Real evidence of intent

Some, even on the Democratic side, have argued that the Fletcher administration's abuses of the merit system in Kentucky were just part of a history of patronage. One poster on Dailykos even went so far as to call itabloated bureacracy where patronage is traditional. Well, the Herald Leader has a story in today's paper which seems to suggest that the Republicans weren't content to follow "tradition."

Gov. Ernie Fletcher's administration has quietly changed the state's merit system so it can fill thousands of rank-and-file jobs with anyone it prefers, rather than those ranked as the best qualified.

Read the whole thing here.