Day: April 21, 2019

Tennessee Officials Who Fight School Vouchers Can’t Use Proper Grammar in Written Communications

Chris Butler

Public school officials in Tennessee who protest school vouchers insist public schools are by far the best option for children, especially versus charter schools or private schools. Yet in their written communications some of them can’t seem to put a proper sentence together. Take Etowah City School Principal Brian Trammell, for instance. Trammell’s email to his teachers and other staff members this month begging them to lobby against school vouchers contained almost a dozen grammatical errors. Examples, with The Tennessee Star’s corrections in parenthesis: • “Yesterday Senate Bill 795(,) the Education Savings Account Bill (the alternative name for Vouchers to make the general public feel good about the Bill) (,) passed the Senate Education Sub-Committee.” • “The response from our Senators and Representatives will be that it will not effect (affect) McMinn County/Etowah City School students and families, but it will.” • “Once (a) pandoras (Pandora’s) box is open, parent groups, such as, (no comma needed) Homeschool parents start suing (comma needed) wanting the same “benefit” in every district in the state.” • “What is being communicated is ‘the folks in favor of this Bill are out numbering (outnumbering) the opposition.” • “If you have time(,) please email Representative Mark Cochran…

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Commentary: End Times for the Collusion Cult?

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by Thaddeus G. McCotter   Long have we dwelt upon how many of those who eschew revealed religion, instead have turned and clung to the left-wing’s regressive “civil religion.” Among these secular believers, one of the fastest growing sects was the Russian Collusion Cult. As with the overarching intellectual fraud, Collusion Cult members derived their benighted world view and unwarranted sense of self-worth from this ideological cesspool; however, unlike the larger practitioners of the civil religion who believe they ultimately would somehow coerce a change in human nature to erect an earthly Eden (a.k.a., “workers’ paradise”), the Collusion Cult had a less ambitious, more immediate Parousia: the impeachment and imprisonment of President Trump. Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s final report was supposed to commence the Collusion Cult’s end times. Trump would be removed from office and frog marched to a federal penitentiary (for violent offenders, not some country club); then, Vice President Mike Pence would be impeached for abetting Trump in his crimes and on general principles (c.f., Mayor Pete); and the first female commander-in-chief, Nancy Pelosi, after taming that pesky Russian runt Vladimir Putin, would regressively govern the country while the slack-jawed corporate left-wing media drooled over the next “The…

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In Wisconsin, School Choice Has Unexpected Benefits

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by Joshua Nelson   Elisha Doerr would not have had an opportunity to attend Wisconsin Lutheran High School, a Milwaukee-based private boarding school, if it weren’t for a school choice program. The school’s excellent curricula and the religious community were valuable to Doerr, 18, who now attends Harvard University and is deciding between majoring in government or computer science. Raised in rural Waupun, Wisconsin, with six younger siblings, Doerr’s choice for a superior education in his hometown appeared limited. His parents, who had homeschooled Elisha, looked at Wisconsin Lutheran High School for its religious affiliation, but they needed financial assistance to send their son there. Elisha Doerr would not have had an opportunity to attend Wisconsin Lutheran High School, a Milwaukee-based private boarding school, if it weren’t for a school choice program. The school’s excellent curricula and the religious community were valuable to Doerr, 18, who now attends Harvard University and is deciding between majoring in government or computer science. Raised in rural Waupun, Wisconsin, with six younger siblings, Doerr’s choice for a superior education in his hometown appeared limited. His parents, who had homeschooled Elisha, looked at Wisconsin Lutheran High School for its religious affiliation, but they needed financial…

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The Financial State of Unions After Janus

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Mark Janus

by Brittany Hunter   The Supreme Court made history last summer in the case of Janus v. American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) reaffirmed an individual’s First Amendment right to freedom of association. In a 5-4 ruling, SCOTUS ruled that labor unions could not force government employees to pay union dues. In the aftermath of Janus, labor unions have been holding their breath waiting to see how this landmark case would impact both their funding and their membership. Now, nearly a year later, reports filed with the US Department of Labor show that two giant public sector unions are reporting major decreases in agency payers, demonstrating just how significant a blow the ruling was to unions. The news should be celebrated as a victory over union intimidation; truly good ideas, after all, do not require force. However, despite the tremendous strides that have been made over the last year, the battle for the right to work has not been won quite yet. Janus and Agency Fees Prior to the Janus case, the courts ruled that government employees could not be forced to join labor unions. They could, however, be forced to pay union agency fees. A fundamental…

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Easter, Eostre, and the Unexpected Origins of Christians’ Celebration of Jesus’ Resurrection

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by Brent Landau   Christians across the globe are celebrating Easter today – the day on which the resurrection of Jesus is said to have taken place. The date of celebration changes from year to year. The reason for this variation is that Easter always falls on the first Sunday after the first full moon following the spring equinox. So, in 2019, Easter will be celebrated on April 21, and on April 12 in 2020. I am a religious studies scholar specializing in early Christianity, and my research shows that this dating of Easter goes back to the complicated origins of this holiday and how it has evolved over the centuries. Easter is quite similar to other major holidays like Christmas and Halloween, which have evolved over the last 200 years or so. In all of these holidays, Christian and non-Christian (pagan) elements have continued to blend together. Easter As A Rite Of Spring Most major holidays have some connection to the changing of seasons. This is especially obvious in the case of Christmas. The New Testament gives no information about what time of year Jesus was born. Many scholars believe, however, that the main reason Jesus’ birth came to…

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Memphis IKEA Reportedly Fails to Live Up to Promises Made to Get Tax Incentives

Chris Butler

Memphis officials gave IKEA nearly $10 million in incentives to set up shop there, but company officials reportedly can’t do what they promised. So, IKEA officials are giving up some of their previously approved 11-year tax abatement, according to The Daily Memphian. IKEA did not hire the number of jobs or pay the level of wages it promised city and county officials in exchange for lesser property tax payments, the website went on to say. “As was indicated in IKEA’s most recent Annual Report to EDGE for the year-ending Dec. 31, 2018, while IKEA met the Capital Investment commitment, it was unable to meet the Job and Wage commitment,” The Daily Memphian quoted attorney Chad Wilgenbusch as saying. “IKEA ended 2018 with 147 employees on site, 28 jobs short of its commitment to bring 175 new jobs to Memphis. Employees were making a median average wage of $36,944 at the end of 2018, $4,067 short of the IKEA’s commitment to pay employees $41,011 without benefits.” According to localmemphis.com, the Economic Development Growth Engine, which awarded the incentives, says “process standards would reduce their 11-year PILOT by a year.” “IKEA was originally awarded a PILOT for 11 years, 10 months for real…

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Tennessee Legislators Reportedly Put off Open Records Law Until Next Year

Chris Butler

Legislators have put off a bill designed to ward off people who supposedly make one too many open records requests, according to the Tennessee Coalition for Open Government. The legislation, Senate Bill 590 and House Bill 626, permits people who work for Tennessee government entities to seek an injunction against anyone who seeks public records requests “in a manner that would cause a reasonable person, including a records custodian or any staff of the public entity in control of the public records, to be seriously abused, intimidated, threatened, or harassed.” “The bills’ sponsors, Rep. William Lamberth, R-Portland, and Sen. Ferrell Haile, R-Gallatin, offered different amendments to their bills before asking to defer committee action until the first calendars of 2020,” according to the TCOG’s website. “Both said they filed the bills at the request of the city of Gallatin who had been overwhelmed by requests to inspect records from one particular public records requester.” As the TCOG went on to say, an amendment made exceptions for journalists and anyone who wanted to gather government information for mass audiences. That activity does not constitute harassment. Government entities would also have to file a report with the state’s Office of Open Records…

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Mike Huckabee Criticizes Romney for Trump Remarks

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by Mary Margaret Olohan   Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee responded to criticisms of President Donald Trump by Republican Utah Sen. Mitt Romney in a tweet Friday. “Know what makes me sick, Mitt?” Huckabee tweeted. “Not how disingenuous you were to take @realDonaldTrump $$ and then 4 yrs later jealously trash him & then love him again when you begged to be Sec of State, but makes me sick that you got GOP nomination and could have been @POTUS.” Know what makes me sick, Mitt? Not how disingenuous you were to take @realDonaldTrump $$ and then 4 yrs later jealously trash him & then love him again when you begged to be Sec of State, but makes me sick that you got GOP nomination and could have been @POTUS https://t.co/dmidOraRGQ — Gov. Mike Huckabee (@GovMikeHuckabee) April 19, 2019 Know what makes me sick, Mitt? Not how disingenuous you were to take @realDonaldTrump $$ and then 4 yrs later jealously trash him & then love him again when you begged to be Sec of State, but makes me sick that you got GOP nomination and could have been @POTUS https://t.co/dmidOraRGQ — Gov. Mike Huckabee (@GovMikeHuckabee) April 19, 2019 Huckabee was responding…

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Elizabeth Warren Is First 2020 Democrat to Call for Impeachment

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Sen. Elizabeth Warren on Friday became the first 2020 Democratic presidential candidate to make a full-throated call for the House of Representatives to begin impeachment proceedings against President Donald Trump after the release of special counsel Robert Mueller’s redacted report. Mueller, who investigated whether Trump’s campaign coordinated with Russia during the 2016 election and whether the president tried to interfere with the inquiry, found no evidence of a conspiracy between Russia and the Trump campaign and offered no verdict on obstruction of justice. Mueller did find, however, that Trump made numerous attempts to interfere with the investigation but was largely foiled by those around him. In a series of tweets, Warren said it would be damaging to “ignore a president’s repeated efforts to obstruct an investigation into his own disloyal behavior” and would give license to future presidents to act in the same way. ‘Constitutional duty’ “The severity of this misconduct demands that elected officials in both parties set aside political considerations and do their constitutional duty. That means the House should initiate impeachment proceedings against the president of the United States,” Warren, a senator from Massachusetts, tweeted. Other 2020 Democratic presidential candidates, while supportive of the idea of impeachment,…

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FBI Investigated Michael Flynn Over Russia Ties Earlier Than Previously Known

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by Chuck Ross   The FBI was investigating Michael Flynn’s possible relationship with the Russian government much earlier than previously known, the special counsel’s report revealed. Flynn, who served as President Donald Trump’s national security adviser, was also under investigation for four separate sets of allegations, says the report, which was released Thursday. It was already known that Flynn was under investigation over phone calls he had with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak in late December 2016, during the presidential transition period. Flynn pleaded guilty in the special counsel’s investigation on Dec. 1, 2017 for making false statements about those phone calls. But special counsel Robert Mueller’s report reveals for the first time that Flynn was a target of the FBI’s Russia probe before the Kislyak calls. “Previously, the FBI had opened an investigation of Flynn based on his relationship with the Russian government,” reads the report, which cited FBI interviews given by former Justice Department official Mary McCord and former FBI Director James Comey. “Flynn’s contacts with Kislyak became a key component of that investigation,” it said. It is unclear what would have prompted scrutiny of Flynn’s ties to Russia prior to his Kislyak calls. Flynn was reportedly one of…

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Philadelphia’s Soda Tax Already Is Facing Threat of Repeal – from Democrats

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by Jon Miltimore   Philadelphia’s soda tax is barely two years old, but many local lawmakers are saying they’ve seen enough. The hotly debated tax survived a legal battle last year, but the court of public opinion appears to be another matter. Maria Quiñones-Sánchez, a member of Philadelphia’s city council, introduced a bill last month that would phase out and potentially eliminate the soda tax (which includes other sugary drinks such as almond milk, sports water, and some teas). A separate resolution would authorize the Council to hire a consultant to study the tax’s economic impact. “I would be up for a total repeal of it,” Quiñones-Sánchez told The Philadelphia Inquirer. “I’m against a regressive tax. … What the polls are showing is that people aren’t happy with this.” Quiñones-Sánchez is not alone. Her bill enjoys support not just from the Council’s three Republicans but also from three Democrats. All three Democrats, The Inquirer notes, voted in favor of Philadelphia’s soda tax, Mayor Jim Kenney’s signature tax measure. A National Trend? Soda taxes aren’t new. In fact, they’re becoming increasingly popular. More than 40 countries around the world tax sugary drinks. The US has largely bucked this trend. No state…

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Justice Department Seeks 18-Month Prison Sentence for Russian Agent Maria Butina

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by Chuck Ross   The Justice Department recommended an 18-month prison sentence Friday for Maria Butina, a Russian national who prosecutors claim helped the Russian government by reporting back to Moscow on key political figures in the U.S. Prosecutors said in their court filing that Butina “was not a spy in the traditional sense” and is not a trained intelligence officer of the Kremlin. Instead, the government claims that Butina took part in a “spotting and assessing” operation on behalf of the Russian government to identify potential intelligence assets in the U.S. Butina worked with a Russian government official identified as Alexander Torshin to infiltrate conservative groups like the National Rifle Association and to establish contacts with Republican presidential campaigns, according to prosecutors. “Acquiring information valuable to a foreign power does not necessarily involve collecting classified documents or engaging in cloak-and-dagger activities,” prosecutors said in Friday’s filing. “Something as basic as the identification of people who have the ability to influence policy in a foreign power’s favor is extremely attractive to those powers,” it said. “This identification could form the basis of other forms of intelligence operations, or targeting, in the future.” Butina was indicted on July 17, 2018 and…

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Joe Biden Expected to Launch Presidential Campaign Next Week

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Former Vice President Joe Biden is expected to join the crowded 2020 Democratic presidential race next week. The decision answers one of the most significant outstanding questions of the early presidential primary season, which has already seen announcements from 18 high-profile Democrats. Biden, 76, would be the oldest and most experienced politician in the race. His plans were confirmed by three people with knowledge, who insisted on anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly. The announcement is expected as early as Wednesday and would cap months of deliberation over his political future. The specific launch date and location is unclear. Biden is likely to quickly make visits to early-voting states. One person said Biden’s advisers are also considering an early event in Charlottesville, Virginia, the site of a deadly clash between white supremacists and counterprotesters in 2017. The location would be intended to draw a contrast between Biden and President Donald Trump, who initially said there were some “very fine people on both sides” of the violent confrontation. Biden has been particularly outspoken against the rise of white supremacy in the Trump era. One of the most recognizable names in U.S. politics, Biden served as Barack Obama’s two-term…

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Ilhan Omar Joins Freshmen Democrats in Calling for Impeachment

Anthony Gockowski

Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN-05) has joined the chorus of Democrats calling for the impeachment of President Donald Trump in the wake of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s report being released to the public. “Impeachment is part of our constitutional responsibility,” the freshman Democrat wrote on Twitter this week. “We have an obligation to investigate whether the president committed impeachable offenses, including: obstruction of justice, violating the emoluments clause, collusion, [and] abuse of power.” Impeachment is part of our constitutional responsibility. We have an obligation to investigate whether the President committed impeachable offenses, including: -Obstruction of justice-Violating the Emoluments Clause-Collusion-Abuse of power https://t.co/Sq907gs7eF — Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) April 18, 2019 Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI-13) has been calling for Trump’s impeachment ever since she first entered Congress, and introduced a resolution last month that urges the House Judiciary Committee to investigate whether Trump committed any impeachable offenses. “Everything outlined in the Mueller report is further proof of what I’ve been saying for a long time: it’s time to impeach. The first step? The House Judiciary Committee launching an investigation into whether Trump committed impeachable offenses,” Tlaib wrote on Twitter after Mueller’s report was released. Everything outlined in the #MuellerReport is further proof of…

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Federal Judge Blocks Part of Ohio Law Banning Second Trimester Abortion Procedure

Andrew Shirley

A Federal Judge has ruled that portions of an abortion-limiting bill, signed into law late last year, cannot be enforced as the law is written. As previously reported: On December 13, 2018, then-Governor John Kasich signed Senate Bill 145 (SB 145), commonly referred to as a Dismemberment Abortion Ban into law. It is, as reported at the time, “an act that restricts one of the most common methods in which second-trimester abortions are performed.  The Dismemberment Abortion Ban, as the bill is known, restricts doctors from performing procedures in which dismemberment of the fetus occurs. The law also made it a “fourth-degree felony” for a doctor to perform the procedure. Should a doctor do so, they could face up to 18 months in prison and the loss of their license to practice medicine. The procedure can only be performed if the mother’s life is at serious risk or if the doctor causes “fetal demise” before the procedure. In late March, Senior U.S. District Judge Michael Barrett in Cincinnati placed a temporary hold on the bill. This was placed as the result of a lawsuit filed by Planned Parenthood against the bill on the grounds that the law was unconstitutional. “They…

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Task Force Busts Ringleaders of Central Ohio Sex Trafficking Operation

Anthony Gockowski

Attorney General Dave Yost along with law enforcement partners announced Friday that two individuals behind a human sex-trafficking ring in central Ohio were convicted and sentenced. The Central Ohio Human Trafficking Task Force charged Curtis Gossett and Jeffrey Bagley in the bust. The two men led an operation that involved recruiting women from the streets and jails, and drugging them with narcotics to maintain control over them. They trafficked dozens of women for commercial sex in Columbus, according to a press release from Yost’s office. “Women who are sold in the sex trade often think no one will believe them. These convictions are proof positive that there is justice,” Attorney General Yost said. “Our work here is not done.” Gossett received a 13 year sentence while Bagley was handed down a sentence of 10 years. Both will be required to register as sex offenders upon release. “I am very proud of the efforts of the Human Trafficking Task Force,” Columbus Police Deputy Chief Deputy Tim Becker said. “The outcome of this investigation demonstrates the commitment of the Columbus Division of Police to actively support the eradication of trafficking humans in our community and CPD will collaborate with our partners to…

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Tim Ryan Says It Is ‘Intellectually Dishonest’ to Call Obama-Turned-Trump Supporters ‘Racist’

Zachery Schmidt

Ohio’s Rep Tim Ryan (D-OH-13) once again went against traditional Democratic talking points by saying it is “intellectually dishonest” to call 2016 Trump voters “racist.” The Presidential hopeful made these remarks in a recent appeal to people in Iowa who were Obama and Trump supporters, according to the Iowa Gazette. “I think it would be helpful for us to say why did they vote for Trump. They voted for Obama twice. So I think it’s intellectually lazy to say everyone’s a racist,” Ryan said. “There are people who are hurting and hurting economically.” Ohio Representative Tim Ryan (D-OH-13) believes he can win back the Barack Obama voters who voted for Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential election,  according the Gazette. “Trump did well in my district. I did well in my district. I believe I can communicate to a lot of people who voted for Donald Trump that I have a plan that will actually get us home,” Ryan said. “I think communicating with people in Youngstown, Ohio, is not much different than Davenport or Dubuque or Des Moines or Sioux City. These are working-class towns, working-class people. They want to trust you, and they want to know you have a plan.…

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SHOCKER: 150 Tennessee So-Called ‘Faith Leaders’ Tell Governor Bill Lee They Support Unrestricted Abortion Access

Laura Baigert

In a letter addressed to The Honorable Governor Bill Lee, more than 150 self-proclaimed people of faith said they oppose all attempts to criminalize and restrict abortion access. While the correspondence is not dated, it appears by the mention of “HB77 and SB1236” in the letter, that the legislature’s consideration of the Heartbeat Bill was the impetus for the letter. The Heartbeat Bill, HB0077 and SB1236, sponsored by Representative Micah Van Huss (R-Jonesborough) and Senator Mark Pody (R-Lebanon), would ban abortion when a fetal heartbeat is detected by ultrasound, usually at about six weeks after conception. HB0077 passed the state House on March 7 by a vote of 65 Ayes, 21 Nays and 7 Present Not Voting. SB1236 failed to advance in the Senate, when it was deferred to Summer Study by the Judiciary Committee on April 9. As reported by The Tennessee Star, Senate bill sponsor, Mark Pody has filed a request invoking Senate Rule 63 for the bill to be recalled so that it may be reconsidered. The faith leaders’ letter to Governor Lee was published on April 17 by LifeNews.com, an independent news agency devoted to reporting news that affects the pro-life community, according to its website.…

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