A Great Tennessee Night

Tennessee's GOP Wiseguys (and Gals)

Smart Raccoon

United HealthCare, God, and a Life-Saving Liver Transplant

In The Sheepdog's opinion, it appears United HealthCare (UHC) thinks it's no longer in the health insurance business. Instead, it's received a promotion into the business of being God. However, don't take my word for it, just ask 38-year-old mother of one, Erika Zak. UHC has put her through as much hell as cancer did.

Location of human liver - credit Wikipedia

Diagnosed with colorectal cancer, Erika endured more than 70 rounds of chemo and various other treatments which resulted in serious side effects, including damage to her liver and subsequent liver failure.

Over 100 doctors from the country's top medical centers concur that Erika's only hope for survival at this point is a life-saving liver transplant. Yet, UHC denied coverage saying, "unproven health services is not a covered benefit". Really? Despite the fact that transplants have saved thousands of lives in the U.S. for decades, UHC refers to transplant as "unproven". Science, medical technology, and thousands of transplant recipients across the country, including The Sheepdog, prove otherwise.

The Sheepdog has seen a lot in his time, but the way UHC treated this woman and played GOD with her life, stringing her along for months, may be the most cold hearted thing I've heard of an insurance company doing. I suspect others have experienced similar agony, though.

The Last Growl

I started this blog over 8 years ago. Frequent readers may have noticed the number of posts has decreased during the last few years. I’ve been pondering the blog’s future for awhile, and after 719 posts, including this one, and over 240,000 page views, I’ve decided it’s time to close up shop, sign off one last time, and retire from the blogosphere.

It’s not because this heart transplant recipient’s health is failing. On the contrary - I’m approaching the 11^th anniversary of my transplant and am still doing great. God continues to bless me tremendously.

The decision boils down to one thing – The Sheepdog is weary, and he’s weary for a number of reasons.

First, Google’s Blogger platform has become unreliable. More and more frequently, something doesn’t work correctly, some font has changed, a sidebar tool has been discontinued, a plug-in has failed, or some other aggravating issue has arisen whenever I log in to write. For example. when I wrote this post, the Zemanta plug-in I've used for years had stopped working .... again. I guess I really shouldn’t be surprised, because Blogger is free. Therefore, Google has no incentive to keep it functioning at a high level. It’s the ol’ “you get what you pay for”.

Second, I’m not feeling the motivation to write the blog anymore, which is fueled somewhat by the Blogger issues mentioned above. I could switch to another platform, such as Wordpress, but I’m just not willing to build the site again, nor pay for the service. Sometimes over the last few years, I actually had to force myself to write just to keep the blog active. I’ve had enough of that, too. I’ve read a few articles and studies which have shown that blog readership is declining. Some of that is due to the popularity of Facebook, Twitter, and other social media platforms. People just aren’t as interested in reading blogs anymore. Based upon my pageviews declining and no comments on posts, it appears these studies are correct.

A Double Dose of Rebellion on Music Monday

English: Flag of the Assembly of Tennessee (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Sheepdog is rather perturbed. In fact, I've had it with the Republican-controlled Tennessee Legislature and Governor "Slick Billy" Haslam. Since they've taken power, they've insisted on telling Tennesseans how much allergy medication we can buy, where we can and can't carry our guns, where we can take a selfie, and more. I could go on and on. That's not freedom, and it needs to stop.

So, today, I'm musically expressing my continued displeasure with these bums, and I'll start with a music video from Monster Truck. Their song "Don't Tell Me How To Live" is a good way to start this double shot of music on the 2nd Monday in May. The video is embedded below or can be watched by clicking here.

Hang on, though, this video is like the "warm-up band" at a rock concert. The Sheepdog's just getting started. The best, "the headliner", is below.



The previous grievances I've had with the Tennessee Legislature and the governor are not my biggest problem with them, though. Recently, these so-called "conservatives" rammed through what will turn out to be the biggest tax increase on Tennesseans in my lifetime. These liars, with the help of the media and fuzzy math, conned many Tennesseans into believing it is "The Largest Tax Cut in Tennessee History".

Nothing could be further from the truth, because the few taxes that are cut in the legislation will only benefit a few, mainly the wealthy, and the cut in the sales tax on food will be far outweighed by the increase in the gas tax and the diesel fuel tax. In fact, the increase in the diesel fuel tax will force up prices on ALL products sold in Tennessee as transportation and shipping costs will go up across the board and be passed on to consumers. It's basic Economics 101 no matter what the politicians tell you.

So, to thoroughly express my outrage with the Tennessee liars' con-job, "the headliner" on this edition of double-shot music Monday is Nickelback with their #1 hit "Edge Of A Revolution". It's perfect here with images of school kids turning from conformists going along with the status quo into nonconformists refusing to take it anymore.

Until Tennesseans do the same thing and stop voting the same Tennessee politicians back into office every single election, nothing will change. They will continue to do whatever they want to us. Video is embedded below or can be watched by clicking here.



Due to some of the images in the video, I know someone's thinking,"Wow. The Sheepdog's gone full-Commie on us." Absolutely not. Neither am I encouraging rioting in Tennessee. All I'm saying by sharing this video is don't buy into the Tennessee GOP's "mass delusion" that the fuel tax increase will actually be a tax cut, because "they're depending on mass confusion". "Don't lay down and accept this fate." Instead, be revolutionaries with your vote on Election Day 2018 by voting every single, sorry Tennessee incumbent out of office regardless of party.

Don't be a sheep. Be a sheepdog. Let your vote be your teeth. I promise you I will.

Proceed With Caution

Today, the ones of us who voted for Trump are at a minimum relieved while some are thrilled and celebrating. If you supported Clinton, then you're probably a little down, maybe even pissed, but the one thing all of us can agree on is that we're glad it's over. For the first time in a long time, I won't have to empty my "BS" filter before going to bed tonight.

English: Seal of the President of the United States (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

If you supported Trump, I want to encourage you to not get too excited just yet. He is just one man and try as he might, he cannot fix all that ails the country overnight. It will take time, and he will have to have help. Plus, there are other things to consider, too. For instance:

1. Exactly what are we getting with Trump? Are we getting the Trump who years ago was a liberal? You know, the one who was "pro-choice", supported some gun control, and contributed money to liberal politicians. Or, are we getting the Trump who campaigned for the presidency on much more conservative values? The answer is - we don't know. Only time will tell.
2. Trump smacked the establishment around unmercifully, both Republicans and Democrats. Heck, some of the upper echelon Republicans didn't even support him as the party's presidential nominee. I even heard today where former President George W. Bush didn't even bother to vote for president. So, I'm wondering if the establishment in Congress will even work with Trump in fixing what ails us, which they caused, or if they will just make his life difficult.
3. The Republicans now control the House, the Senate, and the White House. They have absolute power over us, which we have given them, and "Absolute power corrupts absolutely." Will they limit themselves to the powers granted them by The Constitution, or will it be "anything goes"? Will they keep Trump in check, or will they set on their asses like they did with Obama and let him do whatever he wants? House Speaker Paul Ryan said today that Trump had been given a "mandate". When I heard that, shivers went up my spine. It's eerily similar to Lamar Alexander, the U.S. Senator from Tennessee, saying, "Elections have consequences" after Obama won the presidency in 2008. One party with this much power could prove to be very dangerous, folks. Contrary to what some may think, just because it's the Republicans, it doesn't mean they're saints. Some Republicans are just as low-down evil as some Democrats. I know from first-hand experience.

So, I want to encourage all of my fellow Americans, and especially the Trump supporters, to proceed with caution in regards to their post-election celebrations. Don't get me wrong, I am thrilled that Hillary Clinton was defeated, but the fact is we don't know where a Trump presidency will actually take us as a country. We are in uncharted waters. However, I know one place it better take us to, or we're doomed to failure, and that's the instruction of 2 Chronicles 7:14, which says:

If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; THEN (emphasis added) will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. (KJV).

Pure Evil

Up until now, The Sheepdog's been pretty silent regarding the 2016 presidential race, and there's two reasons for that:

1. I'm sick of politics. It just keeps getting uglier and uglier. The Republicans and the Democrats are basically the same - they're in it for themselves, not to serve, and are more interested in what's good for their party instead of what's good for the country. It's why I left the GOP back in 2010. The current GOP disgusts me as much as the Democrats.
2. Plus, all the candidates, from the more than a dozen so-called Republicans that started the race, to the few Democrats, to the current third party candidates, totally suck. As my friend, The Colonel used to say, "There ain't a statesman in the bunch". Not one. You disagree? Then, let's review some of them.

The so-called "Republicans":

• Bush III - really? Another one? I can already hear the Democrats if he had won the GOP nomination, "It'll be 4 more years of the same failed policies of the past."
• The anchor baby (Rubio).
• The birther (Cruz) - I still don't understand how the GOP supported this guy after raising so much cain about Obama's birth certificate. Cruz was born in Canada. Total hypocrites.
• The Billionaire, Brattish Bully (Trump)
• George Soro's boy (Kasich).
• Chris Christie - pro-homosexual marriage and governor of one of the most anti-gun states in the country.
• Lindsey Graham - not the sharpest tack in the box and the 2016 version of John McCain.

The Democrats:

• The Progressive Extremist, and
• the Socialist.

Really? Is this the best we can do as a country?

English: Khusruwiyah Mosque in Aleppo, Syria Français : Mosquée Khosrowiyé à Alep en Syrie (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

And then, of course, there's the third party candidates led by Gary Johnson. You remember him, right? He wants to be Commander in Chief and institute his foreign policies, but he doesn't know where Aleppo, Syria is, the center of the Syrian refugee crisis caused by that country's civil war. Additionally, Johnson is supposedly conservative, but yet he is "pro-choice" for abortion and wants to legalize marijuana. Neither of those stances equate to conservative principles and values. He should actually be a Democrat.

Since all the candidates suck like a Hoover vacuum, who should Americans vote for? Since a third party candidate has as much chance at winning the election as a Volkswagen Beetle does at winning the Daytona 500, and both major party nominees have more baggage than a Boeing 747 headed for Europe, it's a tough choice. That is until you are aware of the information I am sharing below. It's shocking and no one is talking about it.

In fact, what I will share the remainder of this post, regarding this presidential election, is far more important than the economy, foreign policy, gun control, jobs, and even abortion. I doubt you will see this information anywhere else, but in my opinion, it's the #1 issue to consider before casting your vote for the presidency.

Back in 2009, Hillary Clinton proudly went on record as someone who "enormously" admires Margaret Sanger (click here for video). Now, who the heck is Margaret Sanger? She was a well-known proponent of eugenics after World War I. In simple terms, eugenics is the idea that some people's lives are more valuable than others. It teaches that people with "undesirable" traits should not be allowed to reproduce and pass their "undesirable" traits to their offspring. Eugenicists desire to reduce or totally eliminate such traits from the human gene pool and are not opposed to eliminating living humans possessing these "undesirable" traits. These traits include:

1. physical disabilities,
2. mental disabilities, 
3. chronic health issues a.k.a. pre-existing conditions,
4. being poor, 
5. being an immigrant, and
6. being a members of a racial or ethnic minority.

Eugenicists consider "undesirables" as "unfit", as in unfit to live, and a waste of oxygen and / or other resources. On the other hand, eugenicists believe people with "good stock", not having one or more of the traits listed above, should be encouraged to have many children. In other words they want to build "a master race." Anyone see a problem here besides me? Eugenics is a dangerous philosophy and has it's pitfalls, such as:

A major criticism of eugenics policies is that, regardless of whether "negative" or "positive" policies are used, they are vulnerable to abuse because the criteria of selection are determined by whichever group is in political power. Furthermore, negative eugenics in particular is considered by many to be a violation of basic human rights, which include the right to reproduction. Another criticism is that eugenic policies eventually lead to a loss of genetic diversity, resulting in inbreeding depression instead due to a low genetic variation. - Wikipedia

Does any of this sound familiar? Think back to the 1930s and '40s and Adolf Hitler, the Nazis, and the Jews. The Nazis were huge proponents of eugenics which led to millions of Jews being slaughtered during World War II. The Jews were considered "undesirable", so Hitler wanted them annihilated in order to establish a master race. He might have accomplished his goal, too, if he had not been greedy, arrogant, and power hungry in deciding to go to war with the Russians, while at the same time fighting The Allies. Heck, I even read somewhere that Hitler himself admired Margaret Sanger.

English: Margaret Sanger Square is the leafy intersection of Mott St. and Bleecker St. in New York City's Greenwich Village. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Take a few minutes and Google Sanger's name. You will find that she is also the founder of Planned Parenthood. You will also find some of the things she said and  / or wrote revealing her racist ideologies and attitudes regarding African-Americans and others. She even conspired with pastors in black communities in order to get them to encourage their members to use more birth control. Her motivation was to reduce the numbers of African-Americans. She was also one of the early promoters of abortion and even spoke at women's chapters of the Ku Klux Klan (read here). So, considering all this, could it be that the original intention of abortion was not about women's freedom to choose to end unwanted pregnancies, nor the freedom to do what they want with their bodies, but it was instead rooted in bigotry and racism as a means of reducing the African-American population and others considered to be "undesirable"?

Eugenics is PURE EVIL. The Nazis proved that. It amounts to humans, sinful, fallen humans, playing God. I could provide link after link in this post showing the connection between eugenics, Margaret Sanger, racism, and other evil, but the post would run on forever. So, I encourage you to take the time and educate yourself. Get on the web, Google Sanger, eugenics, eugenicists, and do your own research. You will be shocked. You probably never knew that such evil thought processes existed in this world except in movies and TV dramas.

Typically, when someone admires another person, it is because they have something in common with them. Many times it's a shared value, principle, ideology, or goal. Since Hillary Clinton is on record as saying she admires a racist woman whose life work was in eugenics, doesn't it also stand to reason that Hillary Clinton very well may hold the same, evil views as Sanger? To me, that's the scary part of thinking about her being president.

So, what might things be like in the U.S. if a Hillary Clinton presidency were to be influenced by the values of her "hero", Sanger? In addition to the traits previously listed as "undesirable", and thinking about the above quote containing the potential problems with eugenics, consider the following:

• We already know she hates guns. In fact, some Democrats have wanted them all banned for a long time. The so-called "Assault Weapons Ban" and the Brady Bill, which became law during Bill's presidency, are direct evidence of that. Would gun owners become "undesirables"?
• She's previously expressed her contempt for Christians and their beliefs. Would Christians, and perhaps Jews, and other people of faith, also become "undesirables"?
• She's has contempt for the so-called "vast right wing conspiracy" and conservatives, because she thinks they're out to get her and Bill. Would they, or the Clintons' other political enemies, or people who disagree, with them become "undesirables"?
• Remember the section in The Affordable Care Act, a.k.a. ObamaCare, regarding "end of life care"? Remember how Sarah Palin and others raised concerns about that? That section of the law is so broad that it could be interpreted to mean many things. What if that section was determined to mean that people who are elderly, have chronic health conditions, or some type of disability, whose care is too expensive, should not be given medical treatment but instead just be left alone to die because they're "undesirables"? That would be a eugenicist's utopia, and ObamaCare was basically HillaryCare once upon a time. Could it get any more barbaric than that? God help us.

Now, I'm sure someone reading this post is gonna object to this line of reasoning. They'll say something like just because Hillary admires a woman who was big into eugenics doesn't mean she shares those same ideas, or, that The Sheepdog's nuts and none of this will ever happen. Well, then consider this - do you remember the adjective Hillary used to describe Donald Trump's supporters? She referred to them as "deplorable". Sounds pretty similar to "undesirables" to me, but there's more to consider in making my point than that. Please, read on.

Hillary Clinton in Hampton, NH (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I've read reports telling of an incident, involving Hillary, which took place at the Arkansas governor's mansion during Bill's gubernatorialship. An Easter egg hunt for special needs children was held. She became frustrated and upset with the youngsters, because they were finding the eggs at a much slower pace than she would have liked. So, she popped off saying, "When are they going to get these f---ing ree-tards out of here?!? You can read more about the incident here. Additionally, within the same article, she is quoted as referring to Jews as "kikes" and one Jewish man in particular as a "f***ing Jew bastard". Plus, her temper and fits of rage over the years, culminating in furniture and other items being broken in the Arkansas governor's mansion, and the White House, have been reported in various media. So, in my opinion, if you mix her temper tantrums, with her racist remarks, and her love for a eugenicist, we have a major problem. These are not the qualities we need in the White House. It's a recipe for a disaster.

Hillary made her admiration for Margaret Sanger known about 7 years ago at a Planned Parenthood awards ceremony. Others have been influenced by evil people before and later recanted their admiration for their mentor as a mistake. Hillary has had plenty of time to do the same, but yet she never has. Therefore, it only stands to reason that she still admires Sanger and her ideals. At a time when race relations are tense in this country and people are held accountable and even ostracized for bigoted behavior and words, why has Hillary Clinton not been held accountable for her allegiance to Sanger?

Another thing to consider before voting is that if Hillary Clinton is elected president, she will likely have the opportunity to nominate more than one justice to the U.S. Supreme Court. Does it not stand to reason that anyone she nominates for the highest court in the land will likely hold the same influences, values, principles, or lack thereof (depending on how you look at it), that she does? Do you remember what United States Senator Lamar Alexander from Tennessee said when he was criticized for his vote confirming Sonia Sotomayor as one of Obama's Supreme Court nominees? He said, "Elections have consequences" (read here). In other words, he took the viewpoint that since Obama won the presidency, he could appoint whomever he wanted and get a free pass in doing so. What if a majority of Congress takes that same attitude during a Hillary Clinton presidency? Consider for a moment the ramifications? We cannot as freedom-loving, decent people allow her that opportunity and give her the power that comes with the presidency. We CANNOT do it.

The answer to the question of which presidential candidate to vote for is a hard one to swallow, especially for a conservative like me. Even with all his baggage, such as insulting people, being rude and crude, arrogant, and a bully, we must elect Donald Trump as president. There is no other way to stop Hillary Clinton from having absolute power and potentially setting up her own "Evil Empire". "But Sheepdog, Congress and the Supreme Court will limit her power through our system of constitutional checks and balances?" Really? Where have you been the last 8 years and the last few years of W's administration? Congress and the Supreme Court have set on their "assets" and allowed Obama to run wild. Heck, the Supreme Court even ruled that ObamaCare is constitutional!! Yet the power to regulate healthcare is mentioned NOWHERE in the constitution. NOWHERE. So, what makes you think those lazy bums will do anything to limit a President Hillary's power?

Now, look back over this post and review who a eugenicist, like "Hillary's Hero", would consider "unfit" or "undesirable" or a "weed". Now, is that you, or one of your loved ones? Is that your spouse, your child, your boyfriend / girlfriend, your parent, your best friend, or someone you care about? If it is, then you have ONLY one choice in this election - Donald Trump. If you stay home and don't vote, or vote for a third party candidate instead of Donald Trump, then you will be helping Hillary Clinton, an evil woman, gain absolute authority over you and the country. It's the equivalent of a chicken voting for a fox AND leaving the door to the chicken coop unlocked and standing open.

If Trump were running against anyone else, it's likely that myself and many others would not vote for him. So, here's what it boils down to for me. Donald Trump has said and done a lot of unacceptable stuff. However, I'm not aware of him even once expressing his admiration for someone like the evil, racist, eugenicist Margaret Sanger who was also admired by Adolf Hitler. Hillary has, and she's proud of it.

Now, this article should not be interpreted as my prediction that the potential scenario I've painted will definitely happen with Hillary as president. If I could predict the future that accurately, I would have already won the PowerBall multiple times. All I'm saying is that when you put all this information together, including Hillary's fits of anger, her bigoted comments, and her admiration for a racist eugenicist, it adds up to it being too risky to give her the power of the presidency.  I'm not willing to take that risk. Are you?

So, with early voting already starting around the country, The Sheepdog is endorsing, and will be voting for, Donald Trump. I do it for one reason and one reason only - to defeat Hillary Clinton and prevent her rise to power. I want to encourage everyone to do the same. Please do not stay home and not vote. Please do not vote for a third party candidate. If you do either of these things, you will be helping The Mother of All Wolves rise to power and risking her finishing Obama's "fundamental transformation" of this country.

The Sheepdog don't like wolves, and Hillary Clinton is the epitome of a wolf. Grrrrr.....

P.S. I'm sure this post has pissed off many people. However, that was not my intention. In fact, I hope in goes viral, so please share it. I am simply a patriot and am concerned that a Hillary Clinton presidency will be a disaster. America will NOT survive it. Therefore, she must be defeated at the ballot box. Therefore, I wrote this out of love for my country and am not concerned with losing, keeping, or making friends as a result of it. It had to be said, and no one else is saying it. Too much is at stake. I'm sure some will want to leave comments, which I welcome. If you do, you MUST follow my blog policy for comments (click here to read). I had the balls to put my name on what will be considered a controversial post. So, if you don't have the "cojones" to put your name on a comment, or you fill it with profanity, it will NOT be posted.

P.P.S. If I disappear from the blogosphere after this post, it's safe to assume that either "they" got me or Google and Blogger shut the blog down. Just know I fought the good fight and did what I could to save my country from a potentially Evil Empire. 

The Rocky Top Scam Artists

Thank goodness, it's almost football season. Unfortunately, for many of us football fans in Tennessee who are also fantasy football players, football season won't be the same this year, and you know what .... The Sheepdog called it.

Flag-map of Tennessee (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Back in the spring, I was all over the Tennessee Legislature for their consideration of and passage of the Tennessee Fantasy Sports Act. If you missed those articles, you can read them here, here, and here in chronological order so that you will be up-to-date before reading the rest of this article.

Despite objections by myself and other fantasy sports players, the legislature ramrodded the legislation through due in part by this seemingly harmless claim hidden in one of the bill's fiscal memorandum's:

Due to a number of unknown factors, the impact to participation cannot be quantified but it is reasonably assumed the net impact will not be significant.

You may also remember that I disputed the above claim in my March 28, 2016 post by predicting:

Because of this and other restrictions, I could see fantasy sports companies saying, "The heck with it", and not offering their products, whether free or fee-based, to Tennesseans anymore. They may not want to fool with the new, asinine, nanny-state guidelines that this bill will put in place. This bill could in essence turn into a fantasy sports ban in Tennessee.

Well, wanna guess who told you the truth? Yes, it was The Sheepdog and not the scam artists in the Tennessee legislature. Just like with the decongestant regulatory bill, which we were told would not cause any undue hardship on Tennessee's allergy sufferers, the GOP-led legislature lied to us ... again and my prediction was right on. I nailed it. Allow me to explain.

In 2014, I played a free fantasy football league on NFL.com. I had a great year going 10-4 in the regular season, earning the #1 overall seed for the playoffs, and winning the championship to finish 12-4. It was my 1st title on that site, but my 3rd overall as I previously won 2 on Yahoo.com. So, in 2015, I decided to play there again, but instead I would compete in one of NFL.com's "Ultimate Experience Leagues" where you can win a prize if you win your league's championship.

The new NFL logo went into use at the 2008 draft. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

So, I joined one of the championship ring leagues. The fee was $10.99 and the prize was, of course, an actual championship ring. I had a good year and once again went 10-4 in the regular season earning the #2 overall seed for the playoffs. Unfortunately, I lost in the championship game due to bad luck. I had ridden Cam Newton's MVP numbers to win after win for 10 weeks, but it just so happened that the league championship was the week his Panthers lost their first game of the year to the Falcons. Cam only scored about half the number of fantasy points he had been getting for me in the previous 10 weeks, and it cost me a win and the championship and ring that went with it. An 11-5 season and a runner-up spot was nice, but it wasn't what I had wanted. It left me hungry - hungry for a championship ring.

In two years on NFL.com, my overall record is 23-9, with 2 championship game visits. I had been pretty successful. So, my plan for 2016 was to give one of the championship ring leagues another try. After waiting all summer for the leagues to become available for entry, in late July, they finally opened. The entry fee had gone up to $19.99, but I didn't care - I wanted a ring. When I dug into the legal restrictions (here), though, I found this:

VOID IN ARIZONA, COLORADO, ILLINOIS, INDIANA, IOWA, LOUSIANA, MASSACHUSETTS, MISSISSIPPI, MISSOURI, MONTANA, NEW YORK, NORTH DAKOTA, TENNESSEE, VIRGINIA, WASHINGTON, PUERTO RICO, AND ALL TERRITORIES AND POSSESSIONS OF THE UNITED STATES AND WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

I was pissed, but not surprised. After all, I had predicted this would happen. The legislature had once again stuck their nose into something they knew nothing about, instead of dealing with issues more important to Tennesseans, and it had led to unintended consequences. It's what ALWAYS happens with government overreach. So, no championship ring for me in 2016 or ever.

You see this bill was never about "protecting consumers". It was all about control and more tax revenue, and, as I predicted, the NFL apparently decided not to fool with the additional paperwork, taxes, and fees that accompanied Tennessee's newest regulatory headache. As always, the consumers pay the price, not the ones being "regulated", particularly in Tennessee.

The legislature has screwed us again with unneeded, overreaching, nanny state regulation which has carried collateral damage with it. They've become nothing but scam artists with the Republican supermajority acting like and deceiving us as if they were Democrats. I'll bet Hillary Clinton would be proud of them ..... cough, cough, puke.

Since this is an election year, let me remind my fellow Tennesseans that 88% of the legislature NEVER voiced any opposition to this bill. You can see the list of who makes up that 88% and felt that wasting their time regulating fantasy football was more important than taking care of other, more important state business by clicking here.

If the Tennessee legislature had a fantasy football team, it's name would be The Rocky Top Scam Artists. They're great at running scams on us, regulating us, and generally screwing stuff up in the process.

Related articles

• New York governor legalizes daily fantasy sports (pcproactive.wordpress.com)
• Gov. Cuomo Signs Law Legalizing Fantasy Sports In New York (newyork.cbslocal.com)
• FanDuel, DraftKings Return to NY as Fantasy Sports Laws Proliferate (xconomy.com)

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.  

Tenessee Legislature Living in "Fantasyland" and Out of Touch with Reality

I'm baaaack!!

The Sheepdog has been off his post since September. There has been a lot, and I mean a lot, going on. I've been busy with family, a little deer hunting, and trying to win fantasy football championships. Plus, I'd gotten so burned out with all the political crap on TV and the net, I just wasn't motivated to do any blogging. I was even contemplating "blogging retirement", but the Tennessee Legislature has gone nutso again, so I'm back.

Photograph of the Tennessee State Capitol on a sunny day, the central cupola soaring against a clear sky. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Speaking of fantasy football, if you're a player in the state of Tennessee, guess what? The legislature is wanting to start regulating fantasy football and all other fantasy sports. I had not heard about it until I received an e-mail from DraftKings two days ago which said:

We need your help!

We've been working hard to protect your right to play fantasy sports in Tennessee. Now we are asking that you pitch in to ensure you can continue to play the games you love!

Please click here to email your elected officials using our simple tool, and ask them to support SB 2109 and HB 2105, so that together we can keep fantasy sports legal and accessible throughout Tennessee. These bills ensure common sense consumer protections so fans like you are protected.

Thanks, as always, for continuing to support us while we work to protect your rights. With your help, we know we can make #fantasyforall a reality.

DraftKings

DraftKings supports a bill which will allow the state to begin regulating their industry? Does that make any sense to you? It doesn't to me, because regulation ALWAYS brings with it government intrusion and drives up cost of operations.

What will HB 2105 / SB 2109 actually do? If passed into law the legislation will be known as the Fantasy Sports Act of 2016, establish the Tennessee Fantasy Sports Commission, and require fantasy sports companies to register with the state and pay an application fee, licensure fee, and renewal fee, a.k.a. taxes. It would also "require fantasy sports contest operators to report annually all winnings earned by fantasy sports players on online platforms supported by the fantasy sports contest operator to the Commission."

WTH? Why does the state of Tennessee need to know which Tennesseans have won fantasy sports contests and how much they've won? Since Tennessee does not have a state income tax, because one is prohibited by the state constitution, why does the state need to know that? Could it be that it hopes to one day find a loophole so that the winnings can be taxed? Maybe "Big Brother" just wants to watch something else.

I find DraftKings support of the bill rather curious. Go read their e-mail above again. Pay careful attention to how it's worded. Do you see what I see? I don't think DraftKings actually supports the bill. I think the state has strong armed them into "supporting" it by making it known to them that if they don't agree to being regulated, then they will be banned from doing business in Tennessee. Remember when the news reports came out that the state of New York wanted an injunction prohibiting FanDuel and DraftKings from operating there? Same kinda thing.

The bill's sponsors are Rep. Pat Marsh (R), Rep. Darren Jernigan (D), and Sen. Jack Johnson (R). If you're a Tennessean who plays and enjoys fantasy football and other fantasy sports, I encourage you to call or e-mail the three sponsors above and voice your displeasure with the bill. You can find their contact info by clicking on their names above. Yesterday, I sent the three of them the e-mail below. Please note my reasons within it for my opposition to this bill.

Rep. Marsh, Rep. Jernigan, and Sen. Johnson :

Yesterday, in an e-mail from DraftKings, I learned of the Fantasy Sports Act of 2016 for the first time. I suspect that scores of other Tennesseans had the same experience, and had the same reaction that I did, which was something along the lines of “What the …?”

Many of us enjoy fantasy sports. It adds to the experience of being a sports fan. I have only played fantasy football. Mainly because football is the only sport I follow closely. I’ve played free fantasy football leagues and ones with a fee. I plan on playing fantasy football again this coming year. However, the new, proposed legislation has me wondering what affects it will have on the “game”.

In the e-mail I received, DraftKings says it supports the legislation, but the question is why is it even needed? Do it’s participants, such as I, need protecting? The answer is no, but some claim otherwise by pointing to the incident where an employee of one fantasy sports company won a large sum of money on a competitor’s website. Some argued that the person capitalized on so-called “insider information”. The problem with such an opinion is that doing your homework and luck are what determines whether a participant has success in fantasy sports. All the “insider information” in the world will not help you if other things don’t go your way. Allow me to explain below.

There are no guarantees in fantasy sports. For instance, on my fantasy football team’s roster I could have Peyton Manning as my quarterback and Adrian Peterson as one of my running backs. Let’s say that one week during the NFL season, Manning’s Broncos’ offense is up against the worse pass defense in the NFL and Peterson’s Vikings and their offense is up against the worse run defense. One would think that each should have a good game and anyone who has them on their fantasy football team roster that week should score a lot of points. However, one thing that is certain about fantasy football and football in general – there are no guarantees.

Consider this - what if it’s snowing in Denver, Manning does not throw the ball much and only gets my fantasy football team 12 points when I’m expecting at least 25 from him? Likewise, what if the Vikings get behind in their game early, have to go to passing the ball to play catch up, and therefore Peterson only nets about 50 yards rushing netting my fantasy team only 5 points when I was expecting at least 12-15? Or, what if both those guys get hurt in the first quarter of their games and cannot return to the game? Guess what? My fantasy football team is likely to have a bad day, score few points, and me lose in either scenario. I had two great matchups for my two best players, but in each scenario, it got me zilch. That’s fantasy football. Like I said earlier, there are no guarantees. Good luck can be your friend and bad luck can be your worst enemy and ruin your day no matter how good the matchup looks, or how much “insider information” you think you have. I know – it’s happened to me many times. It’s part of it.

So, in the aforementioned “insider information” situation which was in the news, luck, yes luck, had more to do with that than “insider information”. Fantasy sports do involve skill, because a player has to do their homework by reading scouting reports, keeping up with free agency, following the real draft, monitoring injury reports, studying the stats to look for trends, etc. Doing these things helps a participant put the best team together possible. However, once your lineup is set, there is nothing the participant can do to help the outcome. I can’t make my quarterback throw for 400 yards, 4 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions each week. He either does it or does not. He may get me 30 points, or like in the scenario above with Manning, he may get me 12. There’s absolutely nothing I can do once the weekly games start and my roster locks. So, if the reasoning behind this bill’s proposal was that Tennesseans need to be protected from “insider information” when playing fantasy sports, then the bill has been proposed based upon flawed reasoning and a lack of understanding of how fantasy sports work.

One of the year-long fantasy football leagues I was in this year saw a buddy get bit by a ton of bad luck early. Our draft was held before pre-season was over with. His 1st round pick was Jordy Nelson (WR – GB) and his 2nd round pick was Andrew Luck (QB – Indy). Unfortunately for him, Nelson blew out his knee, was lost for the year, and never played a down during the regular season. Luck played poorly early on, then got injured, and was subsequently lost for the year, too. My buddy’s season went up in flames because of those two injuries. So, where am I going with all this? It’s very simple. With this bill, you gentlemen are trying to regulate “luck” and the homework a fantasy sports participant must do in order to be successful. It’s absurd at best, and a good argument can be made that it’s another big government overreach which creates another big government program and amounts to another piece of nanny state legislation. I can’t help but wonder if this bill is just another way to generate more revenue through the charging of fees, a.k.a. taxes, to the fantasy sports companies which they will in turn pass down to consumers, like me, in the form of higher fees to play the games. This bill could lead to free fantasy sports leagues going away completeIy since the fantasy sports companies will now have to pay an additional “tax”. Is that what you gentleman want?

I see no positives coming from this legislation, but only the negatives of another government bureaucracy and higher fees for consumers. Therefore, for all the aforementioned reasons, I’m asking the bill be taken off notice. It is a bad bill.

Tennessee has many other problems the legislature needs to be working on. There are infrastructure problems, including roads that need to be paved. Many Tennesseans do not have adequate healthcare. Many Tennesseans are out of jobs because overregulation, like this bill, has kept good companies from coming to Tennessee and providing jobs. Our education system also needs work, primarily because too much government intrusion has made life hard for teachers. I could go on and on.

However, instead of working on the aforementioned problems, you guys want to spend time on regulating “fantasy sports”. Seriously? The key word here is “fantasy”. It’s basically, as my buddy says, “a make believe game”. So please, stop wasting time on a “fantasy” and get back to dealing with REAL problems that affect Tennesseans every day. That’s what your constituents voted you into office to do, and it’s what we taxpayers pay you for.

It’s time for the legislature to get out of “fantasy” and back to reality.

Sincerely,
Johnny Black

I'm not expecting any responses from any of them, because the e-mail was a little, ... well, harsh. I'll admit it. It's just that I'm tired of the current legislature. Since it went under Republican control, it has been out of control. It's stuck its nose in education and made life extremely hard for teachers. Ask any teacher. They've stuck their nose into the healthcare of Tennesseans who have severe allergies by limiting the amount of medication they can buy. Allergy sufferers have been basically punished for the sins of the meth dealers. In fact, I talked to a friend this morning who is having allergy problems and cannot buy any more meds to combat the symptoms because of it. She's "over her limit". I could go on and on about how the legislature has overreached due to "nanny state-itis", but it would take all day.

And now, instead of tackling the real issues that are important to Tennesseans, such as the ones I listed in my e-mail to the bill's sponsors, the Tennessee Republican-controlled legislature wants to waste time discussing, debating, and passing a bill to regulate fantasy sports. Are you freakin' kidding me?

Now, fantasy sports regulation is not a big deal in the overall scheme of things. I know that. What really bothers me about the bill, as mentioned above, is that Tennessee has much bigger issues that need to be dealt with but yet the politicians on working on this crappy, unneeded legislation. It's now more apparent than ever that the Tennessee Legislature is living in "fantasyland" and completely out of touch with reality. It's time to speak up and say enough is enough.

If we don't, then where will it stop?   

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