Day: March 1, 2017

Letter to the Editor: Today’s Shenanigans at House Transportation Subcommittee Deflate Tennessee Taxpayers

Admin
Tennessee Star

  Dear Tennessee Star, Conference room 16 was packed with an overflow standing room only crowd of “Ax the Tax” folks, and they listened respectfully to every word. The Gas Can Man was there bigger than life and getting all kinds of photo ops. Yet, in the end, the Tennessee taxpayer crowd left feeling defeated and deflated like those Tom Brady footballs. I read Rep. Andy Holt’s remarks about the hearing on Facebook. He describes the shenanigans at the Sub House Transportation Committee. Rep. Holt also gives you insight to our own “FAKE MEDIA” which is alive and well in Tennessee….except for one….the conservative Tennessee Star. Go to their web site and check out the latest fact gathering information on this Republican fiasco. To Chairman Terri Lynn Weaver’s credit, she defended and upheld what the taxpayers wanted which was the common sense Hawk Plan. When she voiced that opinion the crowd clapped loudly. But, the votes were not to be. Those who opposed the Haslam Improve Act were: Lt. Col. Courtney Rogers, Chairman Terri Lynn Weaver, Rep. Jerry Sexton, and Rep. John Mark Windle. Those voting in favor of the Haslam Improve Act (the Gas Tax Increase) were: Rep. David…

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Gas Can Man Leads Opposition to Haslam Tax Increase

Wendy Wilson
Tennessee Star - Gas Can Man

    Gas Can Man cheered gas tax opponents at Wednesday’s legislative hearing. Making his grand entrance before the hearing, Gas Can Man strode in the room carrying a sign reading, “Haslam’s a Pain In My Gas.” Clearly the rock star of the event, he was photographed and videorecorded by admiring fans. Some even wore t-shirts bearing his likeness. He was surrounded by shouts of “Tank the Tax!” The packed hearing room was filled mostly with people there on behalf of the conservative group Americans For Prosperity, which opposes the tax. Having arrived early, they were able to grab a seat. People who couldn’t find a seat were sent to an overflow area outside the room where they could watch the proceedings on a TV screen. Among those who came from across the state was Chelsea Houk, who lives in Knoxville with her husband Zachary. The 26-year-old grew up in a family in which politics was rarely discussed to keep the peace. But now she finds that approach a misguided quest that doesn’t do anything to keep change at bay. “It provides a false sense of security,” she said. A farmhand who works with show horses, Houk these days finds…

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Haslam’s IMPROVE Act Forced Through House Subcommittee in Rare Political Power Play as Speaker Pro Tem Brought in To Break Tie

Laura Baigert
Tennessee Star

Through a series of political maneuvers, Gov. Haslam’s IMPROVE Act has advanced from the House Transportation Subcommittee to the full House Transportation Committee, thanks to the rare tie-breaking vote cast by Speaker Pro Tem State Rep. Curtis Johnson (R-Clarksville).  Johnson was brought in at the last minute to the House Transportation Subcommittee Wednesday afternoon to break a 4 to 4 tie. With Johnson’s yes vote, the IMPROVE Act passed on a 5 to 4 vote. Subcommittee members voting yes on the amended IMPROVE Act bill were State Rep. Barry Doss (R-Leoma), who also serves as chairman of the full House Transportation Committee, State Rep. David Alexander (R-Winchester), State Rep. Sam Whitson (R-Franklin), and State Rep. Barbara Cooper (D-Memphis). Subcommittee members voting no on the amended IMPROVE Act bill were State Rep. Terri Lynn Weaver (R-Lancaster), chairman of the Transportation Subcommittee, State Rep. Courtney Rogers (R-Goodlettsville), State Rep. Jerry Sexton (R-Bean Station), and State Rep. John Mark Windle (D-Livingston). The next stop for the IMPROVE ACT is the full House Transportation Committee, chaired by Haslam ally and gas tax advocate Doss. The version of the IMPROVE ACT that passed was amended to remove the gas tax increase originally proposed by the governor.…

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EXCLUSIVE: Gateway Pundit Jim Hoft to Speak at Nashville Spirit of America Rally Saturday, March 4

Christina Botteri
Jim Hoft

Nashville’s Spirit of America Rally organizers announced exclusively to The Tennessee Star that grassroots superstar Jim Hoft will appear at the event this Saturday, March 4th. “We are excited to announce that Jim Hoft of The Gateway Pundit will speak at the rally.  His organization has recently been granted White House press credentials to the dismay of the liberal main stream media,” Spirit of American organizer and founder of the Memphis Tea Party Mark Skoda said. “Jim has made a difference at his conservative news blog with over one million views per day during the election.  And as a new media leader, he is driving the left crazy,” he added. Jim Hoft stated, “I am really looking forward to speaking to the people of the Great State of Tennessee.  President Trump is off to a roaring start and I am proud to stand behind him today as he moves to Make America Great Again.  I plan on making a special announcement at Saturday’s rally!” Skoda noted that this confirmation of the March 4 event comes on the eighth anniversary of the first Tea Party rallies, which were held in fifty cities across the country on February 27, 2009. Those rallies were followed by…

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25 Percent of Highway Fund ‘User Fees’ Are Allocated to General Fund, Education, and Debt

Laura Baigert

One of the principles asserted by Governor Haslam in support of his IMPROVE Act and its proposed increase of 7 cents per gallon in the gas tax is that “users” of roads should pay for road construction. The gas tax is proper, he argues, because people who purchase gas to fuel their cars are the users of roads, and the gas tax is the best mechanism to charge them for that usage. For at least a decade, however, revenue sources originally designed to fund highway construction have been intermingled, and that “user” fee principle has not strictly been applied to the funding of road construction. The IMPROVE Act does not fully address the co-mingling of funds. The Highway Fund receives road construction “user fee” revenues from gasoline tax, motor fuel tax, gasoline inspection tax, motor vehicle registration tax and the motor vehicle title fees. At least 25 percent of those road construction “user fees” go to the General Fund, Education and Debt Service. Though the majority of these “user fee” revenues have been allocated to the Highway Fund, between 25 percent and 29 percent of those fees -ranging from $177 million to $196 million annually– have been diverted away from the…

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Conservative Grassroots Victory in Williamson County as Debbie Deaver Wins GOP Chair Election

Tennessee Star Staff
Tennessee Star

FRANKLIN, Tennessee–Long-time conservative grassroots activist Debbie Deaver swept to victory over establishment favorite Tom Miller at a packed session of the Williamson County Republican Convention on Tuesday night. “Tonight the Williamson County Republican Party had a choice for leadership,” conservative activist and Tea Party Nation founder Judson Phillips, a resident of Williamson County who was in attendance, told The Tennessee Star. “The choice was between a Republican and a liberal. The party chose well,” Phillips said. An overflow crowd of more than three hundred Republican voters in Williamson County waited in long lines to get inside the Williamson County Administration Building for the evening’s votes. One former chairman of the Williamson County Republican Party told The Star it was the largest crowd he had ever seen gathered to vote for a new county chairman. Not everyone who showed up was selected as a delegate to the convention. The evening began when the attendees gathered in twelve separate groups, corresponding to the voting district of the county in which they reside. Each district selected a maximum of 30 delegates who were authorized to vote. A total of 262 delegates and 7 provisional delegates were selected. After all the delegates were credentialed,…

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