State Lawmakers Chase Agenda 21 While Real Problems Get Worse
A joint resolution passed this month by the State House condemning a 20-year-old United Nations document should be placed into a time capsule so future generations can understand why they inherited an...
View ArticleThe Knox County Charter Review Committee Needs to Think Bigger
Knox County’s charter is its constitution, the document that defines county government. The Knox County Charter Review Committee is the local version of a constitutional convention, and it has convened...
View ArticleWill Gov. Haslam Ever Rise Above Party Politics and Deliver Us From the Kooks?
While Gov. Haslam is to be commended for making Amazon collect sales taxes, his overall stance toward corporate interests has been supplication. He has weakened Tennessee’s already laggard regulatory...
View ArticleState Officials Are Grabbing More Control Over Who Can Be on the Ballot
In Tennessee, the majority party in the state Legislature gets control of the election commission in every county, a contrivance with no constitutional basis.
View ArticleRub Some Dirt On It: The August Ballot is an Abrasion on Democracy's Knee
Early voting started last Friday, but you haven’t voted yet. You’re still hoping an asteroid will strike the planet or the governor will sign a stealth bill requiring proof that you’ve donated $10,000...
View ArticleDemocrats Unchained: Perhaps It's Time for Tennessee's Left to Find a New...
The State of Tennessee has a golden opportunity to reduce spending in future elections: Stop funding Democratic primaries.
View ArticleBackcountry Tax: Charging Backpackers to Camp is Against the Spirit of the...
The Great Smoky Mountains National Park plans to charge backpackers $4 per person per night to camp in the backcountry, starting next year. Local hikers have fought this idea since it was first...
View ArticleGrab a Ballot or Grab a Shovel: An Open Letter to the Young and Young at Heart
I used to think of the future as mine, but having lived through a big chunk of it, I think of it as someone else’s problem. I am a minority stakeholder in the century yet to come. I ought to be jealous...
View ArticleBack to the Future: Sustainability is a South Knoxville Tradition
Close your eyes and imagine that you live in a sustainable community. What is your morning routine? What’s in your kitchen? How do you get around? What makes people upset? What entertains them?
View ArticleSeymour Alternatives: Look Beyond the Outdated Parkway Extension for Better...
Assume the governor (and his minions) listens to the people regarding James White Parkway and chooses the No Build alternative. What then?
View ArticleArgumentative Behavior: Don't Let Bad Guys Control Conversation on Guns
The elementary-school massacre in Connecticut set off renewed conversations about how to avoid such violence, but as usual gun-rights advocates have no interest in discussing what “well regulated” in...
View ArticleFall Guy: The County Loses an Effective Public Servant
When John Duncan III took office as Knox County trustee in 2010, he made a very good decision. He ceased contracting delinquent tax collections to a private attorney and instead hired a staff attorney.
View ArticleThe City’s “Urban Food Corridor” Plan Is Just What We Need to Grow Independence
We need to build local economies and wean ourselves from the globalists. It will take self-reliance and a new emphasis on democracy to slough off the wealthy parasites. Happily, we have an example of...
View ArticleBoard Room Politics: Tennessee's Senators Fail to Explain Beef with TVA'S...
In a healthy democracy, U.S. senators should be held in esteem. Their six-year terms insulate them from the cruder aspects of politics, allowing time for reflection and thought. Unfortunately, neither...
View ArticleGOP's Propaganda Bubble: Can Republicans Disagree Among Themselves Enough to...
Frank Niceley, the state senator from Strawberry Plains is a rare breed among Republicans. He thinks for himself.
View ArticleGone With the Hemlocks: A Common Appalachian Bird is Becoming Rare
Both tree and bird are vulnerable, part of weakening ecosystems.
View ArticlePartly Sunny: Audit Committee Adheres to the Letter, But Not the Spirit, of...
It offers general guidelines against conducting public business in private, but it does not draw bright lines.
View ArticleGrifters on Parade: Gov. Haslam's Business Prowess Isn't Exactly Creating...
With Bill Haslam in the governor’s mansion, the same ethos that guided Pilot Oil to prominence and then penitence is now in effect in Nashville. Several state departments are under investigation for...
View ArticleSun Burned: TVA and State Legislators Combine to Handicap Solar Power Producers
As December arrived, TVA announced it would reduce the price it pays Green Power Partners from 19 cents per kWh to 14 cents. Burchett immediately canceled the solar plans, claiming the finances no...
View ArticleElecting Judges in Partisan Elections Is a Bad Idea
Judges are supposed to be fair, but partisan elections guarantee they will be vulnerable to influence and corruption. Simply requiring judges to align with a political party undermines their integrity.
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