Top Stories
Saturday, November 11, 2023
Governor Asa Hutchinson Speaks the Truth
Trump will likely be found guilty of a felony offense... As a party we must support the rule of law and speak the truth!
Top Stories
Friday, November 10, 2023
Run Joe Manchin, Run!
Currently, the Senate is split 51 Democrat and 49 Republican. A one seat flip would make the Vice President the one to break a tie in an evenly divided Senate. Should the next president be Donald Trump, that would mean the Senate would be controlled by Republicans. Even if Joe Biden should be elected, with an evenly split Senate, it would be easier to thwart a Biden agenda. Also, however, there are a couple other states were flawed Republicans lost to Democrats in Senate races and those seats may very well be recaptured by Republicans. It is highly likely that Republicans will retake the Senate. A Republican taking West Virginia's seat makes it more likely.
The other reason that I am pleased to see Joe Manchin announce that he is not seeking reelection is that this may mean he will run for President as a third-party candidate. He has been active with the No Labels movement and there is speculation that he may run as that party's candidate, if the No Labels movement becomes a political party and runs a candidate. With the election just a year away, I don't know if there is time for a third party to get on the ballot in all fifty states but it there is sufficient time, I think a third-party candidate could be viable this time. I know it has been unsuccessfully tried before. We have had failed third-party attempts in recent history with Ross Perrot in 1992 who garnered 19% of the vote, Ron Paul in 2008 who got an insignificant 0.3%, and Ralph Nader in 2007 who got 2.7%. This time feels different.
Polls show that the race between Donald Trump and Joe Biden are almost evenly split. Trump, however, is leading in critical battleground states, and it appears that if the race were held today, Trump would win. However, polls also show that people do not want a Trump-Biden rematch. An NPR-Marist poll found that 65% of voters don’t want Biden to be president again and 60% feel the same about Trump. About 1 in 6 voters or 14% don’t want either candidate to win.
A majority of Democrats (68%), Republicans (57%) and Independents (78%) in a recent Harvard-Harris poll said they wanted “another choice” beside Biden or Trump. Another poll found that 49% of Americans would consider voting for a third-party presidential candidate if the 2024 election is a Trump-Biden rematch. That is phenomenal! Yet, Biden has no challenger in the Democrat Party and the Republicans attempting to challenge Trump are not gaining traction. The time is ripe for a third-party challenger.
I like Joe Manchin. Should he run as a third-party candidate, I would have to look more closely before saying for certain that I would vote for him. It would depend on the platform of the party and who was the VP candidate. However, if he were to announce, my vote would be his to lose. It will be a cold day in hell, before I will ever vote for Donald Trump. I think he is a narcissistic, bully, want-to-be dictator. If the race is between Donald Trump and Joe Biden, I may not vote, may write in my own name, may vote for a minor third party, or may even vote for Joe Biden. I do not see any circumstances that could cause me to vote for Donald Trump. I would like to have someone to vote for. It could me Joe Manchin. I hope he runs.
Top Stories
Tennessee lawmaker preparing for statewide K-12 ESA voucher program
White first told The Tennessean of the plan last week. White told The Center Square it “will be a tough hill to climb” and wanted to put the topic out in the open to “continue to have the conversation” on heading in the direction of statewide ESAs to give more parental choice in education.
Last year, a pilot program for ESAs pushed by Gov. Bill Lee and sponsored by White began while the legislature added Hamilton County to the ESA pilot program but Knox County was removed in conference committee between the House and Senate.
White said he expects legislation to be filed, introduced and discussed in committee early in the upcoming session starting in January but the legislation will likely need the entirety of the session to reach its finally, passable form. He said that he does not want to create an unfair playing field where private schools are able to just choose the best students.
White expects to speak with the Lee Administration on the bill and doesn’t believe there will be difficulty finding a Senate sponsor but one has not been designated.
White said it is a misnomer to think that the proposal would be an attack on public education after a bill he sponsored increased public-school funding in the state by $1 billion through the new Tennessee Investment in Student Achievement funding formula.
Instead, he sees a statewide ESA as a way to give parents more educational choice instead of a one-size-fits all approach to education, allowing the ESA to be used at charter, private or home schools.
“[Parents are] locked into a school that is not serving their child,” White said. “Being from Memphis, I know quite a few of those.”
Americans for Prosperity in Tennessee plans to continue to advocate for the statewide ESAs, State Director Tori Venable said.
The group currently has 75 part-time canvassers across the state to knock on doors and ask potential voters questions about everything from the presidential election to the economy and inflation while leaving behind a survey on school choice.
The group plans to increase to 100 in the coming months, meaning they can knock on 200,000 doors of potential voters every two or three months to speak about the ESAs, educational freedom and state policy issues, Venable said. She called statewide ESAs the group's largest objective in the coming year.
Venable said it’s key the program is ESAs and not vouchers because ESA funding goes to parents instead of directly from the state to a private school or elsewhere and that breaks the “governmental strings attached” and allows home schoolers to have access to the funding.
Venable said the potential bill could help rural students by funding students attending micro schools and home school co-ops that would give more educational options to even those outside of population centers. She said Tennessee is now an outlier among neighboring states, including Democrat-led North Carolina, in not having universal ESAs.
She believes the statewide ESA proposal will be a separate program from the current pilot ESA that is funded through TISA funding allocated to each student. The initial proposal will likely have a statewide cap on the number of students who can be accepted but that cap will likely ultimately be removed in future school years.
Top Stories
.png)
Governor Lee sued over racial-based oversight board member requirement
 |
| Gov. Bill Lee |
The Pacific Legal Foundation filed the lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Nashville after a Tennessee resident and Do No Harm member has not been placed on the Board of Podiatric Medical Examiners because he was not a racial minority.
Two positions on the six-member board became open in June and one of the spots being vacated includes the only board member who is a racial minority.
The lawsuit says Lee has not made board appointments despite there being no shortage of qualified candidates. The 1988 law requires the governor to strive to have one member of each of his advisory boards be 60 years of age or older and one member that is a racial minority.
“Tennessee law forces governor after governor to engage in racial discrimination when making appointments to state boards and commissions,” Laura D’Agostino, an attorney with Pacific Legal Foundation, said in a statement. “Using race to make appointments to government boards is not only demeaning and unconstitutional, but it undermines the distinctive spirit of the Volunteer State by precluding opportunities for Tennesseans to serve their local communities.”
A report titled Public Service Denied shows Tennessee is one of 25 states that have the racial board requirement.
“State medical boards are given important responsibilities to oversee the quality of care in their state and the safety of patients. It is crucial that they be the most qualified physicians available. Like all aspects of healthcare, patient safety and patient concerns should be primary, not the skin color or the racial makeup of any oversight committee,” Do No Harm board chair Stanley Goldfarb, said in a statement.
Top Stories
Wednesday, November 08, 2023
Release the full manifesto of the Covenant School shooter.
by Rod Williams, Nov. 8, 2023- By now, anyone reading this is already aware of the leaking of a portion of the Covent School shooter's manifesto. What was leaked were three pages of what is reported to be 20 journals. The journals are said to be full of hatred for white people, and people of an above average socio-economic status. Here is a quote from the leaked pages:
"Kill those kids!!! Those Crackers going to fancy private schools with those fancy khakis and sports backpacks with their daddies mustangs and convertables… f*-you little s*ts I wish to shoot you… wanna kill all you little crackers !!!"
This leak confirms the motive of the shooter. There had been reports from people who had seen the journals that the motive was clear and that this was a hate crime. However, the head of the TBI had said that the journals were less a manifesto than just ramblings of a crazy person and indicated no clear motive for the shootings. Others say what was released was selective and that the shooter simply hated almost everyone.
There has been controversy over the release of the manifesto. The police chief claims he can't release them because the release of the documents is held up in court. This is apparently not true. The Covenant families had simply asked that the manifesto not be released until after the end of the school year, which ended on June 8th.
In my view the full cache should be released. I think there is a motive in fighting release. Audrey Hale, the shooter, was a female who identified as male. I suspect that the politically correct do not want people to see transgenderism as a mental illness. They want to normalize gender dysphoria. The more people talk about this tragedy, the more they are likely to examine the link between gender dysphoria and mental illness. I do not know if Hale was on hormone treatment or not, but if more light is shed on this case, we may learn that, and people may begin to question if hormone treatment contributes to mental illness. I don't know if it does or not, but the questions should be asked. 
I also suspect that this shooting does not otherwise fit the narrative of modern liberal sensibilities. The victims of hate are supposed to be the marginalized, the less powerful, and the outcast of society. The privileged are not supposed to be victims of hate. It is only supposed to flow one way. If the shooter had been a White, male, middle-class, Christian shooting up a Black or gay nightclub, there would be a clammer to release the hate-filled journals of the shooter.
I don't doubt that the Covenant parents are grieving and will find continued attention to the shooting painful. I am sure this is true for the victims of families in any case of a horrendous crime. I would suspect that movies about the Holocaust are painful for the families of those who lost loved ones. That does not justify banning movies about it. The pain to the victims caused by reporting the details of the crime does not take precedence over freedom of the press and the public's right to know. Several groups, including The Tennessean newspaper have sued the city for refusing to release the documents. I hope they win. The full manifesto should be released.
For more on this recent development, I recommend, TBI Chief Said Covenant Shooter’s Manifesto Showed No Clear Motive, Alleged Leaked Pages Show Otherwise published in The Conservative. Also, see link, link, and link.
Top Stories
Sunday, November 05, 2023
Is Metro getting the best deal possible for the Fairground Speedway?
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — The head of Bristol Motor Speedway plans to bring back a proposal that
would expand and upgrade the racetrack at the Nashville Fairgrounds and bring NASCAR Cup races to Music City.
Under the proposal - Metro would issue bonds to help cover the cost of the project and taxpayers would be responsible if revenue from the racetrack does not cover the cost of the bonds.
... Wilson County issued $26 million in bonds to pay for infrastructure like sewer lines to the remote speedway. However, the county required the developer to protect taxpayers by putting up a letter of credit. ... "It's a big deal to have. It keeps taxpayers free and clear of any debt that they should not be incurring," Hutto said. ... The Nashville Fairgrounds deal that stalled this summer, allows Bristol Motor Speedway to lease the old Fairgrounds racetrack for 30 years and then use bonds to expand and upgrade the facility so it can host NASCAR Cup races. If revenue from the track does not cover those bond payments, taxpayers must make up the shortfall. (Note that there are significant differences between the two deals as explained in the article. Read it all at this link.)
Top Stories
Tennessee is a top five "Sunshine State."
Truth in Accounting ranks Tennessee 5th best state for Financial Health.
by Rod Williams, Nov. 5, 2023- Truth in Accounting has releases its fourteenth annual Financial State of the States report, a comprehensive analysis of the fiscal health of all 50 states based on fiscal year 2022 annual comprehensive financial reports, the latest available data.
Truth in Accounting is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, nonpartisan organization composed of business, community, and academic leaders interested in improving government financial reporting. TIA makes no policy recommendations beyond improvements to budgeting and accounting practices that will enhance the public’s understanding of government finances.
Much of government accounting appears designed to mislead rather than illuminate. Often transparency is lacking. Often governments hide liabilities. This is especially true of pension obligations. Truth in Accounting recommends FACT-based budgeting and accounting, which stands for full accrual calculations and techniques (FACT). FACT-based budgeting and accounting moves beyond cash-basis to provide more accurate and truthful budgeting and financial reporting documents. It is the gold standard in accounting.
The financial health of the various states varies widely. According to the report, at the end of fiscal year 2022, 28 states did not have enough money to pay all of their bills. TIC calls the states that lacked the necessary funds to pay their bills Sinkhole States, while those with enough money are referred to as Sunshine States. TIA highlights the top five sunshine states and the least financially bottom five states. This year, Tennessee made the grade as a top five Sunshine State.
The top five Sunshine states are:
1. Alaska
2. North Dakota
3. Wyoming
4. Utah
5. Tennessee
The Bottom five Sinkhole states are:
46. Hawaii47. Massachusetts48. Illinois49. Connecticut50. New Jersey
Below is the TIA report on Tennessee:
Top Stories
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
