Gov. Bill Haslam May Seek Bob Corker's Senate Seat
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Friday, September 29, 2017
Congress should fund Community Health Centers
Funding is running out for community health centers and without action by Saturday about 2800 community health centers would close across the country and eliminate access to about 9 million patients. Altogether, community health centers serve about 27 million people and about 70% of the funding comes from Congress. (link) It is anticipated that the funding will pass and it should. Bitterness over other health care policy and partisanship should not endanger this safety net.
Unless one works in the non-profit sector or has been without insurance themselves, they may not know about community health centers. For the homeless, the poor ineligible of medicaid (or prior to the Affordable Care Act for those who were denied insurance due to preexisting conditions), the safety net was community health centers. In the debate over health care, emergency rooms were often mentioned as the health care safety net for those without insurance and having worked with low-income people most of my life, I know that that is true. That is often true however because of poor decision making on the part of the poor rather than that being the only choice. Even when Tennessee had the generous Tenncare program that was bankrupting the State, many poor still went to emergency rooms instead of making doctors appointments.
In Nashville there are a variety of these free clinics. Some of them specialize in specific types of services and limited service such as clinics serving people with HIV or clinics serving children in a school setting, but some are like the Vine Hill Clinic that provides a full range of services. The clinic accepts Medicare, Medicaid (TennCare) and most private insurance is accepted but those without insurance are charged under a sliding scale model based on what they can afford. It is not free for everyone and clients are required to prove
financial need in order to receive
free services or services at a reduced cost. No one is denied service because they cannot afford it or do not have insurance. This center covers services such as checkups, treatment, pregnancy care, immunizations, child care,
prescription medicine, and mental and substance abuse treatment.
My view of health care is that we should institute reforms that provide a free market solution for most people, a subsidized high-risk pool for those with preexisting conditions but income to otherwise afford insurance, and community health clinics for everyone else. Unless we have a complete federal government take over of health care and end up with some sort of National Health Service, we will still need clinics like Vine Hill for those in need.
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CALL TO ACTION - FRIENDS OF THE FAIRGROUNDS!
There will be a public meeting on Thursday, October 5th at 6:00 pm at the Fairgrounds in the Creative Arts Building that will be VERY important to attend with your RED SHIRTS.
The
proposed 'Fair Park' and MLS Stadium - using approximately 45 acres of
the fairgrounds to provide seven (7) soccer fields, as well as
a professional soccer stadium which will use 10 acres - will change the
course of the fairgrounds and may possibly violate the Metro Charter and
impede the existing uses of the facility and ultimately result in the
demise of the existing uses: Flea Market, race track and State Fair.
Attending this meeting is imperative to listen to the proposal and voice your concerns about the park & stadium.
SaveourFairgrounds.org / FriendsoftheFairgrounds.org
615-305-7219
fotfairgroundstn@gmail.com
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Thursday, September 28, 2017
Tax Reform: Framework is Pro-America
More jobs, bigger paychecks, fairer taxes
| Diane Black |
This is a truly historic opportunity for our country. The current tax system – last updated 30 years ago – forces taxpayers to pay astronomical rates and fill out complicated, unnecessary forms. Americans deserve better. Our goal from the beginning was to create a simpler, fairer and flatter system, and I believe we have done just that. This framework lowers taxes so Americans can keep more of their paychecks and families can spend less time filing papers. It will allow our own families in Tennessee to plan for the future with certainty that their hard-earned money will stay in their pockets.The full framework can be found HERE, and a one page overview can be found HERE.
As a unified government, we worked with President Trump and the Senate to craft a framework benefitting every income level, especially the middle class. Our reform also delivers the lowest tax rates in modern history for businesses so job creators can provide bigger paychecks to their employees and incentivize hard work. By simplifying the system and getting the government out of the way of our free-market economy, America is made more competitive on an international scale and the potential for unprecedented job creation is unleashed. We believe this will be a catalyst for more jobs, bigger paychecks and fairer taxes – this framework is pro-America. Plain and simple.
Visit www.fairandsimple.gop for more information.
Congressman Diane Black represents Tennessee’s 6th
Congressional District. A nurse for more than 40 years, she serves as
Chairman of the House Budget Committee and a member of the Ways and
Means Committee.
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Wednesday, September 27, 2017
Who will replace Senator Bob Corker
While Andy Ogle was already an announced candidate for the U. S. Senate, now that Senator Corker has decided not to seek reelection we can expect other contenders to jump in the race. Speculation abounds about who may enter the race. Today's Tennessean gives a run down of the status of several being mentioned as candidates (link).
According to The Tennessean these are potential candidates and this is the status of their position on running for the office.
- Gov. Bill Haslam, Unclear.
- U.S. Rep. Diane Black, Out. She is running for governor.
- U.S. Rep. Marsha Blackburn, Undecided.
- Andy Ogles, In.
- State Sen. Mark Green, Undecided.
- Joe Carr, Undecided.
- Former U.S. Rep. Stephen Fincher, Unclear.
- Former Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey, Out.
- Lt. Gov. Randy McNally, Out.
- Dr. Manny Sethi, Undecided. Unknown to many, he is an orthopedic trauma surgeon at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
These potential candidates are running for governor and have said they are not candidates for the Senate seat: Beth Harwell, Randy Boyd, Bill Lee and former state Sen. Mae
Beavers.
These are a list of potential Democrats and their Status:
- Karl Dean, Out. He is running for Governor.
- Former Gov. Phil Bredesen, Out.
- James Mackler, In.
- Bill Freeman, Undecided.
- U.S. Rep. Jim Cooper, Out.
- Chattanooga Mayor Andy Berke, Unclear
- Nashville Mayor Megan Barry, Out
For the Nashville Post analysis of who may run and a little about who some of them are follow this link.
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Tuesday, September 26, 2017
Senator Corker to not seek reelection
 |
| Senator Bob Corker |
When I ran for the Senate in 2006, I told people that I couldn’t imagine serving for more than two terms. Understandably, as we have gained influence, that decision has become more difficult. But I have always been drawn to the citizen legislator model, and while I realize it is not for everyone, I believe with the kind of service I provide, it is the right one for me. I also believe the most important public service I have to offer our country could well occur over the next 15 months, and I want to be able to do that as thoughtfully and independently as I did the first 10 years and nine months of my Senate career.
Serving the people of Tennessee in this capacity has been the greatest privilege of my life. And as I spent the month of August traveling across our great state, I was reminded that we live in a unique place full of people who care deeply about the direction of our country. I am grateful to the people of Tennessee for the opportunity to serve my state and country. I have been fortunate to do so with an extraordinary staff, and I want to thank them for their incredible dedication. I know that we will continue to have an impact for the remainder of our term, and I look forward to finding other ways to make a difference in the future. Finally, I want to thank my wife, Elizabeth, and our family, who have made many sacrifices in allowing me to serve. Nothing I have done would have been possible without their love and support.
My Comment: I am disappointing to see Senator Corker reach this decision but I respect it. In my view, Senator Corker is one of the best men to ever have served in the U. S. Senate. He is smart and thoughtful and always has a mastery of the facts and is always well prepared. He is one who does his homework. I have watched him in committee meetings televised on CSPAN and he always makes the comments or ask the questions that I wish someone would say or ask.
Senator Corker was widely and unjustly criticized by some conservatives for his role in the Iran deal. Some have accused him of collaborating with President Obama in bringing about the Iran deal. That is simply not accurate. Since Iran sanctions were imposed by the UN and administrative action, the Obama administration could undo those sanctions by UN action and administrative action. The Iran deal did not have to be submitted to Congress as a treaty. Corker worked to at least give the Senate a chance to stop the deal. He tried with all his might to stop the Iran deal but could not get the votes to make that happen. Bombastic talk show host smeared and attacked Corker for his role in the Iran deal when he should have been honored as a hero for at least trying to stop it.
Senator Corker, thank you for your service and may God bless you.
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GOP Chairwoman McDaniel Stands Behind President Trump's Remarks On Standing During The National Anthem
GOP Press Release, Statement of CHAIRWOMAN MCDANIEL: I
think the President of the United States, the commander in chief, the
person who has to make the decisions as to whether we send our men and
women in harm's way, the person who sees the flag draped caskets when
they come back to this country has every right to say we should stand
for our flag and our national anthem. I can't think of any person who
takes that more seriously than the President of the United States and
he's done exactly the right thing and I think he speaks for a lot of
people across this country. He's not shutting down free speech, of
course not. There is free speech. People have the right to do whatever
they want from a free speech capacity. But I have the right and the
president has to right to say, I disagree with how you’re doing it. This
isn’t the right venue.
My Comment: I totally agree. I am 100% with President Trump in calling out those who dishonor our flag.
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Sign petition to let Vanco and other companies know not to trust SPLC’s list of “hate groups.”
From: petitions@citizengo.org
Dear Rodney,
Recently, Vanco
Payment Solutions—an online donation site by which many different
organizations use to accept donations—cut off services from a
Louisiana-based Christian group called the Ruth Institute. It did so
because the Ruth Institute was supposedly “flagged” for “being
affiliated with a product/service that promotes hate, violence,
harassment and/or abuse.” The sole evidence for the Ruth Institute’s
connection to hate? It appears on the Southern Poverty Law Center’s list
of “hate groups.”
As we recently reported however, the SPLC is a hyper partisan organization which unfairly smears mainstream conservative Christian groups. Sign here to let Vanco and other companies know not to trust SPLC’s list of “hate groups.”
Sign here: http://www.citizengo.org/en/node/88122
More and more
organizations are waking up to SPLC’s libelous attacks on Christians,
but there is still so much work to be done! Large corporations like
Apple and J.P. Morgan still donate to SPLC and media like CNN are still
citing SPLC as an authoritative source on hate groups.
It is true that SPLC lists some bona fide evil organizations like the KKK and neo-nazis on its list. But,
and this is a big “but,” the SPLC also claims that many Christian
groups are also so-called “hate groups” for nothing other than their
belief in the Bible! Take the Ruth Institute for example. It is a Catholic non-profit whose main goal is to protect children from broken and dysfunctional families! This group represents the opposite of hate: genuine love
for kids stuck in the negative side effects of the sexual revolution.
But, because the Catholic theology of the group does not approve of the
new liberal sexual orthodoxy, SPLC has listed it as “hateful.”
Of
course, that’s bunk. But listing it as such has caused Vanco to stop
processing donations and will cause others to discount the Ruth
Institute before ever hearing its persuasive arguments about what is
best for children—never mind the mountains of scientific evidence saying that children need both mothers and fathers to strive.
Indeed,
the SPLC has demonstrated over the course of its existence that it uses
its platforms to bash and unfairly malign mainstream Christians and
conservatives alongside disreputable extremists. As we recently
reported, SPLC included many Christian groups like Alliance Defending
Freedom and Family Research Council on their list of “hate groups” for nothing other than their biblical view of marriage and sexuality.
Sign here: http://www.citizengo.org/en/node/88122
Is this really the type of close-minded bigotry against Christianity that Vanco and other companies want to promote? Sign this petition now to demand Vanco reinstate the Ruth Institute and stop using it to discriminate against Christians.
Sincerely,
Gregory Mertz and the entire CitizenGO team
P.S. The SPLC is the self-styled “premier U.S. non-profit organization
monitoring the activities of domestic hate groups and other
extremists.” What they fail to mention is that they lump anyone who
disagrees with them politically into that list. Even the FBI and the
U.S. Army have “deleted the [SPLC] from the[ir] lists of legitimate
‘hate crime’ resources” because it is so politically motivated.
Sign here: http://www.citizengo.org/en/node/88122
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Monday, September 25, 2017
Money list Franklin, Tennessee as the fourth best place to live in America.
Money list good schools, low taxes, employment opportunities, good shopping, the music scene, and southern charm and hospitality as attributes. To read the full story and a list of the 100 best places to live in America, follow this link.
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Metro Council Ad Hoc Committee Meeting on Regulation of STRP's (Airbnb, homesharing)
Metro government is on the verge of rolling back the rights of people who want to engage in home sharing. While we do not yet know for certain what is in the final bill, it is apparently going to phase out all short term rental of property except for the type where the space for rent is in one's own home. For those who have an interest in this issue, you may want to attend this committee meeting.
Metro Council Ad Hoc Committee Meeting on Regulation of STRP's
9/27/2017, 5:00 PM - 6:00 PM
Location: Historic Metro Courthouse. 1 Public Square, Jury Assembly Room, Nashville, TN 37201
For more information please contact council-at-large Jim Shulman.
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Sunday, September 24, 2017
State Senator Mark Green To Speak Tuesday At First Tuesday
From Tim Skow:
1ST TUESDAY Members and friends,
Senator Corker's announcement has stirred a myriad of political conversations, speculations, moved and for some ..... certainly turned over their apple carts!!
| Senator Mark Green |
IN THE MIDDLE of our state's ''Political Deck Being Shuffled'' is our featured speaker on Tuesday... State Senator Mark Green.
Tuesday's 1ST TUESDAY will be immensely insightful featuring on of the key players who knows 1ST-HAND what is really going on !!
Buckle your seat belts folks!!! Its going to be an amazing 10+ months till all August 2018 primaries!!
Make your plans, pass the word and secure your seats as 1st Tuesday Nashville! Hope to see you on Tuesday...
Tim Skow
Host of 1ST TUESDAY
Remember -- 1] parking under the building is $7
2] [as of now] our DEC meeting is Monday, DEC 4th w/ Marsha Blackburn
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