Day: May 7, 2019

Tennessee Star/Triton Poll: Is Nashville More Pro-Life Than Politicians Think?

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  While Nashville/Davidson County is a blue island amidst a sea of red counties in Middle Tennessee, having been one of only three counties in the state to vote for Hillary Clinton over Donald Trump in 2016, some voters may not be as lockstep liberal as many think — at least when it comes to the issue of late-term abortion. A new Tennessee Star/Triton poll reveals that a majority of likely Nashville voters are actually LESS likely to vote for a candidate who supports late term abortion and would deny help to keep a child alive after birth. 550 likely Davidson County voters were asked: Would you be more or less likely to vote for a candidate who supports late term abortions in the few weeks before birth and permitting doctors to deny help to keep a child alive in the hours after birth? 23.3% said that they would be more likely to vote for a candidate who supports abortion at any time; 54.9% were less likely; and 11.1% said it would make no difference to them. Another 10.6% were undecided. These poll numbers reflect national numbers on the issue of late term abortions. A Rasmussen Reports national survey in…

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More Than 900 Metro Nashville Teachers Stage Second Consecutive Sick Out Day to Protest Three Percent Raise

Jason M. Reynolds

  Hundreds of Metro Nashville teachers on Monday called out sick for the second day in a row to protest the size of their promised pay increase. WKRN reported that at least 906 teachers were absent Monday. A Metro Nashville Public Schools official told the station that reasons included personal and family illness, professional and personal leave and bereavement. The totals included 86 teachers from McGavock High School, WKRN said. On Friday, a total of 1,093 teachers and over 400 staff members from at least 18 schools were reported to have called out, The Tennessee Star reported. A total of 125 of McGavock’s 141 teachers stayed home Friday. The Nashville Scene reported that Friday’s sick out estimate has since been revised down to 960 teachers and 400 staff. Metro Nashville Mayor David Briley is proposing a 3 percent raise for educators, but that is not setting well with them. Educators, along with the school board, are demanding a 10 percent increase. Monday’s sick out forced the 9th grade college field trip at Hillsboro High School to be canceled. NewsChannel 5 said. One Twitter account that has been involved in the sick outs indicated that educators would return to their classrooms today.…

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Tennessee Star/Triton Poll: What Are the Issues That Matter Most to Nashville Voters?

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traffic jam

  A new Tennessee Star/Triton poll reveals that Nashville voters have three top concerns: Traffic and road congestion, quality of schools and rising crime and violence. When asked their second-biggest concern, survey respondents had the same three issues at the top of their lists. 550 likely voters in Davidson County were asked: What do you think is the most important issue that our community needs to focus upon? 24.7% said traffic and road congestion; 22.9% said the quality of schools and 19% ranked rising crime/violence at the top of their list. Affordable housing was a top concern for 11.6%, with creating more and better jobs (7.6%), illegal immigration (6.9%), and high property/sales taxes (5.2%) rounding out the list. 3.7% were not sure or didn’t know. When asked the second-most important issue the numbers were remarkably similar. 26% said traffic and road congestion; 20% said the quality of schools and 20.2% ranked rising crime/violence as their second top concern. Affordable housing was a major secondary concern for 13.1%, with high property/sales taxes (5.8%), illegal immigration (5.6%) with creating more and better jobs (5.1%) further down the list of issues. 2.6% were not sure or didn’t know. Two other questions in the…

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Commentary: The Dawn Of Corporate Totalitarianism

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by George Rasley   In a dystopian future envisioned by some of science fiction’s greatest authors, mankind is ruled not by elected leaders or by warlords who came to power through victory in battle. Instead, humans have become the virtual slaves of soulless totalitarian corporations that vie with each other for control of resources and populations. If you think that bizarre form of fascism is impossible or so unlikely to succeed that you don’t have to worry about it consider the following developments from the past few months. Facebook, the world’s largest social media “platform” has permanently banned a group of ostensibly conservative writers and thinkers it has labeled purveyors of “hate” and “dangerous individuals.” Among those banned are Alex Jones, host of InfoWars, its UK editor Paul Joseph Watson, ex-Breitbart News editor Milo Yiannopoulos, former Republican congressional candidate Paul Nehlen, and independent journalist Laura Loomer. Keep in mind none of these individuals have killed anyone, threatened to kill someone or committed any crime of incitement or assault – it is their ideas, not their actions that are deemed to be “dangerous” by Facebook dictator Mark Zuckerberg. Not only are those individuals banned, but any reference to them or links to…

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Former Knox County Employees Reportedly Allege Abuse of Taxpayer Money

Chris Butler

  Two Knox County employees said their supervisors fired them for exposing a plot to use taxpayer money for political gain, according to KnoxNews.com These two employees, David Ball and Teresa Ferguson, have filed suits saying as much, the website went on to say. “The pair — both of whom worked in Knox County’s Office of Information Technology for decades — claim in the lawsuits that then-coworker Zack Webb (pictured left) repeatedly used his county credit card to buy computer equipment and office furniture in 2017 and 2018,” KnoxNews.com reported. “The duo contend in the lawsuits they suspected Webb and Knox County Finance Director Chris Caldwell of giving away the items ‘for political gain.’ The lawsuits do not detail the alleged plot’s political beneficiary.” Ball and Ferguson worked with Webb in 2017 when Ferguson reportedly received a county credit card statement with Webb’s name with tablet and laptop purchases at a cost of around $11,000. Ball and Ferguson reportedly said Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs (pictured right) “promoted Webb after he won the August 2018 election and fired Ball without cause. Webb, in turn, fired Ferguson without cause.” “Ferguson, the lawsuits say, was the only IT employee allowed to make purchases…

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UN Warns Of Imminent Ecological Catastrophe, Just Like They Did In 1982

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by Michael Bastach   The United Nations is out with another alarming report, claiming that one million species, more than ever before, are threatened with imminent extinction if drastic actions aren’t taken. Sound familiar? That’s because it’s similar warning to one given by the head of the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) nearly four decades ago. In 1982, UNEP executive director Mostafa Tolba warned U.N. delegates from 100 countries that “on almost every front, there has been a marked deterioration in the quality of our shared environment.” Tolba continued, warning that unless governments acted immediately, “by the turn of the century, an environmental catastrophe which will witness devastation as complete, as irreversible as any nuclear holocaust.” Of course, like today, governments weren’t doing enough to stave off the ecological equivalent of nuclear war. But while the 1982 dire prediction made headlines, it’s failure to come true did not. Bjorn Lomborg, environmental policy expert and author, highlighted the 1982 Reuters article on Twitter as hysteria over the new U.N. report swept social media. Lomborg, no skeptic of global warming, pointed out the UNEP was wrong in the 1980s as today’s apocalyptic predictions are likely wrong as well. And here, from 1982, where the…

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8th Place: A High School Girl’s Life After Transgender Students Join Her Sport

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by Kelsey Bolar   When two high school athletes who were born male but identify as female took first and second place at Connecticut’s girls indoor track championship this year, it wasn’t just a local news story. To some, it was a story of triumph and courage. The winner, a junior from Bloomfield High School, set a girls state indoor record of 6.95 seconds in the 55-meter dash, and went on to win the New England titles in both the 55-meter dash and the 300-meter dash. To others, it was a story of shock and disappointment: Is this the end of women’s sports? To Selina Soule, a 16-year-old runner from Glastonbury, it was personal. [ The liberal Left continue to push their radical agenda against American values. The good news is there is a solution. Find out more ] A junior, Selina missed qualifying for the 55-meter in the New England regionals by two spots. Two spots, she said, that were taken by biological boys. Had the boys who identify as girls not been allowed to compete, Selina would have placed sixth, qualifying to run the 55 in front of college coaches at the New England regionals. Instead, she placed eighth, watching the 55…

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Biden Faces Renewed Scrutiny Over Son’s Relationship To Ukrainian Gas Company

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by Molly Prince   A Ukrainian gas company gave a seat on its board to the son of former Vice President Joe Biden in an attempt to secure relationships with Democrats while it was under multiple investigations, according to a recent New York Times report. Biden largely took credit for pressuring Ukraine into removing its top prosecutor, who was leading those probes. Ukraine recently relaunched an investigation into the company, the Times reported Wednesday, and President Donald Trump’s personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani, has repeatedly called for the U.S. Department of Justice to scrutinize the Bidens. Hunter Biden was appointed to the four-member board of Burisma Holdings, Ukraine’s largest privately owned gas company, in April 2014. The seat came while the elder Biden was serving in former President Barack Obama’s administration and was slated to head relations with Ukraine for the administration. Burisma is a natural gas exploration and production company owned by Mykola Zlochevsky, a cabinet member of former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich. Yanukovich was removed from his position in February 2014. He currently lives in exile in Russia and is wanted by Ukraine for high treason. Zlochevsky later fled the country in late-2014 as Ukrainian prosecutors launched investigations into his time in public…

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News Channel 5 News Director Appears to Contradict One Claim Phil Williams Made on Twitter About Cade Cothren Story

Chris Butler

  News Channel 5’s chief investigative reporter Phil Williams’ own boss seems to have contradicted something Williams said Sunday regarding the series of reports he’s produced about Cade Cothren and Justin Jones. Cothren was Casada’s chief of staff before he resigned Monday. Jones, meanwhile, is a left-wing activist and Vanderbilt Divinity School student awaiting a court date for allegedly throwing a cup of coffee at Tennessee Speaker of the House Glen Casada as he stood in an elevator. Williams, on his personal Twitter feed, scolded The Tennessee Star for merely speculating as to whether former Nashville Metro Council member Nick Leonardo tipped Williams off to these stories. As reported, Leonardo is a legal analyst for News Channel 5 and serves as Jones’ attorney. Referring to this reporter, Williams said the following: “@cdbutler1204 also implies he has sniffed out a conspiracy,” Williams said. “One little problem: facts. Nick Leonardo is not currently in any official capacity with @NC5 and he absolutely was NOT the source.” .@cdbutler1204 also implies he has sniffed out a conspiracy. One little problem: facts. Nick Leonardo is not currently in any official capacity with @NC5 and he absolutely was NOT the source 9/ pic.twitter.com/rgiKszu1b7 — Phil Williams…

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Commentary: The Fright of James Comey

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by Victor Davis Hanson   In a recent op-ed, fired FBI Director James Comey was back again preaching to the nation about the dangers of Donald Trump and his capacity to corrupt any top-ranking federal official of lower character than Comey’s own. Comey seems to have become utterly unhinged by Donald Trump, especially when the president, in his thick Queens accent, scoffs in the vernacular—quite accurately, given the transgressions of the FBI hierarchy—about “crooked cops.” What an affront to Comey’s complexity, his subtlety, his sophistication, his feigned Hamlet-like self-doubt—at least as now expressed in his latest incarnation as Twitter’s Kahlil Gibran. One can say a number of things about the timing of Comey’s latest sermon and his characteristic projection of his own sins on to others. First, Comey’s unprofessionalism was home-grown and certainly did not need any help from President Trump. His schizophrenic behavior both as a prosecutor and investigator in the Hillary Clinton email matter was marked by exempting Clinton aides Cheryl Mills and Huma Abedin from indictment, despite their lying to his own federal officials about their knowledge of a private Clinton email server. Comey wrote his summation of the Clinton email investigation before he had even interviewed the former…

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Shelby County Officials Reportedly Take Pricey European Trip

Chris Butler

Various officials from the city of Memphis and Shelby County toured the European countryside at taxpayer expense in May of last year, according to FOX 13 Memphis. “Most of the days were spent touring historical sites in the European country chosen as the heritage salute for the 2018 Memphis in May International Festival, per the documented schedule. In March of 2018, four Shelby County officials and one Memphis city councilmember stepped inside the Memphis International Airport like thousands of other daily commuters,” according to Fox13Memphis.com “Then-Shelby County commissioner Steve Basar, current-commissioner Willie Brooks, county employee Kim Denbow, former Shelby County mayor Mark Luttrell and Memphis city councilmember Berlin Boyd traveled overseas to Prague. The five were part of a 38-person Memphis in May delegation.” The station reported the trip centered around two cities and a spa town — Český Krumlov, Prague and Karlovy Vary. “The first day, Sunday, March 25, was a travel day for most, so the schedule wasn’t packed with much; just travel from Prague Airport to Český Krumlov. On Monday, March 26th, instead of business meetings, the delegation went on a walking city tour and visited the famous Český Krumlov castle,” the station reported. “Day two was…

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Kamala Harris: AG Barr Representing President, Not U.S.

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  Capping a week in which her testy exchange with Attorney General William Barr went viral, Sen. Kamala Harris on Sunday told a crowd of thousands gathered at a dinner hosted by the country’s oldest NAACP chapter that Barr “lied to Congress” and ” clearly more interested in representing the president than the American people.” The Democratic presidential candidate was the keynote speaker Sunday at the Detroit NAACP Fight for Freedom Fund dinner, attended by a mostly black audience of nearly 10,000. As of Sunday, 4.8 million people had watched the C-SPAN video circulating on Twitter of Harris questioning Barr, catapulting her into the spotlight amid the crowded field of more than 20 Democrats and hammering a campaign theme that she is the candidate to “prosecute the case against Trump.” During her remarks, Harris also said her approach to the 2020 race is about challenging notions of electability and who can speak to Midwesterners. “They usually put the Midwest in a simplistic box and a narrow narrative,” Harris said. “The conversation too often suggests certain voters will only vote for certain candidates regardless of whether their ideas will lift up all of our families. It’s short sighted. It’s wrong. And…

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Bernie Sanders Calls for Breaking Up Big Agriculture Monopolies

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  Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders on Sunday proposed a sweeping agriculture and rural investment plan to break up big agriculture monopolies and shift farm subsidies toward small family farmers. “I think a farmer that produces the food we eat may be almost as important as some crook on Wall Street who destroys the economy,” Sanders said during a campaign event in Osage, a town of fewer than 4,000 people. “Those of us who come from rural America have nothing to be ashamed about, and the time is long overdue for us to stand up and fight for our way of life.” Sanders’ plan expands on themes that have been central to his presidential campaign in Iowa since the start, including his emphasis on rural America and pledge to take on and break up big corporations. During his Sunday speech, Sanders outlined the dire circumstances confronting rural America — population decline, school and hospital closures and rising addiction and suicide rates in many rural counties nationwide — as the impetus for his policy. His plan includes a number of antitrust proposals, including breaking up existing agriculture monopolies and placing a moratorium on future mergers by big agriculture companies. He would…

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Ohio Dem Chair Thinks the State Could ‘End the Trump Presidency’

Anthony Gockowski

  Ohio Democratic Party Chairman David Pepper recently claimed that “Ohio could very well be the state that ends the Trump presidency.” The comment was made during an interview on “The State of Ohio,” Statehouse News Bureau’s television program. He appeared on the show with Republican Party Chairwoman Jane Timken. The two discussed everything from Ohio’s Congressional map to the recent Lordstown plant closure, but they focused much of their attention on President Donald Trump’s chances of winning the state in 2020. “No, not at all,” Timken said in response to whether she thinks a Democrat can beat Trump in Ohio. “Donald Trump’s popularity is very high in Ohio. You think about the booming economy we’ve had. Ohio’s unemployment rate, I think it’s 4.4 percent. I travel around the state of Ohio and the biggest complaint from small and big businesses is not that they need to layoff workers—it’s that they can’t find enough workers.” “I think Ohio is doing very well under President Trump’s leadership,” she said, while arguing that the Democrats are “lurching further and further to the left” with policy initiatives like the Green New Deal and Medicare for All. “All of those things are not what…

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Fiat Chrysler seeks up to $160 million in tax incentives from Michigan

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by Tyler Arnold   Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) is applying for up to $160 million in tax incentives from the state of Michigan to help offset some of the costs of the company’s planned investment in Detroit. “We are excited to make a multi-billion-dollar investment that will create thousands of good-paying, union jobs, both in the construction of the new plant and, of course, in its operation for many years to come,” Kevin Frazier, corporate communications manager for Fiat, said in an email. “We know, and generations of Detroiters know, that an automotive assembly plant has the potential to make the city and its neighborhoods more vibrant places for families and individuals to live and work,” he said. Under the plan, Fiat says it will invest $2.5 billion in the Detroit area, which the company expects will create about 5,000 jobs. Fiat has requested the tax incentives to assist with the two largest investments – modernizing existing plants to build Jeeps and the Dodge Durango. The company will spend $1.6 billion on converting the two Mack Avenue Engine Complex plants into assembly plants for the next generation Jeep Grand Cherokee and the Jeep SUV as well as plug-in hybrid models.…

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Shocking Report Finds Minnesota Taxpayers Foot the Bill While State Employees Are Placed on Leave for Crimes and Misconduct

Anthony Gockowski

  A shocking new report found that state employees who are under investigation for crimes and misconduct are paid millions in taxpayers dollars while they are on administrative or investigative leave. KARE 11, who uncovered the scandal, is dubbing the controversy “stay away pay,” since state employees are effectively paid to stay away from their place of work. A.J. Lagoe of KARE 11 found that Ramsey County Correctional Officer Travis VanDeWiele, for instance, received $121,555 in pay over a two year period while he was on administrative leave. VanDeWiele was placed on leave for using excessive force, and continued to receive pay for a year after he plead guilty to disorderly conduct. Former Minneapolis Police Officer Thomas Tichich, meanwhile, was paid $65,000 over a 13 month period while awaiting trial for sexually assaulting a passed out woman. Tichich was convicted and is now in prison. In total, the investigation found that between January 1, 2015 and May 31, 2018, St. Paul, Minneapolis, Ramsey County, and Hennepin County paid out $3.7 million in “stay away pay.” “Well I think it’s a scandal. I think people are rightly outraged when they find out that many public employees in this state have been…

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Report: Minimum Wage Hike Could Cost Wisconsin at Least 350,000 Jobs

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by Bethany Blankley   Increasing the minimum wage to $15 per hour could cost Wisconsin at least 350,000 jobs, according to a new report published by the conservative think tank, the Badger Institute. According to the analysis, “a high proportion of the state’s workers – fully 38 percent – earn less than $15 an hour. Our modeling suggests that almost one-third of this group would be at risk of losing their jobs were Wisconsin to quickly increase the minimum wage – which amounts to 350,000 workers.” Increasing the minimum wage to $15 an hour is “tantamount to an hourly pay increase of 107 percent for workers currently earning the minimum wage,” which is unsustainable for employers, the analysis argues. Half of all job losses would come from the bottom ten percent of the income distribution, and 90 percent would come from the bottom quartile of the income distribution, the report states. The authors estimate that 50 percent of all affected workers in food preparation and service would lose their jobs. Other major job losses would occur in building and grounds cleaning and maintenance, personal care and service, sales, office and administrative support, production occupations and transportation and material-moving industries. Supporters of…

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Glen Casada Chief of Staff Cade Cothren Resigns After Release of More Damaging Texts

Chris Butler

  Cade Cothren announced Monday he will resign as chief of staff for Tennessee Speaker of the House Glen Casada. “Effective immediately, my Chief of Staff, Cade Cothren has resigned from his position. As this story continued to evolve in recent days, I had additional conversations with Mr. Cothren, and he made this decision to resign. I thank Mr. Cothren for his service to our General Assembly and to the state of Tennessee,” Casada said in a statement released late Monday afternoon. This, after new reports emerged alleging Cothren snorted cocaine at work and, in conversations with Casada, degraded women. As reported, the Nashville-based News Channel 5 alleged late last week that Cothren forged an email to frame left-wing activist Justin Jones. The station also alleged Cothren sent racist text messages. On Monday, News Channel 5 and The Tennessean both alleged Cothren sought sexual favors from legislative interns and even a lobbyist. On Monday evening, The Tennessee Star Political Editor Steve Gill said Cothren’s exit was perhaps inevitable. “As more texts and other information continued to pour forth it became increasingly apparent that Speaker Casada could not save his Chief of Staff from his own undeniablly poor decisions and inexcusable…

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