Kentucky Approves Tax Breaks for Ark Park, Exemplifies What is Wrong With Governor’s Economic Strategy

This from the Lexington Herald-Leader:

“The centerpiece of the Ark Encounter park will be a 500-foot-by-75-foot wooden ark, which is billed as a replica of the biblical Noah’s Ark. The proposed project has garnered national and international attention, with critics questioning whether granting state tax incentives to the project would violate laws separating church and state.”

Two things. One, if Ark Encounter seeks to spread religion using theme park, that is A-OK with me and I’m glad they chose Kentucky as the place to do it. However, I’m not a fan of the government helping them do it, in this case by providing tax breaks specifically for the group building this “Ark Park.” It breaks the whole “separation of church and state” thing I’m fond of.

Two, this exemplifies Democrat Governor Steve Beshear’s failed economic strategy. Beshear loves to give tax breaks to potential employers in the state – but that’s about it. Opening up the state to all industries and putting them on an equal playing field in a competitive market (you know, capitalism) seems to be foreign to the Governor.

Furthermore, if the governor had done just that instead of treating the state government like it is the kingmaker when it comes to what businesses are acceptable in the state, Kentucky might not be dragged through the mud in the news cycle as the state that  has a government that supports an ark park with dinosaurs, etc. It makes us all look bad. But if we had a business environment where this “Ark Encounter” park could be built without the Beshear-blessed tax breaks, I’d be more than proud to tout the fact that Kentucky is capable of drawing in this business and, perhaps most importantly, jobs,