Day: August 19, 2018

Memphis Might Change How it Gives Out Tax Incentives

Chris Butler
Memphis

Memphis and Shelby County have an unelected board of 11 people who have enough power to grant millions of dollars in tax abatements to corporations. Shelby County Commissioner Heidi Shafer told The Tennessee Star that city and county officials aren’t getting results under the current way of doing things. “There have been a chorus of people jumping up and down saying we have to do better because business is getting sucked out of our county down to Mississippi,” said Shafer, whose term as commissioner ends later this month. Shafer said she wants to restructure this board, known as the Memphis Economic Development Growth Engine. Under the current system, the EDGE CEO is accountable only to Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland and Shelby County Mayor Mark Luttrell Jr. Both mayors appoint the EDGE board of directors, although county commissioners and city council members vote to confirm them. Otherwise, county commissioners and city council members have no sway over their respective mayors, Shafer said. Shafer recently made a motion to have the EDGE CEO report to his or her board of directors — instead of the two mayors. “The CEO has a board of directors, but they are sort of symbolic. They can’t…

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Do As We Say, Not as We Do: MSM Conveniently Reprimands Republicans, Not Democrats on First Amendment Reporting

Julie Carr
Steve Gill

During Friday’s broadcast of The Gill Report – live on WETR 92.3 FM in Knoxville – conservative political commentator and Tennessee Star Political Editor Steve Gill was humored by the one-sided and propaganda-driven reporting by the ‘fake news media,’ and it’s ability to conveniently forget the actions of the lefts attempt to conveniently silence it’s reporters… when it suits their agenda. Gill said: You know just [Thursday], three hundred and fifty newspapers around the country took President Trump to task for supposedly not supporting the first amendment because he’s been critical of the fake news media. Now despite the fact that there’s plenty of evidence that the coordinated attacks on President Trump through all the forms of media but most notably MSNBC, CNBC, and CNN are provably false so many times and the agenda, the propaganda, focus of the media in attacking Trump was really proved yesterday when again, these three hundred and fifty papers coordinated to attack the President, on a false basis. He’s not against the first amendment simply because he highlights the fact that the media is not embracing their journalistic responsibilities. And keep in mind that not so long ago when President Trump kicked CNN reporter,…

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Commentary: Neither ‘Free’ Nor ‘Independent,’ the ‘Enemy Of The People’ Media Were On The Wrong Side In The Revolution

Admin
Donald Trump

by George Rasley   Thursday, some 300 newspapers published editorials attacking President Trump for calling certain media figures and companies “the enemy of the people.” The effort was conceived by the Boston Globe and promoted by the American Society of News Editors, the New England Newspaper and Press Association and other groups. Marjorie Pritchard, the Globe’s deputy editorial page editor, told CNN the goal was to raise awareness in the public mind of “the importance of a free and independent press.” If that was the goal, as far as we can tell it failed to deliver. And the reason that it failed is because the American public, outside the largely coastal enclaves of the self-appointed urban elite, long ago realized that most of today’s “press” is neither free nor independent. The days of the feisty independent newspaper publisher are long gone. They have been replaced by corporate managers in thrall to next quarter’s profits, who are not rewarded for speaking truth to power or fighting for the little guy, but for how many column inches of ad space they place. And that same progressive corporate ownership of multiple newspapers must have made getting the orders to push the Boston Globe’s…

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Chattanooga Public School Students Take Bible Classes

Chris Butler
Bible

You may not think such a thing legal in this day and age, but the Hamilton County Public School System offers a Bible History Class. This is courtesy of a Chattanooga-based nonprofit that has put up millions of dollars of its own money to fund it. The group, Bible in the Schools, has donated cash for several years, and their money funds teachers and materials for the class, said Hamilton County School Systems spokesman Tim Hensley, in an emailed statement to The Tennessee Star. A representative from Bible in the Schools was unavailable to talk Thursday. The group has already donated $1.3 million to fund the course for the school year, according to the Chattanooga Times Free Press. According to the paper, enrollment data from 23 participating schools show 4,068 students in grades six through 12 completed the courses during the 2017-18 academic year, a record enrollment. The $1.3 million was the largest philanthropic gift the school system received for the year. With the money the school system hired 20 qualified and certified Bible History teachers, Superintendent Bryan Johnson told the paper. The class is an elective. Bible in the Schools has made this course possible for nearly 10 decades,…

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Tom Zawistowki Commentary: Building a Dam to Stop the Blue Wave

Tennessee Star Staff
Tennessee Star

By Tom Zawistowki   While many in Washington were aghast at the thought that President Trump would even suggest shutting down the federal government in September over funding for the border wall and immigration reform, those of us in the heartland see the logic. If there is even a chance of a Democrat blue wave in November that would allow them to take control of the House, does it not make sense to get the funding for the wall before the election? Why would we, or the President, take a chance on never getting the border wall we all know is essential to controlling the illegal immigration problem? After all, building the border wall and reforming our corrupt immigration laws is what Trump, and nearly all the Republicans in the House and Senate, ran on in 2016 and are running on again in 2018. If they want Trump voters to come out in November to re-elect them, they need to deliver on that fundamental promise before the election. The problem is that powerful establishment Republicans, led by Speaker Paul Ryan, pay lip service to the cause because they really want open borders and cheap labor. They almost certainly won’t move on…

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The Double Standard of Justice in the U.S. Is Risking the Collapse of the Entire System

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Lady Justice

by Printus LeBlanc   The political world is waiting with bated breath for the outcome of Paul Manafort’s trial. The former one-time Trump campaign chairman is being prosecuted by Special Counsel Robert Mueller for various tax and bank fraud crimes, most of which occurred over a decade ago. Manafort is also facing charges in the District of Columbia for Foreign Agent Registration Act violations. In total, Manafort is looking at more than three centuries behind bars. Many recall Mueller was appointed to investigate Russian election interference and if the Trump campaign colluded. Yet for some unknown reason, Mueller is vigorously pursuing Manafort even though none of the charges in Virginia or D.C. have nothing to do with Russia or the 2016 election. Despite being on trial for nothing to do with Russia or the election by someone that is supposed to be investigating Russia and the election, Manafort is likely to spend more time in prison than rapists or murderers. Is that justice? The mainstream media has reported authorities raided a compound last week in New Mexico and found malnourished children. But what really happened is much more sinister, and the actions of a local judge have called into question what…

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The ‘Most Damning’ Undercover Videos Revealing Planned Parenthood Sold Aborted Baby Parts Might Go Public

Admin
Center for Medical Progress undercover video

by Grace Carr    – The Center for Medical Progress (CMP) and David Daleiden filed three motions in San Francisco federal court Wednesday.   – The National Abortion Federation (NAF) sued CMP in 2015 accusing CMP and David Daleiden of trespassing, fraud and illegal videotaping.  – CMP released videos, footage and transcripts in 2015 exposing Planned Parenthood’s alleged illegal sale of fetal tissue. A “damning” set of undercover videos allegedly revealing the illegal sale of aborted baby body parts might soon be released to the public if the court decides to lift its gag order barring the footage from publication. The Center for Medical Progress (CMP) and David Daleiden filed three motions in San Francisco federal court Wednesday evening, asking the court to dissolve the injunction barring CMP from releasing its remaining footage allegedly showing Planned Parenthood leaders selling aborted baby parts. CMP is also asking the court to dismiss the National Abortion Federation’s (NAF) 2015 lawsuit, “National Abortion Federation (NAF) v. Center for Medical Progress,” accusing CMP and David Daleiden of trespassing, fraud and illegal videotaping. Planned Parenthood also filed a lawsuit against CMP in 2016. CMP’s Wednesday motions claim the facts justifying Judge William Orrick’s 2016 gag order are no longer valid following a number of findings and…

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Bill Lee Campaign Team Grows Fundraising, Communications and Grassroots Operations

Jason M. Reynolds
Bill Lee

Tennessee Republican gubernatorial nominee Bill Lee on Friday announced four new hires to his campaign team. The hires are Laine Arnold, Julie Hannah, Kim Kaegi and Joseph Williams, according to a campaign press release. They will help the campaign expand communications, fundraising and grassroots operations for the General Election on Nov. 6. Lee faces Democratic challenger Karl Dean. “We are thrilled to have all of these talented individuals join the team,” said Campaign Manager Chris Devaney. “We are building on the momentum from our victory in the primary and with these staff additions, we will have the resources and team that will (have) Bill poised to win convincingly in November.” The Lee Campaign named Arnold as Press Secretary. Previously, Arnold served as the Press Secretary for the Randy Boyd for Governor campaign and the Communications Director for Battle Ground Academy in Franklin. Arnold will manage day-to-day media relations. In addition to coalition development, Bill’s campaign conducted an expansive and aggressive grassroots campaign in the primary election. To expand on those efforts in the General Election, Hannah, former Chairwoman of the Williamson County Republican Party, is returning to assist in volunteer operations as the Special Projects & Grassroots Coordinator. Longtime Republican fundraiser Kaegi joins…

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