Day: March 4, 2019

Bill Hobbs (1964 – 2019)

Jason M. Reynolds

Tributes have been pouring in following the death of Bill Hobbs, former communications director for the Tennessee Republican Party, who lost his fight with cancer on Saturday. Hobbs was also a professional photographer. His website is here. He also was a former reporter and blogger. Jeff Hartline, executive director of the Tennessee Spotlight and vice chair of the Wilson County GOP, on Saturday paid tribute to Hobbs in his newsletter, from his unwavering conservative beliefs to his faith in Jesus. Hartline said, in part: In the process of raising three children, building a business and being engaged in the life of the Ashwood Church and its eventual move, I lost personal track of Bill. But I was aware that he had landed at the Tennessee GOP and, as Communications Director, was making Democrats in Tennessee run for cover with his groundbreaking and penetrating messaging. I suspect he was front and center when it came time to throw then Rep. Kent Williams out of the Republican Party when he colluded with House Democrats to elect him as speaker following the Republican takeover of the House after Ron Ramsey led the Republican takeover of the Senate. As many would recall, Republicans won…

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Mt Juliet Passes Ordinance Restricting Operation of Abortion Clinics Within Most of the City

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The opening of a controversial new women’s health clinic in Mt. Juliet, which offers abortion services, resulted in a special Sunday night meeting of the City Commission and a new zoning restriction that will block the clinic from operating at its current location. The Carafem clinic opened on Friday and community outrage was swift. Carafem is a nonprofit women’s health organization not affiliated with or connected to Planned Parenthood. It has other clinics located in Atlanta, Washington, D.C., and Chicago, according to the company. The action to amend the existing Mt. Juliet zoning ordinance-land development code concerning “professional ambulatory surgical treatment centers” passed by unanimous vote after strong opposition from the public, local pastors, and other community leaders demanding immediate action by the City (see map, right). Global Vision Bible Church Pastor Greg Locke and Tennessee Pastors Network President Dale Walker were among Tennessee pastors leading the fight against the clinic being allowed to offer abortions in Mt. Juliet. Debate over the ordinance drew a capacity crowd inside with dozens outside the meeting who were unable to get inside the Commission meeting. “This is a tremendous victory for the local community and for those of us committed to protecting unborn life,”…

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Audit: Rhea County Officials Misspent Taxpayer Money in Several Ways

Chris Butler

Rhea County officials used taxpayer money on a number of questionable things, including a new car for the county executive, Christmas parties, flowers, and gift cards for county employees, according to a new state audit. Among other things, county officials also spent more money than budgeted and did a lousy job managing their books. “Questionable expenditures included a donation to the Campbell Memorial Scottish Highland games, a vehicle purchased for use by the county executive, a Christmas party for employees, flowers for an employee, pagers and service fees for the county executive and Emergency Management Agency director, and gifts and gift cards for employees,” Comptrollers wrote. According to the audit, county taxpayers spent, among other things, $8,999 on a 2007 Ford Expedition for the county executive and $700 on catering a Christmas dinner for county employees. They also spent $3,563 in credit card payments to Lowes for Christmas party gifts. “Many of the expenditures noted-above do not appear to benefit the citizens of Rhea County, but rather appear to benefit only the employees of the county,” auditors wrote. “Gifts were purchased and distributed to county employees without properly accounting for their use. The practice of purchasing items to be distributed…

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Commentary: Leftists’ Efforts to Ruin the Electoral College Gains Steam as 181 Votes Now Go to the Popular Winner of Presidential Elections

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by Jarrett Stepman   Colorado is joining a list of states attempting to overturn the way Americans have selected their presidents for over two centuries. The Colorado Legislature recently passed a bill to join an interstate effort called the “interstate compact,” to attempt to sidestep the Electoral College system defined by the Constitution. Gov. Jared Polis, a Democrat, called the Electoral College an “undemocratic relic” and vowed to sign the bill into law. So far, 12 states representing 172 Electoral College votes have passed the initiative into law. With the addition of Colorado (which has nine votes), that number will rise to 181. They need 270 for the compact to go into effect. It would then undoubtedly be challenged in the courts. Some major voices on the left were gleeful about the potential change. Time to make Electoral College a vestige of the past. It’s undemocratic, forces candidates to ignore majority of the voters and campaign in a small number of states. The presidency is our one national office and should be decided – directly – by the voters https://t.co/OyRbXOiBpz — Eric Holder (@EricHolder) February 26, 2019 While the Constitution, intentionally, gives wide latitude to states to create their own electoral…

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Commentary: Vaping and Smoking Are Not the Same So Stop Treating Them That Way

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This week, Tennessee lawmakers will be considering legislation to increase the purchase age of vapor products to 21. But if we are really concerned about improving Tennessee’s health, we need our policy makers to create laws that recognize the significant difference between traditional cigarettes and vaping products.

The scientific community has overwhelmingly determined that vapor products are less harmful than traditional combustible tobacco. First and most importantly, e-cigarettes and other vapor products contain no tobacco. So they should not be legislated the same way.

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Climate Skeptic Group ‘CO2 Coalition’ Invites Rep Ocasio-Cortez to Debate Green New Deal Policy Proposal

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by Michael Bastach   Skeptics of global warming “catastrophe” have an extended an offer for Green New Deal champion New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to come and debate them. Retired statistics professor Dr. Caleb Rossiter offered a standing invitation for Ocasio-Cortez, and others who have attacked the CO2 Coalition, to come and debate climate science and energy policy. Taking a page from his early anti-war activism days, Rossiter put a piece of paper with Ocasio-Cortez’s name, and the names of other “alarmists,” on an empty chair next to panelists during a Friday panel at this year’s Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC). Rossiter said anti-war activists would have empty chairs at events reserved for Defense Department officials who, though invited, would never show up. Ocasio-Cortez and Maine Democratic Rep. Chellie Pingree recently went after big tech companies for sponsoring an event at LibertyCon, a conference put on by a libertarian student group, at which the CO2 Coalition also sponsored an event. Ocasio-Cortez and Pingree said tech companies’ “implicit” support for the CO2 Coalition was “dangerous to our society” because it allegedly spread misinformation about climate science. However, NASA attributes much of the observed “global greening” in the past 30 years to elevated CO2 levels. Rossiter,…

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Senator Rand Paul Will Vote Against Trump’s National Emergency Declaration

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Rand Paul

by Henry Rogers   Kentucky Republican Sen. Rand Paul said he will vote against a resolution in an attempt to terminate President Donald Trump’s national emergency for border wall funding. Paul will join a group of three Republicans who have expressed their concerns with Trump’s declaration for a national emergency, saying they do not believe the president should be allowed to override Congress to such a degree. “I can’t vote to give extraconstitutional powers to the President,” Paul said, to the Bowling Green Daily News Saturday. “I can’t vote to give the President the power to spend money that hasn’t been appropriated by Congress,” he continued. “We may want more money for border security, but Congress didn’t authorize it. If we take away those checks and balances, it’s a dangerous thing.” He was speaking to the Warren County Republican Party. In the group are Republican Sens. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Thom Tillis of North Carolina and Susan Collins of Maine. “As a U.S. senator, I cannot justify providing the executive with more ways to bypass Congress,” Tillis wrote in an op-ed for The Washington Post. “As a conservative, I cannot endorse a precedent that I know future left-wing presidents will exploit to advance radical policies that will…

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Top Democrats Vow to Intensify Trump Probes into ‘Russia Collusion’

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Top Democratic lawmakers vowed Sunday to step up their investigations of U.S. President Donald Trump and his connections to Russia during the 2016 presidential election. House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler told ABC News that on Monday his panel would be issuing requests for documents to 60 people, “to begin the investigations to present the case to the American people about obstruction of justice, corruption and abuse of power.” He said the requests would be sent to officials at the White House and Justice Department, along with Trump’s oldest son, Donald Trump Jr., and Allen Weisselberg, the chief financial officer of the Trump Organization, the president’s global business empire. Nadler said he believes the president has obstructed justice during his two years in office. He said that Trump’s former long-time personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, in his lengthy public testimony to Congress last week, “directly implicated the president in – in various crimes, both while seeking the office of president and while in the White House.” “We don’t have the facts yet,” Nadler said. “But we’re going to initiate proper investigations.” Cohen, who called Trump “a racist, a con man, a cheat,” showed a House panel two $35,000 checks – one…

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New WSJ Poll Suggests Trump’s Attacks On Socialism Could Gain Traction Ahead of 2020

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by Chris White   Only a scant few Americans view socialism in a favorable light, according to a Wall Street Journal poll published Sunday. The poll numbers come as President Donald Trump and the Republican Party continue painting Democrats as socialists ahead of the 2020 election. Only 18 percent of all Americans say they view socialism positively, while 50 percent view it negatively, the poll notes. The numbers for capitalism are tilted in the operation direction: roughly 50 percent of adults view it positively, with only 19 percent saying they view the U.S.’s overarching economic system negatively. The poll, which was conducted between Feb. 24-27, also shows that most Americans have a very low opinion of presidential candidates who are above the age of 75 and a socialist. Only 37 percent of people are enthusiastic about a septuagenarian running for office. The numbers are worse if that person is a socialist. Only 25 percent of people would support such a candidate. The Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) played a key role in helping Democratic candidates like New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez topple establishment Democrats in 2018 primary races. DSA leaders are looking to replicate that success at the national level as Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, a…

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Pearl-Cohn, Miquan Tucker Shoot Their Way to Region Victory

Scott Wallace

Junior small forward Tucker hits 10 three pointers to lead Pearl-Cohn to home game on Monday The Pearl-Cohn Firebirds used a hot shooting night from Miquan Tucker (pictured, right) to outlast the East Nashville Magnet Eagles 71-60 in the Region 5AA championship game from Pearl-Cohn. Tucker went 10 of 17 from behind the three-point line to lead of scorers with 31 points. “I was shooting the ball with confidence and looking for my teammates,” said Tucker. “After winning this game, my focus is on the next game. We have to stay locked in, in practice and execute.” Tucker scored 19 first half points to help stretch a second quarter 17-point lead with 4:21 left in the half. The Eagles closed the half on a 16-6 run to cut the lead to 30-26 on a Caleb Grimes three point shot at the buzzer. After Pearl-Cohn junior post Tyrone Marshall (pictured, left) scored a basket to start the second half, the Eagles went on a mini 6-0 run to tie the score at 32. Marshall then took over on both ends finishing the quarter with three dunks and three blocks. The dunks all came off of pick and dive plays that forced…

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Commenteary: Why Does Child Care in Massachusetts Cost Four Times What it Does in Mississippi?

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by Max Gulker   In the discussion of the nation’s problem with child care costs, a crucial factor has gone mostly unmentioned. This is one of the most regulated industries. These regulations are driving up costs. Adding more government control of the industry risks making a bad situation even worse. To be sure, costs vary by state. So too do the relevant regulatory regimes. According to data from Child Care Aware, child care for a toddler in a Massachusetts center costs on average a whopping $18,845, or 65 percent on the average single-parent family’s income in the state. Low-cost Mississippi, on the other hand, is $4,670, less than 25 percent of the average single-parent family’s income. Why does child care in Massachusetts cost four times what it does in Mississippi? Indices estimate that the ratio of overall cost of living between the two states is about 1.5, suggesting factors specific to child care account for part of the wide gap. Massachusetts mandates that child-care centers must have one staff member on hand for every three infants. In Mississippi, that staff member can care for five. Massachusetts requires a staff member for every ten preschool-age children. In Mississippi, that number is fourteen.…

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Congress Wades Into Britain’s Brexit Drama

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With Britain deadlocked on negotiating its divorce from the European Union, an unexpected side-front is emerging, the U.S. Congress. Conservatives who pushed the June 2016 referendum that ended in the shock decision to leave the 28-member bloc dangled the prospect of a free trade agreement with the United States as proof that Britain would not be isolated. But while nationalist-minded President Donald Trump has welcomed Brexit, the main hitch to Britain’s exit has raised alarm among key U.S. lawmakers — the prospect of the return of a physical border that divides Ireland. The elimination of the border between the Republic of Ireland and British-ruled Northern Ireland was a key component of the Good Friday agreement of 1998, brokered with the United States and made possible through the fruition of the integrated EU, which largely ended three decades of conflict that killed around 3,500 people. Unified Ireland Representative Peter King, long one of the highest-profile supporters in Congress of a unified Ireland, warned at a recent event in Washington that the direction of Brexit would be critical to any future U.S. trade deal. “It’s important for we, as Irish Americans, to make clear when we deal with the British that this…

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Klobuchar Jokes About Eating Salad With ‘a Bit of Scalp Oil and a Pinch of Dandruff’

Anthony Gockowski

Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) spoke Saturday night at the esteemed Gridiron Club dinner in Washington D.C. where she attempted to joke about the recent stories detailing her abusive behavior towards her staffers. The New York Times reported February 22 that, in one instance, Klobuchar berated a staff member who forgot to bring a fork on board their 2008 flight from D.C. to South Carolina. Fork-less, the Minnesota senator grabbed a comb from her purse and began eating her salad with it. Predictably, conservative Twitter had a field day with the bizarre incident, which Klobuchar tried to joke about during Saturday’s event. “How did everyone like the salad? I thought it was OK, but it needed just a bit of scalp oil and a pinch of dandruff—would be a little better,” she told the crowd, according to CNN. The Times article was just the latest in a series of stories alleging that Klobuchar is a demeaning and abusive boss. The Minnesota Republican Party released a statement in response to the allegations. “The record shows that while Senator Amy Klobuchar represents Minnesota, she clearly doesn’t fit the ‘Minnesota Nice’ persona,” Minnesota Republican Party Chairwoman Jennifer Carnahan said in early February. “Last year,…

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Report: Ohio Job Growth Strong in 2018

Andrew Shirley

Friday, Ohio’s private economic development corporation, JobsOhio, released their annual report for 2018. The report assessed current projects,  jobs created, jobs maintained, and lastly, capital investments. By these metrics, 2018 appeared to be a strong year for Ohio. However, there are qualifiers to their findings. Overall, by JobsOhio assessment, the organization was involved in 266 projects across Ohio. This is actually a small decrease from previous years. In 2016, the organization was involved in 284 projects and 272 in 2017. However, the payroll and jobs created from these projects are significantly higher. The total payroll for 2018 $1.3 Billion with 27,071 new jobs created. Both of these figures represent significant jumps. While the report does not list the number of jobs lost or why the number of projects decreased, it does list the number of jobs retained. In total, 69,905  were retained in 2018, for a total payroll value of $4.2 Billion. Capital investment remained constant with last year at $9.6 Billion. It should be noted that the job numbers for 2018 reflect future jobs and spending commitments which means that, when the projects are launched, the actual numbers could vary significantly. According to the report, the majority of these new jobs were made in…

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Minnesota House Bill Would Require Businesses That Contract With State Government to Have Affirmative-Action Policies

Anthony Gockowski

A new bill in the Minnesota House would require any business that contracts with the state government to demonstrate that it has affirmative-action policies in place. “For all contracts for good and services in excess of $100,000, no department or agency of the state shall accept any bid or proposal for a contract or agreement from any business having more than 40 full -time employees within this state on a single working day during the previous 12 months, unless the commissioner is in receipt of the business’ affirmative action plan for the employment of minority persons, women, and qualified disabled individuals,” House File (HF) 1736 states. The bill was introduced February 27 by Rep. Rena Moran (D-St. Paul), but currently has no co-sponsors. It goes on to state that no department or state agency is allowed to contract with a business unless an “affirmative action plan has been approved by the commissioner,” and a “receipt of a certificate of compliance” has been issued by the commissioner. The bill would further allow commissioners of state agencies to void contracts if a business has failed to “implement or make a good faith effort to implement an affirmative action plan.” Additionally, HF 1736…

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Taxpayer-Funded TSBA Has $5.3 Million in Assets, Paid Top Two Execs $499k Annually, Offers Special Access to Business Affiliates

Chris Butler

The taxpayer-funded Tennessee School Boards Association (TSBA) had $5.3 million in assets at the end of 2017 and paid its top two executives $499,000 annually in 2016, according to audited financial statements and IRS Form 990 reports. The TSBA filed those reports, which The Tennessee Star obtained copies of this week. Tennessee taxpayers contributed more than 85 percent, slightly more than $2 million, of the TSBA’s $2.3 million revenues in 2016 through Local Education Agencies (LEA- the formal name for public school districts in Tennessee) dues and no bid contracts. The no bid contracts were a gift to the TSBA, which was organized way back in 1939, provided by the Tennessee General Assembly in 1990. “In 1990, the Tennessee Legislature mandated that school board members attend one full-day training session each year. The State Board of Education authorized the Tennessee Department of Education to plan and implement the program. The Department of Education contracts with TSBA to conduct all of the training. TSBA also conducts a variety of meetings, workshops and seminars throughout the year to inform board members and administrators about key issues and topics affecting public education, ”  according to the TSBA website. Taxpayer funding to TSBA came in at…

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