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Posts tagged voters
East TN – Wheel Tax is latest ploy demonstrating hypocrisy of Republicans
0Source: http://www.examiner.com
By Tona Monroe
Wheel Tax is latest ploy demonstrating hypocrisy of Republicans
Source: http://spreadlibertynews.com
Blount County voters will once again decide if they wish to pay a Wheel Tax, in the specially called election on June 11. The cost to the taxpayers for the special election will be at least $80,000, but saving money is of little concern to the resolution sponsors who have a habitual history of tax and fee increases. The Wheel Tax is the latest demonstration that being a Republican doesn’t necessarily mean limited government and low taxes.
All 21 members of the Blount County Commission were elected as Republicans in 2010, at a time when people were angry with Democrats and calling for a return to constitutionally limited government. The Blount County Republican Party sent a post card mailer warning people not to vote for local Democrats because of the big tax and spending Democrats in Washington DC. The three Democrats on the Commission were easily defeated.
Blount County voters handily defeated a wheel tax in 2006, with 71% of the voters rejecting it. Voters rejected a sales tax increase in 2008. Both of these votes took place prior to the current Commission, but Republicans had a super majority on the previous Commission, with a majority of the current Commissioners sitting on the previous Commission.
The current all-Republican Commission voted to raise the property tax rate the first year of their new term in 2011. While some of the Republican Commissioners voted against the tax increase, many of them voted for most or all of the spending that caused the tax increase, which makes them guilty of big spending and culpable for the tax increase.
Instead of creating a Committee to cut waste, the Commission created a Committee to Study Lost Revenue. The all-Republican Commission finished out the last month of the first year of their current term with litigation fee increases, with the resolution reading “WHEREAS, Blount County is in need of additional revenue.”
Rather than increase property tax in the second year of the current term, a sales tax increase was proposed in 2012. Blount County voters defeated the proposed sales tax increase a second time, but with a much narrower margin of defeat than in 2008.
Now the Wheel Tax is back, as the all-Republican Commission faces a huge spending increase from Blount County Schools, in its third year. The timing of the special election is interesting, the middle of June when School is out and people are taking vacations. The Commission has been unable to get voters in November elections, when voter turnout is at its highest, to approve tax increases. The date of the election appears to be deliberately set to catch people off guard so that the tax can be slid through, knowing that government employees usually vote, while hoping that those opposed are unaware or busy during the specially called election.
Republicans gave Blount Countians a property tax increase and fee increases in their first year. Republicans tried to give Blount Countians a sales tax increase in their second year. Now Blount Countians are faced with a Wheel Tax. The Commission could implement a Wheel Tax on its own authority with a two-thirds majority vote during two consecutive Commission meetings. Republican Commissioners don’t want to do this, partly because they hope to get the voter to do it for them.
The other reason is because the Wheel Tax won’t fix the School Budget problem entirely. The $86.8 million School Budget means a funding deficit of $6.9 million. Commissioner Holden Lail, one of the Wheel Tax resolution sponsors who is a retired Blount County educator and is married to Blount County educator, doesn’t know how much the Wheel Tax will actually generate. Estimates range from $2.5-3.5 million, which is far short of the $6.9 million needed. The Commission would then have to decide whether to increase the property tax rate to fund the deficit or tell the School Board to cut its budget.
The Wheel Tax proposal is sloppy, slothful and sly. It’s sloppy because the amount it generates is unknown but the best estimate shows it only providing about half of the requested increase. It’s slothful because it raises taxes without making any attempt to cut wasteful spending. It’s sly because it’s planned to avoid a general election so that County employees can ramrod it through.
The people of Blount County need to critically evaluate the performance of this all-Republican Commission. Voters have rejected all proposed tax increases, while the all Republican Commission has proposed a tax increase each year. Republicans railed about the dangers of big government Democrats in Washington DC in 2010, but the people of Blount County have an all-Republican Commission that hasn’t gone a single year without trying to increase taxes since their rhetoric about the Democrats in Washington DC.
Tona Monroe, East Tennessee Government Examiner
Tona Monroe, a regular contributor to BCPublicRecord.com, is actively involved in state and local politics having a keen desire for restoring privacy and our right to travel. She resides in Greenback, Tenn. with her husband and dogs and enjoys a healthy lifestyle and dog rescue work.
Fluoride Bill gives voters a voice
02 months ago
Source: http://www.examiner.com
By: Tona Monroe
Water a precious resource
Credit: http://good-wallpapers.com
Utility companies are entrusted with precious resources and often have a government granted monopoly on the products provided to their customers. Goods and services provided by companies that face competition must work to earn your business. Competition is good for consumers, but it’s usually lacking with utility companies.
Water is essential to life. No one would live more than a few days without it, yet few people live in an environment where it’s feasible to dig a well. Thus, most people are dependent upon water supplied from a municipal source monopoly.
The problem is further compounded with Water Boards in Tennessee because many of these Boards are unelected and get to select the nominees that local elected officials must make their appointments from. It’s a closed loop system where unelected Boards get to choose unelected nominees. Customers must address their grievances with the local elected official who has the precarious job of choosing from the list of people the unelected Board provides. Customers can address their concerns to the Board, but members face no fear of defeat in upcoming elections since they are appointed, and worse, are able to choose the nominees for the appointments. Usually these Boards re-nominate themselves.
There is no mandate to fluoridate the water provided to customers in Tennessee. Several Water Boards stopped fluoridating when legislator Joey Hensley M.D. sent a letter to the Boards informing them of some of health dangers with adding fluoride compounds to water.
Many still continue the practice of fluoridating though. Hensley was frustrated with the lack of accountability of the Water Boards in his district so he passed legislation in the House to require the Boards in his district to be elected. The legislation didn’t pass in the Senate.
HB 1186 by Representative John DeBerry and SB 1211 by Senator Stacey Campfield will give voters a say in whether they want water fluoridation to continue, if their Board is fluoridating. As written, the bill doesn’t allow for a vote to add fluoride to areas where there is no fluoridation. It only allows for citizens who have previously had no voice on the matter to say whether they wish for the practice to continue. This legislation brings together the unusual combination of a Democratic sponsor in Memphis with an ultraconservative Republican in East Tennessee, showing that thoughtful comprise can be good for the democratic process.
Tona Monroe, East Tennessee Government Examiner
Tona Monroe, a regular contributor to BCPublicRecord.com, is actively involved in state and local politics having a keen desire for restoring privacy and our right to travel. She resides in Greenback, Tenn. with her husband and dogs and enjoys a healthy lifestyle and dog rescue work.
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Here is the link to HB1186 and SB121.
Added note taken from www.bcpublicrecord.com:
Below is the information for the committee that will hear this bill on 3/12.
Rep. Art Swann, Chariman R 615-741-5481
Rep. Kent Calfee R 615-741-7658
Rep. Charles Curtiss D 615-741-1963
Rep. Barry Doss R 615-741-7476
Rep. Pat Marsh R 615-741-6824
Rep. Jason Powell D 615-741-6861
Rep. Curry Todd R 615-741-1866
Rep. Tim Wirgau R 615-741-6804
rep.art.swann@capitol.tn.gov,
rep.kent.calfee@capitol.tn.gov,
rep.charles.curtiss@capitol.tn.gov,
rep.barry.doss@capitol.tn.gov,
rep.pat.marsh@capitol.tn.gov,
rep.jason.powell@capitol.tn.gov,
rep.curry.todd@capitol.tn.gov,
rep.tim.wirgau@capitol.tn.gov
Additionally, these same members are the same legislators to contact in support of the smart meter bill.
Are voters finally fed-up enough to go for the block?
17 months ago
Source: http://www.examiner.com
By Lori Stacey
From the far left to the far right and everywhere in between, American voters are more dissatisfied with the choices of only Barack Obama or Mitt Romney than perhaps anytime in our nation’s history. Thanks to the internet and alternative media sources, voters also are more aware than ever before that there are other choices on the ballot or available via certified write-in status and are finding out about them long before the shock of seeing their actual ballot on election day when it is often too late to research who the other candidates are or what they stand for.
The sham and concerted effort by the entire political system itself and the national mainstream media to try to hide, belittle or exclude the other choices has perhaps reached such a truly un-American level of stench that maybe, just maybe, voters will have finally decided that they have had enough.
The truth is that millions of Americans are finding alternative party, independent and official write-in candidates that they don’t have to plug their nose to vote for and can get excited about. Whether it is Ron Paul that is expected to be a certified write-in candidate in at least a dozen states, Dr. Jill Stein or Gary Johnson that appeal to social liberals, Vigil Goode or others that appeal to social conservatives, the truth is that the field of candidates running outside the 2-party sham on America are offering real choices that people can support. What they seem to have in common is their recognition that we must get the federal government back in adherence with our constitution, defend our freedoms and finally bring our troops home.
If voters finally stand up on their own set of principles and ideals and just vote for the best individual candidate rather than settling for a major party label, at least a powerful message of blowback will finally be heard in Washington, DC. If enough people reject Obama and Romney, it could result in some state victories for the other candidates. If each of the most popular alternative candidates were able to pick off victories in a state or two each, it could be possible to block both Barack Obama and Mitt Romney from reaching the required 270 electoral votes necessary to win the election outright. Then it would be thrown to the US House to decide and they would of course choose either Romney or Obama. The important thing though is that the 2-party monster of menace would never be the same again.
A group of teenagers put together a video plea to vote only for candidates that will stand up for our founding principles and save their future. They are involved in the organization www.im2moro.org. It is currently going viral across the web. (see video) Will the adults actually take their advice and vote on principle or cave yet again to party loyalty that is bringing our nation to its knees? Aren’t we supposed to be electing a person to live on Pennsylvania Avenue, not a party?
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Lori Stacey, DC Conservative Examiner
Lori Stacey has been passionate about politics all her life. She started working on political campaigns going back to Ronald Reagan’s first bid for the White House while growing up in Sacramento. In November 2010, she ran for Secretary of State of South Dakota for the Constitution Party. Lori…
Egypt’s military warns protesters over presidential election result
011 months ago
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[CIM]
Added link to the live video feed coverage from RT following this article.
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Source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk
By Richard Spencer, Cairo
8:30PM BST 22 Jun 2012
Egypt’s military warns protesters over presidential election result
Egypt’s ruling military council on Friday warned it would use its powers to overcome protesters’ threats to confront the regime if it announced a former general won last week’s presidential election.
Supporters of Muslim Brotherhood’s presidential candidate Morsy chant slogans during a rally at Tahrir Square in Cairo Photo: REUTERS
In a strongly worded statement, it blamed the Muslim Brotherhood’s candidate, Mohamed Morsi, of stirring up emotions that drew thousands into Cairo’s Tahrir Square as a mounting political crisis threatened to come to a head.
The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces said everyone should accept its “legal decisions” and refused to reverse its dissolution of parliament and its declaration reserving sweeping powers and a constitutional veto.
“The army and the police will combat any attacks on Egypt’s public or private institutions and enforce the law immediately,” a spokesman said. He intoned his statement invisibly from behind a screen on state television, using the menacing style of the decades-long military dictatorship of the deposed and now ailing president Hosni Mubarak.
The statement was repeated on state radio throughout the afternoon. Mr Morsi retorted that the generals were defying the democratic will of the people and said protests would go on. The Brotherhood has claimed that he won a narrow but clear victory.
How Microsoft and Yahoo Are Selling Politicians Access to You
011 months ago
in Politics
Source: http://www.propublica.org
By Lois Beckett
Microsoft and Yahoo are selling political campaigns the ability to target voters online with tailored ads using names, Zip codes and other registration information that users provide when they sign up for free email and other services.
The Web giants provide users no notification that their information is being used for political targeting.
(File photo illustration by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
In one sense, campaigns are doing a more sophisticated version of what they’ve always done through the post office — sending political fliers to selected households. But the Internet allows for more subtle targeting. It relies not on email but on advertisements that surfers may not realize have been customized for them.
Campaigns use voters records to assemble lists of people they’re trying to reach — for instance, “registered Republicans that have made a donation,” Yahoo’s director of sales Andy Cotten told ProPublica. Microsoft and Yahoo help campaigns find these people online and then send them tailored ads.
These messages don’t just pop up in Yahoo Mail or Hotmail. Because Microsoft and Yahoo operate huge networks that provide advertising on some of the most popular web destinations, targeted ads can appear when a voter visits a swath of different sites.
Microsoft and Yahoo said they safeguard the privacy of their users and do not share their users’ personal information directly with the campaigns. Both companies also said they do not see the campaigns’ political data, because the match of voter names and registration data is done by a third company. They say the matching is done to target groups of similar voters, and not named individuals.
According to Microsoft, President Obama’s re-election campaign has recently done this kind of targeting, and both national political parties have done so previously.
The marketing site ClickZ, the Wall Street Journal, Slate and others have previously noted the ability of campaigns to target online ads to specific groups of voters. But what has not been detailed is which companies are now making the targeting possible by providing users’ personal information — and which have decided it’s off-limits.
Obama to Legalize Illegal Immigration by Decree; Will Add 800,000 Voters In November
011 months ago
Source: http://www.shtfplan.com
By Mac Slavo
In the midst of the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression in which millions of Americans have lost jobs we can expect even more competition in the employment marketplace.
According to AP sources, President Obama will speak today about a new administration policy that will grant immunity from deportation for some 800,000 immigrants who have entered the country illegally.
The Obama administration will stop deporting and begin granting work permits to younger illegal immigrants who came to the U.S. as children and have since led law-abiding lives. The election-year initiative addresses a top priority of an influential Latino electorate that has been vocal in its opposition to administration deportation policies.
The policy change, described to The Associated Press by two senior administration officials, will affect as many as 800,000 immigrants who have lived in fear of deportation.
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Under the administration plan, illegal immigrants will be immune from deportation if they were brought to the United States before they turned 16 and are younger than 30, have been in the country for at least five continuous years, have no criminal history, graduated from a U.S. high school or earned a GED, or served in the military. They also can apply for a work permit that will be good for two years with no limits on how many times it can be renewed.
Source: AP
Opponents of the new policy argue that the move will not only add pressure to an already struggling economy, education and healthcare system, but will likely strengthen Obama’s position in the upcoming Presidential election by adding hundreds of thousands of new voters sentimental to democrat candidates.
While it is illegal to vote in a Presidential election unless you are a U.S. citizen, the only thing a would-be voter needs to cast a ballot is proof of residency (in most States, not even that is required), which is easily obtainable once immunity or legal status is granted.
GMO labeling victory!
011 months ago
Source: http://www.naturalnews.com
By Mike Adams, the Health Ranger
GMO labeling victory! Measure accepted onto California ballot; now the real battle begins
(NaturalNews) In this breaking news for the food-conscious community, the California Secretary of State has just announced that the GMO labeling ballot measure has met and exceeded the requirements to be placed on the November ballot. (http://www.sos.ca.gov/admin/press-releases/2012/db12-068.pdf) and (http://www.labelgmos.org/we_made_it_on_the_ballot)This measure, which has been strongly pushed by the Organic Consumers Association, the Institute for Responsible Technology, and a large number of dedicated volunteers and donors, would require genetically engineered ingredients to be indicated on food labels. This is an honest labeling issue that would allow consumers to make informed decisions about what they choose to purchase and consume.
504,760 signatures were needed to qualify for the November ballot, and the GMO labeling signature effort has greatly exceeded this number. Tremendous thanks are due to all those who fought for this honest labeling initiative. NaturalNews has consistently covered this issue from day one, and has helped drive significant awareness and funds to this GMO labeling effort.
A passage of this initiative could spell the end of GMOs in America, as food producers already know that if given a choice, 90+ percent of consumers would choose to avoid genetically engineered food. For this reason, food producers would be forced to switch to non-GMO sources for their food ingredients. This, in turn, would see a near collapse of GM seeds being planted in fields across America.
The disinfo war begins
Of course, Monsanto, DuPont, Big Agriculture and the food industry don’t want consumers to know what’s in their food. They profit when consumers are kept in the dark, and they will spend tens of millions of dollars to spread disinformation about this initiative in order to influence California voters to vote it down.
Thus, the next great battle begins: The battle for voting YES on the ballot measure. Expect NaturalNews and all the same allies who advocated the ballot measure to now shift gears and start educating voters to support the ballot measure.
NOW 80% DEMAND VOTE TO QUIT EU
011 months ago
in Global News, Politics
Source: http://www.express.co.uk
By Alison Little
DEMANDS for the British people to have a say on our role in Europe got a huge boost yesterday.
A new poll showed more than 80 per cent of voters are crying out for a referendum.
Nearly half of voters – 49 per cent – want their voices heard straight away, according to the survey.
(more…)
Wisconsin governor Scott Walker survives bitterly fought recall election
0Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk
By Rory Carroll
Wisconsin governor Scott Walker survives bitterly fought recall election
Union activists had waged 18-month campaign against the governor whose victory has Republicans rejoicing nationwide
Scott Walker became the first governor to avoid being ousted in a recall election. Photograph: Darren Hauck/Reuters
Wisconsin‘s governor Scott Walker survived a bitterly fought recall election on Tuesday after Republican voters mobilised in huge numbers, propelling him to a victory that will boost Mitt Romney’s run for the White House.
Television networks called it for the incumbent at 11pm local time after early returns from rural counties gave him an apparently unassailable lead even as voters were still queuing to cast ballots at polling stations in Milwaukee, a Democratic stronghold.
It was a devastating defeat for Democrats and union activists who had waged an 18-month campaign to oust Walker over his restrictions on collective bargaining and cutbacks of pension and health benefits of public sector workers.
Romney issued a swift statement saying the result would “echo beyond the borders of Wisconsin” by showing Republicans could stand up to “runaway government costs imposed by labor bosses” and demonstrated “what sound fiscal policies can do to turn an economy around”.
Reality Check: Did Mitt Romney Really Secure GOP Nomination With Texas Win?
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Ben Swann Reality Check takes a look at whether Mitt Romney has won the Republican nomination with his primary win in Texas
This is a work in progess, a self learning tool and fun little project. Please excuse the slow development as it seems the needed proper time is always lacking. It is my hope that the combination of content and links to other sources of information in this simple blog may help awaken a few of the sleeping masses and encourage and inspire others to initiate their own research, ultimately for each person to be a light to help awaken others. Opinions expressed belong to me, myself and I. Also, a big thank you to all that take the time to visit, it is appreciated :)
