2010 Kentucky 6th U.S. Congressional District Race: Democratic Incumbent Ben Chandler vs. Republican Challenger Andy Barr (ContributorNetwork)

In Kentucky's 6th U.S. House District, incumbent Ben Chandler, a Democrat, is facing Republican challenger and relative political newcomer Andy Barr.

Candidates for Kentucky's 6th U.S. Congressional District (two-year term)

(Encompasses the cities of Lexington-Fayette, Winchester and Richmond. See a boundary map here.)

Candidate: Ben Chandler

Party: Democrat

Political experience: In February 2004, Chandler won a special election in Kentucky's 6th District. Chandler was elected to fill the seat being vacated by Ernie Fletcher, who defeated Chandler in the 2003 Kentucky gubernatorial election.

In the 2004 mid-term election, Chandler maintained his seat in the House of Representatives, defeating Republican challenger Tom Buford 59 percent to 40 percent.

According to his House of Representatives biography, Chandler was selected to serve on the House Committee on Appropriations in January 2007. Chandler also serves on the House Science and Technology Committee, established in 1957 after the Russian government launched the Sputnik satellite.

With 11 other congressional members, Chandler serves on the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, an organization that bridges the gap between the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the NATO member nations and their partners.

Chandler also is a member of the Blue Dog Coalition, a group of conservative Democrats in the House of Representatives. The coalition's expressed goal is to provide a unified voice for responsible spending and sound economic leadership.

Professional experience: After earning his juris doctor from the University of Kentucky College of Law, Chandler entered private legal practice. From 1991 to 1995, he served as Kentucky's state auditor and, in 1995, he was elected as Kentucky's Attorney General, a position he held until 2003.

Key Issues: Chandler takes a strong stand against crime, especially in terms of protecting children and seniors. Chandler also introduced legislation to expand Project Safe Neighborhoods, an initiative to reduce gun and gang-related crimes.

Chandler advocates renewable resources and green technologies as well as taking a responsible approach to burning coal and exploring for oil. As for illegal immigration, in 2006, Chandler voted for the Secure Fence Act, a measure intended to strengthen borders, build secure fences and increase surveillance.

Endorsements: Congressman Chandler has secured an endorsement for the League of Conservative Voters Action Fund (LCV) for his efforts to create a clean-energy economy.

Chances of maintaining his seat: Running for the fifth time in Kentucky's 6th U.S. Congressional District, Chandler has an excellent chance of maintaining his seat. His opponent, Andy Barr, was named as a member of the "Underfunded 20," a list GOP challengers who the "National Review" believes need all the financial help they can get.

In a Braun Research telephone survey of 508 likely voters conducted on Sept. 21 and 22, Chandler led Barr by about 14 points.

Candidate: Andy Barr

Party: Republican

Political experience: According to his campaign website, Andy served as the legislative assistant to U.S. Rep. Jim Talent (R-Mo.) from 1996 to 1998. He also served as deputy general counsel to former Gov. Ernie Fletcher, leaving politics for private legal practice when Fletcher was not re-elected in 2007.

Professional experience: Barr graduated from the University of Kentucky College of Law in 2001 and currently is an attorney with the law firm of Kinkead & Stilz, PLLC. Barr also teaches constitutional law at the University of Kentucky.

Key issues: Saying that "Congress should be focused like a laser on the economy and jobs," Barr advocates tax cuts for small-business owners and other entrepreneurs who hire new workers. He also is against tax breaks for companies that send American jobs overseas.

Barr takes an aggressive stance on national security, pushing for better defense against nuclear, chemical and biological attacks. On his campaign website, Barr speaks of creating a better ballistic missile defense system for the United States.

On the topic of terrorism, Barr is opposed to efforts to close Guantanamo Bay, saying that the "world's most dangerous terrorists are locked up at Guantanamo Bay, and that's where they should stay."

To reduce America's dependence on foreign oil, Barr favors more domestic energy production, with a focus on promoting Kentucky's coal industry. Barr also favors oil exploration in places like the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR).

Endorsements: Barr has secured an endorsement from the Political Action Committee of the Kentucky Right to Life Association.

Chances of unseating Ben Chandler: As a relative political novice, Barr faces some obstacles in his bid to unseat Chandler. During his time in Congress, Chandler earned seats on a few key committees, including the House Committee on Appropriations. Chandler also is seen as a conservative Democrat with a focus on responsible government spending.

Barr does take aggressive stands on several key issues, especially energy and defense, but voters may count his lack of practical experience against him.

Barr also served as deputy general counsel to former Gov. Fletcher, who was indicted for attempting to give jobs to his supporters. Although not implicated in the hiring scandal, voters in Kentucky's 6th Congressional District may hold Barr's association with Fletcher against him.

Key Differences between Ben Chandler and Andy Barr

Chandler describes himself as a supporter of abortion rights while Barr has been named the pro-life candidate by the Kentucky Right to Life Association.

Chandler is a strong advocate for the environment, opposing then-President George W. Bush's 2006 efforts to sell off portions of the national forests.

On his campaign website, Barr says he is opposed to Environmental Protection Agency's "undue interference" with surface mining permits in the Appalachian coal basin. Barr also advocates "appropriate exploration" for oil, even in protected areas such as the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

Kentucky's 6th U.S. Congressional District

Location: Located in the Northeastern corner of the state, the 6th District contains Frankfort, Kentucky's state capital.

2008 Results: Chandler defeated Republican challenger Jon Larson 64.7 percent to 35.3 percent.

Demographics: The 2006-2008 American Community Survey (ACS) categorizes the 732, 909 residents of Kentucky's 6th U.S. Congressional District as follows: 74.3 percent white, 12.3 percent black, 0.8 percent American Indian or Alaska native, 4.4 percent Asian, 0.1 percent native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander.

According to the Cook Partisan Voting Index, Kentucky's 6th District is classified R+9, which indicates a strong Republican lean in this district.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/democrats/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ac/20111206/us_ac/6882932_2010_kentucky_6th_us_congressional_district_race_democratic_incumbent_ben_chandler_vs_republican_challenger_andy_barr

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More Children Using Preventive Asthma Drugs: Study (HealthDay)

MONDAY, Dec. 5 (HealthDay News) -- About one in three children with asthma is currently using a preventive medication, according to new research. That number is up from about 18 percent of kids during the late 1980s.

Preventive asthma medications help control the airway disease before symptoms flare up, and guidelines from the U.S. National Asthma Education and Prevention Program recommend their use.

"The main finding from our study was that over 20 years, the use of medicines to prevent asthma has increased among children with asthma," said the study's lead author, Dr. Brian Kit, a medical epidemiologist at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Health Statistics.

Commenting on the study, Dr. Shean Aujla, a pediatric pulmonologist at the Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, said, "I think it's encouraging that there's been an increase in the use of preventive medications, but it's still only about one-third of kids with asthma using these drugs. I still think there's underdiagnosis and undertreatment of asthma."

Results of the study were released online Dec. 5, and will be published in the January 2012 issue of Pediatrics.

Preventive medications for asthma include inhaled corticosteroids, such as Pulmicort (budesonide) and Flovent (fluticasone); leukotriene-receptor antagonists, such as Singulair and Accolate; long-acting beta agonists, such as Serevent and Foradil; mast-cell stabilizers, such as Intal; and methylxanthines, such as Theo-Dur, according to the study.

Not everyone with asthma needs to take a daily preventive medication, Aujla noted. For example, youngsters with exercise-induced asthma often don't need to take a medication every day, just when they might have symptoms. But, many children with asthma can benefit from daily preventive medications, she said.

For the study, Kit and his colleagues used data from the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. They used information collected during three time periods: 1988 to 1994, 1999 to 2002 and 2005 to 2008.

The survey included data from nearly 2,500 children from across the United States, who were between the ages of 1 and 19 years. All of these children reported having asthma currently.

During 1988 to 1994, about 18 percent of children and teens with asthma used a preventive medication. By 1999 to 2002, that number had risen to 21 percent, and by 2005 to 2008, nearly 35 percent of children and teens were using a preventive asthma medication.

The researchers found that preteens and teenagers had the lowest use of preventive medications. In 2005 to 2008, about 43 percent of kids between the ages of 1 and 5 years old used preventive drugs. In kids from 6 to 11 years old, about 45 percent used a preventive medication. But, in 12 to 19 year olds, the use of preventive medication dropped to less than 25 percent.

"Teens may be 'under-perceivers.' They may have severe asthma, but if they can still do activities, they may not report it. And, while families may think their teen is responsible enough to take care of their medications, they're often not," Aujla said.

She said she tells the parents of her patients to be sure they watch their teen taking his or her preventive medications to be sure it's getting done. She added that it's especially important to do this even in times of good control, because that's often when kids may get more lax about using their medications.

Kit's study also found that black children and Mexican American children were significantly less likely to use preventive medications for asthma, as were uninsured people.

Aujla said part of it may be the cost of these medications, or it could be a lack of access to health care. She also said that trust may be an issue in the minority population. And, that's especially concerning because blacks have higher rates of asthma, have more severe asthma and are more likely to die from asthma, she said.

Kit said the take-away message from this study is that parents should discuss their child's asthma symptoms with their child's doctor to make sure he or she is on the right medication.

More information

Learn more about asthma medications from the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/parenting/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/hsn/20111206/hl_hsn/morechildrenusingpreventiveasthmadrugsstudy

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Yarmuth gets new communications director : Bluegrass Politics

U.S. Rep. John Yarmuth, D-Louisville, has hired Stephen George as his new communications director.

George, who previously worked for Yarmuth as a staff writer at LEO Weekly in Louisville, will replace Trey Pollard, who has accepted a press position with the national Sierra Club in Washington to focus on media strategy for the organization?s conservation campaigns.

George?s first day with Yarmuth in Washington will be Dec. 12. George also has worked as editor of the Nashville City Paper and wrote about government for the Nashville Scene.

He recently was press secretary for U.S. Rep. Jim Cooper of Tennessee.

?Jack Brammer

Source: http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/2011/12/05/yarmuth-gets-new-communications-director/

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