Day: January 21, 2019

Taxes Reportedly Might Go Up in Rutherford County

Chris Butler

Attention Rutherford County residents. The powers-that-be are out to raise your taxes, according to The Murfreesboro Daily News Journal. State Rep. Charlie Baum, R-Murfreesboro, reportedly told the paper that the county’s 19-year-old development tax rate of $1,500 per home should increase for inflation to help fund school construction. “The County Powers Relief Act gave Rutherford a choice to either keep a locked-in $1,500 development tax per dwelling or switch to a county school facilities tax of $1 per square foot on new livable residential space,” the paper reported. “The facilities tax could go up by 10 percent in four years after adoption.” Baum and other state legislators from the county met this week to discuss that matter as well as taxes and funding education, among other things. These legislators met with members of the county commission’s Steering, Legislative & Governmental Committee at the County Courthouse, the paper reported. “I realize in a growing county like Rutherford County we’re in position to build a new school a year,” The Daily News Journal quoted Baum as saying. Baum, the paper went on to say, used to serve on the County Commission. “Baum agreed to support the commission’s unanimous request to adjust the County Powers Relief Act…

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Commentary: Now We Know It’s All About the Wall

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Migrant Caravan

by Roger Kimball   Bismarck said that politics is the art of the possible. It looks like House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), and other Democrats regard politics as the art of intransigence. In his brief remarks Saturday on border security, Donald Trump outlined a plan that made multiple concessions to Democratic desiderata in exchange for $5.7 billion to fund 230 miles of the wall along the southern U.S. border. Indeed, the president’s plan deliberately took cues from some Durbin’s own legislation on the subject. Didn’t matter. Pelosi said the president’s plan was “a non-starter.” Before rehearsing the specifics of the plan, let’s note two things. First, as the president himself noted, his plan is meant as the first step in addressing a national crisis. The crisis has two parts. One is humanitarian. The hordes pooling at the U.S.-Mexico border attempting to gain unlawful entry to the country are taking huge risks. According to the president, one-third of the women making the journey North are subject to sexual assault; some observers put the figure even higher; some mothers, Trump said, provided their girls with contraceptives in preparation for the journey. Many of the children, most often brought along by adults, are also…

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Democratic Rep Wants to Ban Teens from Wearing MAGA Hats after False Reports of Harrassment

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by Neetu Chandak   House Budget Committee Chairman John Yarmuth called for banning teens from wearing Make America Great Again (MAGA) hats after a video circulated on social media of an encounter between some Kentucky high school boys and an American Indian group after the March for Life rally Friday. After facing criticism on Twitter, he mentioned it was an “obvious joke.” “I am calling for a total and complete shutdown of teenagers wearing MAGA hats until we can figure out what is going on,” Yarmuth posted Sunday on Twitter. “They seem to be poisoning young minds.” I am calling for a total and complete shutdown of teenagers wearing MAGA hats until we can figure out what is going on. They seem to be poisoning young minds. [1/2] https://t.co/yq5bLd4kE2 — John Yarmuth 🥃 (@JohnYarmuth) January 20, 2019 Yarmuth, a Democratic representative from Kentucky, also blamed President Donald Trump for the allegedly negative behavior displayed in a separate tweet. “The conduct we saw in this video is beyond appalling, but it didn’t happen in a vacuum,” another tweet by the chairman said. “This is a direct result of the racist hatred displayed daily by the President of the United States who, sadly, some mistake for a role…

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Commentary: Socialism and the Vicious Circle of Child Marriage

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by Rev. Ben Johnson   She was the brightest girl in her class, and 13-year-old Maureen dreamed of an education that would get her out of the poverty that bogged down her hometown of Mudzi, Mashonaland, Zimbabwe. Her parents promised to pay her tuition – but her family hit hard times. Instead, her father married off the young adolescent to a middle-aged man. “When my parents told me about the marriage I couldn’t believe it, because they had always given me the impression that I was their most intelligent child and I would pursue my studies,” the child toldthe Guardian this month. “The man was abusive, he called me names and beat me several times, especially after I lost my baby.” She is far from alone. Approximately one-third of all girls in Zimbabwe end up as child brides, often traded for dowries so small the girls find them insulting. For instance, another Zimbabwean family gave their 14-year-old girl to an older man for less than 50 cents. But economically, families see more value in receiving even a pittance than from investing in their daughters’ human capital: educating them, teaching them skills, and preparing them to find employment … or even to finish raising…

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Trump Assails Pelosi’s Rejection of ‘Compromise’ to End Government Shutdown

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President Donald Trump assailed House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Sunday for rejecting what he is calling a compromise to end the record 30-day partial government shutdown, with $5.7 billion for his barrier along the U.S.-Mexican border and three years of protection against deportation for hundreds of thousands of immigrants. “Nancy Pelosi and some of the Democrats turned down my offer yesterday before I even got up to speak. They don’t see crime & drugs, they only see 2020 – which they are not going to win. Best economy!” Trump said on Twitter, referring to next year’s presidential election. “They should do the right thing for the Country & allow people to go back to work.” Nancy Pelosi and some of the Democrats turned down my offer yesterday before I even got up to speak. They don’t see crime & drugs, they only see 2020 – which they are not going to win. Best economy! They should do the right thing for the Country & allow people to go back to work. — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 20, 2019 Trump, now halfway through his four-year White House term, offered his plan to end the longest government closure in American history…

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Tennessee Offers Hotline to Report Government Waste, Fraud, and Abuse

Chris Butler

Some people may not know it, but if you see or know of waste, fraud of abuse in the local or Tennessee state governments then you can call a special hotline to report it. Tennessee Comptrollers discussed this Fraud, Waste & Abuse hotline — and the results gained from tipsters — in their 2018 Annual Report, released this week. The hotline received 870 notifications between July 1, 2017, and June 30, 2018. Comptrollers said 521 of those calls had merit and were investigated, according to the report. Among only a few of them: • Bid Rigging and Bribery: The notification alleged two employees of the University of Tennessee Athletic Department accepted entertainment from a potential vendor and imposed restrictive bid requirements that inhibited competition. Officials recommended the university require and document periodic training related to the Employee Gift Acceptance Policy. • Inappropriate Actions by a State Employee: The notification alleged a Department of Children’s Services employee tried to influence a local election by campaigning for a friend while conducting an assessment for the state. The review substantiated the allegation, and the case was placed in review for approval. After approval, officials will place it in external review for further consideration, according to the…

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BuzzFeed Doubles-Down on Trump Story, but Won’t Discuss Documents or Sources

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by Chuck Ross   BuzzFeed editor Ben Smith and reporter Anthony Cormier doubled down Sunday on their bombshell report that President Donald Trump directed Michael Cohen to lie to Congress about his efforts to build a Trump Tower in Russia. “I have further confirmation that this is right. We are being told to stand our ground. Our reporting is going to be borne out to be accurate, and we’re 100 percent behind it,” Cormier told CNN’s Brian Stelter during an interview about their report, which has been directly disputed by the special counsel’s office. “The same sources that we used in the story are standing behind it, and so are we.” But while Smith and Cormier expressed unwavering confidence in their story, the pair declined to discuss the specifics about how their report came together. Cormier dodged Stelter’s questions about documents that his colleague, Jason Leopold, claims to have seen as part of the reporting process. Cormier also acknowledged he is not certain what Cohen specifically told the special counsel or what Trump allegedly told Cohen. Cormier and Leopold reported Thursday night that Cohen told the special counsel’s office Trump directed him to lie to Congress in 2017 about his efforts to build…

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China Expected to Report Slowest Growth in 28 Years

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Reuters   China is expected to report Monday that economic growth cooled to its slowest in 28 years in 2018 amid weakening domestic demand and bruising U.S. tariffs, adding pressure on Beijing to roll out more support measures to avert a sharper slowdown. Growing signs of weakness in China, which has generated nearly a third of global growth in the past decade, are stoking worries about risks to the world economy and are weighing on profits for firms ranging from Apple to big carmakers. Chinese policymakers have pledged more support for the economy this year to reduce the risk of massive job losses, but they have ruled out a flood of stimulus like that which Beijing has unleashed in the past, which quickly juiced growth rates but left a mountain of debt. Estimated 2018 GDP: 6.6 percent Analysts polled by Reuters expect the world’s second-largest economy to have grown 6.4 percent in the October-December quarter from a year earlier, slowing from the previous quarter’s 6.5 percent pace and matching levels last seen in early 2009 during the global financial crisis. That could pull 2018 gross domestic product (GDP) growth to 6.6 percent, the lowest since 1990 and down from a…

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Trump Must Go to the Mat Over Liberal Judge’s Ruling On Census Question

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by Mike Gonzalez and Hans von Spakovsky   A Manhattan district court judge earlier this week blocked the Trump administration from adding a question on citizenship to the 2020 census, and in doing so has sought to weaken executive power while strengthening the administrative state. The Trump administration has one choice here: Overturn this judicial overreach through appeal. The decision was biased and based on selective evidence. It needs to be overturned and corrected at once. As Judge Jesse M. Furman of the Southern District of New York himself observed in his ruling, “Time is of the essence because the Census Bureau needs to finalize the 2020 questionnaire by June of this year.” [ The liberal Left continue to push their radical agenda against American values. The good news is there is a solution. Find out more ] The administration must therefore seek a stay at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, and if that fails go straight to the Supreme Court for an expedited review. Shoddy Reasoning Furman, an Obama appointee, bought into the plaintiffs’ arguments that the citizenship question would lead to an undercount of illegal residents—and Hispanics in general—despite the lack of evidence supporting that claim. It is important to…

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Liz Cheney: Pelosi ‘Commandeered The House’ on the DACA Issue She’s Now Voting Against

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by Molly Prince   The third-ranking House Republican, Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney, slammed House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Sunday for opposing proposals that she recently supported as a way to resist negotiating with President Donald Trump. “It’s very difficult to understand when you’ve got the president’s proposal that obviously includes money for the border wall, also includes an extension for the DACA folks, also includes an extension for TPS. Those are issues, DACA in particular, that Speaker Pelosi, she commandeered the floor of the House of Representatives for eight hours less than a year ago on particularly this issue of helping to ensure that people that are here, the so-called dreamers, are not deported,” Cheney told Chuck Todd while on “Meet The Press.” “For [Pelosi] now to simply reject out of hand when the president actually has said ‘okay let’s look at ways we can come closer,’ it shows you they’re just not interested in negotiating,” Cheney continued. The Republican-led House passed a stopgap funding bill on Dec. 20 that included appropriations to construct a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border. However, with a 51-seat majority, Senate Republicans fell short of the necessary 60 votes needed to send it to Trump’s desk for signature. Senate…

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Georgia Legislators Pursue ‘Netflix Tax’ to Cash in on Digital Streaming

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by Brittany Hunter   When the private sector needs to generate more revenue, entrepreneurs innovate and create in order to draw in consumers and raise profits. When the government needs to generate additional revenue, they are left with only one option: Extort through fees and taxation. And after it has taxed everything feasibly within its grasp, it has to get creative. California lawmakers have sunk so low, there is now a tax on fruit purchased from vending machines. It should be noted that regular fruit purchased at a store is not subject to this tax, only those purchased from a vending machine. Following this line of absurdity, Indiana has an instituted a candy tax on marshmallows. Maine has a fruit tax specifically on blueberries. Unfortunately, Georgia may be the next state to fall victim to absurd government attempts to generate revenue by taxing digital streaming services like Netflix and Hulu. Tax All the Things At the end of last year, California tried to pull a fast one on its residents when local policymakers attempted to levy a 4 percent tax on text messaging. Just weeks prior, Chicago became a target for criticism after PlayStation’s decision to begin enforcing the city’s new 9…

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Pelosi Rejects Trump’s Shutdown Offer, Minnesota Democrats Fall in Line

Anthony Gockowski

Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA-12) rejected President Donald Trump’s offer Saturday to provide temporary protections for DACA recipients in exchange for border-wall cash, and Minnesota’s congressional delegation promptly followed suit. “Democrats were hopeful that the president was finally willing to re-open government and proceed with a much-needed discussion to protect the border. Unfortunately, initial reports make clear that his proposal is a compilation of several previously rejected initiatives, each of which is unacceptable and in total do no represent a good faith effort to restore certainty to people’s lives,” Pelosi said in a statement, which was released before Trump delivered his remarks. Pelosi called Trump’s proposal a “non-starter,” taking issue with the fact that it didn’t “include the permanent solution for the Dreamers and TPS [Temporary Protected Status] recipients that our country needs and supports.” Minnesota’s DFLers fell in line Saturday afternoon, saying they wouldn’t negotiate on border security until the government reopens. “While I welcome many elements of the president’ proposal, negotiations cannot begin during a shutdown,” Rep. Dean Phillips (D-MN-03) wrote on Twitter. “I believe a bipartisan deal can be reached that satisfies our need for enhanced border security and immigration reform, but government must be reopened for that…

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Western NC Progressive Activist Turned State Senator To Run For Lt. Governor Spot In 2020

A.P. Dillon

A progressive activist from Buncombe County, North Carolina will be running for Lt. Governor in 2020. Senator Terry Van Duyn announced last December that she will seek the number two spot in the Tarheel state. I want you to be the first to know I'm running to be your next Lieutenant Governor in North Carolina! #ncpol #TVD2020 #ncga pic.twitter.com/EqKTMgHCEE — Terry Van Duyn (@TerryVanDuynNC) December 10, 2018 The Lt. Governor’s office is currently occupied by Dan Forest, who has made no secret of his intent to challenge Democratic Governor Roy Cooper in 2020. Since winning the special election for the seat left vacant in 2014 with the passing of Martin Nesbitt, she’s retained the seat twice – once in 2014 and again in 2018. Prior to filling the Nesbitt seat, Van Duyn, then age 61, was arrested with several others on June 24, 2013, at a far Left ‘Moral Monday’ protest. At that June 2013 protest, Van Duyn was one of the guest speakers. Senator Van Duyn (D-D49) has demonstrated to be a Progressive Democrat who typically relies on wedge social issues and identity politics when campaigning. Van Duyn has displayed her support for expanding abortion rights, restricting gun ownership,…

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Colorado Governor Extends Unemployment Benefits to All Federal Workers During Shutdown

Anthony Gockowski

Gov. Jared Polis (D-CO) has opened up unemployment benefits for all federal employees working without pay in the state as the government shutdown carries on. “I have authorized an emergency rule that makes unpaid federal workers eligible for unemployment benefits, whether they are reporting for work or not,” Polis said in a Friday statement. “Many federal employees can’t afford to go without a paycheck for a month or longer—Congress needs to re-open the government, but in the meantime, our state will do everything we can to help Coloradans.” Prior to his announcement, only furloughed workers were eligible for unemployment benefits, since the law requires people to be out of work, not just working without pay, to qualify. Polis’ office said that 2,416 furloughed workers had already taken advantage of unemployment benefits, according to Colorado Politics. Under Polis’ emergency rule, essential employees who have been working without pay, such as TSA agents or IRS workers, can now apply for unemployment benefits. “Those federal employees who are required to report for work are feeling the same economic squeeze as those who have been furloughed,” Polis said. “They should not be denied the immediate financial assistance provided by unemployment benefits while being mandated…

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Bill Haslam Joins Never-Trumper Bill Kristol and Abdul El-Sayed at Liberal DC Institute

Jason M. Reynolds

Now that Bill Haslam has left office as Tennessee’s governor,  he has joined several Never-Trumpers as “spring fellows” instructors at American University’s Sine Institute of Politics in Washington, D.C. The fellowship’s website says, “As an incubator for policy innovation and convener of the best minds in the public, private, and nonprofit sectors, the arts, and journalism, the Sine Institute is pleased to announce its inaugural class of Fellows and Distinguished Lecturer. These experts will lead discussions and study sessions with students, as well as convene and participate in campus-wide events throughout the year.” Haslam should fit in with a cast of Never-Trumpers at the university. He said last year that Trump should not endorse any gubernatorial candidate seeking to replace him, referring to Diane Black. Who are Haslam’s fellow “best” colleagues? Several of them are Never-Trumpers. Abdul El-Sayed, innocuously listed by AU as a former Democratic gubernatorial candidate, doctor and former executive director of the Detroit Health Department. There is more to El-Sayed’s story. According to an Aug. 3, 2018 story by The Intercept, El-Sayed is a Muslim American of Egyptian descent who has gained the adoration of U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT). Last Saturday, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., endorsed…

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