Open Letter to Bill Lee, Governor of Tennessee

To the Honorable Bill Lee, Governor of the Great State of Tennessee:

 

I'm approaching my heart transplant's 14th anniversary. Thousands of my fellow Tennesseans and Americans currently need a life-saving transplant, but only a few will ever be fortunate to receive one. After an 11-year battle with heart disease prior to receiving mine, I know it is a tremendous blessing, and one I do not take for granted.

 

Due to my transplant, I'm required to take immunosuppressants the rest of my life to ward off rejection, which places me into the COVID high risk group along with the elderly and others with pre-existing health conditions. I have, therefore, severely reduced my activities outside my home by order of my doctors since March 17, 2019 - over 9 months. Therefore, when I do venture out, it's mostly for outdoor activities, such as walking in my neighborhood or going to a park with my wife where I can distance myself from others. I have only eaten in a restaurant once since early March. I cannot take my wife out for a "date night". I've seen my 80-year old parents twice since Christmas 2019. As a Christian, I've been going to church since 9 months before I was born, but I have now not been able to attend church since the last Sunday in February.

 

I do not share all that in order for you to feel sorry for me. I know I am fortunate, because myself, my wife, my family, and most of my good friends have avoided COVID to this point. I pray everyday we stay well and thank the Good Lord for His protection, as I know that thousands of my fellow Tennesseans and millions of Americans have not been as fortunate. Currently, approximately 590,000 Tennesseans have fallen ill with about 7000 of them losing their life to the virus (here). Nationally, the numbers are much higher as things are getting worse instead of better.

 

To this point, you have not issued a statewide mask mandate. Your position has been that you prefer to allow local officials to make that decision for the counties and cities where they are in charge. I can respect that - government closer to the people is best. However, it's not working. Most local officials refuse to issue a mask mandate, and many of the ones who have, such as here in Wilson Co., have not allowed for any enforcement action. Therefore, it's the same as not having such a mandate which makes it worthless.

 

Some Tennesseans feel mask mandates violate their freedom. Well, what about the freedom of us in the high risk group to be able to leave our homes and safely go about our usual activities? Does our freedom not matter since we're sick or old?

 

Besides, Tennesseans already have to follow safety mandates every day with seatbelt and helmet laws. Both of which are enforced by law enforcement via citations and the associated fines. So, what's the difference between those state law implemented safety measures and a mask mandate during a pandemic? All have the same purpose - enhanced public safety.

 

Some argue that masks "don't work anyway". There's been studies that support such a viewpoint, but for each one of those studies, another can be found that shows that masks do help prevent the spread of illness. If mask wearing saves the life of one Tennessean, then isn't it worth it?

 

COVID patients with more severe cases feel like they're suffocating. I have an idea of what that feels like. Do you? I spent several years battling heart failure prior to my transplant. Each night when I'd lay down to try to sleep, I'd feel like I was suffocating. It's a horrible, helpless, scary experience. So, when doctors, nurses, and other medical professionals all across our state beg for a statewide mask mandate as they continue to be overrun with sick, suffering, and dying Tennesseans, they should be listened to. After all, they are the experts.

 

Some have incorrectly claimed that you do not have the authority to issue a statewide mask mandate. While it is true there is nothing within the state constitution allowing it, there is also nothing within it prohibiting it. However, state law DOES provide you such authority within Tennessee Code Annotated section, "Emergency Management Powers of the Governor", 58-2-107(e)(11). It states that, in addition to your other powers, you may, "Take measures concerning the conduct of civilians". Therefore, you would be legally within your purview as governor to issue the mask mandate.

 

Over the last few weeks, I've learned of more and more COVID+ cases among people I know personally and their families. I have friends within the healthcare field who are exhausted and stressed. Businesses and livelihoods continue to suffer as Tennesseans can't provide for their families. The suffering and dying has gone on too long already. A statewide mask mandate should've been done months ago. In fact, you said back in July that if we'd had a mask requirement in March, we might not "have had to close everything down".

 

Governor - it's not too late, but the clock is ticking.

 

Like you, I'm a Conservative, but I 100% support President-Elect Biden's plan for masks nationwide. I have no doubt you will have opposition to a statewide mandate and maybe a price to pay at the polls. However, good leaders are the ones who have the courage to do the right and needed thing even when it's difficult and unpopular. Tennessee needs you to be that guy right now. We cannot continue to wait on a vaccine as a cure or on a large enough number of Tennesseans to voluntarily put masks on outside their homes to curtail COVID spread. It hasn't worked for 9 months. It's not sustainable, and if you continue to not issue the mandate, it will most certainly result in thousands more Tennesseans suffering and dying from this horrible virus leaving grieving loved ones. 

 

Please governor - 2021 doesn't have to be like 2020. Issue the statewide mask mandate. Also, give it some teeth with penalties for law enforcement to use to enforce it vigorously. Lives are at stake.

 

Sincerely, 

The Second Chance Sheepdog

  

Wrong for the Job

I thought long and hard about whether or not to write this post. I've been hesitant to do so, because, like most of us, I'm sick of the political garbage. However, as an advocate for organ and tissue donation, my great state is in danger of electing a U.S. Senator who is totally the wrong person for the job, particularly for Tennesseans who are transplant recipients or donor family members.

Courtesy : Wikipedia

The mere thought of Phil Bredesen as U.S Senator from Tennessee makes me ill. I don't care for him at all. I endured 8 years of him as Nashville, TN mayor plus 8 years of him as Tennessee Governor. In fact, his time as mayor is one of the reasons we moved out of Davidson County in 2005, because I got tired of my property taxes going up. I could list many more reasons as to why I don't like Bredesen, but there is one that trumps them all, and it has nothing to do with politics.

While he was governor, the Tennessee Governor's Highway Safety Office (GHSO), ran a series of anti-drunk driving PSAs. Sounds great, right? No one wants intoxicated drivers on the roads. Honestly, the PSAs were good, until one titled "Harvest" aired.

It starts off talking about an emergency surgery. Then, Bredesen points to an open operating room and explains that a "harvest" (organs being recovered for transplant) is taking place in there due to a young girl being killed by a drunk driver. First of all, he should have used the proper terminology. We use the term "recovery" now. However, that mistake was the least of the problems with the PSA.

When I saw the PSA for the first time, I was initially in shock that a governor would be so insensitive. Next, I got angry. Why? Because to me the underlying theme of the ad is not that drunk driving is bad and people shouldn't do it - it's that drunk driving causes people to become organ donors and that organ donation is the penalty for drunk driving. He connected a life-saving positive with a senseless, tragic, no-regard-for-human life negative. Organ donation and drunk driving should NEVER be connected to each other in such a way and doing so was cold and heartless.

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.

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.

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.  

UPDATE: Tennessee Legislation Could End Fantasy Sports in "The Nanny State"

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote an article (click here to read) making my readers aware of legislation pending in the Tennessee Legislature, which would result in significant, unneeded, and unnecessary regulations being placed upon the fantasy sports industry in our state. Since I ran that article, the legislation has drastically changed, for the worse, and it's been blowing through the legislature's committee system like Le'Veon Bell through the Tennessee Titans' defense. (Ouch!)

Tennessee State Seal (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The house version of the bill has added 2 new Republican sponsors, Rep. Kent Calfee and Rep. Art Swann. So, the bill now has a total of 5 sponsors and 4 of them are Republicans. For years, the GOP was the party of small government and little regulation, but not anymore. This is more evidence that the GOP as a whole is now "Democrat-lite".

Now, regarding how the bill has changed - the original bill has now been completely rewritten via 20 pages of amendments. I encourage all to go read not only the text of the bill but all 20 pages of amendments, too, by clicking here. Then, click on the "Amendments" tab. The restrictions and regulations this bill will put in place are immense. For instance, one section of the bill could ban autodrafts.

What's an autodraft? Well, each year prior to my fantasy football drafts, I go into my account, whether it be with NFL.com or somewhere else, and set my autodraft settings in case something came up at the last minute, and I can not be at my computer at draft time to select my team. I can set which position (QB, RB, WR, TE, DEF) I want to draft in each round. It's kinda like the "out of office" function on your e-mail. Because of this and other restrictions, I could see fantasy sports businesses 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.

I think the state has 2 motives for this legislation. First, they think fantasy sports is "gambling", which is incorrect in the purest sense of the term. "Gambling" relies almost solely on luck. Fantasy sports do not. With fantasy sports, the player has to do some homework, as I previously mentioned, to determine which athletes, whether they be in football or some other sport, should be inserted into their lineup to give them the best chance of winning. "Gambling" is relying on nothing but the toss of a dice, or on being dealt a certain card, or on a certain number or group of numbers being drawn. Your potential for success is almost completely out of your hands as a player. Not so in fantasy sports. If you don't do your homework, you will lose.

Tennessee Lottery (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Now, one thing that IS "gambling" is the Tennessee Lottery. No homework and no skill whatsoever go into playing the lottery. You go pick your numbers, or have the computer pick them for you, pay the ticket price, and wait to see if your numbers get drawn. However, the state's cool with that, because it funds education, and "It's for the children." Sound familiar? That's one of the left's top arguments for anything and everything. You can't get anymore hypocritical than the state of Tennessee has when it's perfectly fine with having a state lottery but it wants to regulate fantasy football out of existence.

However, if the state can get it's hooks into fantasy sports, regulate them, and get a piece of the pie, then I guess they won't considerate it "gambling" anymore. Everything will be all hunkydory, because the state will have blessed it.

Second, I think the legislature worries that if fee based fantasy sports, such as DraftKings and FanDuel, go unregulated in Tennessee, the games will begin to compete with the lottery for players and ultimately siphon money away from the "state sponsored gambling industry". Big government hates competition, and when it comes to money the state is much like the mob - don't mess with its cash inflows or you'll get a visit from Uncle Billy and a little bada-bing-bada-boom. Capische?

As I said in my previous post about this legislation, fantasy sports is unimportant in the overall grand scheme of things, so please don't take the 2 posts I've written as, "The Sheepdog's just pissed because they're screwing with fantasy football." If you think that, then you're completely missing my overall point here, which is that we as a state have other more pressing needs right now. However, it's become quite obvious that the Tennessee legislature doesn't care about any of that.

The legislature has held multiple committee meetings and wasted hours and hours of their time on writing amendments, discussing, debating, and voting on regulating fantasy football (and other fantasy sports) while ignoring the much more pressing needs of Tennesseans. These include the fact that many of the state's citizens can't find work, don't have good health care, are addicted to alcohol and illegal drugs, live in crime infested neighborhoods, and have to drive on deteriorating bridges and roads that are so rough it's like driving on the moon. I could go on and on. So, WHY IS THE DADGUM TENNESSEE LEGISLATURE SPENDING ITS TIME WORRYING ABOUT HOW TO REGULATE AND MAKE MONEY OFF OF FANTASY FOOTBALL?!?! I'm past being fed up with the state's leadership.

This is one of the most ridiculous bills the legislature has ever considered. In my opinion, any member of the Tennessee legislature who has sponsored, voted for, or allowed the legislature's time to be wasted on this pathetic piece of legislation instead of more pressing issues should be voted out of office. By the way, did I mention this is an election year? Well, it is. So, when you go vote, remember that Billy Haslam and his GOP Big Government friends have turned "The Volunteer State" into "The Nanny State", and they all need to be replaced.

P.S. If you're a Tennessee resident, and feel like I do about this issue, then please take a moment to contact your elected state representative and voice your opinion. This legislation passed the full Tennessee State Senate earlier this afternoon, and it's likely to be up for a vote on the floor of the Tennessee House very soon. If you do not know who represents you, then click here to find out. Then, on the right side of the page you're directed to, enter in your address under "Find My Legislator", and then click the "Search" button.

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?   

Related articles

• Missouri lawmakers consider fantasy sports regulations (ky3.com)

Tennessee Lawmaker Thinks Deer Are A "Nuisance", But Poachers Not So Much

Did the title of this post get your attention? Did it have "shock value"? Did you think, "what the heck", or something similar? Well, good. Those are the exact reactions I wanted you to have. If you're a Tennessee hunter, I'll bet your reaction will be even more intense by the time you finish reading the article.

State Seal of Tennessee. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Hunting is one of my hobbies and one of my passions. My health situation doesn't allow me to hunt as much as I'd like, but I'm always thankful for the opportunities I do have. Every year, I look forward to spring and the start of turkey season. Every fall, I look forward to November and the start of muzzleloader deer season, just like thousands of other hunters in Tennessee and other states. Legal, ethical hunters, no matter what state they live in, have two things in common - a love for the outdoors and a disdain for poachers.

Our dislike for poachers is because they illegally kill game animals, oftentimes trophy animals, and deprive us of the legal, ethical opportunity to do so. While we purchase license(s) and put in hours and hours of homework in order to hunt and enjoy the outdoors the right way, poachers take the easy, illegal, unethical way out. These criminal poachers have no respect for the law, legal hunters, landowners, and the very animals they kill. They kill animals when they want, how they won't, and without regard for the safety and property rights of others. They are basically thieves stealing a resource they are not entitled to. The sad part is that in the state of Tennessee, if a poacher is caught and convicted of his or her crime, they get a mere slap on the wrist. However, Tennessee State Senator Jim Tracy is currently sponsoring legislation (SB 0904 / HB 1185) that will significantly increase the penalty a convicted poacher will pay, if it becomes law.

According to the bill's summary, under current Tennessee law, if a person illegally kills a deer, turkey, bear, elk, etc., TWRA can recover damages of at least $200 for each such animal. If the animal is an elk the amount jumps to at least $1000.

If Sen. Tracy's legislation becomes law, these amounts will increase substantially. For instance, restitution will be required in the amount of:

1. at least $1500 for each illegally killed bear or elk,
2. at least $1000 for each illegally killed deer or turkey,
3. in addition to #1 or 2 above, there would be an additional $500 per point for an antlered deer or elk with 8-10 points or $750 per point if it has 11 or more points, 
4. in addition to #1, another $3000 would be added if the bear is female, and
5. the person(s) hunting / fishing / trapping license is revoked until the restitution is paid.

Now, let's compare current law to the proposed new one. According to the bill's summary, currently if a poacher kills an 8-point whitetail buck deer and is caught and convicted, they have to pay ONLY $200 in damages to TWRA (Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency). If these new, stiffer restitution amounts become law, that same illegally killed 8-point will NOW cost the poacher $5000 {$1000 + (8 x $500 per antler point)}. I think legal, ethical hunters across this state will agree with me - this is good, needed legislation that needs to become law .... now. Non-hunters will likely agree, also. However, one Tennessee State Senator, Frank Niceley, a Republican, from East Tennessee thinks it's a bad idea.

English: Map of Tennessee counties. White border. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Niceley represents the Tennessee counties of Union, Hawkins, Jefferson, Hancock, Grainger, and Claiborne. In the video from the March 11, 2015 meeting of the Tennessee State Senate Energy, Agriculture, and Natural Resources Committee, Niceley makes it very clear that he does not support the new legislation and makes himself look much less than statesmanlike in the process. On more than one occasion, he makes asinine comments, asks asinine questions, and is condescending towards witnesses, including a representative from TWRA. For instance :

• He is the first member of the committee to speak, besides the chair, when he asks, "How much does it cost to shoot a deer off the road these days?" Do what? He follows that up with, "How do you arrive at what it's worth? I mean is a young deer worth more than an old one? Is a buck worth more than a doe? How do you arrive at how much it's gonna cost to pay for this?" He missed the whole point of the legislation. The cost of the animal is not the point. The point is to deter poaching and protect the natural resource. Duh.
• Nicely follows those questions up with a real gem saying that poachers should be sent to, and likely would be welcomed, in parts of Tennessee where the deer population is high. Really? Tennesseans would welcome these criminals into their neighborhoods? I doubt that, Senator.
• Nicely also states that he does not understand why the punishment for poaching should be increased since there are so many deer? To me it seems he thinks poachers are performing a community service by helping to remove a public "nuisance" a.k.a. the deer. Is he trying to make the case that breaking the state's game laws by illegally killing animals is justified when animal populations are high? If that's his logic, it's like saying robbing banks is o.k. because the big, bad banks have so much money. Sounds kinda like something a Democrat would say, doesn't it?
• Lastly, Nicely wants to know if he can exempt the counties in his district from these new stiffer, poaching restitution guidelines, laughing as if it's a joke. Wonder what other state laws he would like to exempt his counties from? Drunk driving laws? Campaign contribution laws? Speed limit laws? Ethics laws? What else, senator? The only joke I see here is his behavior in the hearing. The reason he wants his district exempted is because, as he says, "we don't have a (poaching) problem." So, no poaching occurs in his district? Having grown up in East Tennessee near Niceley's district, I doubt that, too, but more on that in a bit.

The fun doesn't end with this hearing. The legislation was rolled one week to March 18 where Niceley, still opposing the legislation, gives us more gems, including :

• When addressing the TWRA representative, he says, "You (the TWRA) rarely catch anybody." He then states, in regards to his local game warden not catching poachers, "We laugh about him trying to catch 'em. He's never caught one." Senator, perhaps instead of laughing at the game warden, you could be a responsible citizen and help them. Once again, he acts much less than statesmanlike.
• A week earlier, Niceley said there is no poaching problem in his district, but then in the 3/18/15 hearing he states, "I've lived on my farm 44 years. I bet there's been 2000 deer poached down River Road." Uh ..... hang on a minute, Senator. I thought you said there was no poaching problem in your district, but yet you just admitted to knowing of one. Which is it? ... Spoken like a true politician - say one thing one time and something entirely different later. Gotcha dude.
• He also states his opinion that the bill is overkill, because, "we've got more deer than we need."

Please don't take my word for it. Go and watch the video of these committee hearings for yourself by clicking here. After clicking on the link, click on the "Video" tab to watch the videos from both hearings.

English: Tennessee State Capitol in Nashville, Tennessee (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I am happy to be able to report that despite Niceley's shenanigans, the legislation passed out of the committee. It's members voted as follows :

• Voting against - Frank Niceley (R) (1st Vice Chair) and Paul Bailey (R)(2nd Vice Chair)
• Voting for - Steve Southerland (R)(Chair), Mike Bell (R), Mark Green (R), Dolores Gresham (R), Lee Harris (D), Kerry Roberts (R), and Ken Yager (R) 

On behalf of ethical, true hunters all across the state, I want to thank all the members who voted in favor of the legislation and Sen. Jim Tracy for sponsoring it. I'd also like to point out that the only two voting against it were Republicans.

The thing I'm trying to figure out is why Niceley is so dead set against the legislation. I've bullet-pointed several of his reasons in the statements he made above. The interesting thing is that if you look at his bio on the Tennessee Legislature's website, it says that he's involved with the Tennessee Hunter Alliance. It also states that he was given the 2009 SAOVA (Sportsman and Animal Owners Voting Alliance Legislative Leader) Award. Those 2 things make it appear as if Niceley supports hunters and sportsmans' causes, but his opposition to the new poaching bill says otherwise. I don't know any hunter that does not hate poachers. So, why would a guy that has won a sportsman legislative leader award and apparently belongs to a hunting organization not support a law that would help deter poaching?

It's not because poaching is not a problem in his district, as he said on 3/11/15, because he contradicted that statement on 3/18 by stating that he's aware of a couple thousand deer being poached "down on River Road" during the last 40 years. Could it be that the senator does not really care about wildlife laws, hunting, or outdoors interests but has just "appeared" to in order to earn votes from hunters? Or, is there something more to it than that? One might wonder if poaching is an acceptable activity is his district and that explains his lack of support for the bill, but being from East Tennessee myself, I would find that one hard to believe.

Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I guess the thing that really irks me about Niceley dismissing this legislation and treating it as a joke is his inference that the state does not need to crackdown on poaching, because there are just so many deer in Tennessee that they've become a nuisance. Well, based on that reasoning, can we assume that Niceley, a Republican, thinks illegal immigration is justified, also, since U.S. employers say they need the cheap, unskilled labor in order to compete in the marketplace? 

Or, let's take it a step further. Niceley also voices his objection to the new legislation because the current anti-poaching laws on the books haven't fixed the problem. Does this mean he would also oppose any new drunk driving legislation that increases the penalties for that offense because the current laws haven't fixed the problem? Would he be opposed to stiffer penalties for murder since despite our current laws people just keep killing each other?

None of Niceley's objections to the new poaching legislation make any sense nor are they valid. Hunters and non-hunters alike can agree that the penalties for the illegal killing of animals should be stiff enough to be a deterrent to such crimes. Why Niceley cannot is beyond me. It really makes me wonder what his game is and why he wants this bill killed.

On my "About" page, I tell about how I came to name this blog The 2nd Chance Sheepdog. I also briefly discuss the theory of sheep, wolves, and sheepdogs. I give a few examples of who might make up each of these 3 groups. In regards to poaching, the illegally killed animals are the sheep. The poachers are the wolves, and the sheepdogs include wildlife officers, ethical hunters, and others. I think you could also place politicians, like Niceley, who choose to turn a blind eye to poaching into the wolf category.

The Sheepdog has no tolerance for poachers and wolves whether they be out in the woods and fields or in the state legislature. It is my opinion that since Niceley does not think it is a priority to protect the state's wildlife resources from poaching, it is time for him to retire to his 6 counties. Then, perhaps his constituents will send someone else to Nashville who will protect the states wildlife resources so that all Tennesseans can enjoy them in whatever legal fashion they choose.