Megan Barry Press release.


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A right-leaning disgruntled Republican comments on the news of the day and any other thing he damn-well pleases.
House Democratic Caucus Chairman Mike Turner who has served 14 years in the House announced today he won't seek re-election this year. This creates an opportunity for a Republican to capture another seat. It is much easier to take an open seat than topple an incumbent. President Barack Obama won the district with 66 percent of the vote in 2012 and Turner won reelection unopposed in the General Elections. In 2014 without Obama on the ticket and more interest in Republican races than Democrat races, Republicans may have a shot at winning this seat. The district covers the areas of Old Hickory, Madison, east Nashville, downtown Nashville and Germantown. To view the district map, follow this link and click "map."
According to the Nashville Scene, at least five Democrats have expressed interest in running for the seat. They are Zak Kelley, Wade Munday, Freddie O'Connell, Anthony Davis, and Kenny Byrd. For more on who these people are follow this link.
Turner has said he is considering a run for mayor in 2015.
The Washington Post, February 27, 2014 -Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) said Thursday that President Obama shouldn't bother trying to talk to Republican lawmakers unless he's willing to make considerable policy concessions to the GOP.
Corker was closely involved in White House outreach to Republicans over the course of last summer, a charm campaign that included fancy dinners at the White House and nearby luxury hotels and a rare golf outing involving Obama, Corker and Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.) at Joint Base Andrews.
But Corker dismissed the outreach Thursday. "That process, believe it or not, tore down trust," he said, adding later that the talks "were never serious."
"I wouldn’t engage in those conversations if I were them, because I don’t think they were ever earnest. I think it was optics, it was disappointing, and if anything, it broke down trust," he said. (link)
It is quite common for people do disdain profits as if profits were somehow evil. When it comes to education, some people will say they are for charter schools but not for for-profit charter schools. Why? They really can't give a good reason and neither does Gail Kerr in her Tennessean article today, For-profit charter schools would be bad business for Tennessee.
There is a bill being considered by the State legislature that would permit for-profit schools. Kerr says, "If this bill passes, Tennessee will be in the business of paying for what essentially becomes private schools." Charter schools are not essentially private schools. They are public
schools with greater flexibility to serve the needs of their students than
pubic schools that are under the control of the central office bureaucracy. Why, would a for-profit charter schools be more like a private schools than a not-for-profit charter school? Most private schools are non-profit. There is simply no logic to her statement.
Our economy is built on for-profit businesses, on capitalism, and that’s a good and valuable system. But we shouldn’t allow companies to make a buck on the backs of Tennessee’s public school kids. Gail Kerr
It is not from the benevolence of the butcher, the brewer, or the baker that we expect our dinner, but from their regard to their own interest. Adam Smith
The Club for Growth was founded in 1999. It is a 501(c)4 organization focused on cutting taxes, repealing the estate tax, limited government, a Balanced Budget Amendment, entitlement reform, free trade, tort reform, school choice, and deregulation. It endorses and raises money for fiscally conservative candidates. Since 2005, the Club for Growth has produced an annual congressional scorecard. Below is how the Club for Growth rated the Tennessee Congressional delegation:
Rank score lifetime score
TN | 2 | R | Duncan, John | 17 | 94% | 85% | |||
TN | 4 | R | DesJarlais, Scott | 43 | 85% | 79% | |||
TN | 7 | R | Blackburn, Marsha | 84 | 77% | 91% | |||
TN | 3 | R | Fleischmann, Charles | 98 | 74% | 79% | |||
TN | 6 | R | Black, Diane | 103 | 73% | 77% | |||
TN | 8 | R | Fincher, Stephen | 120 | 70% | 76% | |||
TN | 1 | R | Roe, David | 131 | 68% | 77% | |||
TN | 5 | D | Cooper, Jim | 241 | 24% | 26% | |||
TN | 9 | D | Cohen, Steve | 281 | 16% | 7% |
TN | R | Corker, Bob | 26 | 75% | 81% |
TN | R | Alexander, Lamar | 36 | 67% | 68% |
This meeting is almost four hours long. I have not watched it myself yet, but hope to do so. It is clear from The Tennessean's report that MNPS continues to view charter schools, not as a means of improving public education but as a threat to public education. We need a chance at the school board. We need school board members that embrass reform and educational excellence.
Below is the Tennessean's report on this special meeting:
Metro school officials didn’t back down from a controversial new policy that defines where new charter schools in Davidson County can locate as talks opened on Monday.
Instead, its chief architect reaffirmed the lay of the land. (link)
Apparently believing local school boards are not to be trusted with even the smallest of decisions, the Obama administration will decide which vendors may sponsor the high school gym scoreboards. Children who are old enough to decide for themselves whether or not to have an abortion or going to be protected from seeing the Coke or Pepsi logos on school properties all over America. Washington's micro management shifts into high gear.
WASHINGTON (AP) - Even the scoreboards in high school gyms will have to advertise only healthy foods under new rules announced Tuesday by the Obama administration.
Promotion of sugary drinks and junk foods around campuses during the school day will be phased out under the rules, intended to ensure that such marketing is brought in line with health standards that already apply to school foods.
That means a scoreboard at a high school football or basketball game eventually wouldn't be allowed to advertise Coca-Cola, for example, but it could advertise Diet Coke or Dasani water, which is also owned by Coca-Cola Co. Same with the front of a vending machine. Cups, posters and menu boards which promote foods that don't meet the standards would also be phased out. (link)
The bill that would require a vote in favor of annexation by the people being annexed passed the State House today by a vote of 78 "Ayes," 8 "Nays" and 5 present but not voting. It now goes to the Senate.
Under current law a municipality may
extend its corporate limits by annexation of adjoining territories, by
ordinance, when petitioned by a majority of the residents and property
owners of the affected territory, or "upon its own initiative when it
appears that the prosperity of the municipality and territory will be
materially retarded and the safety and welfare of the inhabitants and
property endangered." (link)
The roll call record is not yet available.
Using the most accurate measure of inflation for entitlement spending and tax rates would be the simplest, fairest way to take a meaningful step toward fixing the federal debt. The president was exactly right to include it in last year's budget. His failure to do so this year makes confronting runaway mandatory spending even harder.
The Heritage Action Scorecard measures votes, co-sponsorships, and
other legislative activity to show how conservative Members of Congress
are. Below are the latest scores for the Tennessee delegation. To see other scores and to see the key votes that went in to determining scores, follow this link.
TN | 2 | Rep. John Duncan Jr. | R | 88% |
TN | 4 | Rep. Scott DesJarlais | R | 79% |
TN | 7 | Rep. Marsha Blackburn | R | 78% |
TN | 3 | Rep. Chuck Fleischmann | R | 78% |
TN | 6 | Rep. Diane Black | R | 72% |
TN | 1 | Rep. Phil Roe | R | 66% |
TN | 8 | Rep. Stephen Fincher | R | 65% |
TN | Sen. Lamar Alexander | R | 46% | |
TN | Sen. Bob Corker | R | 44% | |
TN | 5 | Rep. Jim Cooper | D | 36% |
TN | 9 | Rep. Steve Cohen | D | 17% |
My name is Daniel Horwitz, and I am a civilian living in Nashville, Tennessee. Over the past two years, I have been attempting to set up a “Welcome Home” parade and job fair here in Nashville to thank and benefit Tennessee’s Iraq War veterans. With the help of organizations like Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, similar parades have already been held in cities across the nation like St. Louis and Richmond, Chicago and Houston, Philadelphia, Austin, and Tucson. I believe it’s long past time for Nashville to join these cities by formally thanking our veterans for their service and giving them the jobs that they need and deserve. Fortunately, that time has finally come.
After working with several local, state and federal officials on this event, I’ve received approval to apply for a permit to hold a parade and job fair on May 17th, 2014. Fortunately, local businesses have been extremely supportive of this effort as well, so the costs associated with the parade permit are graciously being offered at heavily discounted rates. The total costs of the parade permit application will be as follows:
If you support this effort and you want to help thank Tennessee’s Iraq War veterans for their extraordinary sacrifice and service to this country, please consider donating to help make this event a reality. Any contributions above the $1,500 target will be donated directly to Operation Stand Down Nashville, a full-service veterans non-profit organization that is committed to providing life changing social services to veterans throughout Middle Tennessee. If you have any questions about this event, if you would like to help organize it, or if you run a business and would like to participate in the job fair, please contact me anytime at daniel.a.horwitz@gmail.com.
- A $1,000,000 general liability insurance policy, which will be provided by local veteran James Manning of The Manning Agency at a total cost of just $301.
- Event security, which will be provided by local combat veteran T.J. DeMartino of Phalanx Risk Solutions at a total cost of just $660.
- Street barricades and traffic control, which will be provided by veteran supporter Larry M. Patton, Jr. of Blinker-Lite at a total cost of just $125.
- Additional incidental expenses related to trash cleanup, tent set up, and street closure permits estimated at $400.
- A $30 application fee.
Follow this link to make a donation: Parade and Job Fair for Tennessee's Iraq War Veterans.Thank you so much,Contact the Organizer
Daniel A. Horwitz
Below,
please find a summary, video highlights, and press coverage from yesterday's special AEI event "Happiness, free enterprise, and humanflourishing," featuring His Holiness the Dalai Lama, including this piece by David Brooks in The New York Times.
The free enterprise system is about more than just money. It provides the greatest means for human happiness.
From Stephen Clements, organizer of Caffeinated Conservatives:
Hi everybody,For the record, I am in favor of Common Core. I am pleased that the state has passed legislation to protect the privacy of students, which was my major concern. Much of the information alleging objectionable common core curriculum as well as some other things alleged about common core is simply not true. Please learn about Common Core before jumping on the anti bandwagon. RW
I got a tip that Rep. Womick's "Repeal Common Core" bill will be up for an Education sub-committee vote on Tuesday. If you're interested in this, please let the committee members know if you want the bill to pass or not. See, if you attended our December meeting, you already personally know one of the committee members, Rep. Harold Love, Jr, and that can't hurt when you let him know what you want.
Stephen Clements
Caffeinated Conservatives
REPEAL COMMON CORE Bill goes through the House Education Subcommittee Tuesday, Feb. 25th! Time for you to make your voice heard. This bill MUST PASS the Subcommittee first in order for the full assembly to hear it.
House Bill #2332 sponsored by Rep. WomickHOUSE EDUCATION SUBCOMMITTEE PHONE & EMAILHarry Brooks 615-741-6879 rep.harry.brooks@capitol.tn.govJohn DeBerry 615-741-2239 rep.john.deberry@captiol.tn.govJohn Forgety 615-741-1725 rep.john.forgety@capitol.tn.govRoger Kane 615-741-4110 rep.roger.kane@capitol.tn.govHarold Love 615-741-3831 rep.harold.love@capitol.tn.govDebra Moody 615-741-3774 rep.debra.moody@capitol.tn.govJoe Pitts 615-741-4575 rep.joe.pitts@capitol.tn.govDawn White 615-741-6849 rep.dawn.white@capitol.tn.govFULL HOUSE EDUCATION COMMITTEESENATE EDUCATION COMMITTEE
Do you read those letters in the Tennessean urging the Governor to accept Medicare expansion and think they are organic and homegrown? Maybe some of them are but more than likely they are part of an orchestrated campaign. Also, those calls legislators are getting are part of an orchestrated campaign. The following is from MoveON:
Dear Tennessee MoveOn member,
Lawmakers in 23 states—including Tennessee—are blocking more than 5 million people from access to healthcare. That's why on Wednesday, MoveOn members across the country made more than 6,500 calls encouraging state politicians to work to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act.These personal calls are powerful. Here are a couple sample comments members shared:I called Gov. Nikki Haley's office and asked if she would please accept Medicaid funding under the Affordable Care Act...I told her that my story is personal. That I have a daughter that is not working and can't afford insurance coverage. We do all that we can to pay her student loan debt and cost of the insurance is so expensive we can't afford it.—Shirley J., Loris, SCI asked that the governor please take the money, if not so many will die because of his politics...I am a union man along with my father and two brothers. I guaranteed him four votes that he will not get if he continues to refuse the money.—Richard, Pittsburgh, PAWe can't stop now. Can you help keep the momentum going and growing?Take the next step now and write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper calling on Tennessee's leaders to expand Medicaid.We're definitely being noticed already, and now's our chance to build on the momentum.Winning a fight like this starts with making sure public opinion is on our side. Politicians often look to the letters to the editor section of their local newspapers to get a sense of how people feel about an issue. Their staff clip, categorize, and archive them regularly for them to read.Will you take the next step and write a letter to the editor?We've suggested talking points to help you craft your letter, and a list of newspapers in your region—and we'll automatically deliver your letter to the papers you select. We've also provided the phone numbers of the newspapers, so that you can make follow-up calls to ask if your letter will be published—which shows that you really care, and increases the chance that your letter will be chosen.Each letter we submit increases the likelihood of publication, and lets newspaper editors know that Medicaid expansion is an important issue for their readers, which could lead to more and better coverage.Click here to write and submit a letter to the editor of your local newspaper calling on leaders in Tennessee to expand Medicaid. [link disable RW]Conservative opposition to Medicaid expansion shows just how far Republicans will go to oppose Obamacare, and it's working people who are suffering for it. For most voters, it's a step too far. Medicaid expansion has the potential to save lives. Until Tennessee politicians stop opposing it, we have an obligation to expose just how dangerous and misinformed conservative attacks on Obamacare have become.These calls and letters to the editor are building the pressure we need to win. All around the country, MoveOn members are organizing to expand access to health care through Medicaid in their states.Let's keep the pressure up—submit your letter to the editor today. [link disabled. RW]Thanks for all you do.–Victoria, Stefanie, Alejandro, Kyle, and the rest of the team
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Victoria Jackson |
This testimony about the IRS scandal should make your blood boil and send a chill down your spine. In this seven minutes video, True the Vote founder Catherine Engelbrecht
describs to the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee how
her life changed after she started the voter integrity group and filed
applications for non-profit status with the IRS: Federal government audits followed; business inspections ensued, with
thousands of dollars in fines from the Occupational Safety and Health
Administration; the IRS demanded her speaking schedule.
The inquiries covered matters that would be of little use to an
analyst for tax purposes, Engelbrecht said, but would be “of interest to
a political machine that will put its own survival against the civil
liberties of private citizens.”
“As an American citizen, I am part of a country that still believes
in freedom of speech,” Engelbrecht said. “No American citizen should be
willing to accept a government that uses its power against its own
people.”
It almost seems unreal what is happening in America: The president makes 28 changes, many of them major, to a law, when he has absolutely no authority to write legislation. The delays to the AFC will benefit his party by delaying the bad consequences to the act. He makes "recess" appointments when congress is not in recess. He engages in massive spying on Americans in violation of the 4th Amendment. He targets an American for killing in a foreign country who has not been charged with any crime and refused to say he does not have the right to do so in America. He has plans to send "monitors" into Americas news rooms. He seizes all of the phone records of the Associated Press. And, he turns the IRS and other government agencies into agencies to harass his critics. For the first time, I am feeling like we are living in the days before a coup. For the first time, I feel "fundamental change" is coming to America. For the first time I feel it is dangerous to exercise your constitutional rights. What is next? Will we wake up in a police state with President Obama declaring he is dissolving Congress and suspending elections?
Rod-Thank you for your email. First, let me state unequivocally: I am opposed to Obamacare in any form or fashion. I am a co-sponsor of Representative Jeremy Durham's legislation that was filed last year to ban Medicaid expansion. As the Chairman of the House Finance, Ways and Means Committee, I am keenly aware of the devastating effect Obamacare will be on our state's finances.
Rep. Charles Sargent That legislation was filed in early 2012, before the Supreme Court's decision was rendered and before the state knew the outcome of that case, or what ramifications it would have for the state. In essence, it was filed as 'placeholder' legislation, so that whatever happened--either from the federal government or Democrats in the legislature--we were considering the monetary impact and were in control of the bill. As the record shows, as soon as our bill filing deadline passed and none of that came to fruition, I withdrew it from consideration as it was no longer needed.Tennessee, and several other states, continue to stand up to the federal government and push back against its overreach. I am proud to stand with my Republican colleagues in the legislature to do everything we can to stop the continued federal overreach. We are fortunate to live in a state where the budget is balanced, the taxes are low, and we work toward implementing policies that are business friendly. The federal government should be trying to replicate what we're doing, not dictating failed policies to us.Again, Rod, thanks for reaching out to me on this. Contact me anytime.Charles SargentState Representative61st Legislative District206 War Memorial BuildingNashville, TN 37243
(615) 741-6808
Steve Gawrys, Candidate for the 61st District House Seat, says Rep. Sargent supported Obamacare
Press Release, BRENTWOOD, TN – Today, Steve Gawrys, Candidate for the 61st District House Seat is asking President Obama to learn from Tennessee’s economic successes when he visits here later this week.
“I’m pleased the President has chosen to come to Tennessee,” said Gawrys. “I’m more hopeful that he will learn something from what he finds here about Tennessee’s continuing economic success.”
Recently, Tennessee was named “State of the Year” by Business Facilities Magazine for its growing diverse economic base. Steve Gawrys is part of that business success as an entrepreneur and job creator in Williamson County. “The President has never taken a risk and hired an employee, so he has a lot to learn about growing an economy from Tennesseans,” said Gawrys.
Gawrys continued, “The first thing President Obama needs to learn is that his failed health insurance bill is destroying small businesses across America. One of the reasons I am in this State House race is that my opponent, Charles Sargent, sponsored the bill to establish the ObamaCare State Exchanges in Tennessee.” Gawrys is referring to HB2839 in which his opponent offered the legislation to support ObamaCare in Tennessee.
“Tennessee rejected Obama in the 2012 elections and they overwhelmingly reject his failed health insurance plan. We shouldn’t have Republicans in Tennessee supporting failed policies. I think the voters of District 61 deserve an explanation.”
In the last legislative session, the Tennessee General Assembly rejected the establishment of a State-sponsored health exchange. “I would have joined the majority and voted against such a federal overreach,” said Gawrys.
District 61 includes Brentwood, and parts of Cool Springs, Franklin, and unincorporated Williamson County.
Reporters Without Boarders issued their annual World Press Freedom Index and the U.S. had dropped 13 places, coming in below Western democracies like Great Britain, France and Spain and former Soviet dominated eastern bloc countries like Estonia, Romania, Czech Republic and Poland, and countries that have experienced wars and conflicts like Cyprus and El Salvador, and third world countries like Ghana, Botswana, and Papua New Guinea. We rank one place ahead of Haiti.
This is what RWB had to say about the U.S.:
Countries that pride themselves on being democracies and respecting the rule of law have not set an example, far from it. Freedom of information is too often sacrificed to an overly broad and abusive interpretation of national security needs, marking a disturbing retreat from democratic practices. Investigative journalism often suffers as a result.
This has been the case in the United States (46th), which fell 13 places, one of the most significant declines, amid increased efforts to track down whistleblowers and the sources of leaks. The trial and conviction of Private Bradley Manning and the pursuit of NSA analyst Edward Snowden were warnings to all those thinking of assisting in the disclosure of sensitive information that would clearly be in the public interest.
US journalists were stunned by the Department of Justice’s seizure of Associated Press phone records without warning in order to identify the source of a CIA leak. It served as a reminder of the urgent need for a “shield law” to protect the confidentiality of journalists’ sources at the federal level. The revival of the legislative process is little consolation for James Risen of The New York Times, who is subject to a court order to testify against a former CIA employee accused of leaking classified information. And less still for Barrett Brown, a young freelance journalist facing 105 years in prison in connection with the posting of information that hackers obtained from Statfor, a private intelligence company with close ties to the federal government.To read the report and learn more, follow this link.
House rejects attempt to broaden guns-in-parking-lots ‘fix’My Comment: While a lot of really bad bills get introduced, not many of them pass and those that do are usually watered down such that they hardly resembled what they started out as and by the time they pass are often harmless. A bill a couple years ago started out as something that would have criminalized practicing Islam. By the time it passed it made it illegal to materially support terrorism, a far cry from making it illegal to practice Sharia. The guns is trunks bill is basically harmless, not the private property trampling bill the advocates originally wanted. The system works pretty good.
The House rejected Thursday an attempt to prohibit companies from firing employees who hold a handgun carry permit for keeping a gun in a car after House Majority Leader Gerald McCormick contended the proposal was not properly filed.
The move came when McCormick’s bill to make a minor change in the “guns in parking lots law” enacted last year came to the House floor. Rep. Mark Pody, R-Lebanon, filed a proposed amendment – backed by the Tennessee Firearms Association – that substantially broadened the Senate-approved bill (SB1701).
McCormick, R-Chattanooga, wanted only to change a provision of current law that says a carry permit holder cannot be criminally prosecuted for having a gun in his or her “privately-owned vehicle,” even if on property where guns are prohibited. The wording means that if the carry permit holder is driving a rental car or someone else’s car – that of a relative or friend, for example – the protection would not apply. McCormick’s bill changes the wording to cover any vehicle in the permit holder’s legal possession.
Pody sought to put a separate bill he has filed, HB1667, onto McCormick’s bill as an amendment. His proposals says a person cannot be fired for any legal possession of any item kept in a vehicle. (link)
Washington, D.C., Feb. 18 – U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander
(R-Tenn.), the senior Republican on the Senate labor committee, today
released the following statement on the Congressional Budget Office
report finding that the Democrats’ bill to raise the minimum wage to
$10.10 an hour with annual increases for inflation could cost as many as
1 million jobs:
This CBO report reiterates a fundamental principle of our free-market economy: increasing the minimum wage eliminates jobs, cuts off the bottom rung of the economic ladder, and reduces opportunity. Instead of minimum wages, the goal should be higher family incomes. To do that, we should liberate the free enterprise system from Obama regulations and make it easier to create jobs, provide more job training, and offer more choices of good schools to children of low-income parents.
This is a 2 hour and 20 minute-long meeting. I thought this would be a short, boring meeting but I was wrong; it is a more interesting meeting than most. Speaker Pro Temp Chris Harmon serves as Chair of this meeting in the absence of the Vice Mayor. To follow the meeting and see the agenda and the analysis, follow this link.
All appointments to Board and Commission are approved without discussion.
Consent Agenda.
A resolution is put on the consent agenda if it is likely to be non-controversial and it stays on the consent agenda if it passes the committees to which it was assigned unanimously. The Consent Agenda also includes memorializing Resolution. Resolutions on the consent agenda are passed by a single vote of the Council rather than being considered individually. However, any member of the body may have a bill pulled off of the consent agenda but it doesn't happen often. Almost all of the resolutions on the agenda this time are accepting grants. Memorializing resolutions do not have the force of law but express the will of the Council. None of the resolutions still on the Consent Agenda at the time of the Council meeting are pulled so everything passes unanimously.
Resolutions not on the Consent Agenda.