SUMMARY : One More Kick Of A Dead Horse

During the month of March, I first introduced (click here) and then updated (click here) my readers about the fantasy sports regulatory bill the Tennessee Legislature was working on. I was, and still am, adamantly opposed to the legislation, because there are much more important things than fantasy sports that the legislature needs to be working on. Unfortunately, today I must report that the bill overwhelmingly passed both the Tennessee State House, hereafter known simply as "House", and State Senate, hereafter known simply as "Senate", and was signed into law by Governor Haslam.

State Seal of Tennessee. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

However, there is more to be told. The Sheepdog has now reviewed the floor votes of both chambers of the Tennessee Legislature as well as the votes taken in the committees and subcommittees during HB 2105 / SB 2109's journey to becoming law (see votes here). Today, I'm revealing who did what with their vote. Before I do, I want to encourage any Tennessean reading this who may not know who their state representative and / or state senator is to click here, and then enter your address and click search to find out who represents you. Then, as you read through the rest of this article, look for your legislators to see how they voted.

I'll start with the House Committees and Subcommittees. Let me say first, though, that the way the House records votes in the committees is .... "interesting". It's not transparent. Only the "NO" or "Present Not Voting" (PNV) votes are listed on the legislature's website for each bill. It appears that the committee member must request to be recorded as voting "NO" or PNV to actually get it on the record. The appearance is that the House is hiding something. Whatever is going on, the following members of the House who voted against HB 2105 in committee or subcommittee are :

David Alexander (R) - voted "NO" in House Finance Ways and Means Committee and "NO" in House Finance Ways and Means SubCommittee. He also voted "NO" on House Floor.

Mike Carter (R) - voted "NO" in House Finance Ways and Means Committee

David Hawk (R) - voted "NO" in House Fiance Ways and Means Committee. He also voted "NO" on House floor.

Bill Dunn (R) - "Present Not Voting" ** in House Finance Ways and Means Committee. He voted "NO" on House floor.

John Ragan (R) - Voted "NO" in Government Operations Committee, but then voted "Yes" on House floor. Why did he change his vote?

Kevin Dunlap (D) - voted "NO" in Business and Utilities Committee. He also voted "NO" on House floor.

These 6 gentlemen were the only 6 members of the house bold enough to attempt to stop the bill in a committee or subcommittee before it made it to the house floor to waste the house's time. Sad isn't it?

When we look at the committee and subcommittee votes in the senate, it gets worse - NOT ONE MEMBER of the state senate voted "NO" in committee. Not one. The bill passed unanimously in every committee hearing. Every. Single. One. Pathetic. Every member of every Tennessee Senate Committee was basically derelict in their duty on this bill.

** - "Present Not Voting" votes are essentially "No" votes, because each bill must receive a majority of "yes" votes to advance to the next committee in line, or to the floor of the House or Senate. So, if there's 8 members on a committee, and the bill gets 4 yes, 3 no's, and 1 present not voting, then it fails. It would've needed at least 5 yes votes to advance.

Let's move on to the House and Senate Floor votes. Here, I will list ONLY the "yes" votes. These are the ones who supported this legislation. I will list the Senate floor votes first and beside them I will list any recorded "yes" votes in Committee or Subcommittee.

Tennessee Senate Chamber (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Senate Floor "YES" Votes ****

• Paul Bailey (R) - also in Senate Government Operations Committee
• Janice Bowling (R) - also in Senate Government Operations Committee
• Richard Briggs (R)
• Rusty Crowe (R) - also in Senate Government Operations Committee
• Steven Dickerson (R) - also in Senate Finance, Ways, and Means Committee
• Todd Gardenshire (R) - also in Senate Commerce and Labor Committee
• Mark Green (R)
• Dolores Gresham (R) - also in Senate Commerce and Labor Committee
• Ferrelle Haile  (R) - also in Senate Finance, Ways, and Means Committee
• Thelma Harper (D) - also in Senate Finance, Ways, and Means Committee
• Lee Harris (D) - also in Senate Government Operations Committee
• Ed Jackson (R) - also in Senate Government Operations Committee
• Jack Johnson - (R) also in Senate Commerce and Labor Committee
• Brian Kelsey (R)
• Bill Ketron (R) - also in Senate Finance, Ways, and Means Committee
• Sara Kyle (D)
• Becky Duncan Massey (R)
• Randy McNally (R) - also in Senate Finance, Ways, and Means Committee
• Frank Nicely (R)
• Mark Norris (R) - also in Senate Finance, Ways, and Means Committee
• Doug Overbey (R) - also in Senate Finance Ways, and Means Committee
• Liet. Gov. Ron Ramsey (R)
• John Stevens (R) - also in Senate Finance Ways, and Means Committee
• Bo Watson (R) - also in Senate Finance Ways, and Means Committee AND Senate Commerce and Labor Committee
• Jim Tracy (R) - also in Senate Commerce and Labor Committee
• Ken Yager - (R) - also in Senate Commerce and Labor Committee
• Jeff Yarbro (D)
• Mae Beavers (R) ++ - also in Senate Government Operations Committee - no surprise here. To read about Beavers support for other "nanny state" bills, please click here and then scroll down to the "The Ugly" section.
• Mike Bell - (R) - also in Senate Government Operations Committee
• Kerry Roberts (R) - also in Senate Government Operations Committee
• Steve Southerland (R) - also in Senate Commerce and Labor Committee
• Reginald Tate (D) - also in Senate Finance, Ways, and Means Committee

**** - Absent from list but voting "yes" in favor of the bill in the Senate Finance, Ways, and Means Committee is Joey Hensley (R).

++ - Beavers actually voted for the bill 2 out of 3 times she had the opportunity. As mentioned above, she voted "yes" in the Senate Government Operations Committee and then "yes" during the first Senate floor vote. However, after the House added an amendment placing an additional 6% tax on the fantasy sports companies, she voted "no" when the amended version of the bill came back to the Senate floor. Why did she change her vote? Afterall, the only change to the bill was the new, additional tax. Did she not approve of the tax? Did she think it was too much?  

Since the version of the bill she supported during the 1st Senate floor vote would levy various fees and taxes on the fantasy sports companies, and she has other pro-tax votes on her resume (read here), could it be that she didn't think 6% was high enough?

House Floor "Yes" Votes

• Raumesh Akbari (D)
• Joe Armstrong (D)
• Harry Brooks (R)
• Kevin Brooks (R)
• Kent Calfee (R)
• Karen Camper (D)
• Dale Carr (R)
• Glen Casada (R)
• John Ray Clemmons (D)
• Jim Coley (R)
• Barbara Cooper  (D)
• Martin Daniel (R)
• Barry Doss (R)
• Jeremy Durham (R)
• Jimmy Eldridge (R)
• Jeremy Faison (R)
• Andrew Farmer (R)
• Craig Fitzhugh (D)
• John Fogerty (R)
• Tilman Goins (R)
• Marc Gravitt (R)
• Curtis Halford (R)
• G.A. Hardaway (D)
• Patsy Hazlewood (R)
• Gary Hicks (R)
• Matthew Hill (R)
• Timothy Hill (R)
• John B. Holsclaw, Jr. (R)
• Dan Howell (R)
• Jamie Jenkins (R)
• Curtis Johnson (R)
• Sherry Jones (D)
• Kelly Keisling (R)
• Sabi Kumar (R)
• Ron Lollar (R)
• Harold M. Love, Jr. (D)
• Pat Marsh (R)
• Gerald McCormick (R)
• Steve McDaniel (R)
• Larry Miller (D)
• Bo Mitchell (D)
• Antonio Parkinson (D)
• Joe Pitts (D)
• Jason Powell (D)
• Jay Reedy (R)
• Courtney Rogers (R)
• Bill Sanderson (R)
• Charles Sargent (R)
• Cameron Sexton (R)
• Jerry Sexton (R)
• Johnny Shaw (D)
• David Shepard (D)
• Mike Stewart (D)
• Art Swann (R)
• Bryan Terry (R)
• Curry Todd (R)
• Joe Towns, Jr. (D)
• Ron Travis (R)
• Johnnie Turner (D)
• James (Micah) Van Huss (D)
• Terri Lynn Weaver (D)
• Dawn White (D)
• Mark White (D)
• Ryan Williams (D)
• Tim Wirgau (D)
• Speaker Beth Harwell (D)

I must thank Wilson Co.'s (TN) two State Representatives, Susan Lynn (west Wilson Co.) and Mark Pody (east Wilson Co.), for voting "NO" during the House floor vote on the bill.

Summary

Combined, the Tennessee House and Senate is made up of 132 individuals. During the fantasy sports regulatory bill's journey to becoming law, each of Tennessee's lawmakers had an opportunity to vote on it. After reviewing the votes from the House and Senate floor and the various committees, I found that only about 12% or 1 out of every 8 of them ever voiced their opposition to the bill. Another way of looking at it is that about 88%, or 7 out of every 8, of Tennessee's lawmakers either voiced their approval of the bill or didn't voice their opposition during floor or committee votes.

Since 2016 is an election year, here's some things to think about in regards to the fantasy sports bill:

1. The next time you drive I-40 between Nashville and Knoxville and your teeth about get jarred outta your head due to hitting a moon-sized crater of a pothole, just remember that 88% of Tennessee's lawmakers thought it was more important to regulate and tax fantasy football than to provide additional funding for TDOT to keep the roads maintained.
2. The next time you drop your child off at school and notice how rundown and in need of repair it is, remember that 88% of Tennessee's lawmakers thought it was more important to regulate and tax fantasy football than it was to provide funding to fix your child's school.
3. Hey gunowners - remember back about 6 years ago when Haslam was running for governor and said he'd support and sign constitutional carry into law if it reached his desk as governor? Guess what? It ain't happened yet. So, the next time you have to renew your carry permit a.k.a. ask permission to carry a gun to defend yourself and your family and pay the associated fee a.k.a. tax, just remember that 88% of Tennessee lawmakers thought it was more important to regulate and tax fantasy football than it was to pass constitutional carry.
4. If you've been laid off and can't find work, because businesses aren't hiring due to too much government regulation and interference, and you're having to make ends meet on your unemployment benefits, remember that 88% of Tennessee lawmakers thought it was more important to regulate and tax fantasy football instead of helping businesses create jobs.
5. The next time you want to take an evening stroll in your neighborhood but don't because it's not safe, remember that 88% of Tennessee's lawmakers thought it was more important to regulate and tax fantasy football than it was to provide local communities more funding so they could put more cops on the street.

I could go on all day with more and more examples of what Tennessee's lawmakers should have been doing this legislative session instead of wasting their time, which is actually our time, worrying about fantasy football. However, I think my point is now clearly evident.

Here's one last thing to remember - EVERY member of the Tennessee House of Representatives and much of the Senate is up for re-election this year. Therefore, we have an opportunity to remove many of these "88 percenters" and replace them with people who will do the REAL work that Tennesseans need done.

So, if your Representative or Senator is up for re-election in 2016, and his or her name appears above as having cast a "yes" vote on this nanny state legislation, then they were 1 of the 88% that think regulating and taxing fantasy football and other fantasy sports this year was more important than many other things that affect Tennesseans everyday.

Now, I'm done kicking the dead horse, so, it's YOUR turn to act - go vote the sorry "YES" bums out during the August primaries and then during the general election in November.

Dang. My foot hurts.  

November 2014 Tennessee Governor's Race

Back in July, I posted a brief synopsis on the Republican and Democratic nominees for Tennessee governor. I also promised to briefly review those nominees and the 3rd party candidates who would be on the ballot prior to the November general election. Since early voting in Tennessee begins tomorrow, here is a brief overview of all seven candidates.

Republican Nominee

English: Knoxville mayor and Tennessee GOP gubernatorial candidate Bill Haslam addressing supporters before the Highlands Town Hall Debate at Tennessee Tech University. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

As expected, Tennessee's incumbent governor, Bill Haslam, won the Republican nomination. I'm not gonna spend much time rehashing my lack of fondness for Mr. Haslam. From the time he declared his intention to seek the governor's office over 4 years ago, I have pointed out that he is no conservative no matter how hard he and others try to paint him as one. He is progressive to the core. He is no friend of gun owners, teachers, and others. In my opinion, which is partially based upon a NewsChannel 5 investigative video series titled "Questions of Influence", his associates and big business have benefited more from his first term than anyone.

When I started this blog several years ago, I built it around the sheep / wolves / sheepdogs theme. Since in my opinion, Haslam is something besides what he claims to be (a progressive instead of a conservative), he is a wolf. So, just like 4 years ago, I will not vote for him.

Democratic Nominee

Charles V. "Charlie" Brown is the Democrat's nominee for governor. If I had to guess, I'd say he won the nomination based upon name recognition. I mean, who doesn't like Charlie Brown, right?

Brown hasn't mounted much of a campaign. He has a Facebook page but no webpage. I only found a little about him on the internet - he is a religious man, a hunter, and retired construction worker. He's not gonna put up much of a challenge to "Big Business Bill" Haslam.

Constitution Party Nominee

Constitution Party (United States) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Shaun Crowell is the Constitution Party candidate. Crowell ran for U.S. Senate in 2012 as a Libertarian. According to Crowell's website, he is:

• a Christian, 
• a veterinarian who owns an animal hospital,
• opposed to Common Core and Race to the Top and wants to repeal both,
• opposed to big government programs, such as the Tennessee Promise,
• a supporter of the Right to Keep and Bear Arms,
• a supporter of free-market capitalism, and
• believes the state's budget is controlled too much by Uncle Sam.

Green Party Nominee

Isa Infante is the Green Party candidate. She has a wide-ranging background. She's been a university professor, a U.S. Dept. of Education employee, a business owner, and a consultant. A brief review of her Facebook page and website shows that she's way to the left of me on the issues. For instance, she:

• supports raising the minimum wage,
• supports unions,
• wants FREE healthcare,
• supports "increased economic and political control of communities", and
• supports "social justice".

Independents

There are 3 Independents in the race, including:

1. John Jay Hooker - Hooker has run for governor before but never gains much traction. I could not find a website for him, but he does have a Facebook page.
2. Steven Coburn - Coburn is an interesting fellow with some interesting ideas. However, the major problem I see with him is that he doesn't understand the Tennessee Constitution. For instance, on his website it states that if elected he, "... will ask Tennesseans every two months to vote upon 10-15 items and if a high percentage agrees than it is the governor's job to make it happen because it was the will of the People of Tennessee." Uh no. We have State Senators and Representatives for that, according to the state constitution. Plus, we can't get a majority of Tennesseans to vote every 2 years. How the heck you gonna get them to do it every 2 months?
3. Daniel T. Lewis - Lewis is actually the Libertarian candidate but will appear on the ballot as an Independent, because there is no official Libertarian Party in Tennessee. According to his website, he supports smaller government, more individual freedom, the Right to Keep and Bear Arms, state sovereignty, reducing government spending, and lower taxes. To see his other viewpoints and stances on the issues, please visit his website at http://www.lewisdt.com/.

Summary

The question you're probably asking by now is, "Sheepdog, who you gonna support?" I'm staying away from the lefties - Haslam, Brown, and Infante. While I like some of the things the Libertarian Party and candidate Lewis advocate I can never get past the Libertarians social agenda that seems to be "anything goes as long you don't hurt anyone." Though I'm not thrilled with any of my options, I'm leaning toward the Constitution Party candidate, Shaun Crowell.

Related articles

• Vote for Dr. Shaun Crowell for Governor of TN! (Fire Haslam) (victoriajackson.com)
• The Democratic nominee for Tennessee governor wants to electrocute incumbent Bill Haslam (theweek.com)
• Tenn. voters to decide on income tax amendment (washingtontimes.com)
• Third parties still fighting for ballot access (sfgate.com)
• Abortion rights proponents give big to campaign (sfgate.com)

2014 Tennessee Governors Race

Early voting for Tennessee's August Primaries begins this Friday, July 18. Bill Haslam is up for re-election as governor. I've made no secret that I am no fan of his in previous posts on this blog. A few months ago, I even posted a series of videos from a NewsChannel 5 Investigation into the wheelings, dealings, and crony capitalism within his administration.

English: Knoxville mayor and Tennessee GOP gubernatorial candidate Bill Haslam addressing supporters before the Highlands Town Hall Debate at Tennessee Tech University. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Prior to his election in 2010, I said Haslam was not a conservative, despite his claims, but more of a liberal / progressive. He has proven me correct from his dislike of pro-gun legislation, to his disrespect for teachers, to the his latest big government, progressive handout program known as "The Tennessee Promise." Haslam needs to be defeated badly.

The problem is that the crop of candidates challenging him in 2014 is not very formidable, but I want to briefly highlight who they are. Today I'll cover the Republicans and the Democrats who are competing in their respective parties primaries. Later, prior to the general election, I will do a similar list that includes the Independent candidates.  If you'd like to see the entire list of Tennessee gubernatorial candidates, U.S. Senate, U.S. House, and other state office, it is available on the Tennessee Secretary of State's website by clicking here.

Republicans

1. The incumbent Bill Haslam - a progressive in conservative clothing a.k.a. a wolf. Sheepdogs don't like wolves. So, I don't like Haslam. Did not vote for him in 2010. Will not vote for him in 2014, either.
2. Donald Ray McFolin - Ran against Haslam as an Independent in 2010. Is a U.S. Army veteran who served in Vietnam. Worked in graphic arts for 30+ years. Is currently an autism advocate motivated to run for governor in order to help kids with special needs. A commendable motivation, in my opinion.
3. Basil Marceaux, Sr. - Ran against Haslam in 2010 gubernatorial Republican Primary. Has ran for Tennessee governor on multiple occasions, ran for Tennessee State Senate and the U.S. Senate, too, along with several other offices. Basil is an interesting guy. Visit his website to learn more www.BasilMarceaux.com.
4. Mark "Coonrippy" Brown - Brown's run for governor is due to his love for his pet racooon, Rebekah.

   

   Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

   Rebekah was captured by the TWRA (Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency) over a year ago. Brown has been unsuccessful in his attempts to get his pet back. So, he's running for governor in order to free Rebekah. What's not to like about guy and his raccoon? Heck, I might just have to vote for the guy (read Politico article).

Democrats

1. Charles V. "Charlie" Brown - no substantial information available
2. Kennedy Spellman Johnson - no substantial information available
3. William H. "John" McKamey - retired school teacher. Served as county commissioner and Mayor of Sullivan County. On his website, it states he supports medical marijuana. An interview published on www.Knoxnews.com shows that he supports homosexual marriage.
4. Ron Noonan - only information found says he wants to decriminalize misdemeanors and move regulation of public education from the federal to the state governments

As I said, the pickings are slim when it comes to alternatives to Haslam. However, none of the Democrats will get my vote for 2 reasons : 1) the little information I was able to find on 2 show that they are way to the Left of me on the issues, and 2) I want to vote against Haslam. So, I'm left with McFolin, "Coonrippy", or Basil. Decisions, decisions. I'm leaning towards McFolin because of his motivation to help special needs kids, but as I said earlier - what's not to like about a guy wanting to free his pet raccoon?

As crazy as politics are today with incumbents being out of touch with every day people, a guy running just to save his pet kinda seems fitting. Maybe Rebekah should have been the one on the ballot. If she won, she could pardon her self.

Only in Tennessee. Wow.

Related articles

• 'Coonrippy' running for Tennessee governor to get his seized raccoon back (timesfreepress.com)
• Mark 'Coonrippy' Brown Runs For Governor To Get His Seized Raccoon Rebekah Back (huffingtonpost.com)
• Man runs for governor of Tennessee to get pet raccoon back (newsfixnow.com)
• Spokesman: Gov. Haslam never received raccoon petition from 'Coonrippy' (timesfreepress.com)
• 2014's craziest political candidates: Part 2 (deathandtaxesmag.com)
• Off-Grid Man Runs For Governor To Get His Pet Raccoon Back (offthegridnews.com)
• Don't ignore the raccoon vote, 'Coonrippy' warns governor (watchdog.org)

The Haslam Administration - Cronyism Or Just "Good Business"? You Decide - Part 7 of 7

As promised on Tuesday, today, on Freedom Friday, I am wrapping up sharing the video series, "Questions of Influence", NewsChannel5 ran concerning the questionable dealings of the Haslam Administration. Part 7 is basically a summary of the first 6 parts, but it does add some new information, too. The video for Part 7 is embedded below, or can be watched by clicking here.

Below today's video, I review what we've learned.

NewsChannel5.com | Nashville News, Weather

NewsChannel5 brought out the following in this investigative report :

1. The state's motor pool was turned over to Enterprise Rental Car without any bids being taken.
2. Maintenance of state vehicles was contracted out to Bridgestone without any bids being taken, and the current state Finance Commissioner, appointed by Haslam, once headed up Bridgestone.
3. A $330 Million contract for the management of state buildings was given to Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL), a company which has been one of Governor Haslam's "major investments." JLL was given the authority to negotiate leases on behalf of the state with third parties, and then collect a 4% commission on any new leases it completed.
4. Haslam's personal political consultant, Tom Ingram, is a professional lobbyist with The Ingram Group. Ingram not only is Haslam's consultant, but he frequently lobbies state agencies and appears to have Haslam's ear on anything and everything.
5. JLL recommended tearing down the Cordell Hull State Office Building due to a leaky foundation. Then, it was revealed that the leak wasn't that big of a deal, but JLL got paid for the advice anyway. As a rsult of its contract, JLL could get paid for every state building it recommends being torn down, overseeing each building's demolition, and for overseeing the moving of state employees from any state building it recommends be demolished.
6. Tennessee's Comptroller of the Treasury, Justin Wilson, and others raised concerns about the multiple no-bid contracts. Those concerns were basically ignored by the Haslam Administration and the state legislature. An audit by the Comptroller's Office said JLL had an "unfair advantage" in the contract process. Once again, the findings were ignored.
7. Current U.S. Senators from the state of Tennessee Lamar Alexander and Bob Corker also pay Tom Ingram for similar services as those Ingram renders to Governor Haslam. Alexander and Corker disclose those payments on their campaign financial reports. Haslam refuses to.

English: former Congressman and Governor of Tennessee Ray Blanton. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

All these nice, cozy deals and contracts are, as Rep. Mike Turner said in the videos, "nice if you can get 'em." When watching this investigative report on TV, I was shocked at the news. My blood pressure went up, too. I thought back to another Tennessee Governor's Administration, Ray Blanton's, and how it eventually shamed the state of Tennessee. It was rocked by multiple scandals including :

• Extravagant spending,
• Friends being taken on trips on the state's dime,
• Bar tabs on the state's dime,
• Limousine rentals on the state's dime,
• Blanton's family's company getting a paving contract at a state park, and 
• selling surplus state-owned cars to political cronies.

However, these were not the worst of it. State officials were bribed for pardons of convicted criminals. Some state officials were arrested, but not before Blanton issued over 50 pardons and was planning more. 

Blanton wasn't charged in regards to the pardons, but was later accused of selling liquor licenses. He was eventually indicted for mail fraud, extortion, and conspiracy, convicted, and served nearly 2 years in prison after being run out of the governor's office. It is my opinion, based upon NewsChannel5's investigation, the Haslam Administration could eventually make the Blanton Administration look like Boy Scouts. Oh - by the way - did you hear about the latest Haslam Administration investigation? The Feds may even get involved. It appears Haslam may have attempted to influence the union vote at the Chattanooga Volkswagon plant. Oops.

The real problem I'm having with the whole thing, though, is the lack of outcry. Yes, you can chalk up the outcry from the Democrats contained within these videos to politics if you like. However, wrong is wrong no matter who is doing it. It doesn't matter whether you're talking about Republicans or Democrats. Well, at least it shouldn't. However, in Tennessee, it appears it does. In this one-hour series, the only Republican who is shown being critical of the Haslam Administration is Rep. Mark Pody from Lebanon. I'm not the biggest fan of Pody, but he is right in this case.

The question I have for other Republican members of the state legislature is this - Republicans supposedly are conservative. Part of being a conservative is following and enforcing the rules, no matter what. So, why has Haslam gotten a pass on all these no-bid contracts, appearances of conflicts of interest, not disclosing campaign payments, etc.? I'm sure if Haslam was a Democrat the GOP would have been all over him. I imagine they might even want him removed from office. The people of Tennessee deserve better. The GOP is in power. They should be holding the Haslam Administration accountable, but they are not. They are turning a blind eye and letting this administration do whatever it pleases. In fact, the State Legislature hasn't even done an investigation! They've been too busy legalizing hemp, making sure Tennesseans can buy wine in grocery stores, and telling the Federal government it can't enforce Federal gun laws in Tennessee. Stupid, useless laws. While the GOP is busy with all that crap, the Haslam Administration is running wild. One can make an argument that the GOP controlled legislature is derelict in its duty.

Tennessee State Seal (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The good news for Tennesseans is that Haslam is up for re-election this year. I so wish that every Tennessean would see this investigative report prior to voting this year. If you have friends and family who may not have had an opportunity to see this report and learn about all these shenangians, please forward these videos to them or refer them to my blog or NewsChannel5's website, so they can. The information is vitally important to everyone being an informed voter. I've heard rumors that Haslam has his eyes set on one of Tennessee's two seats in the U.S. Senate after his days as governor are over. Do we really won't him having even more power in Washington D.C.? The answer is no, so he must be defeated now.

Haslam has a bunch of opponents, too, including primary opponents. They are listed here on the Secretary of State's website. Look this list over, do your own homework on Haslam's opponents, and vote him out. Later in the year, prior to the August primaries, I plan to profile all of them. I'm looking forward to voting against him twice this year - once in the GOP primary, and then again in the general election, if he wins the primary. It will be hard to beat him. He has the money to buy the office again just like he did in 2010. However, if conservatives will get together and support one candidate, I think it's possible to oust him. However, if the vote is split between multiple candidates, Haslam will win re-election in a landslide.

Tennessee is in a dangerous position. The Republicans control the governor's office, the State House, and the State Senate. No party should ever be given that much power, because when it happens, that party runs wild like the GOP has for the last few years. As hard as this is to say, if Haslam wins re-election, then the next best alternative is for Tennessee voters to give one of the two chambers of the legislature back to the Democrats.

Yes, I know some of you are now thinking I'm off my rocker, but Haslam has to be kept in check somehow, even if it means giving some power back to the Donkey Party. What we've got now ain't working. As the title of this series has asked - The Haslam Administration - Cronyism Or Just "Good Business"? - in my opinion, it's cronyism with a capital C, and it has to stop. It's wong.

Related articles

• The Haslam Administration - Cronyism Or Just "Good Business"? You Decide - Part 6 of 7 (thesecondchancesheepdog.blogspot.com)
• The Haslam Administration - Cronyism Or Just "Good Business"? You Decide - Part 5 of 7 (thesecondchancesheepdog.blogspot.com)
• The Haslam Administration - Cronyism Or Just "Good Business"? You Decide - Part 4 of 7 (thesecondchancesheepdog.blogspot.com)
• The Haslam Administration : Cronyism Or Just "Good Business"? You Decide - Part 1 (thesecondchancesheepdog.blogspot.com)
• Congress Looking into Haslam's $300 Million Offer in Union Vote (fantasyradionews.com)
• Haslam and Corker Issued Subpoenas (fantasyradionews.com)
• UAW Subpoenas Haslam, Corker To Appear At VW NLRB Appeal Hearing (thetruthaboutcars.com)
• WATCH: Leaked Documents Show GOP Governor Illegally Interfered With Volkswagen Union Vote (addictinginfo.org)
• Tennessee Governor Used Public Funds to Bust Autoworker's Union (readersupportednews.org)
• Report: Haslam considered giving downtown tower to Sears for corporate HQ (bizjournals.com)

The Haslam Administration - Cronyism Or Just "Good Business"? You Decide - Part 6 of 7

Today, we're into the stretch run of the video series detailing the questionable dealings of Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam's Administration. Part 6 is about five-and-a-half minutes long and can be summarized with one simple question - "What's the big secret?"

I plan to wrap the series up on Friday. So, don't miss it. Segment 6 is embedded below or can be watched by clicking here.

NewsChannel5.com | Nashville News, Weather
Source - www.NewsChannel5.com investigative report titled "Questions of Influence".

Related articles

• The Haslam Administration - Cronyism Or Just "Good Business"? You Decide - Part 5 of 7 (thesecondchancesheepdog.blogspot.com)
• The Haslam Administration - Cronyism Or Just "Good Business"? You Decide - Part 4 of 7 (thesecondchancesheepdog.blogspot.com)
• The Haslam Administration - Cronyism Or Just "Good Business"? You Decide - Part 3 of 7 (thesecondchancesheepdog.blogspot.com)
• UAW Subpoenas Haslam, Corker To Appear At VW NLRB Appeal Hearing (thetruthaboutcars.com)
• WATCH: Leaked Documents Show GOP Governor Illegally Interfered With Volkswagen Union Vote (addictinginfo.org)
• Leaked documents show TN Gov. Haslam (R) pressured Union Vote at Volkswagon plant (thesecularjurist.wordpress.com)
• Tennessee governor threatened $300 million in subsidies if Volkswagen workers unionized (dailykos.com)

The Haslam Administration - Cronyism Or Just "Good Business"? You Decide - Part 5 of 7

"Unfair advantage"? Competiveness? Bids?

We don't need no stinking competitive bids! Fuhgeddaboutit.

Today is Part 5 in the series about the dealings of The Haslam Administration. The video is embedded below or can be watched by clicking here.

NewsChannel5.com | Nashville News, Weather
Source - NewsChannel5.com's investigative report titled "Questions of Influence".

Related articles

• The Haslam Administration - Cronyism Or Just "Good Business"? You Decide - Part 4 of 7 (thesecondchancesheepdog.blogspot.com)
• The Haslam Administration - Cronyism Or Just "Good Business"? You Decide - Part 3 of 7 (thesecondchancesheepdog.blogspot.com)
• The Haslam Administration : Cronyism Or Just "Good Business"? You Decide - Part 2 (thesecondchancesheepdog.blogspot.com)
• Haslam and Corker Issued Subpoenas (fantasyradionews.com)

The Haslam Administration - Cronyism Or Just "Good Business"? You Decide - Part 4 of 7

Today's video segment is Part 4 of NewsChannel5's investigative report, "Questions of Influence", about the questionable wheelings and dealings of Bill Haslam's Adminstration. I plan to run Part 5 later in the week and wrap the series up next week.

The interesting thing about this segment is that, like in Part 3, I find myself once again agreeing with someone, Steve Gill, that I'm not a fan of. When he says that if a Democrat was in the governor's office with this sort of stuff going on, the Republicans would "be pitching a hissy fit," he's absolutely right. They would. So why are they not pitching one now? Do the rules only apply to the Democrats?

Video number 4 is embedded below or can be watched by clicking here.

NewsChannel5.com | Nashville News, Weather

Related articles

• The Haslam Administration - Cronyism Or Just "Good Business"? You Decide - Part 3 of 7 (thesecondchancesheepdog.blogspot.com)
• The Haslam Administration : Cronyism Or Just "Good Business"? You Decide - Part 2 (thesecondchancesheepdog.blogspot.com)
• The Haslam Administration : Cronyism Or Just "Good Business"? You Decide - Part 1 (thesecondchancesheepdog.blogspot.com)
• WATCH: Leaked Documents Show GOP Governor Illegally Interfered With Volkswagen Union Vote (addictinginfo.org)
• Tennessee Governor Used Public Funds to Bust Autoworker's Union (readersupportednews.org)
• Army of candidates running against Tennessee Sen. Alexander, Gov. Haslam (timesfreepress.com)
• Documents: Haslam administration tied Volkswagen incentives to labor discussions (bizjournals.com)
• Report: Haslam considered giving downtown tower to Sears for corporate HQ (bizjournals.com)
• Haslam advisor Ingram avoids ethics fine (bizjournals.com)

The Haslam Administration - Cronyism Or Just "Good Business"? You Decide - Part 3 of 7

Today is Part 3 of the video series on the "dealings" of the administration of Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam, and the series starts picking up some steam. The segment shared today is just under six minutes and will likely get your blood pressure up a bit.

Normally, there is very little that I agree with Democratic Tennessee State Representatives Sherry Jones and Mike Turner about. However, this is one of those times. Rep. Jones nailed it on the head when she referred to these real estate dealings as "conflicts of interest."

Part 3's video is embedded below or can be watched by clicking here.

NewsChannel5.com | Nashville News, Weather
Source - www.NewsChannel5.com investigative report titled "Questions of Influence".

Related articles

• The Haslam Administration : Cronyism Or Just "Good Business"? You Decide - Part 1 (thesecondchancesheepdog.blogspot.com)
• The Haslam Administration : Cronyism Or Just "Good Business"? You Decide - Part 2 (thesecondchancesheepdog.blogspot.com)
• Chicago firm had ties to Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam (timesfreepress.com)
• Haslam administration criticized by State Comptroller, Haslam defends actions (fantasyradionews.com)
• Gov. Bill Haslam defends deal with Chicago company (timesfreepress.com)

The Haslam Administration : Cronyism Or Just "Good Business"? You Decide - Part 2 of 7

When I started sharing this video series about the dealings of The Haslam Adminstration back on Tuesday, my plan was to share 1 of the video segments each week until it was completed. Doing so would mean the series would run for more than 6 weeks. I've changed my mind, because I believe the information contained within these videos is too important to spread it out over so long. I'd rather keep the flow and the momentum going, because the information gets "spicier" as we get further into it.

So today, on Freedom Friday, I'm sharing part 2 of this 7 part series. The video is about six-and-a-half minutes long and is embedded below or can be watched by clicking here.

Y'all come back for Part 3 now ... ya here. "Well doggies."

NewsChannel5.com | Nashville News, Weather

Source - www.Newschannel5.com investigative report titled "Questions of Influence"

Related articles

• The Haslam Administration : Cronyism Or Just "Good Business"? You Decide - Part 1 (thesecondchancesheepdog.blogspot.com)
• Report: Haslam considered giving downtown tower to Sears for corporate HQ (bizjournals.com)

The Haslam Administration : Cronyism Or Just "Good Business"? You Decide - Part 1 of 7

I've made no secret of my lack of fondness for current Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam. I didn't vote for him in 2010 and have no intention of doing so this year when he's up for re-election. I had reservations about his "conservative" credentials, and so far, he's proven me correct.

English: Knoxville mayor and Tennessee GOP gubernatorial candidate Bill Haslam addressing supporters before the Highlands Town Hall Debate at Tennessee Tech University. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

A few months ago, NewChannel5 in Nashville ran a one-hour investigative special on Haslam and his administration titled NC5 Investigates : Questions of Influence. The dealings brought out in the show were shocking. When it concluded, I wondered, "why haven't other news media outlets in Tennessee brought his out?"

I feel it is important that all Tennesseans, not just those within the NewsChannel5 viewing area, see this investigative report. So, over the next several weeks I will share it here on The Second Chance Sheepdog in video segments ranging from 5-8 minutes in length. Be sure to watch them all.

I'm sure many of my died-in-the-wool Republican friends, even family members, will be unhappy with me for running this series. However, it must be ran, because, as I said, all Tennesseans need to see this. As I run this series, I encourage Republicans and others to put partisanship aside and ask two questions :

1. If Haslam was a Democrat with a GOP-controlled legislature, as we have now, would this be allowed to happen?
2. In light of this report, is he fit to be governor?

Without further delay, Part 1 is embedded below, or can be watched by clicking here.
NewsChannel5.com | Nashville News, Weather

Is Obama To Blame ?

Today's post is one that I've been thinking about and "Ruminating" on, as my buddy Dale likes to say, for quite some time. Since early voting has started, I decided it's time to stop rolling it around in my head and "get it on the record." It's gonna be one of those that some people like and one that really pisses some off. However, the purpose of it is not for anyone to like it or hate it. It's purpose is to get people thinking. It will also be my last one involving politics for a while.

With 2012 being a presidential election year, people are once again clamoring that "it is the most important election in the country's history." Is it ? We hear the same thing every four years, and we could argue until we are blue in the face whether or not it's true. For the last four years, we've heard Obama blame all the country's ills on former President Bush. We heard the Democrats in the Senate and in the House of Representatives blame everything on the Republicans. We've then heard the Republicans turn around and blame it all on the Democrats. It's been politics at its finest, or its worst, depending on how you want to look at it and which side of the aisle you're on. The question is, though, whose fault is it ... really ? I'm gonna give my opinion on that question below.

Official photographic portrait of US President Barack Obama (born 4 August 1961; assumed office 20 January 2009) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Folks who have been reading my blog for a while know that I have never been a fan of Mr. Obama. Many of my past posts make that perfectly clear. I didn't vote for him four years ago and won't this go around, either. Since he supports higher taxes, bigger government, socialized medicine, more gun control, and wants more control over Americans every day lives, I suspect that the only thing he and I would agree on is the fact that both of us like sports.

Furthermore, in prior posts, I've also made it clear that I'm no fan of Mitt Romney, either. In many ways he is a big government Liberal / Progressive just like Obama. Additionally, he has a habit of flip-flopping on issues. In fact, he flip-flopped on each of the following issues just before or right around the time he got presidential aspirations. They include :

• gun control - Romney went from anti-gun to pro-gun. As Massachusetts governor, he signed into law some of the most restrictive gun control laws in the country, including a permanent "assault weapons" ban.
• abortion - Romney went from pro-choice to pro-life.
• taxes - as Massachusetts governor he signed into law one tax increase after another. Now, while running for president, he wants lower taxes.

My opinion is that Romney "formally" changed his position on these issues just to get elected president but actually still holds his original position. He knew that no anti-gun, pro-abortion, tax-loving Republican would ever win the presidency.

Additionally, while Massachusetts governor, Romney initiated, supported, and signed into law the state's version of ObamaCare. In fact, ObamaCare was modeled after RomneyCare. Romney has stated, while campaigning for president, that he oppposes, and would work to repeal, ObamaCare, but yet he stands by the Massachusetts version of it. His reasoning is that socialized medicine is o.k. on the state level but not on the federal. Say what ?

Mitt Romney, former governor of Massachusetts, 2008 US presidential candidate. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I suspect that many don't know that recently, on "Meet the Press," Romney announced that he is flip-flopping on another issue, too. According to a report in NewsMax magazine titled "Romney : I'll Keep Parts of ObamaCare", he now says that after originally promising to repeal all of ObamaCare, he now only wants to repeal part of it. He wants to keep the parts protecting people with pre-existing conditions and allowing kids to stay on their parents insurance until the age of 26. Now, I support preventing insurance companies from discriminating against people with pre-existing conditions. However, I do not support letting "kids" stay on their parents insurance until they're 26. They should get off their butts, go get a job or open a business, and get their own insurance. Stop living on mom and dad's dime. You're 26 for crying out loud ! Once again, Romney has flip-flopped on an issue. With all his flip-flopping, I don't think the dude can be trusted to keep his word.

As for the blame game that's been going around - Obama at Bush, Congressional Democrats at Congressional Republicans and vice versa - it's time for it to stop. In my opinion, there is plenty of blame to go around. Yes, Bush should get some of it as his administration was the bailout "initiator." The blame for the housing meltdown and current recession can be laid on Bush, Obama, and presidents going all the way back to Jimmy Carter and their applicable Congresses **. During Carter's administration, the Community Reinvestment Act was passed into law, and signed by Carter, forcing banks to give home loans to people with poor credit. No Congress or presidential administration afterwards made an effort to stop this government overreach. Therefore, they are all responsible for millions of Americans currently being out of work and losing their homes and businesses. Yes, all of them. The Community Reinvestment Act should never have became law. Never.

** During the rest of this article, any time you see the term "Congress," I am referring to the entire U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives, all 535 members, combined.

As for Obama, let's take a quick look at some of his first term "accomplishments." They include :

• ObamaCare is now the law of the land.
• His administration has refused to allow the expansion of domestic oil drilling, contributing to higher gas prices.
• The Patriot Act has been re-authorized, and even expanded infringing on Americans privacy even more.
• He has hired 30+ czars to help implement his agenda.
• The federal debt is now over $16 Trillion.
• He has appointed two ultra-Liberal Supreme Court Justices, Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor.

Now, back to my original question and title of this blog post. Is Obama to blame for the mess the country is in ? The answer is ... no, not entirely. He is to blame for some of it but not all of it. Before you say, "Sheepdog, you're off your rocker again." Allow me to explain my reasoning below. Also, please know that I don't say this in order to support Obama in any way. I just want to make the point that the blame is not 100% his.

The country's founders set up our system of governance with a Constitutional implemented system of checks and balances. Each branch (executive, legislative, and judicial) of the federal government is set up to keep the others in check, so that none of them become too powerful and get out of control. Each branch is specifically delegated certain roles and powers that MUST be followed. The problem is that the three branches aren't following their Constitutional duties anymore, and the biggest culprit is Congress.

Yes, you heard me. Most of the blame for the country's problems can be placed on Congress. For instance, think about Obama's "accomplishments" above and consider that :

• Congress could have shot down ObamaCare. 
• Congress could have pushed domestic oil-drilling forward, whether Obama wanted it or not.
• Congress could have killed The Patriot Act and its overreach into Americans' privacy.
• Congress could have said, "No czars." 
• Congress could have cut spending, but they've even refused to pass a budget for the last several years.
• Lastly, Congress could have voted down Kagan and Sotomayor, but chose not to. In fact, Sen. Lamar Alexander, of Tennessee, defended his vote to confirm Sotomayor by saying, "Elections have consequences." In other words, Obama won, so he can do what he wants. Do what ? He needs to go if he's not gonna do his constitutional mandated job. He's a joke.

Additionally, part of the blame for ObamaCare can be placed on The Supreme Court, also. They had an opportunity to shoot down the biggest unconstitutional power grab in the country's history and chose not to.

By now, somebody's probably thinking, "Hey Sheepdog, what about all of Obama's executive orders ? Those are on him." Ummm - not completely. There is no explicit constitutional provision that grants the president the authority to issue executive orders. There is only a brief open-ended phrase about "executive power" which Congress and The Supreme Court have allowed presidents to expand and abuse for years. What many don't know is that presidential executive orders can be squashed or overridden. Congress can pass a law to override an executive order and / or the courts can strike one down if they feel it is an overreach. In fact, both President Truman and Clinton had executive orders struck down. Therefore, Congress and the courts could keep Obama's executive orders in check, but they have chosen not to. As with everything else mentioned above, at least part of the blame for Obama's abuse of executive orders is on the legislative and judicial branches for not doing their jobs. They should have smacked his hand a long time ago.

In summary, here is where I'm going with all this. I'm not trying to tell anyone who to vote for as far as the presidency goes. Each of us has to do what he or she thinks is right. As for me, I won't support Obama and will have a hard time pushing the button by Romney's name. I'm considering going the Independent route for president for the first time ever. However, I'm still undecided.

English: President Barack Obama speaks to a joint session of Congress regarding health care reform (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The point I really want to make is that Congress is not performing their constitutional mandated duties, and that's the reason Obama and others have been out of control. Congress is too busy collecting their fat salaries, enjoying their nice benefits, playing the blame game, and trying to figure out how to get re-elected instead of doing the job they were elected to do. Usually, when someone doesn't do the job they are paid to do, they get fired. It's time to fire nearly all of Congress. There are a few good members left, but they can probably be counted on your fingers.

Four years ago, the Democrats praised Obama as being "The One" to solve all of the country's problems. Now, Republicans are blindly, due to party loyalty, heaping the exact same praise on Romney. I would encourage them to be careful. I believe Romney is dangerous for the flip-flopping reasons mentioned above. He is simply another big government progressive.

I believe that if Americans choose to elect Romney as president, then they need to take things a step further when they go into the voting booth. We need to vote out all the left-leaning, Liberal, Progressive members of Congress, both Democrats and Republicans. Then, replace them with people who will actually exercise their duties and preserve, protect, and defend the constitution. It is necessary in order to keep the progressive Romney in check if he wins, or keep Obama in check if he gets re-elected. If I was a betting man, I wouldn't bet against Obama, though. The fact is that if we don't replace the members of Congress who are derelict in their duties, then mark my words, absolutely nothing will change, and things could actually get worse with Romney. No problems will be solved, and just like with Obama, within a year of Romney taking office, the ones who voted for him will have a severe case of buyers remorse.

Think I'm wrong ? Well, think back to my October 21, 2010 post where I expressed my concerns about then candidate and now current Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam. I stated that I didn't believe he was a conservative, and therefore, would not vote for him. I also said I hoped I was wrong about him. People told me I was wrong and didn't listen to me. Now, Tennesseans everywhere are having buyers remorse. Why ? Well, less than two years into Haslam's first term, he has gone after the state's teachers, screwed gun owners by opposing the Safe Commute Bill, and also appointed a Shariah finance expert to his cabinet. That's just for starters. I could go on and on.

I nailed it on Haslam, although I hoped I was wrong. I hope I'm wrong about Romney, too, but I don't think I am. So, mark it down - just like with Haslam, you heard it from The Sheepdog first.

If it walks like a duck, and talks like a duck .........

Transplants and Politics

As I mentioned on Monday, today's post will be the last one here on The Sheepdog for a while. I'm gonna take a break, a "Sheepdog Sabbatical," to begin working on a new project in order to get up and running with it as soon as possible. However, before I sign-off for a while, I want to follow up on some posts I did several months ago. This is a post I've been meaning to do for a while, but I wanted to follow the story a little longer to see how it played out. Plus, it just didn't seem the time was quite right for running it. However, with the sabbatical beginning a new chapter for me, I feel like today's the day.

Folks who have been following my blog for a while remember me "raising cain" over a decision made by Arizona Governor Jan Brewer (pictured upper right) and the state's legislature last year (click here to read earlier posts about Jan Brewer). Those jokers cut funding for organ transplants covered by the state's Medicaid program, officially named the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS), from the state's budget effective October 1, 2010. Specifically, the decision ended AHCCCS coverage of transplants for anyone 21 and older. It left 100 of the state's sickest residents unable to pay for their life-saving transplants if a match was found for them. In fact, two of those 100 died without getting the transplants needed after the atrocious decision was made.

Gov. Brewer and the Arizona legislature decided to cut the transplant funding due to the state's budget crisis. Brewer even went further by saying the funding was cut because, in her opinion, transplants don't work. Do what ? Other state and local governments currently find themselves in similar situations. However, the transplant funding cut only amounted to a little over $1 million. The state's projected budget deficit at that time was a little over a $1 Billion. Therefore, the cut to transplant funding amounted to only ... are ya ready for this ... approximately 1/1000th of 1% or .001% of the projected budget deficit. In other words, if I had a $1000 per month budget for household expenses but decided to cut that budget to only $999 per month, that would be the equivalent of how much Arizona was "saving" by cutting the transplant funding from AHCCCS. Another way of looking at it is that two Arizonians died in order to save $1 out of every $1000 spent by the Arizona government. Apparently, that's what a human life is worth in Arizona. The really troubling thing, though, is that the state left funding for a new coliseum roof, the study of algae, and other pork projects amounting to millions of taxpayer dollars in the budget. I guess "pork" is more important than people. I'd hate to think that this "budget cut" wasn't about saving money but rather due to a lack of concern for the poor and sick in Arizona. However, that appears to be the case.

Back in the spring, due to public outcry by the people of Arizona and elsewhere across the country, reports began to surface that Gov. Brewer and members of the Arizona legislature were looking for a way to restore the transplant funding. The truth is, though, that the members of the legislature who were trying to find a solution were the Democrats. Gov. Brewer and the Republicans killed those proposals on multiple occasions. Finally, around the first of April, it was announced that Gov. Brewer and the legislature had restored the AHCCCS transplant funding. However, a closer look showed that wasn't necessarily true, either, and even if it was, Gov. Brewer's three-pronged solution was gonna leave other Arizonians enrolled in AHCCCS as the ones paying the price.

First, Gov. Brewer asked The U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services for permission to eliminate $500 Million of Federal funds from AHCCCS. Then, she would restore the transplant funding and not allow new enrollments of childless adults and others into AHCCCS. Doing this would prevent 160,000 Arizonians from being eligible to enroll. In addition, some 200,000 others would be forced to pay higher co-pays and other fees if they wanted to keep their coverage. Brewer's proposal would make transplant patients look like the bad guy - they would get coverage while nearly 400,000 others wouldn't. I guess this is her way of  "CYA'ing." It's stupid logic if you ask me. You screw 400,000 to save 100. Aren't 400,000 votes more than 100 ? She ain't the sharpest tack in the box. Oh, and did I mention that the legislature passed, and she signed a huge corporate tax cut ? Sorry. I forgot to mention that. Wanna guess the total amount of the cut ? It was $538 Million. Hey, didn't she ask HHS to cut $500 Million from AHCCCS ? Wow. That tax cut would've covered that $500 Million Medicaid cut. Imagine that. Must be election time.

Secondly, the actual language in the new budget was so vague that it does not automatically restore transplant funding to AHCCCS. It only says that the legislature "intends" to restore it "within available appropriations." In politician speak, it basically means that the money will be available to AHCCCS if the governor and the legislature don't have something else they would rather spend it on. Furthermore, if the funds are available, the transplant program is still only going to be funded through June 30, 2013. I guess they think that starting in July 2013 no one else in Arizona will ever need a transplant. Dang, if Arizona politicians are that good at prognosticating, I sure wish they'd help me out by telling me the next set of winning Powerball numbers.

Thirdly, Arizona's politicians have proposed a so-called "Fat Tax" to help curb the state's budget problems. It would mean charging a $50 tax on childless adults who are obese that do not abide by "a doctor-ordered weight-loss plan," are smokers, or not following a proper treatment regimen for a chronic illness, such as diabetes. The first problem I have with this "Fat Tax" is that it's discriminatory. It specifically targets "childless adults." What's the deal ? Does the state think adults who do not have children for one reason or another are bad or worthless people ? The other problem I have with it that it applies to people considered "obese." If the goal is to "encourage" or "nudge" people into healthier lifestyles (Cass Sunstein would be so proud), why are they only targeting folks considered "obese " ? Some people who are overweight have other underlying health problems that contribute to their obesity. The problem could be genetic and not a component of their lifestyle. Besides, who's gonna determine what "obese" is ? Is it gonna be some government bureaucrat or a doctor ? Furthermore, if the state is actually wanting to punish or discourage unhealthy lifestyles, they should have treated everyone fairly by placing the same "tax" on others, too, such as people who drink alcohol. But of course, they're are not gonna do that because it would hack off some of their largest campaign contributors, and they're more important than the "little people."

I first posted about Arizona's transplant funding cuts back on December 16, 2010. That day, I was pretty hot about the whole deal, and it still disturbs me. In that original post, I predicted that if these type of cuts were allowed to be made in Arizona, it was only a matter of time until similar cuts would happen in other states. Unfortunately, my prediction is coming true. The state of North Carolina is currently considering similar cuts. Last year, the state cut over $350 Billion from The Division of Medical Assistance, and they are needing to cut more. It may led to transplants being limited and the elimination of dental care, hearing aid coverage, mental health treatment, and home health care for thousands of North Carolinians. In addition, last night on the local news, it was reported that huge cuts may be forthcoming for the state of Tennessee if Congress makes significant cuts in the amount of Federal funds sent to the states. It includes a possible $2 Trillion cut from TennCare, the state's Medicaid program. A $2 Trillion cut to TennCare would have devastating effects on Tennessee's poor and residents considered "un-insurable." I suggest Governor Bill Haslam and the legislature put a reasonable plan together to make sure these folks are provided for. Otherwise, they'll be hearing a lot from The Sheepdog and others in The Volunteer State in the months to come.

As I wrap this post up and begin my break, I want to give notice to the wolves out there, such as Jan Brewer. Even though The Sheepdog is on sabbatical, his eyes and ears are always open and his mind is analyzing what's going on. I can always take a quick break from my break and hop back on the blog to report what I see. I guess it would be my version of, "I'll make ya famous," as Billy the Kid's character in the movie Young Guns would often say. I encourage you jokers to be on your best behavior.

I know today's post has been rather long. However, I felt like this issue was worth following up on and visiting again. I, for one, am sick and tired of uncaring, selfish politicians who only worry about getting re-elected. They were hired, by us, to serve us - not themselves. It's high time that they got their priorities straight, stopped wasting our tax dollars on pet pork projects, and starting having some respect for human life. Personally, I'm beginning to think that maybe it's time for some transplant recipients, cancer survivors, heart attack survivors, and others with what could be considered chronic health conditions, who are now able to live fairly normal lives, to run for and get elected to political office. Then, we'd have some public servants representing us that understand how precious life and health really are. It's something we as a group need to give a lot of thought, prayer, and consideration to. Then, one of us who is courageous, bold, well-spoken, and not afraid of anything needs to go for it. That person must be one who will not compromise their values and one that people will get behind and work hard for in order to put them in office. That person or persons are out there, it's time for them to step up.

Well, all that being said, it's time for The Sheepdog to cut out of here and hit the trail to work on his new "project." I'll see y'all and update later in the fall.

Source articles include -

• from stateline.org - Brewer Reconsiders Organ Transplants 
• from TucsonSentinel.com - Brewer Needs Scolding for Cynicism on Transplant Funding
• from BlogforArizona.com - Arizona Media Misleads on Restoration of Organ Transplant Funds
• from AZfamily.com - Brewer Says Transplant Funding is Back; Dems Not Convinced
• from reuters.com - Arizona Restores Transplant Funding
• from YumaSun.com - Restoration of Funds Welcome for Transplants
• from AZcentral.com - Some Transplant Patients Can't Breathe a Sigh of Relief
• from bloomberg.com - Arizona's Brewer Prays Before Taking on Her Own Party Over Taxes
• from MyFoxPhoenix.com - Man Has Liver, Kidney Transplant, Hopes for AHCCCS' Help
• from takingnote.tcf.org - Arizona's Fat Tax Punishes the Poor
• from therepublic.com -NC Committee Hears Options for Extra Medicaid Cuts as Approval Delays Raise Impact of $1B Loss-Forum

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