Commentary: Everything You’ve Heard About the Amazon Fires Is Wrong

The international news coverage of Brazil’s Amazon rainforest fires has been a complete disaster. News outlets published inaccurate yet easily verifiable “facts” about the number of fires, declaring the situation “record-breaking” and “unprecedented.” Social media lit up with misleading claims about the loss of planetary oxygen supply (20 percent, said French President Emmanuel Macron) threatening to asphyxiate us all. Stock photos and images of forest fires from the last two decades including Peru and Bolivia were shared widely and wildly. Celebrities and politicians alike heaped condemnation upon Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro leading to an ongoing geopolitical crisis.

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The Poorest 20 Percent of Americans Are Richer on Average Than Most Nations of Europe

A groundbreaking study by Just Facts has discovered that after accounting for all income, charity, and non-cash welfare benefits like subsidized housing and Food Stamps – the poorest 20% of Americans consume more goods and services than the national averages for all people in most affluent countries. This includes the majority of countries in the prestigious Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), including its European members. In other words, if the U.S. “poor” were a nation, it would be one of the world’s richest.

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Former Rep Don Young on Left-Wing Special Interests’ Weaponization of the Endangered Species Act: ‘It Was Never for Grass … and Flies’

Representative Don Young (R-Alaska), the last remaining member of Congress who voted for the ESA has said, “The Endangered Species Act (ESA) has been weaponized and misused by environmental groups for too long.” The law passed overwhelmingly, but according to Young, “You have to understand when we had this act before us … we were told it was to save leopards and other species, it was never for grass … and flies, and snails, and turtles…”

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Leahy Talks with In-Studio Guest Nashville Metro Councilman Steve Glover About Saving Nashville from Left Wing Fiscal Irresponsibility

  On Monday’s Tennessee Star Report – broadcast on Nashville’s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 am to 8:00 am – Michael Patrick Leahy talked to Nashville Metro Council member Steve Glover about Nashville’s fiscal irresponsibility and how Glover is the ‘last man standing’ to help save the city from destructive fates similar to Detroit, Chicago, and Baltimore. As the show progressed, Leahy implied that a vote for Glover would be a vote for prudent financial management. Glover agreed stating that Nashville needs to prioritize their spending with an emphasis on services that keep the city safe and clean. Nearing the end of the show Glover added, “So much is at stake. I’m just telling you right now we are at a turning point. If we don’t get a hold of this. And we can fix it. But we don’t have anymore time. We’ve got to fix it now. Our children and grandchildren cannot afford for us to lose this game.” Leahy: We are here with Steve Glover a member of the Metro Council. Who’s a candidate for the Metro Council at large. He’s in the runoff. Welcome to the studio here Steve. Glover: Thank you sir. How…

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Steve Gill Resigns from The Tennessee Star

  FRANKLIN, Tennessee — Steve Gill has resigned as the Political Editor of The Tennessee Star, according to a statement released on Monday by Star News Digital Media, the company that owns The Tennessee Star and other news sites. Gill has also resigned from the Board of the Directors of Star News Digital Media. “Steve Gill is a good friend, a good man, and a great talent. We wish him well in his future endeavors,” Michael Patrick Leahy, CEO of Star News Digital Media, said.            

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Commentary: What is Happening to Williamson Medical Center?

Tennessee Star

As soon as elections for Williamson County Commission were over in May 2018 the Commission gave the local Chamber of Commerce an additional annual $100K to promote more growth. The $1.5 million of county taxpayers’ money the Chamber has received over the last 5 years is clearly not an investment that is working out well for taxpayers.  In another expected post-election move the Commission raised county property by a modest 3.3%, the second increase in 3 years. This increase barely makes a dent in the liabilities the county has accumulated and will most assuredly be followed shortly by additional property tax increases.

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Commentary: Trump vs. the ‘Stepford Wife’ Republicans

When the protagonist in Ira Levin’s novel, The Stepford Wives, begins to suspect that other women in her Connecticut town are robots, she surmises:

That’s what they all were, all the Stepford wives: actresses in commercials, pleased with detergents and floor wax, with cleansers, shampoos, and deodorants. Pretty actresses, big in the bosom but small in the talent, playing housewives unconvincingly, too nicey-nice to be real.

Which brings to mind the viral video of Mitt Romney reacting to his Twinkie birthday cake. Lack of ample bosom aside, Mitt is a great example of someone playing a housewife unconvincingly, too nicey-nice to be real. He is a Stepford-Wife Republican.

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Commentary: The Path Forward for Ruth Bader Ginsburg

I am a lowly lawyer who has never argued before the Supreme Court, and never will. I am not a constitutional scholar, Justice Ginsburg has never heard of me, and I know that in the grand scheme of things, my opinion matters to her very little (and almost certainly not at all). Nevertheless, I hope Justice Ginsburg will forgive my presumptuousness, and will entertain this immodest, yet (I believe) very respectful, sincere, timely, and practical proposal.

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Political Analyst Who Accurately Predicted House Races Thinks Trump Will Lose Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania

The Judy Ford Wason Center for Public Policy, a research institute at Christopher Newport University, accurately predicted that Democrats would pick up more than 40 seats in the U.S. House in the 2018 midterm elections. Now they believe President Donald Trump will lose key battleground states like Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania in 2020.

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Club For Growth Launches State Legislative Scorecard in Tennessee and Three Other States

  Club for Growth Foundation, as part of a new initiative, launched 2019 state legislative scorecards in four states to provide an in-depth look at votes on economic issues, including Tennessee. Only one Tennessee legislator, Representative Debra Moody (R-Covington), earned the designation of Defender of Freedom by the Club for Growth, for scoring 90 percent or better. The non-profit charitable organization was formed with the purpose of educating the public about the value of free markets, pro-growth policies and creating economic prosperity. Club for Growth Foundation’s congressional scorecard, published annually, is highly regarded when it comes to key votes on economic issues relative to spending, taxes, regulation and trade. At the state level, in addition to Tennessee, Club for Growth Foundation has launched state legislative scorecards in Florida, New Mexico and Virginia for the 2019 legislative session. Florida’s scorecard also includes votes from the 2018 legislative session. On August 14, 2019, Club For Growth Foundation President, David McIntosh, announced the launch of the new state scorecards, “The Club for Growth Foundation’s Congressional Scorecard is already the gold-standard in publishing the voting records of Senators and Members of the U.S. House of Representatives on economic legislation, and the State Legislative Scorecards…

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Woman Charged with Carrying out TennCare Fraud at Pharmacy

  In another blow for taxpayers, Tennessee officials have announced the arrest of yet another person charged with TennCare fraud. The Office of Inspector General, with help from the Henderson County Sheriff’s Office, this week announced the arrest of Paula Hutcherson, 50, of Parsons. Authorities charged her with two counts of TennCare fraud and five counts of obtaining and/or attempting to obtain a controlled substance by fraud, according to a press release. “Hutcherson, who works in the medical field, called in a prescription for Ambien, a Schedule IV controlled substance, to a pharmacy by using the name of a provider she did not have permission to use and knowingly used the name of a TennCare enrollee in order to use their TennCare benefits to pay for the prescriptions,” the press release said. District Attorney General Jody Pickens is prosecuting.  TennCare fraud is a Class D felony punishable by up to four years in prison per charge, the press release said. The OIG, which is separate from TennCare, began full operation in February 2005 and has investigated cases leading to more than $3 million being repaid to TennCare, with a total estimated cost avoidance of more than $163.6 million for TennCare, according to…

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Carol Swain Urges Support for Steve Glover, ‘Only Experienced Conservative’ Running for Council

  Former Metro Nashville mayoral candidate Dr. Carol W. Swain is calling on her supporters to turn out to the polls once again — to support at-large Metro Council candidate Steve Glover. Early voting runs to September 6. Election Day is September 12. In an email newsletter to her supporters, Swain says that Glover is the “only experienced conservative running for a seat on city council” and that he needs votes — and she asks people to vote for only one at-large candidate to give Glover his best chance. Swain also asks her supporters to vote for District 26 council candidate Courtney Johnston, who is engaged in a run-off against Jeremy Elrod. Current Metro Council district member and at-large candidate Steve Glover has been a critic of incumbent Mayor David Briley, including lately, the mayor’s budget, The Tennessee Star reported. Glover believes that the budget submitted by Mayor David Briley and recently passed by the Metro Council violates state law and Metro rules requiring a balanced budget. Glover asked State Senator Farrell Haile (R-Gallatin) to request an opinion from Tennessee State Attorney General Herbert H. Slatery concerning the legality of that budget. During her concession speech in the Aug. 2…

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Attempts by House Democrats to Expel Representative David Byrd During the Special Session Unsuccessful

  NASHVILLE, Tennessee – House Democrats launched an unsuccessful attempt to expel Representative David Byrd (R-Waynesboro) from the House of Representatives during the Extraordinary Session on August 23 to elect a new Speaker. HR 7006, introduced by Representative Gloria Johnson (D-Knoxville) on August 5 reads, “Expels David Byrd from his seat as a member of the House of Representatives of the One Hundred Eleventh General Assembly.” Byrd has been accused of inappropriate sexual conduct with underage female student athletes 30 years ago when he was a high school basketball coach. The allegations were made against Byrd prior to the 2018 elections, which Byrd won capturing 78 percent of the vote against his Democrat opponent. Since the allegations were made public, protesters have been regular attendees at the legislative offices and committee rooms in the Cordell Hull Building, and even more present outside the chambers during floor sessions. Protesters were present during and after the House Republican Caucus meeting held on August 22, the day prior to the Extraordinary Session. A group, Enough is Enough, has repeatedly called for Byrd to be removed from the House, even to Governor Bill Lee who has no such constitutional authority. Earlier this week, before…

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Tennesseans Might Get Fewer Robocalls Next Year

  If what Tennessee Attorney General Herbert Slatery says is true, then this time next year Tennesseans should get far fewer robocalls on their cell phones. In a press release, Slatery announced this week that 12 phone companies have agreed to adopt eight principles to fight illegal robocalls. They are doing this alongside 51 attorneys general. “This agreement should better protect Tennesseans from illegal robocalls and enable this Office and other attorneys general to investigate and prosecute offenders,” Slatery said in the press release. Phone companies will work to prevent illegal robocalls by: Implementing call-blocking technology at the network level at no cost to customers. Making available to customers additional, free, easy-to-use call blocking and labeling tools. • Implementing technology to authenticate that callers are coming from a valid source. • Monitoring their networks for robocall traffic. “The agreed upon principles should will implement much-needed prevention and enforcement mechanisms that should have a meaningful impact,” said Samantha Fisher, spokeswoman for the Tennessee Attorney General’s Office on Friday. The coalition of companies includes AT&T, Bandwidth, CenturyLink, Charter, Comcast, Consolidated, Frontier, Sprint, T-Mobile, US Cellular, Verizon, and Windstream, according to the press release. Phone companies will assist attorneys general anti-robocall enforcement by: Knowing…

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