Kentucky Focus
Doing Good Work at Home & Age Limits in Politics
This organization has been doing good work in Kentucky for a long time, so long that many take for granted they're around. Also, are aging politicians out of touch with Americans? One of the youngest ever elected to office thinks so. This week in Kentucky Focus w/Scott Fitzgerald
- Duration:
- 29m
- Broadcast on:
- 28 Jul 2024
- Audio Format:
- mp3
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We cover state politics and history, human interest stories, sports, and even entertainment. It's Kentucky Focus on KNN. Hear that? That's the sound of your life, perfectly imperfect. Beating in rhythm to the world you've created, but every time you drive after drinking, music gets drowned out. Your life sounds pretty great, don't let a buzz ruin it. Buzz driving is drunk driving, don't drive buzzed, a message from Knits in the Ad Council. Get hurt in the game, we tough it out, feel exhausted, we push on, feeling down. We pull ourselves up by the bootstraps, but there are times when bootstraps aren't enough. When stress gets to us and we need to talk to someone about what we're really going through, so we're going to reach out. Because sometimes, mental health is not a one-person job. Is it loveyourmindtoday.org, that's loveyourmindtoday.org brought to you by the Huntsman Mental Health Institute and the Ad Council. Welcome to Kentucky Focus, I'm Scott Fitzgerald. The Catholic Church has a long history of serving the Commonwealth of Kentucky. A big part of that organization is of course, Catholic Charities. And while they've been around for a long time, they are reintroducing themselves to the community. Joining us is Neil Sullivan. Greetings, Neil. Thanks for taking time, so what is Catholic Charities? Catholic Charities of Louisville, it's a non-profit social service arm of the Archdiocese of Louisville. And for those of you out there who don't know what the Archdiocese is, it's kind of the major organization of the Catholic Church. We cover 24 counties throughout Central Kentucky. So the Archdiocese ranges from Indiana all the way down to the Tennessee border. So think of Catholic Charities as the church at work in our community. And our mission is to really fight to uphold and enhance the dignity of the human person regardless of faith. So we work with everybody of all faiths, this is not a Catholic thing. All we know you is the local Catholic Charities, Neil, you are a much bigger organization, correct? Catholic Charities is part of Catholic Charities USA, which is a network of 168 agencies across the country. And recently they've just launched a marketing campaign called We Are There. And you can find information at wearethere.us. We're spending a few minutes with Neil Sullivan. He is with Catholic Charities here in the Commonwealth and they're working to reintroduce themselves in what they've been doing for quite a while in our community. Neil, a big part of Catholic Charities involves international communities, correct? Yeah, we sure do. Our refugee and migration services organization or department within Catholic Charities is one of our largest. And the way we look at it, basically nobody wants to be a refugee. If they have their brothers, they'd rather be back in their home country with their family, with their village. They become refugees because of persecution or war or drought or genocide. So what we do is meet them where they are. So Catholic Charities USA and Catholic Charities of Louisville has an arrangement with the federal government in which we are sanctioned to welcome refugees once they come off the plane. Every refugee that comes to us has come through the proper channels. They may have been in a refugee camp for 10 years. And when they come off that plane in Landon Louisville, which is a welcoming city, Catholic Charities is there to meet them literally at the airport. And then for the first 90 days, you know, we set them up with housing, food, help them with transportation, how to ride a bus line. We teach English as a second language. So we just welcome them to Louisville and get them on their way and get them resettable. We fight for the human dignity of the person. When we welcome people here, we see them as people, not as labels. And we say, welcome, you're one of God's children, and we're here to help. What can we do to help you? Neil Sullivan is with us. He's with Catholic Charities as the long time local organization is reaching out to reintroduce themselves and let others know about the good work they do here at home. Neil, talk about some of the other things Catholic Charities does. Last I looked, the poverty rate of Kentucky is 16 and a half percent. That's the sixth worst poverty rate in the entire United States. Mississippi is 19 percent. They're the worst. So 16 percent, 19 percent. That's not too far apart. So we have some real challenges on our hands just right here at home. This poverty leads to a lot of things like food insecurity and housing instability. We talked about refugees. These people are right here among us and our mission to uphold the dignity of these people. We've developed nine programs that attack, you know, some of the most significant social challenges that we face right here at home. When the poverty rate is that high, you can't feed your family, your car breaks down. All of a sudden you become vulnerable. We have a program called the Bakeda Empowerment Initiative, which helps survivors of human trafficking. You hear human trafficking and you think, you cringe a little bit. Just being totally honest, it's like, oh my gosh, I'm terrible. Well, these are regular people who have become extremely vulnerable to get in a situation where they owe people money and they can't get out without labor trafficking. So that's an example of one of our programs, but they also offer housing stability services. I mean, people were just one paycheck away or one problem away maybe from being out on the streets. So we step in and help people at their time of need, not as a handout, but to help them get through a little bit of a mini crisis. And then we coach them up in developing skills that allow them to move forward with confidence and skill set. A big story in the news lately, of course, has been the rising cost of groceries. And I know it's become harder and harder for families with a somewhat stable income to afford groceries. I can only imagine what it's like for families that are struggling. Neil, you have a food pantry based in Louisville that I can only come to think has been in high demand and will continue to be in demand. Can you talk about that? It's always in big demand. We're sorry to say that a lot of these problems are very persistent, you know, relentless problems require relentless health. The Sister Visitor Center is our food pantry in the West End, as I mentioned. Yes, we help people in the West End who are facing food insecurity, but I also mentioned at the top that we always are fighting for the dignity of the human person. So what's different and unique about Sister Visitor Center, it's referred to as the pantry of choice. And what that means is that our clients schedule time to come into the pantry, which is set up like a grocery store. So you come in, you get your shopping cart, you're out of your shopping list, and you go from aisle to aisle and pick up things that you need for your family. And we have volunteers who help shop alongside the person who's shopping if they have need or questions about what's this ingredient for or recipes or what's healthy and what's not healthy. This notion of a choice pantry is very much about building and sustaining dignity of the person. They get to pick the cereal for their kids. They know what the dinner is planned for the week. It's not as if they're handed a bag and say, thank you very much. So we just think that's very, very important. Joining us is Neil Sullivan with Catholic Charities, which are a staple of course here in the Commonwealth and continue to do great work. As you heard, Neil mentioned they rely on volunteers looking to do good themselves. Neil, along those lines, what type of people are you looking for and how can they get involved? Yeah. Well, thanks, Scott. What we're looking for, let me start with that. We're looking for people with a big heart. They have to feel it. They want to do good for other people. So when they come to us, we have plenty of good things for them to do. If they visit our website at cclu.org, you'll see a drop-down menu for volunteer opportunities. And pretty much every one of our nine programs has a very good and strong opportunity to get involved. We need youth mentors for our refugees, English as a second language, teachers. Common Earth Gardens is a program of ours, which is very big on urban gardening. We're always looking for people to help maintain the grounds and the gardens. It sounds like a gardening club, but it's a food insecurity club. So these gardens are located in areas where there are food deserts. This helps families eat healthy and maintain a healthy lifestyle to the degree possible in a very affordable way. We have another really important program. It's called Long-Term Care Budsman. We advocate for the residents of long-term care facilities. The obvious clients of a long-term care facility would be the elderly, but they're also younger people who may have had a brain injury. But these people need help and live in a long-term care facility. And to be a trained budsman, there is I think 40 hours of training that goes into that. But we also have something that wants to go visit. We have friendly visitors volunteer opportunity. So we want people to go and just be with people living in long-term care facilities that might be very alone and might not have other people checking in on them. We have volunteer opportunities for everything from an individual who has some free time on a Saturday to corporations that have large groups that are looking for team-building. So we have something for everybody. And then Scott, I'd also like to mention and reinforce that we are part of Catholic Charities USA. And I think that's significant because Catholic Charities USA has 168 agencies across the country. We collectively serve 15 million people last year and served over 30 million meals. And we have a network of 215,000 volunteers nationally. So we have needs for financial and volunteer resources here locally, both from Louisville and Central Kentucky Power Archdiocese. But we also have the support, information sharing with other agencies around the country that help our programs be absolutely world-class. So if folks are listening and maybe they know someone who lives in another community, in other diocese and they think they would be a good fit for something, they can reach out to that local Catholic Charities organization. Absolutely. And you can find a directory of the 168 agencies by going to wearethere.us. We are there.us. Neil, this has been very insightful. Thank you for taking time to talk to us. I appreciate you and everybody there are Catholic Charities. Scott, thanks for having me and thanks to all your listeners who are listening to the story and want to get involved. He is Neil Sullivan with Catholic Charities and again, if you'd like to get involved here in Kentucky or anywhere else, simply log on to catholiccharitiesusa.org. Coming up after a series of public setbacks, President Biden steps down from his reelection bid is age becoming an issue in politics. I'm Scott Fitzgerald and you're listening to Kentucky Focus. I'm Scarlett Johansson, my family relied on public assistance to help provide meals for us. These meals fueled my involvement in theatre and the arts as a child, which fostered my love for acting. The Feeding America Network of Food Banks helps millions of people put food on the table. You can join the movement to end hunger by donating, volunteering and advocating, because when people are fed, futures are nourished. Join the movement to end hunger at FeedingAmerica.org/actnow. Brought to you by Feeding America and the Ad Council. After a series of public missteps, President Joe Biden withdrew his name from another run at the White House, are our politicians losing touch with the voters and could it be contributed to age? Joining us to talk about this is Josh Lavisen, who in 2012 became the youngest elected official in New York State and the youngest Jewish elected official in the United States. Josh, thanks for taking time to join us. Did it surprise you when President Biden dropped out? You know, it's surprising in that I believe that the Biden team has completely messed up the past couple of months, right? The palace intrigue that has plagued the nation, the fact that Joe Biden was in up until the very moment that he was out. I was surprised at the process, but was I surprised that he dropped out? No. I will tell you not just the absolutely disastrous debate performance, but the fact that watching him over the past couple of months and even over the over the years, his ability to vigorously prosecute the case for a referendum on his administration, you know, for a meritorious argument about seeking another term, I do not believe he was at the top of his game. And so I was not surprised that it ended up with him dropping out. Josh Lavisen joins us to talk about age and politics. Again, as the youngest elected official in New York state, Josh is part of the next generation of American leadership that feels it may be time for age limits when it comes to our elected officials. In fact, according to Pew Research, in a survey conducted before President Biden stepped aside over half of those surveyed said they'd like to see both candidates replaced. One nearly 80 percent said it is time for age limits. Could this be seen Josh as a sign we're headed in the right direction? I think we're heading in the wrong direction. The economist came out with a study that said the United States of America has the oldest representatives in the developed world, right? In the United States, the representatives across government are older than anywhere else, you know, really in the free world. And what it shows is that government is not representative of every generation. It's representative of folks who either can afford, you know, the pay cut to run or who can afford to finance their campaigns. I will tell you Biden elected at 81, you know, will be the oldest president ever and he dropped out. And now Trump, if elected at 78, will also become the oldest president ever. And the majority of Americans are unhappy with the state of the race, right? As you mentioned, over half of voters would like to see both Trump and Biden replaced. And the argument I'll make is that four of the nation's founding fathers were in their twenties during the constitutional convention. And it's why I'm calling for a constitutional amendment to enact age limits, 75 for Congress, 80 for the presidency. And if age limits are already in place for jobs of far lesser consequence than president, right? 70 to be a judge in New York, 65 for pilots, 61 air traffic controllers, 57 FBI special agents, if all of these jobs have established age maximums, the president of the United States, the leader of the free world, the most important and demanding job on the globe, absolutely should be subject to an age limit. Again, we're talking to former New York legislator, Josh Laphison, who in 2012 became the youngest elected official in New York state. We're talking about age limits on politicians. A hot button issue after president Biden withdrew his reelection bid amid several public miscues. Josh, you mentioned age limits for other professions in the United States, not trying to sound insensitive here, but you have politicians like Chuck Grassley, who are 90 years old. It does make it difficult to think he's got a handle on what a mostly younger population expects of those making decisions for them. It's outrageous, right? Yeah. And I will tell you, you know, having served in office for over a decade, my constituents who were senior citizens were most adamant that folks in government were too old and that they wanted fresh ideas and a new generation of leaders. So this is not ageist, you know, quite frankly, it's the opposite. The founding fathers had the prescient vision to decide that you needed a certain level of life experience in order to serve. So they said 25 for the House, 30 for the Senate and 35 for the presidency. So I absolutely agree that there is a floor, right? There is a minimum age in which somebody needs a certain amount of life experience and the certain amount, you know, of circumspection and of understanding of the world in order to serve in that same vein. You know, there comes a time where Chuck Grassley and some folks have been in the Senate longer than I've been alive. Right. And at that point, you know, because I believe in term limits and we don't have term limits, at some point there has to be an honest conversation that the United States Congress, the most important governing body in the history of the planet in which we live on, the most consequential democratic bastion in the world today is not able to keep up with the urgency and the vigor in which we need them to. And I will tell you, the proof is in the pudding. The last Congress was the least productive Congress in the history of the Republic. They passed 34 bills, most of which were renaming of a local post office. At that point, how can we not have an honest conversation and say, you know, quite frankly, with incredulity that the Congress is now working for us and something needs to change. As one of the youngest lawmakers elected to office, Josh, what are some of the issues a younger generation faces in 2024? Young people are outraged at the level of urgency that our elected officials seem to have, right? Our generation, which is the largest generation in the history of the country, were the most underrepresented. And so when you look at issues facing young people, right? The high cost of housing, college affordability, climate and the environment, ending the scourge of gun violence, you know, of course, inflation, you know, young people are looking at our government on both sides and saying, you know, why isn't there more urgency? Why isn't there a more comprehensive plan to help young people flourish in this country? And contrarily, we see a government racking up record amount of debt. It is no secret that it's our generation that's going to have to pay back the interest on that debt in the principal. And so young young people are saying, we have a government that doesn't seem to be working for us, and it's no wonder why there is an all-time high in terms of the level of dissatisfaction in government. And it's why I'm such a staunch proponent of government reforms like term limits. Congress has a single digit, less than 10% approval rating. Get over 90% of incumbents get reelected. And, you know, the analogy I make is that if you ran a business and only 9% of your customers approved of customer service and you retained 9 out of 10 employees, you know, quite frankly, you would look inward and say something is wrong here. But the same analogy for Congress, we continue to put back the very people that are not delivering results for us. So young people are outraged, and it's why they're looking for someone, anyone who can deliver results, you know, for the issues that are most consequential for us. Josh Lavison is one of the youngest people to ever be elected to office, and he's joining us as he's calling for new age limits on politicians. Josh, let me ask you, are we in a culture, chef? I think so. And, you know, I was laughing with some friends the other day. The last 10 days have been a cultural shift, right? We're living through an important chapter in American history, right? In the span of 10 days, we had a former president shot and back on the campaign trail. Current president, seed the nomination, a current vice president, step up to claim the nomination, right? You know, we're living through history. So in terms of, you know, how fast time is moving, I think it's unprecedented. I think we are living in a cultural shift in that I think there is a uniform agreement for the first time in a long time that our government is not responsive to the needs of the people and that our government elected officials are quite simply far too old to either be in touch with everyday Americans or to be able to vigorously prosecute, you know, the case for American exceptionalism across the globe and deliver change. So, so I do think we're in a cultural shift in that everyone seems to be unhappy, right? You went from 2008 with the election of President Obama, this younger transformer to figure, you know, fast forward, you know, you know, almost 50 to 15, 20 years and there seems to be complete dissatisfaction with both candidates. I would note that both Kamala Harris and Donald Trump have high unfavorable ratings, 55.5% view Harris unfavorably, 53.7% view Trump unfavorably. So I think the cultural shift revolves around this notion that people aren't unhappy with any of the choices we have and they're looking for anybody, somebody, you know, who can deliver change and be a defining voice in our politics. Last question for you, Josh, are there viable candidates out there now for younger voters? I think so. The selection of JD Vance was a play, in my opinion, by the Republicans to target the younger demographic. This is somebody who at 39 is a member of the next generation. This is somebody who served in the Iraq war and talks about getting America out of these forever wars, you know, which is popular among young people, somebody who worked in technology and can speak about tech to a younger generation. So I believe that the selection of Kamala Harris, you know, targeting specifically a younger nominee, I think in this election, it's going to be the vice presidential candidates who can go out and make the case for relatability among young people. So I will say the youth vote is up for grabs in this election. Going forward, you know, there are, of course, names, names to look at, I think, Governor Westmore of Maryland is a young and vibrant leader, of course, Josh Shapiro out of Pennsylvania, Secretary Buttigieg, of course, is a young and dynamic leader. So, you know, the Democrats have a deep bench of these young leaders and of course, on the right, you have younger leaders coming up in the Congress and the Senate who we'll see over, over the next couple of terms. So what I say is pay attention to the Congress because it looks like it's, auditions are open for 20, 28 as we speak. This is a question and a conversation, Josh, I've been wanting to have with somebody for a long time. So you're right on time, my friend. I appreciate you taking time to talk to us. If folks want to find out more about you and you mentioned a program, if you have a podcast or anything that folks would like to listen to, where can they go? Yeah, of course. JoshLafazan.com is my website and I will say I'm on TikTok, I'm on Instagram, I'm on Twitter. Please continue to follow my pages. You know, the Josh Lafazan show is coming soon. And most importantly, I look forward to being back on your program soon. Wonderful. Josh, thank you so much, my friend. Have yourself a great week and we will talk again soon for sure. Looking forward to it. Thanks again. You can bet this conversation is just starting and it will be around for a while. I'm Scott Fitzgerald, you're listening to Kentucky Focus. We're back to wrap things up after this. In sitcoms, when someone has a problem, they just blurted out and move on. Well, I lost my job and my parakeet is missing. How was your day? But the real world is different. Managing life's challenges can be overwhelming. So what do we do? We get support. The Huntsman Mental Health Institute and the Ad Council have mental health resources available for you at loveyourmindtoday.org. That's loveyourmindtoday.org. See how much further you can go when you take care of your mental health. Don't drive distracted, a message brought to you by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Project Yellowlight, and the Ad Council. That'll do it for this week's Kentucky Focus, a big thank you to Nate Sullivan with Catholic Charities for more information or if you want to know how you can help by volunteering your time and/or resources, simply visit catholiccharitiesusa.org or locally within the Louisville Area CC-L-O-U.org also thank you to Josh Labisen, one of the youngest elected officials in America who is calling for age limits on our elected officials. For more information, you can visit joshlabisen.com or find him on any social media outlet. For all of us here at Kentucky Focus and the Kentucky News Network, I'm Scott Fitzgerald. Thank you as always for taking time to tune in and telling you to make it a safe, happy week. We'll talk to you next time. 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