Day: June 27, 2019

Tennessee Counties Have a Spending Addiction, Beacon Center President Warns

Chris Butler

  At least four local governments in Tennessee have proposed massive property tax increases totaling more than $200 million a year, according to a new column from the Beacon Center of Tennessee. Beacon is a Nashville-based free market think tank. Beacon President Justin Owen said in a column on the organization’s website that many local governments pass new budgets this time of year. Owen also referenced how Metro Nashville Council members just defeated a $154 million property tax increase — by a single vote. Hamilton County officials, meanwhile, are pushing for $34 million in new property taxes. “In Murfreesboro, the city has voted on a 34-cent tax increase, while Rutherford County officials are piling on with a 9.5 percent tax hike proposal on top of that,” Owen wrote. “Could it be that all these local governments are starving for revenue? Uniformly, these cities and counties don’t have a revenue problem, they have a spending addiction.” Owen said “Nashville has shelled out corporate welfare like no other city could imagine,” citing, among other things, $14 million for Opryland’s new water park. Hamilton County commissioners, meanwhile, operate what Owen called “their own slush fund, doling out nearly $1 million annually to their…

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Commentary: Give Tucker Carlson the Nobel Peace Prize

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by Christopher Roach   After months of escalating tensions, Iran shot down an unmanned American military drone last week. In response, a retaliatory American airstrike had been planned. At the last moment, President Trump called it off, explaining in a series of tweets that it was unnecessary and disproportionate. According to reports, he was influenced by severe criticism leveled against our Iran policy by Fox News personality Tucker Carlson. On his show early last week, Carlson called National Security Advisor John Bolton a “bureaucratic tapeworm” who seems to have learned nothing from America’s failed venture in Iraq. He also has privately advised the president against war with Iran as a mistake of policy and a serious impediment to reelection, according to numerous reports. For this, Tucker Carlson deserves a Nobel Peace Prize, to be shared with every administration figure who quietly argued against escalation. More important, President Trump deserves our respect and thanks for sticking to his guns and not being dragged into another war in the Middle East by the unwise “wise men” of Washington, particularly the out-of-step Bolton. Drone Shootdown Last in a Series of Tense Moments The destruction of the U.S. surveillance drone comes after several months…

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Sen. Blackburn Votes to Address Humanitarian Crisis at Border While Supporting Border Patrol Agents

Jason M. Reynolds

  U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) on Wednesday voted to fund the needs of border patrol agents to address the ongoing humanitarian and security crisis at the southern border. The bill passed the Senate with a substantial bipartisan majority of 84-4, providing $4.59 billion in funds, Blackburn said in a press release. Presidential candidate U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) was too busy doing a press availability tour at a migrant facility in Miami to make the vote. She was scheduled to appear in the Democratic presidential debate Wednesday night as well. She criticized the detention of 2,300 illegal immigrant children, Fox News said. “This is not what we should be doing,” she argued. Taking aim at the president’s illegal immigration detention policies, Warren said that “these children pose no threat to people here in the United States and yet they are locked up for weeks, for months, because our government is following a policy of inflicting maximum pain.” On Wednesday, The Tennessee Star reported that President Donald Trump’s $4.5 billion border spending request faced obstacles because the House and Senate versions differed. The bills are similar on the amount of funding but differ on other topics like funding for Immigration…

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Wayfair Workers Protest at Company’s Headquarters Over Selling Furniture to Immigrant Detention Centers

Zachery Schmidt

  Wayfair employees and their supporters gathered to protest outside the company’s Boston headquarters Wednesday after learning the online retailer sold bedroom furniture to detention centers housing migrant children. According to NBC News, people protesting shouted “this is what democracy looks like” and “Hey-Hey, Ho-Ho, ICE contracts have got to go.” It was awesome to see the turnout today. Thank you to everyone who showed up to the #WayfairWalkout pic.twitter.com/x4oUttSv9i — wayfairwalkout (@wayfairwalkout) June 26, 2019 pic.twitter.com/ojaRQmDtPC — wayfairwalkout (@wayfairwalkout) June 26, 2019 The protests started after employees found out that Wayfair had fulfilled a $200,000 order to BCFS, a non-profit government contractor that manages the camps’ migrants are currently staying in. The facility receiving the order currently houses 3,000 migrant children, according to a letter sent last Friday to the company’s leadership team and signed by more than 500 workers. Receipts (for those who asked): Follow @wayfairwalkout Support #Lights4Liberty Donate to #RAICESTEXAS#CloseTheCamps pic.twitter.com/hKBKHIaRck — Asian Raisin 🍇 (@guiltyx) June 25, 2019 “We believe that by selling these (or any) products to BCFS or similar contractors we are enabling this violation and are complicit in furthering the inhumane actions of our government,” the letter states. The Wayfair leadership team responded…

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Mueller to Testify in Open Congressional Hearing

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  Special counsel Robert Mueller has agreed to provide open testimony before the U.S. House Judiciary Committee and the House Intelligence Committee next month. The chairmen of the two panels, Rep. Jerrold Nadler and Rep. Adam Schiff, announced in a letter late Tuesday that Mueller would appear July 17, and that they and all Americans looked forward to hearing from him. Mueller led a nearly two-year investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election and allegations that President Donald Trump obstructed justice by trying to shut down the probe. He issued a report, a redacted version of which was made public in April, that concluded the Trump campaign had not colluded with Russia during the election, but reached no conclusion on the question of obstruction of justice. Trump has been highly critical of the process, repeatedly calling the investigation a “witch hunt.” His reaction shortly after Tuesday’s announcement came in the form of a tweet: “Presidential Harassment!” Mueller’s only public comments to this point have been at a news conference in May during which he read a prepared statement, but took no questions. Nadler and Schiff had issued subpoenas seeking to compel Mueller to testify, explaining that while they noted…

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Hamilton County Commission’s Defeat of 34-Cent Property Tax Increase Leaves Teachers with ‘Defeated Faces,’ Disappoints School Board Member’s Dog

Jason M. Reynolds

  A split Hamilton County Commission voted 5-4 Wednesday against a 34-cent increase on property taxes for the school system, and one school board member reacted by saying his dog was disappointed in the outcome. Voting against were Greg Martin, Randy Fairbanks, Chester Bankston, Tim Boyd and Sabrena Smedley (pictured above), according to a story by The Chattanoogan. In favor were Chip Baker, Katherlyn Geter, Warren Mackey and David Sharpe. County Attorney Rheubin Taylor said the rejection means none of the budget will be approved until the schools come back with a new budget leaving out the requested $34 million in new funds, The Chattanoogan said. That will happen after the Hamilton County Department of Education meets again. The county commission has until Aug. 31 to approve the overall budget, according to a story by the Chattanooga Times Free Press. County Mayor Jim Coppinger’s proposed $819 million budget included $443 million for the school district’s general purpose budget, a 5 percent raise for teachers, plus the addition of 14 counselors, 15 social workers, 15 truancy officers, 11 art teachers, 10 special education teachers and 32 special education assistants, the newspaper said. News Channel 9 said teachers were disappointed. Teachers filed…

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New Study Says Civil Asset Forfeiture Laws in Tennessee and Other States Do Not Reduce Crime

Chris Butler

  Civil Asset Forfeiture laws do not help reduce crime, nor do they reduce the amount of drug use, according to a new study that called out Tennessee for how it carries out some of its laws. The Arlington, Virginia-based Institute for Justice released the study, titled Fighting Crime or Raising Revenue. Simply put, increased forfeiture funds had no meaningful effect on crime fighting. However, forfeiture was strongly linked to worsening economic conditions,” said study author Brian D. Kelly. “These results suggest law enforcement agencies pursue forfeiture less to fight crime than to raise revenue,” Kelly wrote. Among Kelly’s findings: • More equitable sharing funds do not translate into more crimes solved. • More equitable sharing funds also do not mean less drug use, even though proponents argue forfeiture helps rid the streets of drugs by financially crippling drug dealers and cartels. • When local economies suffer, equitable sharing activity increases, suggesting police make greater use of forfeiture when local budgets are tight. Kelly’s study examined both civil and criminal forfeitures. “If all forfeiture has little effect on crime fighting, civil forfeiture alone – which requires neither convictions nor even charges – is likely to be even further removed. And…

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Both Parties Seek to Delay Abortion Lawsuit in Ohio

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by Tyler Arnold   In a joint filing, both sides of the Ohio abortion lawsuit have requested that the U.S. district court delay information gathering until after a similar case in Kentucky is settled. Both Kentucky and Ohio passed legislation to prohibit abortion after a fetal heartbeat can be detected, which can be as early as five and a half weeks into the pregnancy. After a lawsuit was brought by abortion rights advocates, a federal court struck down Kentucky’s legislation. The state has appealed the ruling. A district court has also blocked some of the Ohio law from going into effect. The government cannot charge doctors under this legislation until the judge issues a ruling. Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine signed this legislation in April. Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin signed his state’s legislation back in March. Under the Ohio law, a doctor who conducts an abortion after the fetal heartbeat could face up to a year in prison with a fifth degree felony. The State Medical Board could also take further disciplinary action, which could include up to $20,000 in fines. Although there is no rape or incest exception, the bill does provide an exception if the mother’s life is at…

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Tennessee House Republicans to Select a New Speaker on July 24

Laura Baigert

  A meeting of the Tennessee House Republican Caucus has been scheduled for Wednesday, July 24, to select a Republican nominee for Speaker of the House. The meeting was called by House Majority Leader William Lamberth (R-Portland). In a statement issued by Leader Lamberth Wednesday, he said his call for the caucus meeting came, “following conversations with our members of the last several days.” Lamberth retweeted his announcement, which was picked up by Cameron Taylor of WSMV. NEW: @WilliamLamberth says a caucus meeting will be held next month to choose a Republican nominee for speaker. Date on special session to elect the next speaker hasn’t been announced yet. @WSMV pic.twitter.com/OtxBdUnHgV — Cameron Taylor (@WSMVCameron) June 26, 2019 The purpose of the caucus meeting is to select the Republican nominee for Speaker of the House, who will eventually replace current Speaker Glen Casada (R-Franklin). In a closed meeting and by secret ballot, Casada received a 45-24 vote of no confidence by the House GOP Caucus on May 20. At an impromptu press conference following the three-hour meeting, Lamberth said that the House Republican Caucus vote “sent a clear message” that sexist racist and similar behaviors is not acceptable in leadership, the…

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Commentary: Big Tech’s Bid for One-Party Rule Could Result in Over Regulation

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by Robert Romano   The Wall Street Journal is reporting that momentum is building for the U.S. government to subject Google and other Big Tech firms to antitrust scrutiny for fears that they have become too big and too powerful. In today’s digital ecosystem, politicians, political parties, organizations and media all rely on social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Google and Youtube to get the message out because that’s where consumers by and large go to in order to consume information. A Pew report found 68 percent of adult Americans use Facebook, or over 170 million. 24 percent use Twitter, or about 61 million. A separate Pew report found 73 percent, or 185 million, use broadband internet. Statista reports that Google’s family of sites are the most popular in America, with 255 million unique U.S. visitors in March 2019 alone. So, the internet is indisputably a huge part of the way people are getting information nowadays. Now, conservatives and Republicans have become alarmed as many of these platforms are censoring and restricting speech that does not coincide with Big Tech’s social justice agenda. Deplatforming is real. Actor James Woods has been censored on Twitter, Stephen Crowder has been demonetized on…

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Supreme Court Strikes Down Tennessee Liquor Law

Zachery Schmidt

  The Supreme Court ruled against a Tennessee law that requires people to live in the state for two years before acquiring a retail license to sell alcohol. The court’s 7-2 decision ruled that Tennessee’s law had violated the Constitution’s Commerce Clause, which gives Congress the power “to regulate Commerce with foreign Nations, and among the several States.” “Because Tennessee’s two-year residency requirement for retail license applicants blatantly favors the state residents and has little relationship to public health and safety, it is unconstitutional,” conservative Justice Samuel Alito wrote in the majority opinion. The case (Tennessee Wine and Spirits Retailers Assn. V. Russell F. Thomas, Executive Director of Tennessee Alchohol Beverage Commission, Et Al.) gave the Supreme Court a chance to define the 21st Amendment’s scope, which allows states to regulate alcohol sales within state lines. Previously, the court ruled against Michigan and New York laws prohibiting out-of-state based wine companies from shipping wine within their states. In the Granholm v. Heald case, a 5-4 decision decided these state laws also violated the Commerce Clause. “While this requirement is less extreme than the others that the Sixth Circuit found to be unconstitutional, we now hold that it also violates the Commerce Clause…

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National Rifle Association Shutters NRATV as Ackerman Split Becomes Official

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by Whitney Tipton   The National Rifle Association (NRA) announced Tuesday that it is closing NRATV as part of the split from its longtime marketing partner Ackerman McQueen. The move comes after months of public feuding and litigation between the NRA and Ackerman, which operates the gun-group’s live television broadcast network and employs its on-air talent including Dana Loesch, the New York Times reported. “Many members expressed concern about the messaging on NRATV becoming too far removed from our core mission: defending the Second Amendment,” said CEO Wayne LaPierre in a statement to members. “So, after careful consideration, I am announcing that starting today, we are undergoing a significant change in our communications strategy. We are no longer airing ‘live TV’ programming.” While the network will continue to air previous content, it will no longer broadcast live programming. No statements have been released about the future employment of its on-air NRA spokespeople, including Loesch. “When given the opportunity to do the right thing, the NRA once again has taken action that we believe is intended to harm our company even at the expense of the NRA itself,” said Ackerman McQueen in a statement obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation.…

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US House Passes Emergency Funding Bill for Migrant Care Crisis

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  It took last-minute changes and a full-court press by top Democratic leaders, but the House passed with relative ease Tuesday a $4.5 billion emergency border aid package to care for thousands of migrant families and unaccompanied children detained after crossing the U.S.-Mexico border. The bill passed along party lines after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi quelled a mini-revolt by progressives and Hispanic lawmakers who sought significant changes to the legislation. New provisions added to the bill Tuesday were more modest than what those lawmakers had sought, but the urgent need for the funding — to prevent the humanitarian emergency on the border from turning into a debacle — appeared to outweigh any lingering concerns. The 230-195 vote sets up a showdown with the Republican-led Senate, which may try instead to force Democrats to send Trump a different, and broadly bipartisan, companion measure in coming days as the chambers race to wrap up the must-do legislation by the end of the week. “The Senate has a good bill. Our bill is much better,” Pelosi, D-Calif., told her Democratic colleagues in a meeting Tuesday morning, according to a senior Democratic aide who spoke on condition of anonymity to describe the private session.…

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9/11 Gaffe, Technical Difficulties, Spanish Responses: Highlights from ‘BORING’ First Debate

Anthony Gockowski

  Ten Democratic presidential candidates took to the debate stage in Miami, Florida Wednesday night for the first of a two-night event. President Donald Trump weighed in on the debate with just one word: “BORING!” BORING! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 27, 2019 He later criticized NBC News after moderators Chuck Todd and Rachel Maddow had to cut to a commercial break to deal with microphone difficulties. “NBC News and MSNBC should be ashamed of themselves for having such a horrible technical breakdown in the middle of the debate,” Trump wrote on Twitter. “Truly unprofessional and only worthy of a FAKE NEWS organization, which they are!” .@NBCNews and @MSNBC should be ashamed of themselves for having such a horrible technical breakdown in the middle of the debate. Truly unprofessional and only worthy of a FAKE NEWS Organization, which they are! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 27, 2019 Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Rep. Tim Ryan (D-OH-13) represented the Midwest during the first round of debates. Klobuchar highlights Early on in the debate, Klobuchar earned a round of applause after taking a shot at Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, who said he was the only candidate on stage who had…

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Illinois Becomes Eleventh State to Legalize Recreational Marijuana

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  Illinois became the 11th state to legalize recreational marijuana Tuesday, and the first to do so through its legislature rather than a ballot initiative. Illinois governor J.B. Pritzker signed the bill into law after the legislature passed it late last month. “As the first state in the nation to fully legalize adult-use cannabis through the legislative process, Illinois exemplifies the best of democracy: a bipartisan and deep commitment to better the lives of all of our people,” said Pritzker in a statement Tuesday. The law will go into effect Jan. 1, 2020. Illinois residents above 21 will be able to possess up to 30 grams of cannabis flower, 5 grams of cannabis concentrate and 500 milligrams of THC, with non-residents able to possess half the amounts. Those arrested for possession of up to 30 grams of marijuana will have their records automatically expunged, while Pritzker will pardon those convicted for possession. Individuals with convictions for violent crime will not be automatically eligible, though they or an attorney can still file suit to remove convictions. Illinois estimates that 700,000 people’s records will qualify for expungement. About 300,000 more will be able to file suit for convictions for up to 500…

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Rep. Green Votes ‘No’ on Democrat Government Appropriations Bill Spending $400M More than President Trump Requested

Jason M. Reynolds

  U.S. Rep. Dr. Mark Green (R-TN-07) voted “no” on H.R. 3351, the Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Act, 2020. He released the following statement explaining his vote: “Congressional Democrats must not be able to help themselves. They love spending taxpayer money,” said Rep. Mark Green. “The president requested lower spending via the budget he submitted to Congress. Yet again, Democrats proposed yet another spending bill that is $400 million above the President’s request and $1.8 billion more than last year’s levels. Just as I explained last week when I voted NO on the last spending package, Tennessee’s 7th District did not send me to Washington to grow the size of government. That’s why I voted NO.” Green also wrote a series of tweets laying out his position and linking to his statement. Just as I explained last week when I voted NO on the last spending package, Tennessee's 7th District did not send me to Washington to grow the size of government. That’s why I voted NO on this one too. More info here: https://t.co/NRAcHOU8Lb — Rep. Mark Green (@RepMarkGreen) June 26, 2019 On June 20, The Tennessee Star reported on Green’s “no” vote on a nearly $1 trillion…

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New York Times Isn’t Forthright About Population Growth of St. Cloud, Local Paper Responds by Calling Own Readers ‘Cowards’

Anthony Gockowski

  The New York Times recently sent one of its east-coast reporters to St. Cloud, Minnesota to report on the frustration some residents have with the influx of refugees settling there. The article begins by noting that a “few thousand” refugees “moved into this small city.” But a few paragraphs later The Times writes: St. Cloud, the state’s 10th largest city, increased in population by 33 percent over the last 30 years, to roughly 70,000 people. The share of nonwhite residents grew to 18 percent from 2 percent, mostly with East African immigrants from Somalia, Kenya, and Ethiopia, and the numbers of Somalis are estimated to grow. According to the City of St. Cloud, the estimated 2019 population is 67,924, so a population of 18 percent East African immigrants would be 12,226. A jump from 2 percent of the population to 18 percent would be an increase in 10,868. The actual number of refugees is likely a bit lower, but not as low as the “few thousand” reported by The Times. According to U.S. Census estimates, the number of foreign-born residents as of 2017 was 6,865. Additionally, between 2000 and 2012, the population of the City of St. Cloud grew…

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New Tennessee Star/Triton Poll Continues To Show Re-Election Problems for Mayor David Briley

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  In April, a Tennessee Star/Triton poll of likely Davidson County voters indicated that Mayor David Briley was facing headwinds in his bid for reelection.  The weather hasn’t improved for Briley as Election Day looms just over a month away. If the August 1 election was held today Briley would lead the pack going into a runoff, pulling support from 27.8% of likely voters compared to 22.0% for Carol Swain, 19.8% for John Cooper, 10.9% for John Ray Clemmons and 19.5% of voters undecided or not sure. The Triton poll was conducted over two days (June 24-25) and surveyed 545 likely voters in Davidson County. The poll has a margin of error of 4.2%. Briley’s poll numbers are down slightly from the April poll data. In that poll of likely Davidson County voters, shortly after Cooper entered the race, Briley had support from 30.6% of the voters. Swain’s numbers remain static, with 22% support now compared to 21.1% support in May. Cooper has nearly doubled his support from 11% to 19.8% over the past two months. Clemmons has also seen his results continue to be flat, with 10.5% in April and 10.9% now. Briley remains plagued by favorability/unfavorability responses that…

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