Rick Manning Commentary: Reciprocity Is the Key to Lasting, Prosperous Trade

by Rick Manning   You know, as a non-economist, when I received the invitation to participate in this forum, I kind of felt like a Christian being invited into the Coliseum to meet the lions for lunch.  However, since this debate is largely a political and not an economic question, I am confident that the audience will find that I have some smooth stones at my disposal to take down Goliath. After listening to the affirmative, I want to remind the audience of what this debate is about. The affirmative must prove this resolution: “The U.S. government should unilaterally abolish all tariffs and duties on imports and all subsidies to exports, thereby making all reciprocal trade agreements with other countries unnecessary.” This resolution rises or falls on three words: UNILATERALLY, SHOULD and UNNECESSARY. Because ultimately, the affirmative demands that the U.S. should, in the real world, take unilateral actions, which in practical application will cause reciprocal trade agreements to become unnecessary. So, as we begin we will exam these three areas. Let’s start with the terms unilateral and reciprocal. Unilateral action is the opposite of seeking reciprocal trade agreements as a precondition to lowering tariffs and lifting subsidies. But reciprocity is not merely a negotiating…

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Andy Ogles Withdraws from U.S. Senate Race

Conservative grassroots activist Andy Ogles announced he is “ending his campaign for the U.S. Senate effective immediately,” in a statement released by his campaign Wednesday morning. “I entered this race to insure that Tennessee would have conservative representation that would reflect their values and commitment to ‘draining the swamp’ that Tennesseans expect and deserve. With Senator Corker making the decision to exit the Senate at the conclusion of his term rather than being terminated by the voters, the political landscape changed dramatically,” the former head of the Tennessee chapter of Americans for Prosperity said in the statement, which continued: “With each passing day, Senator Corker has underlined why Tennessee voters were prepared to fire him. As others hesitated, I was willing to accept the challenge and believed that once his vulnerabilities could be exposed voters would give him a pink slip. He clearly believed the same thing,” Ogles added. “Senator Corker has shown more passion attacking our President the past eleven months than he expressed in criticizing President Barack Obama during his entire 8 years in the White House. Thanks to Senators like Bob Corker, we have failed to secure our borders, still haven’t repealed and replaced Obamacare and are…

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Rep. Steve Cohen Files Articles of Impeachment Against President Trump

Rep. Steve Cohen

U.S. Congressman Steve Cohen (D-TN-09) and other House Democrats on Wednesday filed five Articles of Impeachment against President Donald J. Trump. “The time has come to make clear to the American people and to this President that his train of injuries to our Constitution must be brought to an end through impeachment,” the congressman from Tennessee’s 9th District said in a press release. “I believe there is evidence that he attempted to obstruct an investigation into Russia’s interference with the U.S. presidential election and links between between Russia and the Trump campaign, most notably the firing of FBI Director James Comey.” Cohen is the ranking member of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution and Civil Justice. The Articles of Impeachment may be read here. Other reasons given include: National Security Advisor Michael Flynn misled Vice President Pence about his discussions with the Russian Ambassador to the United States. • Donald J. Trump demanded F.B.I. Director James Comey’s loyalty, and asked Comey to let Flynn go. • Donald J. Trump fired F.B.I. Director James Comey while the F.B.I. was investigating Russian interference with the 2016 presidential election including possible collusion with the Trump campaign. Donald J. Trump admitted in a television…

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Textbook Shows Islamic Center of Nashville Speaker Was Misleading to Public School Students About Islam

The presentation to students from Metro Nashville Meigs Middle Magnet School at the Islamic Center of Nashville (ICN) on October 17th was misleading when compared to corresponding information in a popular Islamic school textbook. ICN’s Director of Operations Dina Sirois claimed that her talk to the students was not about “trying to win you over,” presumably a disclaimer of proselytizing Islam to the students which would otherwise violate federal and state law. However, her comparisons between Islam, Christianity and Judaism, especially when considered in light of her incomplete explanations on topics such as the resurrection of Jesus and jihad, suggests that her talk was more in line with the Islamic mandate of dawa and designed to be “the seeds of Islam [that] can be sowed inside the hearts of non-Muslim students.” But a school textbook included in a video about Annoor Academy, a private Islamic school in Knoxville, shows that Sirois’s explanation of Muslims’ belief in the resurrection of Jesus is incomplete making it appear the intention was to have students think that Christian and Muslim beliefs are more alike than different. A 2013 promo YouTube video for Annoor Academy shows a row of textbooks titled What Islam Is All About. (See at the 1:04…

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Special Counsel May Be Appointed to Investigate Clintons and Uranium One Deal

Attorney General Jeff Sessions directed senior federal prosecutors to look into whether the Department of Justice should appoint a special counsel to investigate the Clinton Foundation and issues connected to the controversial Obama-era Uranium One deal, multiple news organizations reported Monday. Sessions requested that the prosecutors evaluate “certain issues” pertaining to the deal, which allowed a…

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Tennessee Baptist Convention Ends Ties With Church That Hired Female Pastor

During its annual meeting Tuesday, the Tennessee Baptist Convention voted to turn away representatives from an East Tennessee Southern Baptist church that recently hired a female senior pastor, effectively ending its ties with the church. The vote was overwhelmingly in favor of the decision to not seat “messengers,” or voting representatives, according to the Baptist and Reflector news outlet. The convention is meeting through today in Hendersonville. Tuesday’s vote confirmed a finding last month by the credentials committee that a church with a woman senior pastor cannot be considered a “cooperating church” according to convention bylaws. Article VI of the Baptist Faith and Message 2000 says that “the office of pastor is limited to men as qualified by Scripture.” Ellen Di Giosia has been in her position as senior pastor at First Baptist Church in Jefferson City since Aug. 1. She and six other representatives from the church attempted to register in person for the annual meeting. During a discussion before the vote, a few people spoke in support of Di Giosia and First Baptist. Tambi Swiney, a female associate pastor of Immanuel Baptist in Nashville who works under a male senior pastor, said the Jefferson City church “has a long legacy of…

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Judge Rules in Favor of Shelby County Commission, Opioid Abuse Lawsuit Can Proceed

Tennessee Star

A Tennessee chancery court judge ruled on Tuesday that the opioid abuse lawsuit filed by the Shelby County Commission earlier this month against several pharmaceutical companies, pharmacies, and distributors can proceed, but gave Shelby County Mayor Mark Luttrell until the end of the year to intervene. “I am pleased the judge ruled that the opioid lawsuit would go forward,” Shelby County Commission Chairwoman Heidi Shafer tells The Tennessee Star in an exclusive interview. “The commission’s whole objective in this is to help the citizens of West Tennessee out of this horrible mess,” she adds. “This lawsuit is one of many actions we are taking to stop our communities being flooded with these extremely addictive drugs,” Shafer says. “The end of the year. That is the timeline that was set by a chancery court judge as to when the Shelby County Mayor’s administration needs to intervene in a lawsuit county commissioners filed against opioid makers,” WREG reported about Tuesday’s ruling. “I think he was clear he believes going forward it’s in the public’s best interest for the lawsuit to move forward,” attorney Allan Wade, who “spoke on behalf of the commission in court,” told WREG. “We’ve never objected them getting in…

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Roving Patriots PAC Announces Commitment of $7,800 State Maximum In Support of Doss Challenger Clay Doggett

PULASKI, Tennessee – At Clay Doggett’s campaign kick-off event against incumbent District 70 State Representative Barry Doss (R-Leoma) in Pulaski on Monday evening, Roving Patriots PAC Executive Director Kevin Baigert pledged financial support of the state maximum of $7,800 to the grassroots conservative challenger. Roving Patriots PAC was founded with the purpose of its first project, Partnership for a Constitutional Tennessee, being to identify, vet and support conservative candidates in order to achieve a true conservative majority in the Tennessee House of Representatives. After Doggett made the formal announcement of his intention to run, to the group of about 100 attending the event Baigert explained that he was there representing grassroots activists and contributors from across the state who want to “drain the swamp” in Nashville Tennessee, not just Washington, D.C. Baigert made specific mention of the passage of the tax- and fee-increasing IMPROVE Act, while the state had a $2 billion budgetary surplus as a bellwether issue. While Doggett never mentioned Doss, Baigert cited the representative’s key role in passing the IMPROVE Act followed by his company’s work on state roads and his attendance at Nashville Mayor Megan Barry’s introduction of a $5.2 billion transit plan. As a first…

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Witnesses at Senate Hearing Convened by Bob Corker Claim Military Can Question Donald Trump’s Order to Launch Nuclear Weapons

Corker Senate For Rel Committee Trump

Legal and military experts told lawmakers Tuesday the president does not have complete authority to launch the first strike using a nuclear weapon when the U.S. is not faced with an imminent threat. In testimony to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee the experts grappled with what scenarios encompass “imminent” threats, when the president could order an…

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Tennessee Officials to Hire Consultant to Help with Memphis Regional Megasite

The state of Tennessee is hoping to hire a consultant by January for help in overseeing and promoting the Memphis Regional Megasite that is still without a major manufacturer more than 10 years after planning for the project began. The state is asking for $2 million to hire the consultant and make various infrastructure improvements, reports Nashville Public Radio. Toyota and Mazda passed on the site last week for a new auto manufacturing plant because it wasn’t shovel-ready. U.S. Rep. Diane Black (R-TN-6), who is running for governor, issued a statement calling the decision “a tremendous, inexcusable loss for our state.” The consultant hired by the state Department of Economic and Community Development would provide ongoing technical expertise on an as-needed basis, according to state documents. Responsibilities would include developing a site management plan, assisting with tenant negotiations and coordination of utility, transportation and railroad services, and communicating with stakeholders. Nashville Public Radio reported that the decision to hire a consultant was made before Toyota-Mazda eliminated the West Tennessee site from consideration. Another unnamed company also passed on the site in recent weeks. Other firms have also turned down the site over the years. The megasite includes 4,100 acres of land off Interstate 40 in Haywood…

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Commentary: The Assassination of Roy Moore

by ConservativeHQ.com Staff   “I had nothing to do with this. This is a completely manufactured story meant to defraud this campaign. They’re losing. They’re 11 points behind. They don’t like my acknowledgment there is a God… They’re desperate. Sean, they’re simply desperate.” ~ Judge Roy Moore to Sean Hannity The political attacks on Judge Roy Moore – which are really more like assassination attempts – have brought the dirty tricks and smears of the Far Left to a new low. The totally unsupported charges that some 38 years ago, Moore, as a 32-year old adult, pursued some kind of a relationship with a 14-year old girl have all the hallmarks of a Leftwing political hit; a source closely tied to Democratic politicians, no physical evidence, no paper trail, and reporting by a rabidly anti-Republican, anti-Trump publication. Likewise, the allegations brought forward by serial Leftist litigator Gloria Allred lack any evidence, let alone proof. But these defamatory attacks are having two desired effects: First, it is driving Moore down in the polls; and, Second, it has manifested a new low in the disgusting cut and run by establishment Republicans, who wanted Moore defeated by any means possible in the Republican…

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Grassley Says Blue Slips Won’t Veto President Trump’s Judicial Picks

Senate Judiciary Chairman Charles E. Grassley signaled this week he won’t adhere to a strict “blue-slip” policy for judicial nominees, clearing the path for Republicans to install some of President Trump’s picks over the objections of home-state Democrats. Mr. Grassley said the blue-slip tradition was intended to make sure the president consults with senators about judicial…

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Faith: Verse of the Day for Wednesday, November 15

Tennessee Star - Verse of the Day

  VERSE OF THE DAY Be blessed and be a blessing November 15, Wednesday Proverbs 11:1 Dishonest scales are detestable to the Lord, but an accurate weight is His delight. Romans 12:6-9 We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; 7 if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; 8 if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead,[a] do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully. 9 Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good      

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