thetennesseestar--2020-07-01--Commentary: Diversity in the Party of Lincoln

In his famous Gettysburg Address , President Abraham Lincoln reminded us that we live in a country founded on the proposition that we are all created equal .
Although our nation has made remarkable strides since that 1863 speech and we remain the envy of the world , the party of Lincoln still remains less diverse than it did during reconstruction – the period immediately following the Civil War when we sought to redress the inequities of slavery .
Between 1863 and 1877 , there were more than 1500 African-Americans who held political office at the federal , state , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a microscopic fraction of that number exists in areas all across the country .
Here in Ohio , there are no African-American Republicans serving in the House or Senate .
This lack of representation makes it extremely difficult for GOP candidates like Shay Hawkins , a Cleveland native who not only served as Senator Tim Scott ’ s ( R-SC ) senior tax and economic policy advisor but was also one of the driving forces behind what would eventually become President Trump ’ s much lauded Opportunity Zones Program .
Despite winning his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ receive support from two-term Speaker of the House , Larry Householder .
Is there something inherently disqualifying about the experience of an adjunct economics professor , lawyer , and Capitol Hill Trade and Tax Counsel ?
Are there obvious racial motivations behind why the weight of the GOP caucus has not been thrown behind him ?
In response to both of those questions , I ’ d say no .
However , it does suggest that the GOP leadership has a blind spot which handicaps its ability to build a larger base of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ when there is a national discussion on how to address race-related issues , our State party has no members who can appropriately represent and advise our white allies on how to engage in these conversations without sounding insensitive and being accused of striking the wrong tone .
How do we move forward ?
If the Ohio Republican party is vested in becoming one that reflects the greatness and is representative of the people who live here , it has to put in the work .
State leaders must do a much better job @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at every level of government .
I encourage statewide officeholders and local County parties to make the concerted effort and bring minorities onto their leadership teams .
The Party should follow the lead of Governor Mike DeWine , who has created a blueprint by having the most diverse senior gubernatorial staff in Ohio ’ s history .
There ’ s also a role for Republican voters .
Contact your elected officials and demand that the Grand Ole Party be more diverse and recognize how America ’ s best can be found right in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that as more minorities flee inner cities and move to the suburbs , they are much more likely to continue supporting candidates who look like them – something Democrats have honed in on .
Obviously , there is no cure-all that can right the wrongs of the past .
But I do believe that when combined , these suggestions will help motivate our future leaders to commit themselves to public service and by default , the GOP .
The party of Lincoln has a chance to move the Buckeye State in a direction @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The question is , are we ready ?
Dr. Bobby L. Mitchell is the Senior Pastor of The Father ’ s House International .

by Dr. Bobby L. Mitchell
In his famous Gettysburg Address, President Abraham Lincoln reminded us that we live in a country founded on the proposition that we are all created equal. Although our nation has made remarkable strides since that 1863 speech and we remain the envy of the world, the party of Lincoln still remains less diverse than it did during reconstruction – the period immediately following the Civil War when we sought to redress the inequities of slavery.
Between 1863 and 1877, there were more than 1500 African-Americans who held political office at the federal, state, and local level. Today, only a microscopic fraction of that number exists in areas all across the country.
Here in Ohio, there are no African-American Republicans serving in the House or Senate. This lack of representation makes it extremely difficult for GOP candidates like Shay Hawkins, a Cleveland native who not only served as Senator Tim Scott’s (R-SC) senior tax and economic policy advisor but was also one of the driving forces behind what would eventually become President Trump’s much lauded Opportunity Zones Program. Despite winning his primary race, Hawkins has yet to receive support from two-term Speaker of the House, Larry Householder.
Is there something inherently disqualifying about the experience of an adjunct economics professor, lawyer, and Capitol Hill Trade and Tax Counsel? Are there obvious racial motivations behind why the weight of the GOP caucus has not been thrown behind him? In response to both of those questions, I’d say no.
However, it does suggest that the GOP leadership has a blind spot which handicaps its ability to build a larger base of support within the African-American community. So when there is a national discussion on how to address race-related issues, our State party has no members who can appropriately represent and advise our white allies on how to engage in these conversations without sounding insensitive and being accused of striking the wrong tone.
How do we move forward?
If the Ohio Republican party is vested in becoming one that reflects the greatness and is representative of the people who live here, it has to put in the work. State leaders must do a much better job recruiting and training minority candidates to run at every level of government. I encourage statewide officeholders and local County parties to make the concerted effort and bring minorities onto their leadership teams. The Party should follow the lead of Governor Mike DeWine, who has created a blueprint by having the most diverse senior gubernatorial staff in Ohio’s history.
There’s also a role for Republican voters. Contact your elected officials and demand that the Grand Ole Party be more diverse and recognize how America’s best can be found right in our own backyard. We must recognize that as more minorities flee inner cities and move to the suburbs, they are much more likely to continue supporting candidates who look like them – something Democrats have honed in on.
Obviously, there is no cure-all that can right the wrongs of the past. But I do believe that when combined, these suggestions will help motivate our future leaders to commit themselves to public service and by default, the GOP. The party of Lincoln has a chance to move the Buckeye State in a direction that reflects the greatness our country offers.
The question is, are we ready?
– – –
Dr. Bobby L. Mitchell is the Senior Pastor of The Father’s House International.


thetennesseestar--2020-07-01--Michigan Publishes Reopening Guidance for Schools, Allocates $256M

Gov .
Gretchen Whitmer released a set of health and safety guidelines on Tuesday for schools returning to in-person classrooms among the pandemic .
The “ MI Safe Schools Return to School Roadmap ” outlines safety protocols for schools in each stage or reopening and includes information on the proper use of personal protection equipment , disinfecting , spacing in classrooms and identifying symptoms , among other things .
Guidance is distinguished by phases and includes both required and recommended protocols .
“ Our students , parents , and educators have made incredible sacrifices during our battle with COVID-19 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ Thanks to our aggressive action against this virus , the teachers who have found creative ways to reach their students , and the heroes on the front lines , I am optimistic that we will return to in-person learning in the fall .
The ‘ MI Safe Schools Return to School Roadmap ’ will help provide schools with the guidance they need as they enact strict safety measures to continue protecting educators , students , and their families.
” Whitmer originally closed schools on March 1 due to the spread of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in early April , but Whitmer extended the closure through the end of the school year .
She announced earlier this month that schools will now be allowed to reopen in the fall .
In addition to state guidance , schools will also be receiving $ 256 million to support implementing local plans .
“ The governor ’ s MI Safe Schools Roadmap is a thoughtful , comprehensive plan that puts the health and safety of our students and educators first , balancing this priority with the importance of in-school education , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Federation of Teachers Michigan , in a statement .
“ Our teachers and support staff are eager and ready to implement safety measures in our schools to ensure everyone who steps foot in them is protected from the spread of COVID-19.
” Whitmer ’ s office said the governor plans to use the MI Safe Start plan as the “ highest-level governing framework ” to determine protocols for schools .
She also called for federal support of Michigan schools .
“ I will continue working closely with the Return to Learn Advisory Council @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to ensure we get this right , but we also need more flexibility and financial support from the federal government , ” Whitmer said .
“ This crisis has had serious implications on our budget , and we need federal support if we ’ re going to get this right for our kids.
” Read the whole “ MI Safe Schools Roadmap ” here .
Jordyn Pair is a reporter with The Michigan Star .
Follow her on Twitter at @ JordynPair .
Email her at [ email protected ]

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer released a set of health and safety guidelines on Tuesday for schools returning to in-person classrooms among the pandemic.
The “MI Safe Schools Return to School Roadmap” outlines safety protocols for schools in each stage or reopening and includes information on the proper use of personal protection equipment, disinfecting, spacing in classrooms and identifying symptoms, among other things. Guidance is distinguished by phases and includes both required and recommended protocols.
“Our students, parents, and educators have made incredible sacrifices during our battle with COVID-19,” said Whitmer in a statement. “Thanks to our aggressive action against this virus, the teachers who have found creative ways to reach their students, and the heroes on the front lines, I am optimistic that we will return to in-person learning in the fall. The ‘MI Safe Schools Return to School Roadmap’ will help provide schools with the guidance they need as they enact strict safety measures to continue protecting educators, students, and their families.”
Whitmer originally closed schools on March 1 due to the spread of the coronavirus. They were set to reopen in early April, but Whitmer extended the closure through the end of the school year. She announced earlier this month that schools will now be allowed to reopen in the fall.
In addition to state guidance, schools will also be receiving $256 million to support implementing local plans.
“The governor’s MI Safe Schools Roadmap is a thoughtful, comprehensive plan that puts the health and safety of our students and educators first, balancing this priority with the importance of in-school education,” said David Hecker, president of American Federation of Teachers Michigan, in a statement. “Our teachers and support staff are eager and ready to implement safety measures in our schools to ensure everyone who steps foot in them is protected from the spread of COVID-19.”
Whitmer’s office said the governor plans to use the MI Safe Start plan as the “highest-level governing framework” to determine protocols for schools. She also called for federal support of Michigan schools.
“I will continue working closely with the Return to Learn Advisory Council and experts in epidemiology and public health to ensure we get this right, but we also need more flexibility and financial support from the federal government,” Whitmer said. “This crisis has had serious implications on our budget, and we need federal support if we’re going to get this right for our kids.”
Read the whole “MI Safe Schools Roadmap” here.
– – –
Jordyn Pair is a reporter with The Michigan Star. Follow her on Twitter at @JordynPair. Email her at [email protected]


thetennesseestar--2020-07-01--Tennessean Editor Formally Apologizes for Publishing Carol Swain Column on Islam Five Years After th

Tennessean Editor Formally Apologizes for Publishing Carol Swain Column on Islam Five Years After the Fact

The Tennessean ’ s Director of Opinion and Engagement David Plazas formally apologized late last week for publishing a column that former Nashville mayoral candidate Carol Swain submitted and wrote five years ago that criticized Islam .
Swain , when The Tennessee Star contacted her Tuesday , said Plazas smeared her and “ had lost all sense of journalistic integrity.
” Plazas apologized for publishing Swain ’ s opinion piece in a Tennessean column of his own last Friday .
“ As for The Tennessean , they can no longer call themselves journalists .
They have been moving in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , for me , I have tried to support them because they are local , ” Swain said .
“ They cover news that reaches a wide spectrum of the public , so it ’ s a community resource but it ’ s not one I will be using or supporting anymore.
” Plazas did not return The Star ’ s requests for comment before Tuesday ’ s stated deadline .
In his column , Plazas first apologized for an ad that he said The Tennessean staff accidentally approved and published this month @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Nashville using a nuclear weapon .
An Arkansas-based organization reportedly submitted the ad .
“ I agreed to publish a point-counterpoint by former Vanderbilt professor Carol Swain and former American Muslim Advisory Council Executive Director Paul Galloway .
This followed the massacre of 17 people in Paris — including several journalists at the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo — by extremists claiming to act on behalf of the religion of Islam , ” Plazas wrote .
“ Swain had submitted a guest column calling for curbing the civil rights of American Muslim citizens @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Tuesday ’ s editorial board meeting , I apologized for publishing Swain ’ s column .
I apologize now to the community through this column .
I was woefully ignorant at the time about the abuse and fear-mongering leveled at Muslims over the years and never intended to escalate it , even if in the name of open public debate.
” But on Tuesday Swain disputed Plazas and how he publicly characterized her .
“ I stand by what I wrote .
The only clarification [ about that column ] that I made @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that it had been twisted to mean that I hated all Muslims and that I thought they were all terrorists .
Nothing could have been further from the truth , ” Swain said .
“ And the warning that I used about what I was saying had taken place with regards to Islam , well , we saw what happened following that article .
We had a number of terrorist attacks on American soil , and we know the Obama administration was not properly vetting the people that they were bringing into the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what I wrote.
” The Star asked Ken Paulson , the director of the Free Speech Center at Middle Tennessee State University , to comment .
Paulson said he would decline .
“ There ’ s no First Amendment issue here , and that ’ s where my expertise lies , ” Paulson said in an email .
Swain , meanwhile , said Plazas , in his column , tried to marginalize her in case she runs for mayor again — but she said she currently has no plans to do so .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ ad .
That is like guilt by association because I criticized or issued a warning about Islam , ” Swain said .
“ To me it shows a lack of journalistic integrity , but it also shows the politics that are involved and The Tennessean ’ s effort to try to smear me .
[ As for their ] writing about me as a black conservative , it ’ s just been one smear game after another .
”

The Tennessean’s Director of Opinion and Engagement David Plazas formally apologized late last week for publishing a column that former Nashville mayoral candidate Carol Swain submitted and wrote five years ago that criticized Islam.
Swain, when The Tennessee Star contacted her Tuesday, said Plazas smeared her and “had lost all sense of journalistic integrity.”
Plazas apologized for publishing Swain’s opinion piece in a Tennessean column of his own last Friday.
Swain said Plazas’ “personal politics influenced his decision.”
“As for The Tennessean, they can no longer call themselves journalists. They have been moving in the wrong direction for a long time and, for me, I have tried to support them because they are local,” Swain said.
“They cover news that reaches a wide spectrum of the public, so it’s a community resource but it’s not one I will be using or supporting anymore.”
Plazas did not return The Star’s requests for comment before Tuesday’s stated deadline.
In his column, Plazas first apologized for an ad that he said The Tennessean staff accidentally approved and published this month that warned Islam was planning to attack Nashville using a nuclear weapon. An Arkansas-based organization reportedly submitted the ad.
“I agreed to publish a point-counterpoint by former Vanderbilt professor Carol Swain and former American Muslim Advisory Council Executive Director Paul Galloway. This followed the massacre of 17 people in Paris — including several journalists at the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo — by extremists claiming to act on behalf of the religion of Islam,” Plazas wrote.
“Swain had submitted a guest column calling for curbing the civil rights of American Muslim citizens in response to the attack. During Tuesday’s editorial board meeting, I apologized for publishing Swain’s column. I apologize now to the community through this column. I was woefully ignorant at the time about the abuse and fear-mongering leveled at Muslims over the years and never intended to escalate it, even if in the name of open public debate.”
But on Tuesday Swain disputed Plazas and how he publicly characterized her.
“I stand by what I wrote. The only clarification [about that column] that I made when I was running for mayor was that it had been twisted to mean that I hated all Muslims and that I thought they were all terrorists. Nothing could have been further from the truth,” Swain said.
“And the warning that I used about what I was saying had taken place with regards to Islam, well, we saw what happened following that article. We had a number of terrorist attacks on American soil, and we know the Obama administration was not properly vetting the people that they were bringing into the country. So I was vindicated by what I wrote.”
The Star asked Ken Paulson, the director of the Free Speech Center at Middle Tennessee State University, to comment. Paulson said he would decline.
“There’s no First Amendment issue here, and that’s where my expertise lies,” Paulson said in an email.
Swain, meanwhile, said Plazas, in his column, tried to marginalize her in case she runs for mayor again — but she said she currently has no plans to do so.
“Lumping my article in with that ad. That is like guilt by association because I criticized or issued a warning about Islam,” Swain said.
“To me it shows a lack of journalistic integrity, but it also shows the politics that are involved and The Tennessean’s effort to try to smear me. [As for their] writing about me as a black conservative, it’s just been one smear game after another.”
– – –
Chris Butler is an investigative journalist at The Tennessee Star. Follow Chris on Facebook. Email tips to [email protected]
Photo “David Plazas” by David Plazas.


thetennesseestar--2020-06-30--SCOTUS Strikes Down Ban on Taxpayers Funding Religious Schools

The Supreme Court ruled against a ban on taxpayer funding of religious schools Tuesday in a monumental win for school choice .
Chief Justice John Roberts joined conservative justices in a 5-4 ruling backing a Montana tax-credit scholarship program that gives residents credit if they donated to private scholarship organizations , according to Fox News , which would help the students pay for the private school of their choice .
Justice Sonia Sotomayor called the ruling “ perverse ” in her dissent , the Associated Press reports .
“ Without any need or power to do so , the Court @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a tax-credit program that the Constitution did not demand in the first place , ” the justice said .
The Montana revenue department had sought to prevent scholarships from going to religious schools , and the Montana Supreme Court had then struck down the whole program , Fox News reported .
“ Again today the Supreme Court held that the U.S. Constitution prevents the government from treating religious organizations and schools unequally , ” said Kelly Shackelford , President , CEO and chief counsel to First Liberty Institute .
“ The Justices made @ @ @ @ @ @ @ discriminate against religious organizations when they perform the same work secular institutions do .
This is a victory for religious liberty.
” But the union president of the Montana Federation of Public Employees , Amanda Curtis , said called the decision “ a slap in the face.
” “ Today ’ s decision violates Montana ’ s commitment to public education , our children , and our constitution .
Extremist special interests are manipulating our tax code to rob Montana children of quality education while padding the pockets of those who run exclusive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said , according to the AP .
Kay C. James , president of the D.C. based conservative think tank Heritage Foundation , praised the ruling in a Tuesday statement .
“ Religious schools have been a part of American education since this country ’ s founding , ” James said .
“ By any measure , they are a valid and often outstanding choice for a child ’ s education .
This decision respects our Constitution as well as families ’ rights to seek the best educational opportunities for their children.
” The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who support school choice , which allows parents to choose the public school their child will attend , rather than having their child assigned to a school based on where the family lives .
Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos has focused many of her efforts on expanding school choice since she became the education secretary in 2017 .
Democratic 2020 presidential candidate Joe Biden has come under fire for his opposition to school choice .
Vice President Mike Pence has accused him of preventing black parents from obtaining the American dream by blocking @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to school .
President Donald Trump said June 16 that school choice is the “ civil rights statement of the year.
” “ School choice is the civil rights statement of the year , of the decade and probably beyond , ” Trump said at a White House press conference .
“ Because all children have to have access to a quality education .
A child ’ s ZIP code in America should never determine their future.
” Mary Margaret Olohan is a reporter for the Daily Caller News Foundation .

by Eric Lendrum
The United States Capitol Police (USCP) announced on Thursday that the department is currently investigating 29 officers, and has suspended six, for their actions during the protests at the U.S. Capitol on January 6th, according to CNN.
A department spokesman said that “Acting Chief Yogananda Pittman has directed that any member of her department whose behavior is not keeping in line with the Department’s Rules of Conduct will face appropriate discipline.” The six who were suspended will still be receiving pay, and the 29 total officers under investigation is nearly three times the amount of officers who were previously announced as being under investigation back in January.
Pittman said that, as part of the ongoing investigations, the USCP was “reviewing video and other open source materials of some USCP officers and officials that appear to be in violation of Department regulations and practices.” Some Democrats, including Congressman Tim Ryan (D-Ohio), have claimed, without evidence, that some officers openly supported the protesters, allowed them inside, and even guided them around the interior of the building.
During the mostly peaceful protests, Trump supporters entered the Capitol out of protest of widespread voter fraud in the 2020 election, as the questionable electoral college results were being formally tabulated by Congress. One Trump supporter, Air Force veteran Ashli Babbitt, was shot in the neck by a plainclothes police officer at close range; the officer who killed her will not be facing any charges for her death.
Several other people died that same day due to sudden medical conditions that had nothing to do with the protests, including Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick; Sicknick has been confirmed to have died of a stroke after it was erroneously reported that he had been beaten to death by protesters with a fire extinguisher.
– – –
Eric Lendrum reports for American Greatness.
Photo “Capitol Police” by Elvert Barnes. CC BY-SA 2.0.


thetennesseestar--2020-06-30--Bill Hagerty Criticizes John Roberts Over Recent U.S. Supreme Court Decisions

U.S. Senate candidate Bill Hagerty released a statement after Chief Justice John Roberts joined the liberal justices in overturning Louisiana ’ s law “ requiring doctors who perform abortions to have admitting privileges at nearby hospitals : ” “ John Roberts got it wrong again .
Instead of protecting the unborn and ensuring the safety of women , yet again it appears that Chief Justice Roberts made a politically-calculated decision and sided with the liberals , ” Hagerty said Monday .
“ This ruling , along with the recent decision to uphold Obama ’ s DACA program , is a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is to keep the Republican Senate majority and re-elect President Trump for four more years so that we can put strict constitutionalists on the bench .
Joe Biden and a Democrat Senate majority would confirm liberal , activist justices who will legislate from the bench .
We need more constitutionalist justices and judges on the federal bench .
As your next Senator , I ’ ll work with President Trump to confirm justices who respect the Constitution and the rule of law.
” Abortion opponents vented their disappointment and fury on Monday after @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to strike down a Louisiana law that would have curbed abortion access .
The ruling delivered a defeat to anti-abortion activists , but President Donald Trump ’ s reelection campaign quickly invoked it as part of a new appeal to voters — signaling its power to motivate religious conservatives who are a key part of his base ahead of November ’ s election .
Vice President Mike Pence summed up that argument , tweeting that the Supreme Court ’ s decision made one thing clear : “ We need more Conservative justices on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ case , Pence added “ # FourMoreYears.
” Top pro-Trump religious conservatives noted pointedly that both justices he named to the high court dissented from Monday ’ s decision , aligning with Pence in making the case that Trump should get another term in office to potentially tap more conservative nominees .
The Rev .
Frank Pavone , national director of Priests for Life and a member of Trump ’ s Catholic voter outreach effort , said the president ’ s “ two appointees voted the right way ” in supporting Louisiana ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ abortions to have admitting privileges at nearby hospitals .
Elana Schor reports for The Associated Press .
Tennessee Star investigative journalist Chris Butler contributed to this report .
Follow Chris on Facebook .
Email tips to [ email protected ]


thetennesseestar--2020-06-30--Pro-Police Demonstrators Square Off Against Left-Wing Protestors at Nashville’s Legislative Plaza

This weekend , citizens from across the state gathered at Nashville ’ s Legislative Plaza Sunday to support law enforcement , but not without sparring verbally with left-wing protestors — the same protestors who have occupied that space for weeks .
Left-wing protestors shouted profanities against both the police and U.S. President Donald Trump .
But folks on the other side of the plaza held signs saying how much they supported police .
They waved American flags .
They sang “ Bad Boys , ” the theme to the television show COPS .
They asked drivers passing by to wave @ @ @ @ @ @ @ And , unlike the people on the opposite end of the plaza , none of the pro-police demonstrators announced they were permanently occupying the property .
Nor would they rename it .
Tennessee Highway Patrol officers , who have jurisdiction over Legislative Plaza , arrested people .
“ The preliminary information that I have is that , yes , 38 protest individuals were arrested and or cited , ” said THP spokesman Bill Miller in an email to The Tennessee Star .
“ They were all from the protest group , not from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ did not provide additional details about the people that THP officers arrested .
According to a Facebook description of the event , organizers “ want to stand with our amazing law enforcement and public servants so that we can find solutions to the important issues facing our State TOGETHER.
” As The Star reported last week , Back the Badge organizer Chase Matheson described his motivation .
As a son of a former police officer , Matheson said he felt it was important that law enforcement know they have the community ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Atlanta and worrying about a friend of mine that lives very close to where some of the blue flu is going around .
I was speaking to my dad who was an officer in England many lifetimes ago .
And after the riots in 1981 , he said he didn ’ t sign up for that .
And he quit the police force after a couple of years , ” Matheson said .
“ He had been in the police force for a couple of years and [ after ] having a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at him and some of his fellow officers he decided he was going to look for a different career .
He moved halfway around the world and came to America .
So , I already knew from a few years ago when I lived in downtown how short we were on officers.
” Matheson also said he remembered calling the police once for a fraud charge at a cash loan company where he once worked .
“ It took about three hours for an officer to show up .
So Nashville is not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ officers .
And I know after having watched the news for the past month that it would be hard to get any decent people to sign up to be an officer right now.
” Chris Butler is an investigative journalist at The Tennessee Star .
Follow Chris on Facebook .
Email tips to [ email protected ] Photo “ Back the Badge Rally ” by Kristin Benton .


thetennesseestar--2020-06-30--Commentary: President Trump Will Win If He Responds to Righteous Voter Rage

The 2020 election will be decided in the fall by swing voters in ten or 15 states .
Prior to the COVID-19 outbreak , those voters were leaning to reelect President Trump , largely on the powers of incumbency and a near-record vibrant economy .
The Democratic left-wing primary agendas , from the New Green Deal to reparations , the clownish candidates of the Beto O ’ Rourke and Corey Booker sort , the arrogance and meltdown of Mike Bloomberg , and Joe Biden ’ s cognitive impairment collectively frightened voters .
Meanwhile , the booming economy , record energy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with China had overshadowed Trump ’ s cul de sac tweeting , 93 percent unfavorable media coverage , and the three-year slow-motion coup of the 25th Amendment nonsense , Russian “ collusion , ” Robert Mueller , Ukraine , and impeachment .
Then came the contagion , the lockdown , the recession , and the collective madness of looting and arson , which in turn led to the present anarchy of statue toppling , cancel culture , name-changing , and McCarthyism 2.0 .
Of course , a president is blamed for chaos on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ create the chaos .
He either stops it and is praised as a winner or , like Jimmy Carter during the Iran hostage crisis of 1979-1980 , is written off as a loser .
What Stands Between the Public and Mob Rule ?
The hour of reckoning is here and either Trump will crush the lawlessness and win the swing voters to his side , or he will listen to the trimmers and lose the country .
Trump ’ s dilemma , however , is real and in some sense unprecedented .
We @ @ @ @ @ @ @ don ’ t mind the violent chaos in their midst , or at least feel that in a cost-benefit analysis it serves their November purposes more than a restoration of law and order .
In our federal system , the Trump Administration can not police Philadelphia or Seattle without calling in federal troops .
Yet our most “ esteemed ” retired military has already hinted that to use federal forces would be supposedly unprecedented and thus rally military patriots and bemedaled retired grandees to resist such an order—so much so that even an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ warning from the military-intelligence complex as a green light .
He pontificated that if he thought Trump stole the election or wouldn ’ t leave in defeat ( apparently defined by whether Biden believed Trump ’ s winning margin was fraudulent ) , his newfound allies in the military ( who had “ skinned ” Trump ) , retired and active , would remove Trump “ with dispatch.
” So if blue states don ’ t want federal help , and the military-intelligence complex might well oppose such an act , Trump is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a popsicle stick or using the powers of federal attorneys to start indicting veritable terrorists , charging negligent state authorities with impairing the civil rights of their own citizens by knowingly exposing them to violence , cutting off federal funds to wayward states , and reclaiming federal properties within blue state sanctuary states to ensure monuments and federal buildings are safe and national parks open to the public .
If that way the Trump Administration can show the public that the federal government is restoring calm , then , at what point do @ @ @ @ @ @ @ could be the only thing between them and the Antifa/Black Lives Matter mob at their local suburban shopping center , or their child ’ s class rebooted into a reeducation camp , or their once tranquil local park now a cemetery of unburied bronze and stone corpses , or their police either defunded or in silent slowdowns ?
How many times do the liberal-minded have to be slandered as “ white racists ” before they say “ you are the racially obsessed , not me ” ?
For others , the question will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , investors , the Chinese , the Russians , and the Iranians make of the traditional bastion of global sanity , the United States , now mired in abject madness , as it prints more funny money and Joe Biden and retired generals talk ominously of their moral right to remove or neuter an elected president the “ sooner the better ” ?
How Much Is Too Much ?
Each person , I suppose , has his breaking point .
The Catholic Democrat may bolt at the desecration and destruction of anything to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Junipero Serra , a man undeniably of the 18th century mental landscape , yet whose own poverty , suffering , courage and vision outweighed the racism that he grew up with , but who is smeared now as a veritable monster by the quarter-educated .
Even the unaffiliated and apolitical may finally conclude that revolutionaries want to erase his collective memory , his history , his national anthem , and his American identity .
A Colin Kaepernick airport ?
Antifa Drive ?
Saul Alinsky ’ s head grafted onto the decapitated bronze of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ over Teddy Roosevelt on Mt .
Rushmore ?
1619 in our schools swapping out 1776 as the new founding of America ?
Independents might have shrugged at the destruction of abolitionist statues , the defacement of the World War II monument , the graffiti on the Lincoln Memorial , and the efforts to ruin the icons of the Emancipation Monument and to topple Old Hickory—the erstwhile hero of 1950s liberals who once praised the “ The Jacksonian Revolution ” as the destruction of the entrenched power of the blue-blood American aristocracy .
But @ @ @ @ @ @ @ even as the most progressive independent fears a busy signal after dialing 911 , what then ?
If the Washington obelisk on the National Mall , or the Jefferson dome on the Potomac is defaced , then is there even a symbolic country left ?
I think independents know that all that saves Mt .
Rushmore is the cowardice of leftists who accept that driving up to South Dakota and duking it out with the state national guard , some federal officers , a no-nonsense governor , and local ad hoc volunteers is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ face time .
Still others of the disaffected traffic in video downloads of mass looting and gratuitous cruelty .
The scenes that flash across the internet are sickening : stores ransacked , cars trashed , dozens of thieves nonchalantly stealing then gratuitously destroying anything they can not find profit in .
The independent silently wonders whether he is watching a scene from Fallujah , Helmand Province , Mogadishu—or Santa Monica .
There seems little difference these days .
For still others , it is again the passive-aggressive cowardice of the Antifa and the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ kids get in the face of police—often black—scream obscenities , taunt them , and yet the next , in nasal-tones , shriek like stuck pigs when the police began to march forward and push them back .
Just when you thought these anarchists were real revolutionaries who would retire to the Rockies and Sierras as maquis to continue their war on the corporate state , they seem terrified of being arrested , and charged with résumé-staining racketeering or felonious assault .
In extremis , they prove petite bourgeois careerists , not Bolsheviks on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not have dreamed up more audio-visually off-putting characters .
The distance between them and the unjustified death of George Floyd is now a vast abyss .
Or is the breaking point for the swing voter—the noonday press conference of the wet-noodle authorities ?
Another Bill de Blasio insane moment of playing John Lennon ’ s “ Imagine ” as his city is looted and his police attacked ?
Or Andrew Cuomo explaining why his orders to force COVID-19 patients into pristine but vulnerable long-term care homes that doomed thousands were always someone else @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the president ’ s , the families ’ —anyone ’ s fault but his own ?
Or perhaps one has had it when listening to the mayor of Seattle , speaking of a fetid violent “ Capitol Hill Organized Protest ” as a “ summer of love , ” or the mayor of Minneapolis trying to contextualize the mass nightly murdering of young men while he jabbers about in Hamlet fashion whether to or not to defund the police ?
What is the suburbanite to make of the past commentaries of Nikole Hannah-Jones @ @ @ @ @ @ @ commentary , and self-described moral architect of the New York Times ’ anti-racist “ 1619 project ” : Are supporters of redating America ’ s Founding supposed to shrug at all that in the current landscape , in which we are told that there is no such thing as a statute of limitations , no allowance for human frailty , no excuse for a single past racist statement ?
And are we to replace the Founders with such enlightened thinking ?
Are Americans supposed to take seriously the corporate leftist media , when @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the same scripted Orwellian talking points about systematic NASCAR racism , the suffering of Bubba Wallace , and hyping a garage door pull-rope as if they were discussing the Dred Scott case ?
And in the next Jussie Smollett moment , after the narrative is discredited , they of course move on to a Foucauldian farce , along the lines of what really did not happen , most surely could have happened , and thus in a sense did happen ?
So each day , ill-defined groups of Americans silently drift into the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ insanity anymore ” camp .
The polls assure us that it is not so .
The media praises the basement strategy of an addled Biden .
The op-ed writers gleefully preen that Trump is through—and perhaps he could be if he stays portrayed as ineffectively dealing with the recession , the virus , and the violence .
The Choice Is Still Trump ’ s Nonetheless , quiet masses will desert from the progressive narrative , if they feel someone else will guarantee their safety and security from it .
They as yet do @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there are deserting , but they have had it with the looting , the arson , the banal “ you are a racist !
” empty rhetoric , the hatred , the violence , the juxtaposition between cries of inequality and poverty and the televised shots of seemingly comfortable middle-class anarchy and the looting of high-end Adidas sneakers and high-definition TVs rather than staples .
Many have retreated already into their own monasteries of the mind .
By that , I mean that if the coaches take a knee in the fall , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
They will not answer any more alumni summons to donate to their almae matres .
Some are shopping for homes in the hills or countryside or small towns .
Others are worn out from being asked to pay ever more taxes and work ever harder , only to earn smears that they are racists , or homophobes , or somehow Neanderthals for being skeptical of socially constructed gender .
They shrug at whatever progressive stew created a wannabe Fifth-Avenue revolutionary like Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez—they don ’ t want any part of it .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ enough is enough , stay home , then perhaps Biden will win .
But if they translate their growing fury into voting for someone perceived as answering calmly and forcefully back , protecting them , and punishing those who so brazenly flaunt the law and humiliate any who call them to account , then Trump will be reelected and more easily than our experts can imagine .
Despite the tsunami of unforeseen contagion , mass quarantine , and national riot , the choice is still Trump ’ s : stay calm , speak @ @ @ @ @ @ @ while promising for the future to protect the vulnerable of all races and classes , and restore a great nation ; or talk loudly carrying a twig while whining about unfair personal treatment of the past .
The former is victory , the latter socialism , in November .
Victor Davis Hanson is an American military historian , columnist , former classics professor , and scholar of ancient warfare .
He was a professor of classics at California State University , Fresno , and is currently the Martin and Illie Anderson Senior Fellow @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
He has been a visiting professor at Hillsdale College since 2004 .


thetennesseestar--2020-07-02--Nashville-Based Beacon Center Ranks La Vergne the Freest City in Tennessee

The City of La Vergne is the “ Freest City ” in all of Tennessee .
This , according to a study that Beacon Center of Tennessee staff call the City Freedom Index .
Beacon staff published the study Wednesday .
Beacon , based in Nashville , is a right-of-center think tank .
“ The Beacon Center says the reason La Vergne ranked in the number one spot is credit to its strong showing Free Enterprise ( ranked 1 out of 30 ) and Cost of Government ( ranked 3 out of 30 ) , ” La Vergne officials said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the study , strong policies , like operating the fewest city-owned enterprises that compete with the private sector , not picking winners and losers through corporate welfare , low property taxes , and a defined contribution pension plan makes La Vergne the freest city in Tennessee .
La Vergne also ranked 11 out of 30 for Private Property and Individual Liberty .
“ We are so proud that through our sound policy making and budgeting decisions we are recognized as the ‘ Freest City ’ in Tennessee , ” Mayor Jason Cole said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ continues to build upon the economic opportunities that we have here in La Vergne as we continue to grow retail and industry to provide jobs and shopping to our residents.
” Brentwood , Hendersonville , Morristown and Clarksville rounded out the state ’ s top five freest cities .
According to Beacon Center officials , The City Freedom Index is their most comprehensive analysis of city policies in Tennessee .
The Index ranks Tennessee ’ s 30 most populous cities based on 25 metrics in four categories .
In an emailed press release @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in dead last at number 30 .
Morristown , ranked fourth , was the highest-ranking city in East Tennessee , while Chattanooga finished 23rd and Knoxville 28th .
Of the West Tennessee cities , Jackson ranked highest at number 14 .
Meanwhile , the West Tennessee cities of Memphis , Germantown , Bartlett , and Collierville all finished in the bottom six .
“ After nearly a year of research , we are beyond excited to release our first-ever City Freedom Index .
Thomas Jefferson once said , ‘ a well-informed citizenry is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” said study author Ron Shultis .
“ We believe that by shining a light on the various policies of Tennessee ’ s cities , citizens and policymakers will finally have the knowledge needed to vote with their feet , or better yet , enact real change and make their city more prosperous and free.
” Chris Butler is an investigative journalist at The Tennessee Star .
Follow Chris on Facebook .
Email tips to [ email protected ] Photo “ La Vergne City Hall ” by La Vergne City Hall .

The City of La Vergne is the “Freest City” in all of Tennessee.
This, according to a study that Beacon Center of Tennessee staff call the City Freedom Index. Beacon staff published the study Wednesday. Beacon, based in Nashville, is a right-of-center think tank.
“The Beacon Center says the reason La Vergne ranked in the number one spot is credit to its strong showing Free Enterprise (ranked 1 out of 30) and Cost of Government (ranked 3 out of 30),” La Vergne officials said in a press release.
According to the study, strong policies, like operating the fewest city-owned enterprises that compete with the private sector, not picking winners and losers through corporate welfare, low property taxes, and a defined contribution pension plan makes La Vergne the freest city in Tennessee. La Vergne also ranked 11 out of 30 for Private Property and Individual Liberty.
“We are so proud that through our sound policy making and budgeting decisions we are recognized as the ‘Freest City’ in Tennessee,” Mayor Jason Cole said in the press release.
“This continues to build upon the economic opportunities that we have here in La Vergne as we continue to grow retail and industry to provide jobs and shopping to our residents.”
Brentwood, Hendersonville, Morristown and Clarksville rounded out the state’s top five freest cities. According to Beacon Center officials, The City Freedom Index is their most comprehensive analysis of city policies in Tennessee.
The Index ranks Tennessee’s 30 most populous cities based on 25 metrics in four categories.
In an emailed press release, Beacon officials said that Nashville came in dead last at number 30.
Morristown, ranked fourth, was the highest-ranking city in East Tennessee, while Chattanooga finished 23rd and Knoxville 28th. Of the West Tennessee cities, Jackson ranked highest at number 14. Meanwhile, the West Tennessee cities of Memphis, Germantown, Bartlett, and Collierville all finished in the bottom six.
“After nearly a year of research, we are beyond excited to release our first-ever City Freedom Index. Thomas Jefferson once said, ‘a well-informed citizenry is the best defense against tyranny,’” said study author Ron Shultis.
“We believe that by shining a light on the various policies of Tennessee’s cities, citizens and policymakers will finally have the knowledge needed to vote with their feet, or better yet, enact real change and make their city more prosperous and free.”
– – –
Chris Butler is an investigative journalist at The Tennessee Star. Follow Chris on Facebook. Email tips to [email protected]
Photo “La Vergne City Hall” by La Vergne City Hall.


thetennesseestar--2020-07-02--Commentary: What a Great Time to Be President

Those who seek the presidency have many reasons for doing so , but anyone who seeks the nation ’ s highest office hopes to make his mark as a leader of our free republic .
For some presidents , the times provide less difficult challenges to surmount , and history little notes their tenure ; for other unfortunate souls , events overwhelm them , and their failures are duly and ruefully recorded .
The most fortunate of presidents , however , are faced with tremendous challenges and yet are still able to lead our nation in ways that transcend these @ @ @ @ @ @ @ present challenges are transformational .
To overcome them , he will continue to face fierce , unprecedented opposition from the Left who , even prior to Trump ’ s election have engaged in lawless , seditious activities to undermine his campaign , his legitimacy , and hamstring his administration .
This leftist opposition is not dispositive of his ruin , however .
Indeed , as every leftist leader , organization , and institution sounds more and more like an MSNBC commentator , the American people will do to them what they have done @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tune them out .
After all , there is a reason left-leaning networks have fewer viewers than Fox , and liberal talk radio pales before the audiences of conservative radio : Americans don ’ t want to hear their country and themselves slandered as immoral and evil .
There are simply more Americans who want to hear that they and their country are good and decent and can accomplish great deeds .
It will require great deeds to transcend today ’ s immediate challenges—a pandemic , a government-mandated recession , the alarming shift @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a separatist racial agenda ; anarcho-Marxists rioting in the streets ; illegal immigration ; and the continuing international difficulties caused by terrorism , Iran , North Korea , Communist China , Russia , Venezuela , Cuba , and our continuing military presence in kinetic theaters across the world .
Yet as the ancient Chinese saying holds : in every crisis exists danger and opportunity .
The Left sees only danger and despair ; and they are actually exacerbating the danger and encouraging despair with their demagoguery and disorder , hoping their continued tantrum @ @ @ @ @ @ @ In short , the Left is extorting Americans , implicitly warning that the only way to calm the country is to reward them with power .
But when one rewards bad behavior , it only guarantees more bad behavior .
Should the Left win the coming election , their bad behavior will not abate .
It will be institutionalized .
Sovereign Americans ’ power and control over their elected officials and governmental institutions and their ability to combat the increasing Stalinism on American campuses and within American corporations will erode ; and our @ @ @ @ @ @ @ decline .
President Trump can and must seize the opportunity in this dangerous time .
Honing in on four key issues and implementing appropriate policies to address them , President Trump can help rally the American people to greatness : America was founded in 1776 not 1619 .
America ’ s legacy of liberty must be promoted despite and protected from the lawless Left .
The Founders knew human beings were imperfect ; and admitted it when they said we must perpetually strive to form a more perfect union—not the perfect union .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ knew , it is this legacy of liberty that facilitated the progress of race relations in America by holding us to the ideal that all human beings have a God-given right to liberty and equal justice under law .
Though there has been tremendous progress , there remains much to be done .
Yet , if we abandon or barter our legacy of liberty in exchange for the Left ’ s tendentious , Marxist critical race theory and buy the lie of systemic racism , we will sinfully squander our ability to make @ @ @ @ @ @ @ must not happen .
President Trump ’ s policies allowed Americans to make our economy boom .
Despite the Left doing everything in its power to “ make America miserable again ” ( MAMA ) , America and President Trump can make our economy great again .
Pimping panic porn about COVID-19 to perpetuate or reinstate lockdowns to ravage Americans ’ livelihoods is the MAMA Left ’ s economic plan .
It is designed to gain them political power at the expense of the thriving of hard working Americans .
Sadly , that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Left .
The good news is that Americans are ready to restore our prosperity .
With the Trump administration continuing to take on unfair trade practices of countries like communist China , and once more leveraging our legacy of liberty to free the entrepreneurial genius of Americans , our economy will boom again .
Once more , our free market will make it possible for us to see record-high employment levels for all Americans , including women and minorities .
And we will see real incomes climbing for the first time in generations @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are strong .
The resiliency of Americans is even stronger and our prosperity will return at levels higher than ever .
The central tenet of the Trump candidacy and administration is bringing it all back home—be it American jobs , our troops overseas , or the power of the sovereign people to control the “ swamp , ” we want America to be an independent and self-governing nation .
Rightly viewing the current challenges through the prism of our legacy of liberty , President Trump is hated because his goal has been to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the failed elites who have run America into the ground .
These elites , both Leftists and crony Republicans , make a ton of money and other perks based upon their venal support of globalism .
Consequently , we have witnessed their four-year chaotic tantrum known as # TheResistance .
Of course , as is their wont , the elites blame the victim and project their chaos onto Trump .
Again , the reason is to mendaciously demand the electorate discard Trump to end the chaos , without mentioning they are the driver @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what else could these elites offer Americans ?
More outsourced jobs ?
Less control over governmental decisions ?
Less control over their own lives and livelihoods ?
More endless wars and undeclared engagements to claim the most honorable and noblest among us , our men and women in uniform ?
No wonder Biden is hiding in his basement .
Show the World What We Can Do !
At home and abroad , the Left ’ s Greek Chorus is in full cacophonic hue and cry that America will fail .
They are wrong @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and remains the true and noble cause of America ’ s sovereign citizens and our elected servants .
We will continue to inspire the world with what our free people can achieve .
For our country and President Trump , the present challenges are transformational .
The question is whether the president will help us lead our nation in a way that transcends these crises and proves the doubting Leftists wrong .
The die is cast ; history ’ s verdict pends .
President Trump will either be a dismal failure or a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and all the world , as at all such trying times in our exceptional nation ’ s history , Americans are ready to show the world what we can do !
The Hon .
Thaddeus McCotter is the former chairman of the Republican House Policy Committee , current itinerant guitarist , American Greatness contributor , and Monday co-host of the “ John Batchelor Show .
”

by
Those who seek the presidency have many reasons for doing so, but anyone who seeks the nation’s highest office hopes to make his mark as a leader of our free republic. For some presidents, the times provide less difficult challenges to surmount, and history little notes their tenure; for other unfortunate souls, events overwhelm them, and their failures are duly and ruefully recorded.
The most fortunate of presidents, however, are faced with tremendous challenges and yet are still able to lead our nation in ways that transcend these trials.
For President Trump, the present challenges are transformational. To overcome them, he will continue to face fierce, unprecedented opposition from the Left who, even prior to Trump’s election have engaged in lawless, seditious activities to undermine his campaign, his legitimacy, and hamstring his administration.
This leftist opposition is not dispositive of his ruin, however. Indeed, as every leftist leader, organization, and institution sounds more and more like an MSNBC commentator, the American people will do to them what they have done to that ill-fated network: Continue to tune them out.
After all, there is a reason left-leaning networks have fewer viewers than Fox, and liberal talk radio pales before the audiences of conservative radio: Americans don’t want to hear their country and themselves slandered as immoral and evil. There are simply more Americans who want to hear that they and their country are good and decent and can accomplish great deeds.
It will require great deeds to transcend today’s immediate challenges—a pandemic, a government-mandated recession, the alarming shift from Dr. King’s dream to a separatist racial agenda; anarcho-Marxists rioting in the streets; illegal immigration; and the continuing international difficulties caused by terrorism, Iran, North Korea, Communist China, Russia, Venezuela, Cuba, and our continuing military presence in kinetic theaters across the world.
Yet as the ancient Chinese saying holds: in every crisis exists danger and opportunity. The Left sees only danger and despair; and they are actually exacerbating the danger and encouraging despair with their demagoguery and disorder, hoping their continued tantrum will finally be rewarded come November. In short, the Left is extorting Americans, implicitly warning that the only way to calm the country is to reward them with power.
But when one rewards bad behavior, it only guarantees more bad behavior. Should the Left win the coming election, their bad behavior will not abate. It will be institutionalized. Sovereign Americans’ power and control over their elected officials and governmental institutions and their ability to combat the increasing Stalinism on American campuses and within American corporations will erode; and our free republic will slide into despair and decline.
President Trump can and must seize the opportunity in this dangerous time. Honing in on four key issues and implementing appropriate policies to address them, President Trump can help rally the American people to greatness:
1776 not 1619
America was founded in 1776 not 1619. America’s legacy of liberty must be promoted despite and protected from the lawless Left.
The Founders knew human beings were imperfect; and admitted it when they said we must perpetually strive to form a more perfect union—not the perfect union. As Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. knew, it is this legacy of liberty that facilitated the progress of race relations in America by holding us to the ideal that all human beings have a God-given right to liberty and equal justice under law.
Though there has been tremendous progress, there remains much to be done. Yet, if we abandon or barter our legacy of liberty in exchange for the Left’s tendentious, Marxist critical race theory and buy the lie of systemic racism, we will sinfully squander our ability to make greater progress for all Americans. This must not happen.
Prosperity not Misery
President Trump’s policies allowed Americans to make our economy boom. Despite the Left doing everything in its power to “make America miserable again” (MAMA), America and President Trump can make our economy great again. Pimping panic porn about COVID-19 to perpetuate or reinstate lockdowns to ravage Americans’ livelihoods is the MAMA Left’s economic plan. It is designed to gain them political power at the expense of the thriving of hard working Americans. Sadly, that’s nothing new from the redistributionist Left.
The good news is that Americans are ready to restore our prosperity. With the Trump administration continuing to take on unfair trade practices of countries like communist China, and once more leveraging our legacy of liberty to free the entrepreneurial genius of Americans, our economy will boom again.
Once more, our free market will make it possible for us to see record-high employment levels for all Americans, including women and minorities. And we will see real incomes climbing for the first time in generations. The fundamentals of the American economy are strong. The resiliency of Americans is even stronger and our prosperity will return at levels higher than ever.
Americanism not Globalism
The central tenet of the Trump candidacy and administration is bringing it all back home—be it American jobs, our troops overseas, or the power of the sovereign people to control the “swamp,” we want America to be an independent and self-governing nation. Rightly viewing the current challenges through the prism of our legacy of liberty, President Trump is hated because his goal has been to restore the power of the people over the failed elites who have run America into the ground.
These elites, both Leftists and crony Republicans, make a ton of money and other perks based upon their venal support of globalism. Consequently, we have witnessed their four-year chaotic tantrum known as #TheResistance. Of course, as is their wont, the elites blame the victim and project their chaos onto Trump. Again, the reason is to mendaciously demand the electorate discard Trump to end the chaos, without mentioning they are the driver of the chaos.
In truth, what else could these elites offer Americans? More outsourced jobs? Less control over governmental decisions? Less control over their own lives and livelihoods? More endless wars and undeclared engagements to claim the most honorable and noblest among us, our men and women in uniform?
No wonder Biden is hiding in his basement.
Show the World What We Can Do!
At home and abroad, the Left’s Greek Chorus is in full cacophonic hue and cry that America will fail. They are wrong.
Our legacy of liberty has been and remains the true and noble cause of America’s sovereign citizens and our elected servants. We will continue to inspire the world with what our free people can achieve. For our country and President Trump, the present challenges are transformational. The question is whether the president will help us lead our nation in a way that transcends these crises and proves the doubting Leftists wrong.
The die is cast; history’s verdict pends. President Trump will either be a dismal failure or a legendary leader. Fortunately for President Trump and all the world, as at all such trying times in our exceptional nation’s history, Americans are ready to show the world what we can do!
– – –
The Hon. Thaddeus McCotter is the former chairman of the Republican House Policy Committee, current itinerant guitarist, American Greatness contributor, and Monday co-host of the “John Batchelor Show.”


thetennesseestar--2020-07-02--Study: Unemployment Pays Better Than Work for 68 Percent of U.S. Workers

The federal unemployment insurance emergency payments of an additional $ 600 per week to those laid off because of COVID-19 restrictions discourages work and slows down economic recovery , several reports indicate .
Several congressmen have introduced proposals to address the issue .
A report published by the Foundation for Government Ability ( FGA ) found that by nearly tripling average unemployment benefits through the CARES Act , “ Congress has created a situation where unemployment now pays better than work ” for roughly 68 percent of U.S. workers .
The CARES Act provides an additional $ 600 per week @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Unemployment Assistance ( PUA ) program .
This assistance also includes individuals previously not covered by traditional unemployment insurance , including the self-employed , contractors , gig economy workers and others .
It ’ s also on top of state unemployment benefits .
The average unemployed worker now collects nearly $ 1,000 per week – the equivalent of more than $ 50,000 annually , FGA calculates .
For most unemployed workers , “ sitting at home now pays better than returning to work , ” FGA concluded .
“ This disincentive to work @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reopen and save their businesses from bankruptcy or closure.
” According to a paper published by the National Bureau of Economic Research ( NBER ) , 42 percent of recent layoffs due to the coronavirus response in the U.S. will result in permanent job losses .
The researchers found that only three new hires were made in the U.S. for every 10 people who were laid off as a result of state executive orders shutting down the economy , and “ estimate that 42 percent of recent layoffs will result in permanent job @ @ @ @ @ @ @ exceed worker earnings , policies that subsidize employee retention , occupational licensing restrictions , and regulatory barriers to business formation will impede reallocation responses to the COVID-19 shock , ” they add .
“ The pandemic UI bonus undercuts the entire purpose of the unemployment system : to cover a portion of lost wages temporarily until the worker can quickly find work , ” Joe Horvath , paper co-author and senior fellow at FGA , said in a statement .
“ The pandemic unemployment benefit came from a place of good intentions , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it is now proven to create was predictable from day one.
” FGA recommends several steps states can take to move more individuals back to work as economies reopen , including a simple , easy-to-use process for employers to report employees who have refused an offer of suitable work .
Another FGA paper includes testimonies from a Vermont medical supply producer , a Tennessee furniture storeowner , a New York retailer , an Arkansas mill , among others , indicating that business owners are having difficulty rehiring their employees .
“ Across the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pouring in from small business owners who can not reopen their doors due to a government policy that makes sitting at home more lucrative than going to work , ” Victoria Eardley , paper author and senior research fellow at FGA , said in a statement .
“ Our economy will collapse if we continue to incentivize unemployment over a return to normal.
” A new proposal introduced by Ways and Means Leader Kevin Brady , R-Texas , would transform unemployment benefits into a back-to-work bonus by allowing workers to keep up to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ after they accept a job offer .
“ As more businesses re-open across the country , employers shouldn ’ t have to compete with unemployment to bring workers back , ” Brady said .
U.S. Reps. Ted Budd , R-North Carolina , and Ken Buck , R-Colorado , also introduced a bill to amend the unemployment section of the CARES Act .
The bill caps the amount an individual can receive from unemployment insurance at 100 percent of their previous wages .
Budd said , “ … businesses across the nation are struggling @ @ @ @ @ @ @ receiving more money through unemployment insurance than they earned when they were working .
We must do everything in our power to eliminate this perverse incentive .
We have to get our fellow citizens back into the workforce as soon as possible.
” Bethany Blankley is a contributor to The Center Square .

by Bethany Blankley
The federal unemployment insurance emergency payments of an additional $600 per week to those laid off because of COVID-19 restrictions discourages work and slows down economic recovery, several reports indicate. Several congressmen have introduced proposals to address the issue.
A report published by the Foundation for Government Ability (FGA) found that by nearly tripling average unemployment benefits through the CARES Act, “Congress has created a situation where unemployment now pays better than work” for roughly 68 percent of U.S. workers.
The CARES Act provides an additional $600 per week in unemployment insurance benefits through the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program. This assistance also includes individuals previously not covered by traditional unemployment insurance, including the self-employed, contractors, gig economy workers and others. It’s also on top of state unemployment benefits.
The average unemployed worker now collects nearly $1,000 per week – the equivalent of more than $50,000 annually, FGA calculates. For most unemployed workers, “sitting at home now pays better than returning to work,” FGA concluded. “This disincentive to work is devastating employers who are trying to reopen and save their businesses from bankruptcy or closure.”
According to a paper published by the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER), 42 percent of recent layoffs due to the coronavirus response in the U.S. will result in permanent job losses.
The researchers found that only three new hires were made in the U.S. for every 10 people who were laid off as a result of state executive orders shutting down the economy, and “estimate that 42 percent of recent layoffs will result in permanent job loss.”
“Unemployment benefit levels that exceed worker earnings, policies that subsidize employee retention, occupational licensing restrictions, and regulatory barriers to business formation will impede reallocation responses to the COVID-19 shock,” they add.
“The pandemic UI bonus undercuts the entire purpose of the unemployment system: to cover a portion of lost wages temporarily until the worker can quickly find work,” Joe Horvath, paper co-author and senior fellow at FGA, said in a statement. “The pandemic unemployment benefit came from a place of good intentions, but the incentive to refuse work that it is now proven to create was predictable from day one.”
FGA recommends several steps states can take to move more individuals back to work as economies reopen, including a simple, easy-to-use process for employers to report employees who have refused an offer of suitable work.
Another FGA paper includes testimonies from a Vermont medical supply producer, a Tennessee furniture storeowner, a New York retailer, an Arkansas mill, among others, indicating that business owners are having difficulty rehiring their employees.
“Across the country and across industries, stories are pouring in from small business owners who cannot reopen their doors due to a government policy that makes sitting at home more lucrative than going to work,” Victoria Eardley, paper author and senior research fellow at FGA, said in a statement. “Our economy will collapse if we continue to incentivize unemployment over a return to normal.”
A new proposal introduced by Ways and Means Leader Kevin Brady, R-Texas, would transform unemployment benefits into a back-to-work bonus by allowing workers to keep up to two weeks of additional federal unemployment benefits after they accept a job offer.
“As more businesses re-open across the country, employers shouldn’t have to compete with unemployment to bring workers back,” Brady said.
U.S. Reps. Ted Budd, R-North Carolina, and Ken Buck, R-Colorado, also introduced a bill to amend the unemployment section of the CARES Act.
The bill caps the amount an individual can receive from unemployment insurance at 100 percent of their previous wages.
Budd said, “… businesses across the nation are struggling to hire workers because many individuals are receiving more money through unemployment insurance than they earned when they were working. We must do everything in our power to eliminate this perverse incentive. We have to get our fellow citizens back into the workforce as soon as possible.”
– – –
Bethany Blankley is a contributor to The Center Square.


thetennesseestar--2020-07-02--Crom Carmichael Breaks Down the History of Violence Promoted by the Democratic Party

Live from Music Row Monday morning on The 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. – host Leahy welcomed the original all-star panelist Crom Carmichael to the studio .
During the second hour , Carmichael described the historically violent Democratic Party through their affiliations with the KKK , Occupy Wall Street , Black Lives Matter and Antifa .
He went on to compare these organizations to the mafioso in their tactics of bullying and threatening violence against anyone who did not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Leahy : We are joined this morning as we often are every Monday , Wednesday , and Friday at 6:30 a.m. by our good friend .
Long time friend .
We ’ ve known each other for over 30 years now ?
Leahy : Crom Carmichael , the original all-star panelist who builds the edifice of logic here on the radio brick by brick .
Good morning Crom .
Carmichael : Good morning Michael .
How are you , sir ?
Leahy : I am optimistic about our country despite the fact that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not going so well .
( Chuckles ) Carmichael : We will see .
The election will tell the tale .
Leahy : It will tell the tale in four months and one week from that .
We were talking a little bit during the break about the history of violence in the United States .
And you had some very interesting facts to talk about .
Carmichael : It ’ s really more the history of violence in the Democrat Party .
Leahy : Tell us about that .
Carmichael : If @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was the party of the south .
And it was the party of slavery .
Carmichael : Tearing down statues will not change that .
Then you move forward after the Civil War the Democrat Party formed the KKK and the Robert Byrd ’ s and many other well known Democrats elected and sent to Washington who were elected and sent to Washington and many governors like George Wallace and Lester Maddox .
These were all people who were racists .
And they were members of the Democrat Party .
The Democrat Party @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
As a militant wing .
And by the way , the KKK killed Republicans too .
It was not just Black people that the KKK killed .
And then after the KKK was subdued than we had the union movement .
And it was mostly the private sector movement .
The trucking movement .
The automobile factories .
The coal miners .
They brought in violent thugs to support their efforts no matter what they were .
But they brought in violent people .
And then more recently you have Occupy Wall @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Left funded .
That wasn ’ t some spontaneous thing that happened .
These people were paid to be there .
And they were paid by wealthy Democrat people who believe that violence is necessary to meet their own ends .
Leahy : It ’ s the Marxist-Leninist view of the world .
Carmichael : Yes .
And now more recently you have Black Lives Matter and you have Antifa .
And let ’ s just look at what they are doing .
In St. Louis , they beat up some priests who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
I ’ ve got a picture of an old man who ’ s just getting beat down .
He ended up in the hospital with a concussion .
Leahy : We have a story about that at The Tennessee Star .
The video shows a mob attacking Catholics praying at a St. Louis statue .
You can see it in the video and it ’ s pretty brutal .
Carmichael : Yes .
And these are Democrats .
The Black Lives Matter organization when you give money to them you are giving @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Democratic Party .
That ’ s all factual .
Then you have them now targeting additional retailers including Target for example .
Leahy : Which is run by a bunch of left-wingers really .
Carmichael : But they are still going after them .
Then you have companies like Apple and Microsoft which are giving tens of millions of dollars .
That ’ s the upscale mafia method where the mafioso ’ s in New York used to make local small merchants pay money for protection .
That ’ s all this is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ believe in the principles of Black Lives Matter .
Then you have Antifa which is nothing but a terrorist organization that is sent in to literally and physically attack anyone that the Democrat Party does not believe in .
That ’ s where we are now .
Then you have people who work for organizations that are being canceled and fired from their jobs .
You have university professors who won ’ t toe the line and are being fired from the universities .
So this is the method frankly that the Democrat @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sad but it ’ s what it embraces .
And that ’ s why this election if the Democrats were to win this election and win the presidency , the House , and the Senate the changes that would be made to the fabric of our country and to the rules that we live under .
Carmichael : Well , there wouldn ’ t be a rule of law .
There ’ d be two sets of laws .
Leahy : One for democrats and their allies and one for everybody else .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ that now across the country with these liberal prosecutors that George Soros ’ money is used to get elected .
And they simply don ’ t prosecute the thugs .
Leahy : Well , the prosecutor in St. Louis who was supported by George Soros has announced that she ’ s going to investigate the liberal couple who owns a mansion and are attorneys who actually sue the police of St. Louis for whatever when they have a victim .
They are basically left-wingers who support Black Lives Matter .
A crowd went @ @ @ @ @ @ @ so people and were threatening to kill them and burn down their house .
And they met them out front .
The husband had a semi-automatic rifle or a gun .
And the woman had a pistol .
And the prosecutor , the Soros supporter prosecutor who herself is under investigation for falsifying evidence in another case says she ’ s going to investigate not the people who trespassed and destroyed property and threatened the lives of these people .
But she ’ s going to investigate the people who defended their houses @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to find out whether the couple that was terrorized whether or not they are still Democrats .
Leahy : They are .
They put out a statement that they support Black Lives Matter but the thugs , we don ’ t .
Carmichael : Well whatever happens to them they deserve .
If you are not going to fight evil then I hope you are on the front end of the receipt of evil .
If you aren ’ t going to fight it and you actually join it and say I support @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
They may be trying to buy peace .
Carmichael : I can ’ t remember exactly what the expression is about Jefferson said it that if good men don ’ t stand up when evil advances then evil will prevail .
Leahy : Looks like we ’ re heading in that direction .
Carmichael : We are heading in the line where people are going to have to stand up or not .
Leahy : There ’ s no question about that .
Carmichael : And violence does work up to a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that point then you move from organized violence to chaos .
And that ’ s what you see in CHOP .
Leahy : Yes .
There was another young Black man murdered there .
Nobody in the press is identifying his name .
Carmichael : They don ’ t even identify him as Black by the way .
Leahy : George Floyd , everybody knows his name .
He died after a policeman in Minneapolis put his knee on his neck when arresting him .
But this Black man was according to reports @ @ @ @ @ @ @ force .
Nobody is talking about him .
Leahy : The Black life of George Floyd matters but not this young 16-year-old .
Carmichael : Not just this 16-year-old but there were 18 people killed in Chicago including a 10-month-old baby and a 10-year-old girl just by stray bullets .
So Black Lives Matter is simply a violent wing of the Democrat Party and the Democrat Party has a history of those organizations .
Listen to the second hour here : Tune in weekdays from 5:00 – 8:00 a.m. to the Tennessee Star @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Radio 98.3 FM WLAC 1510 .
Listen online at iHeart Radio .
Photo “ Democrat Donkey ” by DonkeyHotey .
CC BY 2.0 .

Live from Music Row Monday morning on The 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. – host Leahy welcomed the original all-star panelist Crom Carmichael to the studio.
During the second hour, Carmichael described the historically violent Democratic Party through their affiliations with the KKK, Occupy Wall Street, Black Lives Matter and Antifa. He went on to compare these organizations to the mafioso in their tactics of bullying and threatening violence against anyone who did not fall in line with their agendas.
Leahy: We are joined this morning as we often are every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 6:30 a.m. by our good friend. Long time friend. We’ve known each other for over 30 years now?
Carmichael: A long time.
Leahy: Crom Carmichael, the original all-star panelist who builds the edifice of logic here on the radio brick by brick. Good morning Crom.
Carmichael: Good morning Michael. How are you, sir?
Leahy: I am optimistic about our country despite the fact that all the evidence suggests it’s not going so well. (Chuckles)
Carmichael: We will see. The election will tell the tale.
Leahy: It will tell the tale in four months and one week from that. We were talking a little bit during the break about the history of violence in the United States. And you had some very interesting facts to talk about.
Carmichael: It’s really more the history of violence in the Democrat Party.
Leahy: Tell us about that.
Carmichael: If you go back, the Democrat Party was the party of the south. And it was the party of slavery.
Leahy: Yes. Absolutely.
Carmichael: That’s just a fact of history.
Leahy: A historical fact.
Carmichael: Tearing down statues will not change that. Then you move forward after the Civil War the Democrat Party formed the KKK and the Robert Byrd’s and many other well known Democrats elected and sent to Washington who were elected and sent to Washington and many governors like George Wallace and Lester Maddox.
These were all people who were racists. And they were members of the Democrat Party. The Democrat Party formed the KKK as a militant wing. As a militant wing. And by the way, the KKK killed Republicans too. It was not just Black people that the KKK killed. And then after the KKK was subdued than we had the union movement.
And it was mostly the private sector movement. The trucking movement. The automobile factories. The coal miners. They brought in violent thugs to support their efforts no matter what they were. But they brought in violent people.
And then more recently you have Occupy Wall Street which, Barack Obama and the Left funded. That wasn’t some spontaneous thing that happened. These people were paid to be there. And they were paid by wealthy Democrat people who believe that violence is necessary to meet their own ends.
Leahy: It’s the Marxist-Leninist view of the world.
Carmichael: Yes. And now more recently you have Black Lives Matter and you have Antifa. And let’s just look at what they are doing. In St. Louis, they beat up some priests who were simply trying to protect a statue. I’ve got a picture of an old man who’s just getting beat down. He ended up in the hospital with a concussion.
Leahy: We have a story about that at The Tennessee Star. The video shows a mob attacking Catholics praying at a St. Louis statue. You can see it in the video and it’s pretty brutal.
Carmichael: Yes. And these are Democrats. The Black Lives Matter organization when you give money to them you are giving money to the militant wing to the Democratic Party. That’s all factual. Then you have them now targeting additional retailers including Target for example.
Leahy: They are targeting Target.
Carmichael: Targeting target.
Leahy: Which is run by a bunch of left-wingers really.
Carmichael: But they are still going after them. Then you have companies like Apple and Microsoft which are giving tens of millions of dollars. That’s the upscale mafia method where the mafioso’s in New York used to make local small merchants pay money for protection. That’s all this is.
This isn’t because they believe in the principles of Black Lives Matter. Then you have Antifa which is nothing but a terrorist organization that is sent in to literally and physically attack anyone that the Democrat Party does not believe in. That’s where we are now.
Then you have people who work for organizations that are being canceled and fired from their jobs. You have university professors who won’t toe the line and are being fired from the universities. So this is the method frankly that the Democrat Party embraces.
It’s very sad but it’s what it embraces. And that’s why this election if the Democrats were to win this election and win the presidency, the House, and the Senate the changes that would be made to the fabric of our country and to the rules that we live under.
Leahy: The rule of law.
Carmichael: Well, there wouldn’t be a rule of law. There’d be two sets of laws.
Leahy: One for democrats and their allies and one for everybody else.
Carmichael: Right. And you see that now across the country with these liberal prosecutors that George Soros’ money is used to get elected. And they simply don’t prosecute the thugs.
Leahy: Well, the prosecutor in St. Louis who was supported by George Soros has announced that she’s going to investigate the liberal couple who owns a mansion and are attorneys who actually sue the police of St. Louis for whatever when they have a victim. They are basically left-wingers who support Black Lives Matter.
A crowd went into their private compound of 100 or so people and were threatening to kill them and burn down their house. And they met them out front. The husband had a semi-automatic rifle or a gun. And the woman had a pistol.
And the prosecutor, the Soros supporter prosecutor who herself is under investigation for falsifying evidence in another case says she’s going to investigate not the people who trespassed and destroyed property and threatened the lives of these people. But she’s going to investigate the people who defended their houses.
Carmichael: It would be interesting to find out whether the couple that was terrorized whether or not they are still Democrats.
Leahy: They are. They put out a statement that they support Black Lives Matter but the thugs, we don’t.
Carmichael: Well whatever happens to them they deserve. If you are not going to fight evil then I hope you are on the front end of the receipt of evil. If you aren’t going to fight it and you actually join it and say I support it, they may be cow-towing also. They may be trying to buy peace.
Leahy: Maybe.
Carmichael: I can’t remember exactly what the expression is about Jefferson said it that if good men don’t stand up when evil advances then evil will prevail.
Leahy: Looks like we’re heading in that direction.
Carmichael: We are heading in the line where people are going to have to stand up or not.
Leahy: There’s no question about that.
Carmichael: And violence does work up to a point. And if it works beyond that point then you move from organized violence to chaos. And that’s what you see in CHOP.
Leahy: Yes. There was another young Black man murdered there. Nobody in the press is identifying his name.
Carmichael: They don’t even identify him as Black by the way.
Leahy: George Floyd, everybody knows his name. He died after a policeman in Minneapolis put his knee on his neck when arresting him. But this Black man was according to reports was murdered by the CHOP Seattle security force. Nobody is talking about him.
Carmichael: Right.
Leahy: The Black life of George Floyd matters but not this young 16-year-old.
Carmichael: Not just this 16-year-old but there were 18 people killed in Chicago including a 10-month-old baby and a 10-year-old girl just by stray bullets. So Black Lives Matter is simply a violent wing of the Democrat Party and the Democrat Party has a history of those organizations.
Listen to the second hour here:

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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 1510. Listen online at iHeart Radio.
Photo “Democrat Donkey” by DonkeyHotey. CC BY 2.0.


thetennesseestar--2020-07-02--Insurer Centene Plans 3,200 Jobs at New N.C. Regional Hub

RALEIGH , North Carolina ( AP ) — Government health insurance provider Centene Corp. said on Wednesday it will build an East Coast campus in Charlotte , North Carolina , developing a $ 1 billion construction project that ’ s expected to create more than 3,200 new jobs by 2032 .
Gov .
Roy Cooper described the expansion as the state ’ s largest single jobs announcement by number in nearly two decades .
The St. Louis-based managed care company will benefit from a recently sweetened state economic recruitment law , which along with local incentives could provide Centene with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ benefits over time , according to state officials .
Average pay for the new jobs will be $ 100,000 , Cooper ’ s office said , $ 32,000 above the local average .
“ This is a transformative initiative , ” Cooper said in an online announcement , minutes after a state panel agreed to most of the incentives .
“ When you look at Centene ’ s monumental decision here , you see what a significant impact this is going to have on North Carolina ’ s economy.
” The rapidly growing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to generate $ 112 billion in revenues this year .
Centene offers government-sponsored healthcare programs nationwide .
They include Medicaid and Medicare coverage in more than 20 states as well as products for TRICARE , and through the marketplace created through the 2010 federal health care law .
Centene chose Mecklenburg County , which includes Charlotte , over potential sites in Tampa , Florida and York County , South Carolina for the project , a Commerce Department document says .
York County is considered a bedroom community of Charlotte , so South Carolina @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the headquarters for WellCare Health Plans , which Centene recently purchased for $ 17 billion , bringing their customer base over 23 million .
CEO Michael Neidorff said Centene picked Charlotte because of its schools and infrastructure , including the Charlotte Douglas International Airport and its light rail .
A new rail line serves northeast Charlotte , where Neidorff said Centene will break ground as soon as August on a six-building campus with 1 million square feet ( 92,900 square meters ) of office space .
He said the goal is to create @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the University City campus , which also will serve as a technology hub .
“ Our new campus will enable Centene to continue advancing our mission — to provide care to our most vulnerable populations and transform the health care communities we serve , ” Neidorff said by video conference .
Under a 2017 state law , originally approved to help North Carolina compete for a new Apple headquarters , Centene could receive $ 388 million in cash payments alone over 39 years if it meets investment and job-creation goals .
The amount @ @ @ @ @ @ @ income tax withheld from each job created .
Job Development Investment Grants have been in place since 2002 , but the 2017 law made them more generous for projects creating at least 3,000 jobs and investing $ 1 billion .
After accounting for the cost of these potential cash grants , an economic model used by the Commerce Department estimates that the deal its recruiters called “ Project Big Boy ” will generate $ 674 million in net state revenues over the next 40 years .
The company also is poised to benefit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and community college incentives .
“ This project touches every corner of Mecklenburg County , ” county commissioner Chairman George Dunlap said , pointing out the secondary jobs and local tax revenues it will create .
Centene or its affiliates already have nearly 600 workers in North Carolina .
The company is also involved with a coalition of health care providers planning to offer Medicaid services when the state switches to managed-care operations , possibly next year .
Gary D. Robertson is a reporter for The Associated Press .
Photo “ Centene Building @ @ @ @

RALEIGH, North Carolina (AP) — Government health insurance provider Centene Corp. said on Wednesday it will build an East Coast campus in Charlotte, North Carolina, developing a $1 billion construction project that’s expected to create more than 3,200 new jobs by 2032.
Gov. Roy Cooper described the expansion as the state’s largest single jobs announcement by number in nearly two decades.
The St. Louis-based managed care company will benefit from a recently sweetened state economic recruitment law, which along with local incentives could provide Centene with $465 million in cash and other benefits over time, according to state officials. Average pay for the new jobs will be $100,000, Cooper’s office said, $32,000 above the local average.
“This is a transformative initiative,” Cooper said in an online announcement, minutes after a state panel agreed to most of the incentives. “When you look at Centene’s monumental decision here, you see what a significant impact this is going to have on North Carolina’s economy.”
The rapidly growing company already has 70,000 employees and expects to generate $112 billion in revenues this year. Centene offers government-sponsored healthcare programs nationwide. They include Medicaid and Medicare coverage in more than 20 states as well as products for TRICARE, and through the marketplace created through the 2010 federal health care law.
Centene chose Mecklenburg County, which includes Charlotte, over potential sites in Tampa, Florida and York County, South Carolina for the project, a Commerce Department document says. York County is considered a bedroom community of Charlotte, so South Carolina residents also should benefit. Tampa was the headquarters for WellCare Health Plans, which Centene recently purchased for $17 billion, bringing their customer base over 23 million.
CEO Michael Neidorff said Centene picked Charlotte because of its schools and infrastructure, including the Charlotte Douglas International Airport and its light rail. A new rail line serves northeast Charlotte, where Neidorff said Centene will break ground as soon as August on a six-building campus with 1 million square feet (92,900 square meters) of office space. He said the goal is to create 6,000 jobs in the coming years on the University City campus, which also will serve as a technology hub.
“Our new campus will enable Centene to continue advancing our mission — to provide care to our most vulnerable populations and transform the health care communities we serve,” Neidorff said by video conference.
Under a 2017 state law, originally approved to help North Carolina compete for a new Apple headquarters, Centene could receive $388 million in cash payments alone over 39 years if it meets investment and job-creation goals. The amount is linked to a portion of the income tax withheld from each job created. Job Development Investment Grants have been in place since 2002, but the 2017 law made them more generous for projects creating at least 3,000 jobs and investing $1 billion.
After accounting for the cost of these potential cash grants, an economic model used by the Commerce Department estimates that the deal its recruiters called “Project Big Boy” will generate $674 million in net state revenues over the next 40 years.
The company also is poised to benefit from $78 million in local government and community college incentives.
“This project touches every corner of Mecklenburg County,” county commissioner Chairman George Dunlap said, pointing out the secondary jobs and local tax revenues it will create.
Centene or its affiliates already have nearly 600 workers in North Carolina. The company is also involved with a coalition of health care providers planning to offer Medicaid services when the state switches to managed-care operations, possibly next year.
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Gary D. Robertson is a reporter for The Associated Press.
Photo “Centene Building” by Centene.