Jack Conway, a Democrat, is the presumptuous next governor of Kentucky. Although he tries to act like he cares about the environment, and even takes some money from The Sierra Club, he is really just a puppet for the coal industry. He wastes taxpayer money by suing the EPA, he brags about his close ties to the industry, and he has been repeatedly praised by higher ups at Big Coal. While it’s nothing new to see politicians that are heavily influenced by special interest groups, it’s alarming to see how one industry can have such far reaching influence. Especially when that industry revolves destructive harvesting methods, dangerous working conditions and pumping toxic fumes into the environment. As the world marches slowly toward the discovery of new energy sources, Kentucky appears content to hang on to the past as long as possible. It’s also striking that the only candidate in the race willing to think outside the box when it comes to coal, Independent Drew Curtis, trailed in a recent poll that asked voters to say which candidate they thought was the most honest. The reason? He hasn’t spent millions of TV ads that trump up how honest he is. The fact that these polls only seem to reach people who don’t have an internet connection is concerning. Anyone who is tech savvy or has a presence on social media would immediately recognize that Mr. Curtis is the only candidate with even a shred of honesty. So, we’re left with a state that will be run by a man with no morals who is beholden to one industry. This does not bode well for a state facing a major budget crisis, much like the situation I wrote about in Louisiana. As state after state tackles complex problems with the same tired, conventional thinking, it’s only a matter of time before people start leaving jobs and fleeing the state all together, which will only further depress the economy. I fear for our great nation unless we start electing smart, outside the box thinkers like Drew Curtis. As Albert Einstein said, “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”