoffs in school districts around the state, endless tuition hikes at state campuses, cuts in social services for especially vulnerable citizens, standing-room-only head count in corrections facilities -- the slow but steady degradation of state government's ability to serve the people of Kentucky.

Mr. Williams can do this because a legislature run by country mice is willing to live off the big city money it gets to redistribute. He can do it because Yokeldom is content with things as they are -- no need to invest responsibly in the future of the state or its kids.

But Mr. Williams goes beyond lazy, unimaginative acceptance of the status quo. He even lambastes Democratic Gov. Steve Beshear for trying to elect Democratic state senators who share the Democratic state administration's desire for something better. The Senate GOP caucus chief denounces a Democrat's attempt to elect Democrats as a "fist in our face."

Good grief. Next Burger King will snivel that McDonald's insists on selling Big Macs.

Perhaps Mr. Williams refuses to read anything that might disturb his "don't-give-me-no-bad-news" tranquility. If so, he doesn't know about the 400 teachers who were supposed to start their mandatory Kentucky Teacher Internship training in January, but who will have to wait until next school year because of state cuts. And that's just one upshot of the GOP Senate's refusal to raise necessary funds.

It's Senate Republicans who are jamming a fist in the face, of Kentucky families.