Commentary: Infrastructure Next

Almost everyone , Republicans and Democrats alike , agrees that the United States needs a massive infusion of infrastructure development—especially now to boost the debilitating coronavirus effect on the economy .
Donald Trump is a builder by profession , and he should do a deal now with Congress to avoid a receding economy and rebuild the country in this time of novel coronavirus warfare .
To make this happen , the manner in which infrastructure projects are currently undertaken needs to be overhauled .
In essence , we need new finance , regulatory , and political infrastructure to support more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ This can ’ t be business as usual or another expensive Democrat giveaway .
Federal infrastructure development too often gets bogged down in bad management and cost overruns .
There is a misallocation to low-value activity and too many “ bridges to nowhere ” all due to politics .
At the state and local level , where a lot of infrastructure is owned and operated by the government , there is little to no political will to move toward a user-pays system and to properly maintain roads , bridges , waterworks , power @ @ @ @ @ @ @ steps that can overhaul how infrastructure projects are conceived , financed , and managed is to end tax-exempt financing .
State and local governments , using tax-exempt finance , build about 90 percent of all infrastructure in the United States .
This severely limits the pool of private capital and creates market distortions in how capital is allocated .
In addition , the United States needs regulatory reform and new sources of capital , as well as scalable tools to locate , fund , and deploy infrastructure capital where it is most needed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to private involvement in infrastructure .
A longer-term focus and a vision rooted in the private sector from the Trump Administration is essential .
Time is of the essence .
It should be infrastructure next—and on a bipartisan basis and as a jet engine to relaunch the crippled U.S. economy .
As long as infrastructure is owned and operated by state and local governments , there will continue to be little to no political will to move toward a more efficient and rational user pays system .
That needs to change .
A @ @ @ @ @ @ @ States should address these four interlocking issues : • Providing regulatory relief for permitting and for federally subsidized loans ; and • Improving coordination on deal sourcing between private investors and the government ( a Deal Syndicate Desk at the Commerce Department , to act as a mechanism for coordination of all infrastructure investments ) .
There are a number of related , supporting requirements , which also need to be addressed if a new infrastructure plan is to be truly effective and benefit all .
On Regulatory Reform : We need a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be part of any new policy or funding about infrastructure development and financing .
Davis-Bacon labor rules , duplicative environmental impact statements for permitting , and overregulation must be culled in anticipation of the projects ahead .
On Creating New Sources of Capital/New Scalable Tools : The United States does not need a new , bureaucratic and politically based infrastructure bank .
That is a particularly bad idea because it gives too much power to a single bureaucratic entity to allocate capital .
Even in the private sector , banks are necessary conduits @ @ @ @ @ @ @ must be the final arbiter of how capital is deployed .
At the same time , we do need an innovative and agile mechanism to locate , fund and deploy capital where it is most needed and where it is best suited , a scalable system capable of performing under the expanding workload as urgent infrastructure development gets underway .
To start , the United States needs to eliminate tax-exempt bonds and replace them with “ Build America Bonds ” —which hereafter should be called “ Trump Bonds ” —that would subsidize the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would focus on ways to jumpstart the economy coming out of the economic pandemic .
This would open the market to a large number of global investors rather than limit the pool of capital to just U.S. taxpayers .
We also need new user-pays road and infrastructure-financing projects , made possible by private sourcing and the placement of such deals .
Ideally , these deals would be coordinated in a new “ syndicate desk ” in the U.S. Department of Commerce that would operate like similar desks on Wall Street .
A syndicate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ deal and gather enough data to execute it properly and successfully .
In Wall Street firms , a member of the syndicate team performs research by talking directly to investors or by going through an investment bank and talking to appropriate parties .
This provides a better understanding of the relevant market dynamics and variables .
After gathering enough data , the syndicate team reports the findings to those wishing to launch a new deal and then collaborates with them in order to make a recommendation that is feasible and sellable .
Such @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would work in tandem with the capital markets and interface from the government side on all infrastructure deals .
The present approach to infrastructure limits the pool of private capital to projects where the financial benefits from bond financing accrue almost entirely to retail investors and banks that pay federal taxes and depend on public securities , primarily those with an investment-grade rating .
This overly concentrated approach is susceptible to demand and supply imbalances , creating market distortions in how capital is being allocated .
A new infrastructure plan would work to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ projects and adequate private-sector funding from the widest source of funders .
A lot of the country ’ s infrastructure is owned and operated by local and state governments .
The politics of governmental budgeting often impair the maintenance of infrastructure assets .
It is time to overcome the lack of political will to change this and move toward a user-pays system .
This will let the United States maintain the critical assets that drive our economy more reliably and consistently .
Time and Uncertainty Cost Money : The length of time and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hard ) imposed by extremely lengthy environmental impact studies and design and permitting processes balloon project costs .
This creates uncertainty and causes very long lead times before project revenues and benefits can be realized .
This results in government capital , with low expected returns , being the only de facto source of financing—another capital allocation distortion .
Funding vs. Financing Shortfalls : There are many capital and financing sources interested in infrastructure investments .
But they are not being matched efficiently with infrastructure development needs .
The problem is a lack @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
This underscores the importance of more user fee models .
Maintenance , Operations and Revenue Discipline : Infrastructure requires not only large upfront investments , but also reliable ongoing investments in the operations and maintenance of assets .
Deferring maintenance can result in repairs that can cost 10 times more than regularly scheduled maintenance would cost .
The political nature of government budgeting makes it too easy to defer maintenance .
It also makes it hard to increase fees/rates/charges on par with inflation , much less with real costs .
In short @ @ @ @ @ @ @ infrastructure or maintaining discipline or increasing required revenues Overly Prescriptive Designs vs. Outcome/Performance-Based Metrics : Governments meddle too much and act in an overly prescriptive manner when building infrastructure .
It doesn ’ t matter if the transit line seats are red or blue , just that the trains are on time and clean .
Infrastructure needs to be evaluated and designed based upon the desired outcomes—what should be termed performance-based infrastructure .
Alternative Delivery and Risk Transfer : Modern , democratic government ’ s core competency is not building projects .
Nevertheless @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from the subsidy provided by tax-exempt bonds create an advantage that puts government officials in the driver ’ s seat .
This causes them to believe they should be the developer/builder/owner of infrastructure assets , again distorting ownership decisions .
Cost overruns and change orders by contractors too often drive up project costs .
The tendency for governments to meddle and overengineer projects dramatically increases costs .
Creating a level playing field by allowing Trump Bonds for any infrastructure project , regardless of ownership/operations or eliminating tax-exempt bond subsidies altogether , would eliminate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ risk transfer to the private sector .
The American infrastructure market would function more like other markets that do not have this ownership distortion caused by tax-exempt bonds .
National Infrastructure Banks as Early Stage Developer or Aggregator : There are many risks in creating a National Infrastructure Bank .
If created , it should only serve to make more capital available and not to compete with capital markets .
Otherwise , it would replicate the distorting effects of the failed Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac model in housing .
Even if a NIB would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ programs at the Department of Transportation , the EPA , or Commerce there is the risk this may create another slow and cumbersome bureaucracy and also that it would have a bias about which projects get funding .
At most , a NIB could serve a role by providing more “ development ” or seed capital for projects that have too long a lead time before revenue stability for private capital .
But the NIB should look to resell such projects into the markets once up and running and recycle the funds .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ for smaller issuers who the SEC would prefer did not access the broader private capital markets .
Few infrastructure projects are truly national endeavors , such as the interstate highway system of sixty years ago .
Most projects are of local and state interest and value .
As the federal government oversees infrastructure projects across the country , however , it too often gets bogged down in bad management and cost overruns .
There is a misallocation to low-value activity and too many “ bridges to nowhere ” due to politics .
Decentralizing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that includes financing , management , and ownership , is a better way ahead .
In addition , while government has often underwritten expensive , high-risk investments such as early forays in space exploration , the private sector is more likely to make sound investments in fundamental needs .
And these are made without gigantic and unnecessary subsidies , strings attached , and overregulation .
Privatization promises to improve economic efficiency , add more economic growth , and reduce financial burdens on the U.S. taxpayer .
Most of America ’ s infrastructure is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not governments .
Indeed , private infrastructure spending is larger than all federal , state and local government infrastructure spending combined as measured in gross fixed investment in the National Income Accounts .
Private infrastructure involvement in the U.S. is five times larger than total non-defense government investment .
It should be allowed and encouraged to grow , not thwarted .
Spurring private infrastructure will equate to greater economic growth and investment .
Past governmental efforts in infrastructure spending have shown numerous problems and failures regardless of which political party was in power @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pork-barrel politics , earmarks , and bureaucratic mismanagement .
Money is often misallocated .
Amtrak is a case in point .
Investments are inefficient because supply and demand are not balanced by market prices .
Water pricing is another good example , demonstrated by greatly underpriced irrigation in the western United States .
Mismanagement is the rule as incentives are not ensured or undercounted .
The “ Big Dig ” in Boston exploded in cost to five times the original estimates .
This is the norm , unfortunately , in government-based projects .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ replicated around the country .
High-speed rail , for example , has induced the states to spend money on uneconomical and unnecessary infrastructure .
Policies on regulation , such as Davis-Bacon labor rules , raise the costs of infrastructure by demanding a one-size-fits-all mentality .
These regulations and rules simply do not work as states have diverse needs .
The answer is therefore decidedly not more federal intervention but greater private involvement .
The United States is actually bucking global trends when it comes to private infrastructure .
Worldwide the trend is toward @ @ @ @ @ @ @ $ 900 billion of state-owned assets have been sold in Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development ( OECD ) countries , of which 63 percent are infrastructure assets .
The OECD says this is due to a failure to deliver “ efficient investment with misallocation across sectors , regions , and time due to political considerations.
” In a recent report , the OECD concluded a “ widespread recognition around the world of the need for greater recourse to private sector finance in infrastructure.
” The United States currently is lagging far behind @ @ @ @ @ @ @ private spending on infrastructure .
Other countries have moved far ahead of the United States in the privatization of infrastructure , such as roads , tunnels , and bridges .
According to Public Works Financing , only one of the top 38 firms doing transportation infrastructure around the world is American ; and of the more than 700 projects underway globally , only 28 are in the United States .
This is corroborated by numerous findings from the Government Accounting Office , the Congressional Budget Office , as well as from Ernst and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is a complex issue that crosses economics , engineering , policy , and finance .
The American Society of Civil Engineers ( ASCE ) has elaborated a number of dramatic costs the country suffers by not addressing our U.S. infrastructure crisis , including : • $ 3,100 per year drops in personal disposable income per U.S. household • $ 1.2 trillion in revenue costs to U.S. businesses The National League of Cities reported in 2019 on declining American infrastructure and detailed 10 challenges facing U.S. cities , of which , “ fragile fiscal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” were the first and second priorities .
In recent years , political polarization has meant infrastructure development and repair has suffered .
The federal political stalemate has nearly strangled U.S. infrastructure investment .
Whereas European nations spend five percent of GDP , and China nine percent of GDP on infrastructure , the United States only invests 2.4 percent of its GDP , and that number is on the decline .
Experience shows that when private businesses take risks and put their profits on the line , funding is more properly allocated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ time and on budget , i.e.
, in the most efficient manner possible .
Private infrastructure is also more efficient because it can tap the capital markets to build capacity and meet market demand without having to rely on slow , cumbersome and politicized government budgets .
Policymaking needs to overcome the hurdles to private involvement in infrastructure .
We need to realize that private infrastructure is not a new idea .
Almost all of the U.S. urban transit systems used to be private .
Earlier turnpikes built thousands of miles of roads @ @ @ @ @ @ @ revolution of previous centuries in both the United States and in England .
The term “ municipal bonds ” or monism describes bonds issued by states , counties , cities , school districts , public utilities , ports , and other units of government that are not national in scope .
This is what is called the muni market .
With more than 1 million bonds in the market and total par value of over $ 3.6 trillion , and more than 50,000 individual units of government-issued bonds , the total number of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ $ 200 billion to just under $ 400 billion .
The defining characteristic of this muni market , of course , is that investors do not pay federal income tax on the interest they receive .
This muni exemption has been part of the U.S. tax code since before the progressive income tax was instituted in 1913 .
Even with this expansive tax-exempt market supply , elasticity of state and local capital investment is falling short .
Every few years , the American Society of Civil Engineers ( ASCE ) issues a Report @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It has highlighted a growing gap between actual and needed levels of state and local capital investment on infrastructure .
Grading U.S. infrastructure a D+ , the report enumerates $ 3.6 trillion of essential , urgent capital investment needs—which is , ironically , about the size of the entire current municipal market .
The U.S. Treasury forgoes revenue as a result of the muni exemption .
This tax expenditure is estimated at $ 14 billion annually .
The Congressional Research Service suggests the tax subsidy is actually closer to $ 28 billion a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Reinvestment Act of 2009 , Congress authorized a stimulus of temporary new borrowing called Build America Bonds .
The federal government in effect paid a subsidy to any state or local government that sold these bonds .
This is in contrast to traditional munis , where the subsidy flows to investors who buy the bonds .
Noticeably , in recent years the muni bond market shrank for the fifth straight year , falling to $ 3.65 trillion , according to Federal Reserve data .
The overall muni market has shrunk by over @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2010 .
This reflects a reduced issuance , as municipal governments have become less prone to debt and less aggressive borrowers .
Many are unwilling to raise taxes or reduce funding for existing services to finance new infrastructure .
The muni market has also suffered from a significant shift in credit quality .
AAA ratings are now uncommon as major bond insurers began to lose their own high ratings in the wake of the credit crisis .
There are two alternatives to traditional tax-exempt debt financing : pay-as-you-go and public-private partnerships .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ capital investment with current resources rather than borrowed ones .
Pay-as-you-go has many advantages because it is flexible and allows a government to procure a capital asset at the best available timing and pricing .
It is also more transparent .
The cost to procure is the purchase price of the asset .
Debt financing comes with interest payments and transaction costs paid over many years .
However , pay-as-you-go financing is difficult because it is not scalable .
Large projects cost too much , and reserves are rarely in place .
Public-private @ @ @ @ @ @ @ both sectors share risks and rewards of delivering and operating an asset over an extended period of time .
Successful public-private partnerships are predicated on trust and a fair sharing of relevant risks .
Failure can have significant financial , legal , and political consequences .
Many experts suggest that for these reasons , PPPs are not a robust alternative to traditional municipal bonds , while experimentation continues .
President Trump ’ s proposed policies will have an immediate effect on the municipal bond market for investors in a number of decided ways @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a way to create jobs and stimulate the economy .
President Trump has said he wants to use them to create more infrastructure and repair old and outdated infrastructure .
Again , since they would not be tax-exempt , these bonds are more appealing to international bondholders and institutional investors who are not eligible to claim an exemption .
In this sense , they widen the market and bring in new , large participants .
Private sector infrastructure could be greatly enhanced by more of these bonds .
Recent analysis by a number @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that the Trump tax plan will affect the municipal market because it would eliminate or reduce tax exemption for municipal bondholders .
This will reshape who buys municipal bonds .
If the tax exemption on income earned from the investment were eliminated for the wealthy , there would be little motivation for such bondholders to buy more municipal debt .
Historical approaches have proven insufficient to address our growing U.S. infrastructure gap .
Public infrastructure ( roads , bridges , transit , water , wastewater , energy , social ) is fundamentally local @ @ @ @ @ @ @ new programs should be leveraged to transform the infrastructure market and encourage more market-based solutions , rather than just federal handouts .
Federal initiatives should be used to create more scalable financing markets , level the playing field for more private sector involvement , provide “ at-risk ” capital , depoliticize the selection of projects , and create more efficient vehicles for small and rural issuers to access capital .
Regulatory and permitting burdens need to be reduced or streamlined .
Finally , essential infrastructure needs more dedicated funding sources from project-related revenues @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from the ultimate beneficiaries .
A menu of solutions to address existing challenges , not one silver bullet , is necessary .
Almost everyone agrees that the United States needs a massive infusion of infrastructure development starting this year .
That is even more critical as a way to move the country out of its short-term recession due to the COVID-19 pandemic .
Over 70 percent of Americans of all political persuasions want government at all levels to do more about improving and building new infrastructure .
The fourth industrial revolution is underway @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , driverless vehicles , supersonic aircraft and a raft of emerging technologies all of which demand new and better infrastructure such as the “ internet of things , ” robotics , 3D printing , nanotechnology , biotechnology , and quantum computing .
The new digital revolution we are just beginning is characterized by a fusion of technologies that is blurring the lines between the physical , digital , and biological spheres .
Our infrastructure must keep pace with new technologies if the United States is to remain competitive and a center of innovation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ centuries .
Since infrastructure projects are notoriously plagued by long pre-construction periods , under-utilization of the P3 and alternative funding models , and an outright inability to gain public support and access to capital , the United States needs a new private-sector plan to accomplish its long-term needs in infrastructure .
As has been true historically , the United States is not simply lacking capital for infrastructure—capital is cheaper than ever with interest rates moving even lower—but policies are needed to attract this capital and deploy it efficiently for infrastructure based on market @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the private global capital markets to access private capital to restore and build innovative infrastructure for the 21st century .
Underinvestment in infrastructure comes as a result of shortsightedness .
As long as taxpayer investment in infrastructure is misaligned with politics , which has a short term and expedient focus , we will fail to meet our long-term needs as a country .
We need to use the private sector and the measures enumerated to break new ground and to find private sources for infrastructure development .
A focus and a vision rooted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump Administration are needed and most timely .
It is time to push infrastructure as the fourth leg in the plan to recover from the coronavirus .
Theodore Roosevelt Malloch is a scholar , diplomat , and strategist who was active in the Trump campaign in 2016 .


thetennesseestar--2020-04-18--Commentary: The Spanish Flu Aftermath Suggests There’s Hope for America

The coronavirus may be abating .
The curve for new cases in New York City has flattened , officials are reporting fewer cases across the country , and the number of deaths from the virus has slackened .
So why have Americans gotten even crazier than they were ?
On Saturday , the day before Easter , my local grocery store was jammed with people , many of them wearing masks and gloves .
When I realized that over 50 customers were waiting in a check-out line stretching to the back of the store , I re-shelved the three items @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a nearby Dollar General , and was in and out in less than five minutes .
When I drove past Rural King , a big-box chain store that specializes in selling goods from firearms and construction gear , to baby chicks and canned goods , a line of 20 or more people stood waiting to get inside .
A number of people I know , including my daughter and a couple of friends , are depressed not so much by these restrictions as by the heavy-handed directives of our federal , state , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ services , the badgering and bullying , and perhaps most of all , the growing sense that those in charge are as clueless as the rest of us as to how to best balance civil liberties , the economy , and health care .
The models on which they have based their dictates have proven horribly wrong , and some of the measures taken , the most bizarre of which was the arrest of a paddle boarderon the Pacific Ocean , have gone beyond the point of funny , to sad and ludicrous @ @ @ @ @ @ @ example , the authorities have now closed even the Skyline Parkway , along which people either hike or sightsee in their cars .
Can someone explain how coronavirus will spread in that open mountain air ?
My friend John and I rarely give way to depression , running instead with fury , incredulity , and laughter .
We swap accounts of our visits to the grocery store , rage against some of the policies of our state of Virginia , and get belly laughs out of some of the ridiculous things done .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ hysteria , jump aboard a time machine , and go back to the year 1920 .
The Great War had ended in 1918 , leaving 117,000 American soldiers dead .
Our country and the world were just emerging from the Spanish Flu , which , as Roger McGrath explains in the April/May edition of Chronicles , “ took some 675,000 American lives in 1918 and 1919 , the most deadly “ epidemic in recorded world history.
” The infant mortality rate for 1920 was 21 percent ; the average life span was around @ @ @ @ @ @ @ into an unprecedented boom known today as the Roaring Twenties .
The economy took off , and advancements in medicine in that decade reduced infant deaths and increased the life span by almost seven years .
With the exception of the poverty-stricken in certain rural areas , America spent the1920s buying cars , refrigerators , and radios , opening new manufacturing plants , shipping goods around the world , and building new homes , all on the heels of the worst epidemic in history .
No one in that era spoke of war @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the new normal.
” To do so is to give way to despair , then and now .
During the Spanish Flu pandemic , for which there was no medicinal cure , American children jumped rope to this little ditty : Its name was Enza , Did that jump rope jingle signal madness or defiance ?
I ’ m voting for defiance .
When we come out of our bedlam and our epidemic , we ’ ll have choices to make .
Will we have a real “ reckoning , ” as Prime @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , with the Chinese Communist Party , which is responsible for this worldwide disaster ?
What steps can we take to better control immigration and visitors to the United States ?
How will we handle the virus when it surges back in the fall ?
Most fundamental of all , to what extent do we treasure our liberties ?
Liberties are precious rights inborn in our humanity .
Do we wish to see the freedoms of our Constitution extended to our children and grandchildren ?
In the last two months , certain of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , issuing decrees rather than recommendations , closing businesses as “ non-essential , ” and disallowing the freedom of assembly .
Will these dictates become “ the new norm ?
”

Eighteen individuals are now collecting petitions for Tennessee’s 5th Congressional District race as of last Friday.
Twelve people are collecting qualifying petitions for the GOP primary, three are gathering petitions for the Democrat primary, and three independents are also accumulating petitions.
The 12 Republicans listed on the Tennessee Secretary of State’s website as collecting petitions are former Speaker of the Tennessee House Beth Harwell of Nashville, businessman Baxter Lee of Nashville, Robby Starbuck of Franklin (listed as Robert Starbuck Newsom), Geni Batchelor of Lebanon, Natisha Brooks of Nashville, former Williamson County GOP Chair Omar Hamada of Franklin, Timothy Bruce Lee of Nashville, Annabelle Lee of Madison, Alan Clement Sharp of Nashville, David Vitalli of Brentwood, Stewart Parks of Nashville, and Richie Lee of Nashville.
Among the publicly announced candidates, Tennessee newcomer and former State Department spokesman Morgan Ortagus and retired Brig. General Kurt Winstead have not yet been listed as having begun their qualifying petitions process. Hamada has not yet made a decision as to whether or not he is officially entering the race.
Records show that Harwell, Starbuck, Brooks, Baxter Lee, Ortagus, Winstead, Batchelor, and Timothy Bruce Lee have also filed candidate paperwork with the Federal Elections Commission (FEC). Starbuck has raised $255,066.53 and has $138,741.16 on hand, which Brooks has raised $24,517.00 and has $19,655.34 on hand. The rest filed their FEC paperwork after the year-end December 31, 2022 deadline. The 2022 first quarter January 1-March 31 financial reports, which are scheduled to be released in mid-April, will cover all candidates who have reached the FEC reporting threshold.
Sources tell The Star that several Republican candidates are expected to have impressive fundraising totals.
Clay Faircloth, Richard H. Harris, and Joel Michael Hurbert, all from Nashville, are listed as collecting petitions for the Democrat primary.
Derrick Brantley of Nashville, Patrick O. Halfacre of Hohenwald, and Richard A. Shannon of Franklin are the independents who are collecting petitions. Shannon has appeared on The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy. Only Brantley appears to have filed documents with the FEC.
In order to appear on the ballot, candidates are required to collect 25 valid signatures from registered voters and have until noon on April 7 to turn in those qualifying petitions. Candidates who qualify have until April 14 to withdraw their names from the ballot. The Tennessee Secretary of State’s Office told The Star, unless pending legislation changes things, that they will finalize the ballots on April 21.
The 5th Congressional District consists of parts of Davidson, Williamson, and Wilson counties, and all of Maury, Marshall, and Lewis counties.
– – –
Aaron Gulbransen is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Email tips to [email protected] Follow Aaron on GETTR.
Photo “U.S. Capitol” by Martin Falbisoner. CC BY-SA 3.0.


thetennesseestar--2020-04-18--Manny Sethi Releases Conservative Strategic Agenda to Get America Back to Work After COVID-19 Pandem

Manny Sethi Releases Conservative Strategic Agenda to Get America Back to Work After COVID-19 Pandemic

Republican Senate candidate Manny Sethi this week released his Conservative Strategic Agenda entitled “ Vertical Containment is the Way Forward to Get Tennessee and America Back to Work.
” Sethi announced this in an emailed press release .
As the shutdown of our economy continues and unemployment tops 22 million , Sethi said there is a growing threat to the livelihoods of Americans .
Public health intervention meant to slow the spread of COVID-19 has the potential to lead to hardship and even death as families lose incomes and individuals with other diseases are unable to receive treatment , he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s leadership in standing up to government bureaucrats who are threatening the economic health of our country .
As we have done in times of crisis like World War II , we must put fear aside and take a more offensive posture .
Our national economy can not withstand a prolonged shutdown .
Our country needs to get back to work , ” Sethi said .
“ To stop the coronavirus , we should pursue vertical , or targeted , containment options .
This will allow large portions of our economy to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in positive public health effects and get people back on the job.
” The strategic agenda , Sethi said , is built around five pillars : • Take real steps to protect small business and the American economy The full plan is available on Sethi ’ s website .
As The Tennessee Star reported last month , Sethi , at a coronavirus tele-town hall , said the United States must now rely less on China for pharmaceutical drugs , hospital gowns , surgical caps , and medical supplies .
Sethi went on to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” As The Star reported in February , Sethi called the outbreak a “ massive international crisis ” that needs “ something as bold and ambitious as a Manhattan Project-style effort to combat it.
” Chris Butler is an investigative journalist at The Tennessee Star .
Follow Chris on Facebook .
Email tips to [ email protected ] Photo “ Manny Sethi ” by Manny Sethi .


thetennesseestar--2020-04-18--Report: COVID-19 Patients Treated with Remdesivir Have Done ‘Very Well’ in Preliminary Study

COVID-19 patients treated with the drug remdesivir recovered quickly from severe illness in a study conducted at the University of Chicago , according to the medical website STAT News .
The study looked at 125 people diagnosed with COVID-19 , 113 of whom had severe cases of the disease .
Kathleen Mullane , who is overseeing the remdesivir trial , said on a video conference with University of Chicago faculty members that patients in the study saw their fevers drop “ quite quickly ” when treated with the drug , which is developed by Gilead Sciences .
Many patients in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the hospital within a week after treatment , she said .
“ The best news is that most of our patients have already been discharged , which is great .
We ’ ve only had two patients perish , ” Mullane said on the video , which was obtained by STAT News .
She added : “ But certainly when we start [ the ] drug , we see fever curves falling.
” “ We have seen people come off ventilators a day after starting therapy .
So , in that realm , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” she continued , adding that most patients in the study have left the hospital within six days of treatment .
The fatality rate for patients in the study appears far lower than that for coronavirus patients with severe disease as a whole .
More than half of patients who are put in ICU with severe cases of the disease end up dying , according to some studies .
Researchers have held out hope that drugs like remdesivir could be repurposed to treat COVID-19 .
The World Health Organization said in February @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for COVID-19 .
President Donald Trump has also mentioned remdesivir as a possible therapeutic , along with hydroxychloroquine , a malaria drug developed in the 1940s .
He directed the Food and Drug Administration on March 19 to speed up approval to allow both drugs to be used on a “ compassionate use ” basis to treat patients with severe cases of COVID-19 .
Mullane cautioned during the video conference against jumping to conclusions .
The study is not controlled , meaning that the outcome for the patients was not compared to a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , she noted .
The University of Chicago also warned against drawing broad results from the preliminary study .
“ Partial data from an ongoing clinical trial is by definition incomplete and should never be used to draw conclusions about the safety or efficacy of a potential treatment that is under investigation , ” the school said in a statement to CNN .
“ In this case , information from an internal forum for research colleagues concerning work in progress was released without authorization .
Drawing any conclusions at this point is premature @ @ @ @ @ @ @ underway for both drugs in hospitals around the world .
Gilead is sponsoring trials at more than 150 sites across the globe , according to STAT News .
News of the study prompted a sharp rise in Gilead ’ s stock price .
The California-based company ’ s shares spiked 10 % at the opening of the stock market on Friday .
Chuck Ross is a reporter for the Daily Caller News Foundation .


thetennesseestar--2020-04-18--Nashville, Memphis, Knoxville, and Chattanooga Plan Economic Recovery from Coronavirus

Local officials from Tennessee ’ s four major cities this week formed a Tennessee Major Metros Economic Restart Task Force to plan and coordinate the restoration of business activity currently suspended due to COVID-19 .
Nashville and Davidson County Mayor John Cooper , Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland , Knoxville Mayor Indya Kincannon , and Chattanooga Mayor Andy Berke are involved , according to a press release .
“ The Tennessee Major Metros Economic Restart Task Force is composed of business leaders and health care professionals appointed jointly by each metro area ’ s city and county mayors .
Task Force @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by the County Mayors in each metropolitan area — Mayors Lee Harris ( Shelby County ) , Glenn Jacobs ( Knox County ) , and Jim Coppinger ( Hamilton County . )
Tennessee Governor Bill Lee has begun a process for planning the reopening of Tennessee ’ s economy , and this Task Force intends to further link communities together in a coordinated response , ” the press release said .
“ Over the last month , the mayors of Tennessee ’ s ‘ Big Four ’ cities and counties have signed multiple @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the novel coronavirus .
These orders have placed their cities under states of civil emergency , asked the public to observe strict social distancing measures , and required the closure of non-essential businesses and public gatherings .
Governor Lee has maintained regular contact with Big 4 mayors to discuss protocols for eventually lifting these restrictions .
The Tennessee Major Metros Economic Restart Task Force is an organized way of collecting input and collaborating with the state government about how to handle this process safely.
” The Task Force will listen to medical experts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and public health protocols for reopening .
These recommendations will focus on the factors that indicate when businesses are safe to reopen ; how businesses should be smoothly phased in ; and the specific requirements for safe business operations , the press release said .
“ The Tennessee Major Metros Economic Restart Task Force will be staffed by the Chiefs of Staff and/or Deputy Mayors of each mayor , ” the press release said .
“ It will begin meeting next week and will make public disclosures of their initial discussions , findings @ @ @ @ @ @ @ • Dr. James Hildreth , Meharry Medical College • Laura Hollingsworth , Ryman Hospitality • Dr. Alex Jahangir , Head of Metro Coronavirus Task Force • Rob McCabe , Pinnacle Financial Partners and Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce • Kathy Brown , University of Tennessee at Knoxville • Dave Miller , First Horizon Bank • Mike Odom , Knoxville Chamber of Commerce • Ryan Steffy , SoKno Taco Restaurant Chris Butler is an investigative journalist at The Tennessee Star .
Follow Chris on Facebook .
Email tips to [ email protected ] Photo @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Photo “ Indya Kincannon ” by Indya Kincannon .
Photo “ Jim Strickland ” by Aspaan-19 .
CC BY-SA 4.0 .


thetennesseestar--2020-04-18--Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Said America Is a ‘Brutal, Barbarian Society’

According to democratic socialist Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez , the Covid-19 pandemic is proving that the United States “ is a brutal , barbarian society for the vast majority of working-class Americans.
” As evidence of this , she claims that “ 40 % of us couldn ’ t even afford a $ 400 emergency ” before this crisis , and Covid-19 “ is more than a $ 400 emergency.
” However , her “ 40 % – $ 400 ” statistic is false , and the facts that broadly inform this issue reveal that : • None government social programs , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ workers ’ savings , causing the very outcomes that she decries .
• None the people of the U.S. lead the world in charity .
• None middle- and low-income Americans are more financially capable of handling Covid-19 than the bulk of people in most developed countries , including those who live in more socialistic nations that AOC says the U.S. should emulate .
In a recent video , Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez ( D–NY ) declared : “ This is supposed to be the richest society in the world , and I think @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that this is only a rich society for a very small amount of people , and it is a brutal , barbarian society for the vast majority of working-class Americans because 40 % of us couldn ’ t even afford a $ 400 emergency before this thing started .
This is more than a $ 400 emergency , and we ’ re really going to have to step up and completely change our approach to our public systems.
” The statistic cited by AOC stems from an annual Federal Reserve study of people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ unexpected expenses.
” Contrary to her claim that “ 40 % of us couldn ’ t even afford a $ 400 emergency , ” the survey actually finds that 12 % of U.S. residents fall into that category .
Furthermore , the facts surrounding this 12 % figure reveal that it overstates the portion of people who can ’ t afford such an expense .
Per the Federal Reserve ’ s report on this issue , “ if faced with an unexpected expense of $ 400 ” : • None 61 % “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with cash , savings , or a credit card paid off at the next statement.
” • None 27 % say they “ would borrow or sell something to pay for the expense.
” • None 12 % say “ would not be able to cover the expense at all.
” Hence , AOC ’ s figure of “ 40 % ” includes people who would place the expense on a credit card and not pay it off right away .
This is materially different from her claim that they “ couldn ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the same report notes that another survey found 76 % “ of households had $ 400 in liquid assets ( even after taking monthly expenses into account ) .
” In other words , it ’ s not that they “ couldn ’ t ” immediately pay for an unexpected $ 400 expense ; they just preferred not to do so .
Given that 40 % of U.S. residents carry a credit card balance “ most or all of the time , ” the “ $ 40 % – $ 400 ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ regard to the 12 % who claim they “ would not be able to cover the expense at all , ” consumer data shows that the lowest-spending 10 % of U.S. households spend an average of $ 1,369 per year on entertainment and $ 208 per year on alcohol .
That ’ s enough to handle about four $ 400 emergencies every year .
Furthermore , these figures are based on household surveys , and the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis explains that they “ are subject to deliberate underreporting of certain items.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ are also included in AOC ’ s 40 % figure—spend an average of $ 2,830 per year on entertainment and $ 320 on alcohol .
This is enough to cover about eight $ 400 emergencies , which means the issue is not about a lack of money but how it is spent .
In spite of these facts , media outlets have published headlines like these : • None “ 40 % of Americans Don ’ t Have $ 400 in the Bank for Emergency Expenses ” Also , the survey includes all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ live in the U.S. , not just “ working-class Americans ” as AOC asserts .
Thus , it also includes non-working Americans and millions of unauthorized immigrants who are not legally allowed to earn income in the United States .
Since these individuals often work off the books and don ’ t disclose the money , this potentially skews the results of such surveys .
Also belying AOC ’ s rhetoric about the inability of Americans to weather a Covid-19 crisis is the fact that taxpayers already pay for most of the living @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vast bulk of their medical costs .
Roughly 22 % of the U.S. population is on Medicaid , and as the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services explains : Beneficiary cost sharing , such as deductibles or co-payments , and beneficiary premiums are very limited in Medicaid and do not represent a significant share of the total cost of health care goods and services for Medicaid enrollees .
Beyond medical care , federal , state , and local governments provide a wide range of other benefits to low-income households .
In 2015 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 82 federal means-tested welfare programs .
When all of these benefits and other sources of income are included , U.S. households that are officially “ in poverty ” consume an average of more than $ 50,000 per year in goods and services .
This amounts to 5.2 times the income they report to the Census Bureau .
Governments also shift the costs of some welfare policies to the private sector .
A prime example is the federal law that requires most hospitals with emergency departments to provide an “ examination ” and “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to such a facility and requests care for an emergency medical condition or childbirth—regardless of their ability to pay and immigration status .
In 2018 , federal , state , and local governments provided an average of $ 23,050 in social benefits to every household in the United States .
The federal government defines these as “ payments from social insurance funds , such as social security and Medicare , and payments providing other income support , such as Medicaid and food stamp benefits.
” These alone are on par with the total @ @ @ @ @ @ @ including both private earnings and government benefits .
In addition , the federal government has recently enacted enough Covid-19-related legislation to nearly double its regular $ 2.6 trillion annual spending on social benefits .
This includes but is not limited to $ 192 billion for the Families First Coronavirus Response Act and an estimated $ 2.2 trillion for the Coronavirus Aid , Relief , and Economic Security Act .
Such levels of government social spending , which AOC wants to increase , are the main reason why many workers don ’ t save @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in 2016 working paper published by the European Central Bank : • None “ As the state organizes and offers more public insurance , there is less need for relatively poor households to hold precautionary savings , and more income might be used for consumption purposes.
” • None “ social services provided by the state are substitutes for private wealth accumulation.
” • None “ an increase in welfare state spending goes along with an increase—rather than a decrease—of observed wealth inequality.
” Furthermore , Americans must ultimately fund these programs , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The $ 23,050 per household in social benefits that governments paid out in 2018 ultimately came from American households .
Although high-income households bear a greater share of these costs than others , middle-income workers lose about 15.3 % of their paychecks to social insurance taxes .
If , in contrast , these workers could have saved and invested a fifth of these taxes during their careers , each retired middle-income worker would have an additional $ 199,000 to $ 764,000 in savings today .
Long before governments began providing appreciable amounts of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ world in charity , and it continues to do so .
In notes that Thomas Jefferson wrote in the 1780s , he described how Americans cared for the sick and poor with striking contrast to modern , government-run welfare programs : • None Churches collected money and appointed modest , quiet people to deliver these resources and personally look after each person in need .
• None For the poor who had “ neither property , friends , nor strength to labour , ” farmers took them in , and churches paid these @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
• None For the poor who were “ able to help themselves a little , ” churches supplemented their income so they could “ live comfortably in their own houses , or in the houses of their friends.
” • None “ Vagabonds without visible property or vocation , are placed in work houses , where they are well clothed , fed , lodged , and made to labor .
Nearly the same method of providing for the poor prevails through all our states ; and from Savannah [ Georgia ] to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ seldom meet a beggar.
” • None Sick people were “ visited by all the neighbors , ” who brought them food and took turns watching over them at night .
Regarding this charity , Jefferson wrote : • None It “ is without comparison better than in a general hospital , where the sick , the dying and the dead , are crammed together , in the same rooms , and often in the same beds.
” • None Being in a home and under the care of a local community has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ medicine and regimen ” in a hospital .
• None “ Nature and kind nursing save a much greater proportion in our plain way , at a smaller expense , and with less abuse.
” In the 1830s , a French historian and political scientist named Alexis de Tocqueville visited the U.S. and wrote a famous work entitled Democracy in America .
In it , he stated that what “ I most admire in America ” is how people were personally engaged in advancing the welfare of society : In the United States @ @ @ @ @ @ @ kept in view ; they are an object of solicitude [ concern ] to the people of the whole Union , and every citizen is as warmly attached to them as if they were his own .
When a private individual meditates an undertaking , however directly connected it may be with the welfare of society , he never thinks of soliciting the cooperation of the Government ; but he publishes his plan , offers to execute it himself , courts the assistance of other individuals , and struggles manfully against all obstacles @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than the State might have been in his position ; but in the end , the sum of these private undertakings far exceeds all that the Government could have done .
Although federal , state , and local governments consume about 33.5 % of the U.S. economy—at an average cost of $ 54,000 per year to every household in the nation—U.S .
citizens still donate about $ 50 billion each year to charities that provide “ direct services to people in need.
” That equals an average of $ 1,316 for every person @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
U.S. citizens also donate $ 38 billion per year to health charities , along with $ 59 billion to education charities , and $ 127 billion to religious groups , many of which serve the poor .
A 2016 study of 24 nations by the Charities Aid Foundation found that the people of the United States are most generous and donate 1.44 % of the nation ’ s gross domestic product to charities .
The next closest nation , New Zealand , donates 0.79 % , or 45 % less than the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 0.13 % ) and France ( 0.11 % ) donate less than one-tenth of the USA .
The most comprehensive mass measure of people ’ s financial condition is their consumption of goods and services .
This is the World Bank ’ s “ preferred ” indicator of material well-being due to “ practical reasons of reliability and because consumption is thought to better capture long-run welfare levels than current income.
” The latest available data show that middle-income Americans and even the poorest 20 % of Americans consume more goods and services @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in most affluent countries .
This includes the majority of nations in the prestigious Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development , including more socialistic nations that AOC says the U.S. should emulate : An important strength of this data is that it is adjusted for purchasing power to measure tangible realities like square feet of living area , foods , smartphones , etc .
This removes the confounding effects of factors like inflation and exchange rates .
Thus , an apple in one nation is counted the same as an apple in another @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Just Facts , a think tank dedicated to publishing rigorously documented facts about public policy issues .
Photo “ Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez ” by nrkbeta .
CC BY-SA 2.0 .


thetennesseestar--2020-04-18--Reps. Tim Ryan and Ro Khanna Propose Additional Stimulus Checks for Americans

Reps. Tim Ryan ( D-OH-13 ) and Ro Khanna ( D-CA-17 ) introduced a bill Tuesday that would provide additional payments to Americans who are struggling during the Chinese coronavirus pandemic .
This week an estimated 80 million Americans started to receive $ 1,200 stimulus checks from the federal government to help amid these difficult times .
Although Ryan and Khanna say they believe this one-time payment is helpful , they add it does not go far enough .
In their Emergency Money for the People Act ( EMPA ) , Americans over the age of 16 would receive a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ returns to pre-COVID-19 levels , ” according to Ryan ’ s press release .
“ The economic impact of this virus is unprecedented for our country .
As millions of Americans file for unemployment week over week , we have to work quickly to patch the dam – and that means putting cash in the hands of hard-working families , ” Ryan said .
“ Many Ohioans are just receiving – or about to receive – the first cash payment we passed in the CARES Act , ” he added .
Now it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to work on the next step to provide relief for those who have been hardest hit in this pandemic.
” EMPA , if passed , would have qualified Americans who make less than $ 130,000 annually get $ 2,000 per month .
Married couples who make less than $ 260,000 annually would receive $ 4,000 a month .
Families with children that qualify would receive another $ 500 per child .
Families would get funds for up to three children , the press release said .
Under this proposal , these monthly cash @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ continue until the employment to population ratio for people ages 16 and older is above 60 % .
” Currently , the CARES Act allows Americans whose gross annual income is “ up to $ 75,000 for individuals and up to $ 150,000 for married couples filing joint returns ” to receive the stimulus checks .
“ A one-time , twelve hundred dollar check isn ’ t going to cut it .
Americans need sustained cash infusions for the duration of this crisis in order to come out on the other side @ @ @ @ @ @ @ get back to work , ” Khanna said.
” “ Members on both sides of the aisle are finally coming together around the idea of sending money out to people , ” he concluded .
Rep. Ryan and I are urging leadership to include this bill in the fourth COVID relief package to truly support the American working class.
” Over the last four weeks , over 22 million Americans filed for unemployment benefits due to COVID-19 .
Zachery Schmidt is the digital editor of Star News Digital Media .
If you have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ email protected ] Photo “ Tim Ryan ” by Tim Ryan .


thetennesseestar--2020-04-18--Nashville Tea Party Founder Ben Cunningham says ‘Express Your Opinion, Get Involved and Make Your Vo

Nashville Tea Party Founder Ben Cunningham says ‘Express Your Opinion, Get Involved and Make Your Voice Heard. That is What Government is All About’

On Friday ’ s Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville ’ s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. – Leahy welcomed guest host and Nashville Tea Party founder Ben Cunningham to the show .
During the third hour , Cunningham called for people to revisit discussions raised by the Tea Party movement and talk about what the role of our government is and why not to sit by and let them do the thinking for us .
He urged people to raise their voices and to be part @ @ @ @ @ @ @ state and federal levels .
Leahy : We are joined now for the last half hour of this program and of the week our good friend , all-star panelist , and the official guest host of The Tennessee Star Report the President and Founder of the Nashville Tea Party Ben Cunningham .
Good morning Ben .
Cunningham : Michael good morning !
How are you ?
Leahy : I ’ m looking forward to that aspirational day .
I call it in studio freedom day .
( Laughter ) It ’ s aspirational @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we ’ re ok with all of the governor ’ s plans and the mayor ’ s plans and the iHeart Media official policy .
But we have an aspirational day for in-studio freedom of Monday , May 4 where we will be able to have all of our all-star panelists , one at a time , in the studio here .
Ben , I am putting together your official Tennessee Star Report hazmat suit ( Laughter ) so you can come to the studio .
We ’ ll have an N-95 mask @ @ @ @ @ @ @ gloves .
Our microphones are about three and a half feet away .
They can be extended .
I was talking with Crom Carmichael about this where we can extend them back so we ’ ll be about six feet apart .
We ’ ll take a picture of it when we ’ re officially approved .
We ’ re hoping that all goes well that in-studio freedom day will be two weeks from Monday , May 4 .
I ’ ve been suffering Ben from studio fever .
It ’ s sort @ @ @ @ @ @ @ re in the studio alone and used to having in-studio guests .
So , I ’ m looking forward to that day .
Cunningham : I think this is going to give the psychologists many years of studies to see how this has affected us all .
I ’ m sure it ’ s affected us in many ways that we don ’ t understand .
And of course our good friends the politicians we don ’ t realize how many politicians are out there until they all start telling us what to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have pretty much based on faulty computer models at the beginning pretty much destroyed the economy .
And that ’ s not a laughing matter .
These folks have brought the economy to a grinding halt .
They were all concerned about the threat of the coronavirus but it really is the time for us as citizens to really think long and hard about our relationship to our government .
That ’ s what we did in the Tea Party movement a lot and I think its time to return to those discussions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ?
Do we simply allow them to pat us on our little citizen heads and say you people go home , we ’ ll take care of it .
We ’ ll listen to the experts but we don ’ t need to listen to you .
Well , they do need to listen to us .
And we have got to raise our voices and be a part of this conversation at the state , federal , and local levels .
Leahy : You wrote a letter to the governor along those @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , “ I ’ m asking you to immediately lay out a plan to quickly restore economic and personal freedom and trust .
And trust the people of Tennessee to be capable of living as free people.
” Did the governor reply to your letter ?
Cunningham : No .
( Leahy laughs ) I don ’ t even know if he ’ s read it .
Leahy : I ’ m shocked !
I ’ m shocked !
( Cunnigham laughs ) It ’ s interesting .
I ’ ve been a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ statewide shutdowns of non-essential businesses .
This state-wide stay at home businesses when we have maybe 10 of our counties have a coronavirus problem .
85 of our 95 counties don ’ t have a problem .
Four counties don ’ t have a single case of coronavirus and yet the governor is exercising the authority granted to him under certain laws passed by the Tennessee General Assembly has shutdown basically the entire state .
It doesn ’ t make a lot of sense to me , and yet that ’ s what @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Nor me .
And in situations like this , the politicians tend to judge us citizens by the lowest common denominator of behavior .
And that ’ s a problem .
That ’ s a real problem .
That ’ s an invitation to tyranny .
We have got to raise our voices and tell him we are free citizens .
We have intelligence and the ability to judge risk .
And we probably have a much better ability to judge risk .
Your little Nashville sphere of influence and you ought to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ outside in these counties .
Do you have a problem ?
OK. Let ’ s address it .
If you don ’ t have a problem then let ’ s get back to work .
Cunningham : And get this economy back .
It ’ s going to take years .
We are certainly facing a major recession level dip in economic levels .
And we may , in fact , be facing a depression .
We just don ’ t know at this point .
Leahy : Ben , a number of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Tennessee have decided that its time to take the protest to the streets .
I ’ m sure that they ’ ll have advice on following the social distancing guidelines .
There will be a free Tennessee event at the state capitol this Sunday from one to three .
Then I think there will be events around the state and a big event on Monday the 27 for this Free Tennessee group .
Did you see by the way the horn honking protest on Wednesday the 15 in Lansing , Michigan ?
It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were a few that were people walking but it was mostly people were in their cars .
protesting the unconstitutional executive orders of Gretchen Whitmer .
The Democrat governor of Michigan .
You can ’ t go to your second home .
You can ’ t buy car seats .
You can ’ t buy seeds .
You can ’ t do all that sort of stuff .
What did you make of the government ’ s reaction to those protests on Wednesday in Michigan ?
Cunningham : Well the governor as far @ @ @ @ @ @ @ full defensive mode .
Of course , they always say they have the safety of the populous in mind .
Of course , that ’ s always the cry .
We heard it with Don Sundquist when he was implementing the state income tax .
Don Sundquist got elected .
This was a governor back in 1999 when we had all the big income tax protests and he got elected saying I ’ m not going to impose an income tax .
He got elected .
He stopped listening to the people .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ we can ’ t possibly get along as a state without more revenue because TennCare is going to kill the budget .
And he stopped listening to the people and he started listening to the experts .
Well , the people kind of took issue with that and we had about two years of running protests down there at the capitol .
And Don Sundquist never changed his mind of course .
But the legislators did and we defeated the income tax .
And believe me , I just want people to realize @ @ @ @ @ @ @ heard if they raise their voices .
Email the governor .
[ email protected ] Email the governor .
Tell him what you think .
If you work downtown at one of the honky-tonks and you want to get back to work email the governor and tell him .
Express your opinion and get involved and make your voice heard .
That is what government is all about .
They are supposed to respond to us .
They are not supposed to lead us around by the nose like little children .
We @ @ @ @ @ @ @ our voices if we are going to be part of the solution .
Leahy : Kim Edwards is a mom of three in Nashville who I think is organizing this .
We ’ re going to try and get her on as a guest .
If I have any suggestions for them to consider I would consider doing the horn honking approach in your car driving around the capital as opposed to just being there in person .
They will be wearing face masks probably .
But I think the horn honking thing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who say we don ’ t respect the orders .
I think it ’ s well suited to having the impact and attention pouring out the overreach of these executive orders .
What ’ s your thought on horn honking versus in person .
Cunningham : Well , I ’ m not really concerned about the left and what they think .
( Leahy laughs ) Cunningham : They are always going to be opportunistic in these situations to increase the power of government .
We see it in California , in New @ @ @ @ @ @ @ right .
We ’ ve got to be intelligent and reasonable about this .
It is safe .
You raise your voice and have it heard .
And goodness gracious , if you don ’ t do anything else , come down between one o ’ clock and three o ’ clock this Sunday .
Leahy : It can be done .
Listen to the full third hour here : Tune in weekdays from 5:00 – 8:00 a.m. to the Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy on Talk Radio 98.3 FM WLAC @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Background Photo “ Tennessee Capitol ” by FaceMePLS .
CC BY 2.0 .


thetennesseestar--2020-04-18--Trump Tweets Support for Hundreds of Minnesotans Who Gathered Friday to Protest Gov. Walz

President Donald Trump expressed his support Friday for the hundreds of Minnesotans who gathered outside the Governor ’ s Residence in St. Paul to protest Gov .
Tim Walz .
“ LIBERATE MINNESOTA !
” the president wrote on Twitter Friday morning ahead of the noon protest .
Video from the scene showed a massive crowd of protesters clogging both sides of Summit Avenue outside Walz ’ s home , waving American flags and demanding an end to the stay-at-home mandate .
“ Walz is the virus , ” one protester ’ s sign declared .
Other signage spotted at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is essential , ” “ you ’ re fired , ” “ we do not consent , ” “ stop the shutdown , ” “ I need a haircut , ” and “ I should be in school.
” The St. Paul Police Department said an estimated 800 people were in attendance .
“ Minnesota citizens now is the time to demand Gov .
Walz and our state legislators end this lock down !
Thousands of lives are being destroyed right now .
It is not the governor ’ s place to restrict @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Walz , you work for the citizens of this state !
” organizers of the protest said on a Facebook event page .
U.S. Senate candidate Jason Lewis drove his campaign RV through the protest and later got out to greet several of the demonstrators .
“ I ’ m proud to stand with patriots across America fighting for liberty and their livelihoods , ” he wrote on Twitter .
“ It ’ s time to reopen Minnesota for business .
We can liberate Minnesota ’ s workers and businesses while still @ @ @ @ @ @ @ distance.
” Attorney General Keith Ellison said the protesters are “ irresponsible , dangerous , and risking Minnesotans ’ lives.
” “ If you ’ re alive , you might be able to enjoy some freedoms ; if you ’ re dead , you can ’ t enjoy any .
Anyone is free to disagree with Gov .
Tim Walz or me or any elected official .
But no one has the freedom to take away someone else ’ s freedom to live .
I condemn this dangerous protest , ” he said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this country for 24 years to protect people ’ s First Amendment rights to protest and I will fight to the end of time that they protest me but having people standing in close contact with one another and flaunting this – that ’ s not about personal freedom , ” he said .
“ That is putting my grandmother-in-law , Vera , who ’ s a hundred and living in a congregate care facility at risk .
It ’ s putting my mother who ’ s 85 at risk .
It ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ risk.
” Rep. Betty McCollum ( D-MN-04 ) said the protest was “ pouring gas on the fire of this pandemic.
” “ More Minnesotans will get sick and more will die if we follow President Trump ’ s lunacy .
I support Gov .
Tim Walz , ” she said .
Gov .
Walz issued an executive order April 8 that extended his stay-at-home order through May 3 .
He has also extended his peacetime emergency declaration for an additional 30 days , bringing the total number of executive orders issued since @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 38 .
Republican lawmakers attempted to pass two resolutions earlier this week that would have ended the peacetime emergency and voided many of the governor ’ s executive orders , but both were defeated in the DFL-controlled House .
Anthony Gockowski is managing editor of The Minnesota Sun and The Ohio Star .
Follow Anthony on Twitter .
Email tips to [ email protected ] .
Background Photo “ Minnesota Protests ” by Theo Keith .


thetennesseestar--2020-04-18--Ohio Coronavirus Numbers Continue to Fall Short of Projections

The number of confirmed cases in Ohio continues to be far below original estimates , despite earlier predictions for that number to be in the high thousands .
Ohio averaged around 370 new confirmed cases per day for the past five days , according to data from the COVID Tracking Project .
That number is far below the 10,000 new confirmed cases per day Ohio Health Director Dr. Amy Acton predicted in late March .
Acton said on March 27 that the number of confirmed cases was expected to reach peak in the state on April 19 at 10,000 new @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to mitigate the spread of the virus in place .
During the same press conference , she predicted a peak of 51,000 new cases per day in the state without preventative action .
“ There is no healthcare system in the world that could take on this virus , as it was built , ” Acton said during the press conference in March .
There are currently 8,858 confirmed cases of the coronavirus in Ohio , according to the most recent data from the Ohio Department of Health .
That number is up @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also an increase of 623 new cases from Wednesday to Thursday and 638 new cases from Tuesday to Wednesday , based on historical data from the COVID Tracking Project .
The death toll for the state is currently 418 .
The current data is also far below the predictions of University of Washington ’ s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation predictions .
IHME estimated roughly 120,00 deaths from COVID-19 at peak .
According to its adjusted data , Ohio passed peak deaths on April 14 , at 50 deaths .
IHME also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than 14,000 of hospital beds in Ohio would be needed .
As of Friday , it estimates that just more than 1,200 beds would be needed , and that Ohio had passed peak resource use earlier in the week .
According to data from the Ohio Department of Health , there have been 2,424 cumulative hospitalizations from the coronavirus in the state .
Ohio does not release the data for current hospitalizations .
IHME does not have data for confirmed cases .
Ohio Gov .
Mike DeWine said this week that May 1 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to reopen Ohio ’ s economy .
“ We must continue to assume that everyone has this disease because it is not going away until we have a vaccine , ” DeWine said in a statement on Friday .
“ As we gradually , carefully , and responsibly start to reopen Ohio , it will be important that we all continue to work together to protect each other.
” Jordyn Pair is a reporter with The Michigan Star .
Follow her on Twitter at @ JordynPair .
Email her at [ email protected @


thetennesseestar--2020-04-18--DeWine Calls for Phased-In Reopening Starting May 1 With Restrictions on Workforces

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine and Dr. Amy Acton on Friday discussed how the state will develop its plan to reopen the economy .
DeWine said , “ Ohioans have done a great job , a phenomenal job , fighting back , staying home , ensuring physical distancing .
We ’ ve been doing all the things that needed to be done .
I ’ ve never been prouder to be an Ohioan and I ’ m very grateful for what you have done .
You have flattened the curve.
” Beginning May 1 , the state will begin a phased-in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ plan will be fact-driven over a long period of time to minimize the health risk to business owners , employees , and customers .
DeWine says he will lead a group of economic advisors to find best practices , similar to the current requirements on essential business operations .
He said the goals to reopen are “ common-sense , ” meaning to protect employees and customers .
“ That ’ s it.
” DeWine said he will work closely with the governors of Illinois , Michigan , Wisconsin , Minnesota , Indiana , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s economy in a coordinated way .
The states will review four factors as they reopen their economies : the number of cases in the state and the number of hospital admissions , the amount of hospital capacity , the ability to test and trace cases of COVID-19 , and best practices for social distancing in businesses .
DeWine on Friday tweeted , “ As we move forward into this world , some things won ’ t change : Such as that we must assume every one of us is carrying the virus.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ will work from home .
You ’ ll see temperature checks of employees who can ’ t work from home.
” “ In retail , you ’ ll see the limit of the number of people who can be in a store .
These are some of the things we ’ d expect to see.
” “ After May 1 , things will change some , but the essential reality is that this virus will remain out there , so our lives must be guided by that .
We want to make sure @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their own condition and what risks there are.
” “ We will see testing evolve over a period of time to help people know if they had # COVID19.
” Ohio State and the Ohio Health Department are making test kits with components that once were in short supply and are seeking federal approval , The Columbus Dispatch said .
DeWine said he would contact the FDA on Friday to lobby for approval of the solution to allow more tests as Ohio begins a limited reopening .
There are 8,414 confirmed and probable @ @ @ @ @ @ @ confirmed and probable COVID-19 deaths , DeWine said .
A total of 2,331 people have been hospitalized , including 707 admissions to intensive care units .
Jason M. Reynolds has more than 20 years ’ experience as a journalist at outlets of all sizes .
Photo “ Mike DeWine ” by The Ohio Channel .


thetennesseestar--2020-04-18--Ohioans Protest Gov. DeWine for Third Time in Two Weeks

Protesters gathered outside the Ohio Statehouse in downtown Columbus Friday to protest Gov .
Mike DeWine ’ s handling of the coronavirus pandemic for at least the second time this week .
Despite the rain , a group of protesters congregated outside the capitol building and demanded DeWine leave his office to come speak with them .
“ Freedom is essential , ” the protesters chanted .
“ We want freedom !
” The protest marked at least the third demonstration in front of the Ohio Statehouse in two weeks and the second protest this week .
Similar protests against @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Friday and several more are planned for the weekend .
President Donald Trump tweeted his support for protesters in Minnesota , Michigan , and Virginia on Friday morning .
Ohio has been under a shelter-in-place order since March 23 and will remain so until at least May 1 , the governor said during a Thursday press briefing .
“ We ’ re excited about being able to do it .
So May 1 is the date .
It ’ s not that we ’ re reopening the state , in that sense .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ a way that engenders confidence in the people of the state of Ohio , ” DeWine said about his plans to reopen Ohio ’ s economy .
Protesters have repeatedly called for DeWine to fire Dr. Amy Acton , the director of the Ohio Department of Health and a former campaign volunteer for President Barack Obama .
As The Ohio Star reported , Acton put a notorious abortionist back in businesses in December and was accused by several pro-life groups of not sharing DeWine ’ s pro-life politics .
A Monday protest led @ @ @ @ @ @ @ called for Acton ’ s termination with chants of “ O-H-I-O , Acton ’ s got to go.
” “ This is our republic .
These men and women are tyrants , ” Ackison said during the protest .
“ My husband and my son were confront by the police last week for simply trying to make a living all the while these politicians are being paid from our tax dollars.
” “ This is an uprising !
Stand up , demand answers , ” Ackison continued .
“ They ’ re not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ re not showing you the facts.
” Several Republican lawmakers have called on DeWine to begin the process of reopening Ohio for business .
The governor has faced significant criticism over the modeling he is using to guide his response to the pandemic , The Star reported .
He also faced backlash for initially concealing the number of negative COVID-19 test results in the state .
New unemployment numbers released Thursday showed that the state had 157,218 new unemployment claims last week alone .
The state has lost more jobs in four weeks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ As of Friday , Ohio had 9,107 confirmed COVID-19 cases , 2,424 hospitalizations , and 418 deaths , according to the Department of Health .
Anthony Gockowski is managing editor of The Minnesota Sun and The Ohio Star .
Follow Anthony on Twitter .
Email tips to [ email protected ] .
Photo “ Ohio Protest ” by Melissa Ackinson .


thetennesseestar--2020-04-18--Republicans Introduce Bills in House, Senate Limiting Governor’s Emergency Powers

Republican legislators have introduced bills that seek to curb the emergency powers of the governor , including limiting the number of days for which a governor can declare a state of emergency .
State Rep. Jason Sheppard ( R-Temperance ) and state Sen. Tom Barrett ( R-Charlotte ) both submitted legislation to the House and the Senate , respectively , that calls for reduced emergency powers for the governor .
The changes include reducing the number of days for which the governor can declare an emergency from 28 to 14 , prohibiting the banning of firearm and ammunition sales , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than a criminal penalty for violating an emergency order .
“ The governor is playing with people ’ s constitutional rights , ” Sheppard said in a statement .
“ She has stripped residents of their property rights by prohibiting travel from one residence to another .
In addition , the governor has interfered with commerce by prohibiting Michiganians from purchasing certain goods.
” Gov .
Gretchen Whitmer has received backlash after her recently extended “ Stay Home , Stay Safe ” order also banned inter-residence travel and the sale of goods like @ @ @ @ @ @ @ backlash included a protest called “ Operation Gridlock ” on Wednesday that drew thousands of people to Lansing to criticize Whitmer ’ s lockdown order .
“ The people of Michigan deserve to have a seat at the table whenever major decisions are being made , and the Legislature is the voice of the people , ” Sheppard said .
“ We must study options like these to restore checks and balances within state government and make the Legislature ’ s role during states of emergency abundantly clear.
” The bills were referred @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which Sheppard chairs , in the House of Representatives .
The similar bills introduced in the Senate were referred to the Senate Government Operations Committee .
Michigan currently has more than 30,000 confirmed cases of the coronavirus , according to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services .
The death toll in the state is 2,227 .
Jordyn Pair is a reporter with The Michigan Star .
Follow her on Twitter at @ JordynPair .
Email her at [ email protected ]


thetennesseestar--2020-04-18--Rural Lawmakers Ask Walz to Reconsider One-Size-Fits-All Approach to Pandemic

A group of rural Minnesota lawmakers want the governor to reconsider his one-size-fits-all approach to addressing the coronavirus pandemic .
Mazeppa doesn ’ t require the same restrictions as Minneapolis , the lawmakers argued in a letter sent to Gov .
Tim Walz last week .
“ As members of the Republican Rural Caucus , we stress the importance of Minnesota ’ s diversity .
This is a state of varying population densities , economies , and communities ; and although all Minnesotans ’ day-to-day lives are being upended , the cost to rural Minnesotans is even higher relative to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ letter states .
The letter calls on Walz to reconsider his extension of the stay-at-home order and allow rural communities to reopen .
“ Rural and urban communities have different risk profiles and should not have the same restrictions , ” the letter continues .
“ Our neighboring Midwestern states , North Dakota , South Dakota , Iowa , and Nebraska , have yet to order statewide stay-at-home restrictions .
They have issued orders based on the risks different communities face .
Like Minnesota , these neighboring states have urban centers as well @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lives from COVID-19 with a multifaceted approach.
” The data , if broken down on a county-by-county level , show a “ concentration of cases in the Metro and stress on this specific region of Minnesota , ” the legislators say in their letter .
“ If you continue to use data as support for your executive orders , please utilize all the data you have at hand , showing rural communities have significantly fewer cases and cause for concern , ” the letter concludes .
A total of 44 Republican lawmakers from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ letter , including Sen. Mark Johnson ( R-East Grand Forks ) , who said in a statement that a “ blanket order for the entire state may not be the appropriate response.
” “ We recognize the tremendous public health crisis that Minnesota is facing and the evolving situation the governor ’ s administration is handling , ” he said .
“ But we urge Gov .
Walz to recognize that Greater Minnesota has a much lower population density than the metro area , and will ultimately have a different risk profile.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Hennepin County leads the state in COVID-19 cases with 806 confirmed cases .
Ramsey County has the second-most cases in the state with 178 as of Friday .
With 2,071 confirmed cases statewide , Hennepin County ’ s caseload accounts for 39 percent of all cases in the state .
There are currently 14 counties in rural Minnesota with no confirmed cases of COVID-19 .
Anthony Gockowski is managing editor of The Minnesota Sun and The Ohio Star .
Follow Anthony on Twitter .
Email tips to [ email protected ] .


thetennesseestar--2020-04-18--Bill Lee Announces New Economic Recovery Group Aimed at Helping Tennessee’s Economy

Gov .
Bill Lee announced on Thursday a new economic recovery group aimed at getting Tennessee ’ s economy going again .
“ COVID-19 has not only created a public health crisis , it has hurt thousands of businesses and hundreds of thousands of hardworking Tennesseans , ” said Gov .
Lee .
“ As we work to safely open Tennessee ’ s economy , this group will provide guidance to industries across the state on the best ways to get Tennesseans back to work.
” Over the last four weeks , over 324,000 Tennesseans have filed for unemployment benefits @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of 30 , which is made up of business leaders , state legislators and state officials , is led by Tennessee Department of Tourism Development Commissioner Mark Ezell , according to the governor ’ s press release .
“ This public-private partnership will prioritize connection , collaboration , and communication across industries , the medical community and state government , ” Ezell said .
“ We ’ re grateful to these leaders for serving at a critical time in our state ’ s history.
” This new economic group comes on the same @ @ @ @ @ @ @ three-step plan to re-open America .
In his plan , Trump has given state governors to power to open individually rather than all at once .
“ All of American society is engaged and mobilized in the war against the invisible enemy .
While we must remain vigilant , it is clear that our aggressive strategy is working , ” Trump said .
Lee has not publicly decided on how Tennessee will go forward with Trump ’ s new plan .
As of Friday , Tennessee has 6,589 cases and 142 deaths , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
• Beverly Robertson , President & CEO of the Memphis Chamber of Commerce • Clay Crownover , President & CEO of Associated Builders & Contractors of Tennessee Zachery Schmidt is the digital editor of Star News Digital Media .
If you have any tips , email Zachery at [ email protected ]


thetennesseestar--2020-04-18--The Tennessee Star Only Media Outlet in State to Carry Steve Bannon Presents Part Two of Descent int

The Tennessee Star Only Media Outlet in State to Carry Steve Bannon Presents Part Two of Descent into Hell: Life of the Chinese under the CCP

A LIVE STREAM of Steve Bannon Presents Descent into Hell : Life of the Chinese under the CCP ( Part Two ) was presented here beginning at 9 a.m Central Time on Saturday .
The Tennessee Star was the only Tennessee media outlet presenting this special two hour program .
You can watch the recorded version of this program here : Second Hour : First Hour : You can watch the first hour of the program here : You can also watch the recorded first hour of the the first hour of program of Steve Bannon Presents Descent into Hell @ @ @ @ @ @ @ CCP ( Part One ) , originally broadcast on Saturday April 11 , on YouTube here .
According to the press release announcing part two of the special live program : Former White House Chief Strategist and War Room : Pandemic host Stephen K. Bannon is hosting a two-hour long special program entitled “ Descent into Hell : Xi .
And the Death Sentence of Wuhan this Saturday , April 18 , from 10:00 am – 12:00 noon ET .
The groundbreaking special will air live on the John Fredericks Radio Network , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ TV Channel 219 , The Epoch Times , ND TV , GTV and GNews in Mandarin .
Mr. Bannon began the daily War Room : Pandemic radio show and podcast on January 25 , when news of the virus was just beginning to leak out of China around the Lunar New Year .
Bannon and co-hosts bring listeners exclusive analysis and breaking updates from top medical , public health , economic , national security , supply chain and geopolitical experts weekdays from 10:00 am – 12:00 noon ET .
The show ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ News , the John Fredericks Radio Network , Salem Media Group , and Newsmax TV and the podcast is available on Apple , Spotify , Stitcher , SoundCloud , and Google Play .
– Simone Gao , Award-winning journalist .
Producer and host of Zooming In , an in-depth report program on current affairs at NTD – Dr. Robert Spalding , III .
Brigadier General ( R ) , United States Air Force , Author , Stealth War : How China Took Over while America ’ s Elite Slept and world-renowned national security @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Deceiving the Sky : Inside Communist China ’ s Drive for Global Supremacy , investigative journalist , and columnist at The Washington Times – Dr. Bradley A. Thayer , Professor of political science at the University of Texas San Antonio and the co-author of How China Sees the World : Han-Centrism and the Balance of Power in International Politics .


thetennesseestar--2020-04-19--Knox vs. Davidson County:  Two Mayoral Responses to the Financial Impact of COVID-19

As the economic shutdowns related to the COVID-19 pandemic continue on and the start of the upcoming fiscal year on July 1 draws near , Tennessee ’ s government leaders are laying out their response to the financial impact .
A stark contrast can be drawn between the responses of the mayors of Knox and Davidson counties .
In a press conference on Friday , Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs announced that some employees would be furloughed beginning May 9 .
Obviously emotional about the announcement , Jacobs said that it was the hardest thing he has had to do @ @ @ @ @ @ @ affect a yet-to-be-determined number of employees in every executive branch department and fee offices .
Fee offices , Jacobs defined , include the register of deeds , county clerk , court clerks and other elected officials other than the sheriff ’ s office .
The list of employees to be furloughed will be developed by the elected officials and department heads , although those in his office will begin their furlough period on Monday , April 20 .
A target dollar amount of savings has not yet been determined .
Furloughed employees will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ other benefits , in addition to up to $ 275 from the State of Tennessee and $ 600 from the federal government ’ s CARES Act , for a total of up to $ 875 per week while unemployed , explained Jacobs .
Employees will begin what is classified as an eight-week furlough on May 9 , and will continue to work and be paid until May 8 , said Jacobs .
This will give time for human resources to file paperwork on the employees ’ behalf .
It is the intention , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ back , although furlough extensions remain a possibility .
“ This is an extremely difficult decision , because I know we ’ re talking about real people and their jobs and their livelihoods.
” Stating something not often heard from the government , “ Our government is like any other business , ” said Jacobs , “ and just like the businesses and people we serve , we are experiencing significant loss in revenue , because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
” “ None of this is fair .
Not to anyone .
Not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not to the people who work for Knox County , not to their families , ” he added .
“ I hate the terms COVID-19 , social distancing , essential , non-essential , all of it .
They ’ ve become part of our lexicon , and I hate it , ” the mayor said .
“ I am sorry , but I have to do what I believe is in the best interest of Knox County .
I hope everyone understands that.
” During the question and answer period , Jacobs said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 22 million and 325,000 in Tennessee and how every one of those numbers is a person with a story .
“ It ’ s one of those things that we all know that we ’ re going to get through it , and we will get through it , but sometimes it feels like a gut punch when you have to deal with stuff like this , ” he said .
As Jacobs makes the tough decision regarding Knox County employees that parallels what is happening in the private sector , Davidson County @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sharply increase ” the property tax rate .
Cooper made that announcement during his virtual State of Metro Address at the end of March , due to predictions that revenues from sales tax and other activities will be down $ 200 to $ 300 million because of the coronavirus pandemic , The Tennessee Star reported .
The tornado that hit the Nashville area earlier in the month was another reason Cooper pointed to as a reason for the tax increase .
However , as early as January , WPLN reported that Cooper was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the door open ” to a tax increase .
This goes against his campaign positions and the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey he filled out just last year during the 2019 mayoral race and subsequent run-off election against the incumbent David Briley .
According to Ballotpedia , then-candidate Cooper ’ s survey answers and campaign website information focused heavily on sound fiscal management .
“ Sound fiscal management will allow us to get beyond this moment of financial stress , ” and “ I ’ ve consistently favored the good management approach over a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ indicates could be found on Cooper ’ s campaign website .
Also leading voters to believe that in his very first year as mayor , he wouldn ’ t consider a property tax increase , “ I voted against a property tax hike last year and this year , ” said Cooper ’ s campaign website , and that the city has other revenue sources than just the property tax .
This week , Cooper revealed to WVLT/WTVF that as much as a 20 percent property tax hike is possible .
While a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ immediately put in place , the Nashville Metro Public Health Department has recently grown from four to 40 employees , in order to implement the “ contact tracing ” program to help contain the coronavirus , The Star reported .
Budget submissions by Metro Nashville departments for the upcoming 2021 fiscal year , which begins July 1 , were to have smaller request on the front end instead of hoping to hit savings targets over the course of the year , WPLNs report said .
The departments responded by submitting budget requests that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 861 people more than last year , The Star reported , Nashville Tea Party Founder Ben Cunningham reacting to Cooper ’ s proposed 20 percent property tax hike , told The Star , “ Sharply raising Nashville property taxes when we are entering possibly the worst recession since WWII does not reflect the values of most Nashville citizens .
We should expect government to show a spirit of shared sacrifice just like we expect from all the other institutions that serve us in this very difficult time.
” Laura Baigert is a senior @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ John Cooper ” by John Cooper .

by Bethany Blankley
Nineteen attorneys general, led by Indiana, have filed an amicus brief with the U.S. Supreme Court in support of a lawsuit filed by Texas and Missouri against the Biden administration.
They’re asking the Supreme Court to uphold a lower court’s order instructing the Biden administration to follow the law to fully reinstate the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP), otherwise known as the “Remain in Mexico” policy.
“No one is above the law in America, and we are simply insisting that the Biden administration follow the law,” Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita said (pictured above).
“The rule of law is the framework that enables American liberty to survive and thrive,” he added. “The situation at our southern border provides the perfect example of how going soft on the rule of law gives rise to anarchy, chaos, and ultimately the erosion of our freedom and safety.”
In January 2021, President Joe Biden announced via executive order that he was terminating MPP. Months later, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas began dismantling it and other immigration policies. Southern border encounters then surged to historic levels. In Biden’s first year in office, Customs and Border Protection and Border Patrol agents encountered or apprehended roughly 2 million people entering the southern border illegally. This number excludes the several hundred thousand who are estimated to have evaded law enforcement.
At the same time, Mayorkas implemented a wide range of policy changes to effectively halt most deportations. CBP and Border Patrol agents were directed to release illegal immigrants into the U.S. en masse instead of sending them back to Mexico to go through the immigration process.
Texas and Missouri sued, District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk of the Northern District of Texas granted their request for a permanent injunction and ordered the administration to reinstate the MPP. He ruled the administration violated the Administrative Procedure Act when it halted the MPP.
The administration appealed to the Fifth Circuit and U.S. Supreme Court and lost. Both courts denied its request to stay Kacsmaryk’s ruling.
After its Supreme Court loss, the administration said it was appealing Kacsmaryk’s ruling, vowing to “vigorously challenge it.” In a statement, it said, “As the appeal process continues, however, DHS will comply with the order in good faith. Alongside interagency partners, DHS has begun to engage with the Government of Mexico in diplomatic discussions surrounding the Migrant Protection Protocols.”
But compliance hasn’t happened, as evidenced by the flood of illegal immigrants the administration is releasing into the U.S. and by the tactics it’s used in court to circumvent the law, the AGs argue.
“From the beginning of this Administration, the United States has been forthright about its intention to terminate MPP simply because it did not like the program, and its conduct demonstrates its readiness to do anything – including ignore the APA’s requirements – to accomplish that objective,” they argue in the brief.
“The Administration’s ‘act now, justify later’ approach began on Inauguration Day, when it summarily paused MPP,” they add.
Throughout the appeals process, “the Fifth Circuit correctly concluded that the United States’ efforts to avoid judicial review violated basic principles of procedure,” they argue.
An unprecedented number of people are expected to come through the southern border after the administration ends the Title 42 public health authority May 23, the attorneys general have argued, necessitating the urgency for the Supreme Court to weigh in.
Implemented under President Donald Trump in January 2019, the MPP led to a reduction in the number of people entering the U.S. illegally. The Trump administration also invoked Title 42 to enable CBP and Border Patrol agents to quickly expel illegal immigrants and prevent entry to a greater number of people during a public health emergency.
Current law requires those not authorized to enter the U.S. to be detained, to stay in Mexico, or be “paroled” into the U.S. based on narrowly defined case-by-case circumstances including “urgent humanitarian reasons or significant public benefit.”
The Biden administration has been issuing paroles en masse to release illegal immigrants into the U.S., the attorneys general argue, violating the law.
The administration maintains it’s inherited a flawed system, and its policies are more humane than the previous administration’s. White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters last December after the administration lost another court battle in the case, “it is not our preference to be reimplementing and reinstituting the Migrant Protection program. … we still feel that the program is inefficient, inhumane, and we are not – we weren’t, we were – did not eagerly reimplement it.”
– – –
Bethany Blankley is a regular contributor to The Center Square.
Photo “AG Todd Rokita” by AG Todd Rokita.