The largest health insurance company in the U.S., UnitedHealth Group, exceeded its quarterly-profit expectations in the second quarter of 2017, as it continues to make gains after the provider decided to almost entirely opt-out of the Obamacare state exchanges. United’s second quarter net-earnings were $2.28 billion, up from $1.75 billion in the same quarter of 2016.…
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Dear Tennessee Star, There are a lot of people calling, writing and visiting our two Senators, urging them to vote against the American Health Care Act and instead, repair the Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare). I have news for these folks: There is nothing left to repair. I know it must be frustrating to see that the hallmark Democratic achievement of the last eight years has, as we predicted, collapsed under its own weight. More and more insurers are leaving the health care exchanges: in fact, of the 95 counties in Tennessee, 47 – over half – will have NO INSURER left beginning next year. Nearly two million Americans have dropped their Obamacare coverage so far this year. Is it not bad enough to pay taxes and penalties for refusing to buy health insurance you can’t use? Do you remember the promise that premiums for the average family would decrease by $2,500 a year? In reality, premiums for many families have doubled (or more) and are expected to increase dramatically again in the next year. Clearly, the Affordable Care Act is neither affordable, nor does it provide care. The government, and insurance companies, need to get out of the…
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In the last moments of Metro Council’s debate over the second reading of the now withdrawn sanctuary city ordinance before the June 20 vote, Nashville Council Member-at-Large Erica Gilmore, tried to assert non-existent local authority over illegal immigration, claiming “[w]e make the laws. We decide whether something is legal or not.” When the vote was held later that evening, Gilmore was among the 25 members of Metro Council who voted yes. Only 8 members of the Metro Council voted no. Had it not been for a vast grassroots uprising, an unfavorable legal opinion from Metro Legal Director, and a letter signed by more than 63 members of the Tennessee House of Representatives telling the Metro Council the Tennessee General Assembly would not let such an ordinance stand, the ordinance may have passed on a third reading. But the ordinances sponsors, Council Members Bob Mendes and Colby Sledge permanently withdrew the ordinance in light of the public backlash, and it never came to a vote on a third and final reading. But on the evening of June 20, Gilmore let her constituents know exactly where she stands on the issue. “I’m concerned when we have to talk about what’s American,…
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The more than four hundred people who attended the annual Williamson County Republican Party BBQ in Thompson’s Station on Saturday proved once again that Republicans know how to have fun. The record-setting crowd at the event showcased an organizational tour de force for Williamson County Chairman Debbie Deaver, Vice Chairman Stephen Siao, and host and owner of Little Creek Farms Bob Beck, a sign that the grassroots in Williamson County is alive and well and ready for political action. Featured speakers and gubernatorial candidates Bill Lee and State Senator Mae Beavers (R-Mt. Juliet) offered two different visions of the future of Tennessee under their leadership in brief talks that captured the attention of a very engaged audience ready for the 2018 political season to begin. Lee won the gubernatorial straw poll, and Beavers finished second, but the event was about fun, food, and entertainment as much as it was about politics. A key theme of the day was the importance of political engagement, which both Chairman Deaver and Vice Chairman Siao emphasized in their talks. Deaver noted that in the past several years, the highest number of new arrivals to Williamson County are coming from the states of California…
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MINNEAPOLIS — The Minneapolis police officer who shot and killed a 40-year-old woman in the alley behind her home Saturday night has been identified as Officer Mohamed Noor. Meanwhile, state investigators have confirmed that they did not find any weapons at the scene. Noor, 31, joined the department in March 2015 as the first Somali police…
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A Massachusetts police officer who is one of the state’s leading authorities on identity theft by illegal aliens ripped GOP Gov. Charlie Baker on Sunday, saying he has backed off from his promises to get tough on illegal immigration. Saugus Police Officer James Scott said Baker “talks a good game” but has been reluctant to make…
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President Trump received a glowing performance review Monday from the head of the National Border Patrol Council. Brandon Judd appeared on “Fox and Friends” on Monday to discuss illegal immigration, Mr. Trump’s plan to build a border wall with Mexico, and morale within the agency. The union president said that agents have a new “energy” to…
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The Senate health care bill appeared to stall late Monday for lack of votes needed to pass. Last week, Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN) said he was encouraged by the direction of the bill, while Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN) said he had concerns about its effects on Tennesseans and was waiting to see a report from the Congressional Budget Office. The bill was to have been considered this week, but was delayed until at least next week to give Arizona Republican Senator John McCain time to recover from surgery to remove a blood clot. McCain’s presence was needed to advance the bill, which has faced growing opposition. Then news broke late Monday that the bill in its current form has been brought to a halt after more senators stepped forward to say they wouldn’t support it. That means leaders will need to revamp the bill or scrap health care legislation this year. Some senators are opposed to the bill because they say the proposed cuts to Medicaid are too steep, while Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) says it keeps too much of Obamacare intact. Paul mounted a campaign to convince fellow Republicans that the bill is not a repeal as promised. The bill has…
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No one will out work State Rep. Judd Matheny (R-Tullahoma) as he continues to campaign throughout the Sixth Congressional District in his quest to win the Republican nomination for Congress and the general election in 2018. On Monday, he spoke to a gathering of the Fairfield Glade Republican Party in Cumberland County. Matheny touched on the conservative themes that have been the key message of his campaign since his formal announcement last month. He pledged to focus on national security, state sovereignty, and better healthcare, transportation, and housing for our rapidly growing senior population, a topic of particular concern for residents of Fairfield Glade, a well known and popular retirement community. Matheny also told the audience about his personal background in law enforcement and the military, as well as his fifteen years as a member of the Tennessee House of Representatives. He provided some detailed information about the recent session of the Tennessee General Assembly, which saw a battled over the gas tax increase, which he opposed, but which ultimately passed, was signed into law, and went into effect on July 1. Matheny also focused on one of his key pledges to improve communications between Washington and the state government…
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Restoring the federal judiciary to its constitutional moorings is what many Americans call Job 1, and it was on this issue they put aside their considerable reservations about Donald Trump, swallowed hard, considered the alternative, hoped for the best, and cast their votes for him. On this score, he has redeemed their faith. The president came…
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The Nashville Tea Party and a Vanderbilt University economics professor are raising concerns about the $6 billion regional mass transit plan for Middle Tennessee. Much of the plan is still tentative and designed to be phased in over 25 years. However, in her State of Metro address in April, Nashville Mayor Megan Barry committed to starting work on light rail along Gallatin Pike immediately. She also said she would have a referendum on the ballot in 2018 to raise taxes to help fund transit projects. The Gallatin Pike plan calls for putting train tracks in the middle of Gallatin Pike from Briley Parkway south to the downtown bus station. The Nashville Tea Party sees problems with that. “This will mean many years of construction noise, choking dust and major traffic disruption,” the tea party chapter said on its Facebook page last week. The regional transit plan also calls for light rail along Charlotte Pike, Nolensville Pike and Murfreesboro Pike and for light rail connecting Nashville and Clarksville. The Nashville Tea Party posted a study by Malcolm Getz, a Vanderbilt University economics professor who is critical of the regional transit plan primarily because of its heavy reliance on trains, though the plan…
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VERSE OF THE DAY Be blessed and be a blessing July 18, Tuesday Psalm 5:9 For there is no truth in their mouth; their inmost self is destruction; their throat is an open grave; they flatter with their tongue. 3 John 1:11 Beloved, do not imitate evil but imitate good. Whoever does good is from God; whoever does evil has not seen God.
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