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With his gray hair, radiant smile, erect posture, suit coat and dress tie, he could have passed as an emissary sent by an official to deliver an important message.  I guessed he had something to say to me, something urgent it seemed. After briefly introducing himself, he quickly got to the point.

“You know what you are?”

I had a feeling I was about to find out.

As I sat in McDonald’s last week, in one of the seemingly rare moments I have that’s not in full-on rush mode, I noticed an old couple eating lunch—with what was presumably their grandson—at the next table down from me.

The kid was maybe eight or nine years old, undoubtedly off from yet another day of school.

This is where I would normally describe him in greater detail, but the only way I would have been of any help in that department was if he had committed a crime and was in a lineup.

 “Let’s not get anything for each other this Valentine’s,” Lori announced to me.  “We don’t have time to look, and besides, we need to save the money.”

But how do I know she means it?

A man can never be completely sure. Sometimes his Valentine’s underlying message is: “I really want to be wowed but want you to figure that out without me having to tell you because if I tell you it won’t be the surprise I’m totally expecting you to surprise me with.”

FRANKFORT – You wouldn’t buy a major product or service without knowing the cost, and the Kentucky General Assembly should ensure the same consideration for our local school districts.

This week, House Bill 154 was inaccurately presented as a transparency bill because a last-minute committee substitute added extra training for local school officials. Committed to government transparency, I have filed or cosponsored several bills to make government more accountable, but this bill is more complex than a simple transparency measure.