Archive for July, 2009

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Update From Congressman Bart Gordon

Friday, July 31st, 2009

bartgordonReducing the Deficit

Friends,

Last week, the U.S. House passed the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act (”PAYGO”). I was an original cosponsor of PAYGO because I believe it can bring our budget back to sound footing and help our economy grow.

In case you missed it, Monday’s print-edition of The Tennessean included a column I wrote about the importance of the PAYGO rule. To read the article, click here.

Know that I am committed to reducing the budget deficit and ensuring that any new federal spending is completely offset.

Stay in touch,

Bart Gordon
Member of Congress

Posted in Budget, Legislation, Rep. Bart Gordon (D-6) | 1 Comment »

Rutherford County Tea Party protesters out numbered 10-1 by healthcare reform advocates

Wednesday, July 29th, 2009

Last Friday was the fourth time Rutherford County’s anti-government Tea Party Republicans took to the streets to protest. Republicans oppose federal stimulus spending aimed at turning around the Bush recession that started in December 2007.

But this time, Tea Party Republicans were out numbered 10 to 1 by Rutherford County voters supporting health care reform.

Rutherford County Republican Tea Party organizer Christian Hidalgo of Navigation Advertising told protesters to show up in front of Rep. Bart Gordon’s (D-6) office last week, but then never bothered to show up himself.

It takes a lot of courage to stand on the street and publicly protest paying your taxes, reforming healthcare, enhanced healthcare for Rutherford County’s veterans, Nissan’s $1.6 billion government loan creating 1,000 new jobs of the future and the millions of dollars now being spent in our schools, roads, and extended unemployment benefits. It’s not surprising that Hidalgo hid in his office the entire time.

When voters reflect on how our nation addressed the deep Bush recession, they will see one party who acted swiftly with change that works and one party that protested every effort and yearned for four more years of the same failed policies.

Posted in ARRA, Economy, Rutherford County Republican Party, Taxes | No Comments »

Tax and Spend Republicans: County Mayor Ernest Burgess uses $100,000 of tax money for secret land deal

Tuesday, July 28th, 2009

Republican County Mayor Ernest Burgess continues to refuse to release documents related to a secret land deal he tried to hide from Rutherford County tax payers.

Mayor Burgess confirmed to a persistent DNJ today that he spent $100,000 of tax payer money for land in Rockvale that the county valued at $31,300. Mayor Burgess continues to dodge growing public demands for full transparency on his secret land deal that was part of a lawsuit settlement with the county.

Mayor Burgess had an opportunity to do the right thing when no one was paying attention, and when he thought no one was watching, Mayor Burgess chose to break the law and enter an ill-advised secret land deal using tax payer money.

Mayor Burgess had another choice when confronted with his illegal behavior and again chose to violate the public trust, hide behind lawyers and lay the blame that created this mess on the entire County Commission. Rutherford County deserves a mayor who respects the law and whose faith guides them to serve the people with honesty, even when he thinks they aren’t paying attention.

Every day Mayor Burgess refuses to release public documents on this land deal is another day Mayor Burgess is blatantly breaking state law, violating his oath of office and making a mockery of the leadership our county deserves. Every day Mayor Burgess feels he can withhold public records is another day we’ll be here to remind him of his duty to the people and his oath to uphold the law.

Posted in 2010, Crime, Rutherford County Republican Party, Tax and Spend Republicans, Taxes | No Comments »

Tax and Spend Republicans: County Mayor Ernest Burgess’s secret land deal

Sunday, July 26th, 2009
red-faced and red-handed County Mayor Ernest Burgess

red-faced and red-handed County Mayor Ernest Burgess

Republican County Major Ernest Burgess told the DNJ he doesn’t have to tell tax payers how much of their money he spent on a secret land deal made as part of a settlement with a Rockvale land owner.

Mayor Burgess is the latest in a growing list of local Republican politicians who have been caught breaking the law to serve their own private interests while using tax money.

Mayor Burgess can either uphold the law and come clean with the people he was hired to serve, or he can do it the hard way.

The county has apparently agreed to buy 1.7 acres in the Rockvale community to settle a lawsuit filed by a couple whose rezoning request was rejected by the county a few years ago. According to Burgess, the settlement terms are confidential, meaning taxpayers are left in the dark about how much money they paid for this piece of property.

We believe this is a clear violation of the state’s open records laws, and even if it isn’t, as a matter of principle, it flies against this nation’s bedrock concept of transparent and accountable government. Simply put, taxpayers have a right to know how government is spending their money.

Besides, Rick Hollow, legal counsel for the Tennessee Press Association and a noted authority on state open records law, told The DNJ that a Tennessee Attorney General determined in the 1990s that a confidential agreement is void if it pertains to withholding public records.

“The expenditure of public funds is public business,” Hollow said. “An agreement to withhold information from the public is unenforceable.”

Posted in Crime, Rutherford County Republican Party, Tax and Spend Republicans, Taxes, Watchdog Alert | 5 Comments »

Health Care Reform? Bart Gordon says, “We must get it right”

Saturday, July 25th, 2009

bartgordonWASHINGTON – Congress is currently considering three pieces of legislation aimed at reforming America’s health care insurance system. The bills take different approaches to reducing health care costs for those with insurance and extending health care coverage to millions of Americans currently without insurance. U.S. Representative Bart Gordon is working closely with his colleagues to ensure that the reform bill passed by Congress meets the intended goals and provides necessary fixes to the country’s health insurance system without raising our federal budget deficit.

“People in Tennessee and around the country are spending more on health care than on food or housing. More than 45 million uninsured Americans are getting their health care in emergency rooms, which drives costs up for those with insurance,” explained Gordon. “If we don’t reform health care, insurance premiums will continue to rise and push our country further into debt. However, we must slow down and get it done right. It is too important of an issue.”

Health care costs have doubled between 1996 and 2006. Currently, one out of every six dollars is spent on health care in the United States. In Tennessee alone, average family insurance premiums have increased by 77% since 2000.

“Health care insurance reform should focus on finding every penny of savings within our current system, as well as eliminate the waste and inefficiencies that have been shown to amount to hundreds of billions of dollars each year,” said Gordon. “Our goal should be to reduce health care costs and ensure affordable coverage is available to individuals, families and small businesses.”

Gordon, accompanied by seven other conservative Democrats, recently laid out concerns with the current legislation to the President. During the meeting, Gordon emphasized the importance of passing a bill that does not increase the deficit, hurt families or small businesses, or create a single-payer, government-run health insurance system.

“Health insurance reform is needed, but we must take time to get it right,” reiterated Gordon. “I am working to see that the bill we ultimately pass is a bipartisan bill that can get through both the House and Senate.”

Posted in Health care, Legislation, Rep. Bart Gordon (D-6) | 2 Comments »

Tennessee Republicans vote against fiscal responsibility

Thursday, July 23rd, 2009

Throughout the 1990s the success of pay-go rules in the United States Congress helped reign in deficit spending that flourished under President George H. Bush. Pay-go rules put in place under Democrats turned those deficits into record surpluses under President Bill Clinton.

Pay-go rules were later abandoned by Republicans under President George W. Bush and the resulting borrowing and deficit spending produced the nation’s largest deficit in United States history, plunging the nation into a deep, long-lasting recession.

Pay-go rules require any new spending by the United States Congress to be paid for by a reduction in spending or tax increases. Under pay-go rules, the Republican policy of borrowing and deficit spending give way to the kind of fiscal responsibility working families are used to. If you don’t have the money in the bank, you don’t spend it or go looking for the credit card.

Yesterday, Democrats, including Rep. Bart Gordon, put these pay-go rules back into effect, but not a single Republican from our state voted for it. The person who has now come to represent opposition to this proven fiscally policy is none other than Tennessee Republican Rep. Marsha Blackburn.

Watch this video and listen as Rep. Blackburn makes the Republican case for saving more money by letting Americans die in future national emergencies like “Katrina” and “tsunamis.” Rep. Blackburn’s proposal was met with such national outrage that her spokesperson had to issue a pathetic apology that said Rep. Blackburn’s mouth gets ahead of her brain sometimes.

We totally agree, but an apology for her vote against fiscal responsible pay-go rules would have sufficed.

Posted in Budget, Economy, Legislation, Rep. Bart Gordon (D-6), Taxes | No Comments »

Thousands of jobs coming to Rutherford County

Wednesday, July 22nd, 2009

Over the past few months several job creation announcements for working families of Rutherford County have given us a glimmer of hope in a recovering economic recession that began in the first part of 2008.

Thanks to a $1.6 billion federal government loan to Nissan, 1,000 workers will be hired and help position Tennessee as a leader in a green auto revolution. Thanks to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, construction firms are bidding on three shovel-ready road projects, and millions more is being spent to retrain workers for these jobs of the future.

The latest is an announcement from Washington-based NCS Power that 2,000 green energy jobs will soon come to Rutherford County from their factories in China. It’s news worth celebrating, but some people aren’t happy.

Rutherford County’s Tea Party Republicans have taken to the streets 3 times in the last 3 months protesting the tax revenues spent creating these new jobs. They also protested the very incentives being provided companies to relocate manufacturing jobs here in the United States.

What’s worse are Republicans like Sen. Bill Ketron (R-13), Sen. Jim Tracy (R-16) and Rep. Joe Carr (R-48) gleefully taking credit for those jobs.

“We’re going to relight Middle Tennessee,” said Ketron, who was involved with some of the discussions involving the LED business partnerships. “Tennessee is poised to be the alternative energy capital of the world.”

Ketron attended the press conference along with state Sen. Jim Tracy, R-Shelbyville, state Rep. Joe Carr, R-Lascassas, and Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey.

Companies like NCS Power had strong economic incentives to ship jobs to China throughout President Bush’s 8 years in office. Now months into the Obama Administration those incentives are changing, and NCS Power now sees strong incentives to move 2,000 jobs back to Murfreesboro, TN.

The fact is county Republicans have gone out of their way to oppose changes that help working families. Rep. Carr authored a bill this year demanding Gov. Phil Bredesen reject stimulus funds that extended unemployment benefits for our county’s growing unemployed as well as funds to retrain workers for these new jobs of the future.

Senators Ketron, Tracy and other county Republicans wanted four more years of Bush’s failed economic policy and years more of the results from which we’re slowly recovering.

When Nissan begins hiring 1,000 Rutherford County residents due to the massive government backed auto loan they protested, expect Sen. Ketron, Sen. Tracy and Rep. Carr to pray to God that you’ve forgotten their vocal opposition to those jobs as they gleefully take credit for the hard work it took to bring them here.

Posted in ARRA, Business, Economy, Jobs, Legislation, Taxes | No Comments »

Gordon: “Federal Spending Patterns Can’t Continue”

Wednesday, July 22nd, 2009

bartgordonWASHINGTON – This week the U.S. House will take an important step towards reducing federal spending by passing H.R. 2920, the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act (“PAYGO”). This legislation re-establishes the principle responsible for budget surpluses at the end of the 1990s, which required that any new spending by Congress be offset with a reduction in existing spending.

“Our federal spending patterns can’t continue,” said Congressman Bart Gordon who is a long-time supporter of PAYGO. “We have been borrowing money from China, as well as other countries, since 2002 to pay for federal programs and initiatives. This bill draws a firm line in the sand – moving forward, if we are going to spend a dollar, we must find a U.S. dollar to pay for it.”

The first PAYGO rule was included in the Budget Enforcement Act, which was signed into law with Gordon’s strong support in 1990. Over the next decade, PAYGO resulted in a gradual reduction of the federal deficit, and in 1998, the federal government saw its first budget surplus since 1969. Unfortunately, despite Gordon’s objections, PAYGO was not reauthorized in 2002. Since then, the federal deficit has skyrocketed.

“As our economy continues to recover from the most severe economic downturn since the Great Depression, we must focus on creating jobs and making the U.S. dollar strong again. Reducing federal spending will help on both fronts,” added Gordon. “This legislation expresses our long-term commitment to balanced budgets and financial solvency.”federalbudget

The PAYGO legislation to be considered in the House this week will require all new spending policies passed by Congress be offset over five and ten years. It will force a serious examination of wasteful spending programs in the budget and tax loopholes that can be eliminated to offset more worthwhile programs.

Posted in Budget, Education, Rep. Bart Gordon (D-6), Taxes | No Comments »

Tax and Spend Republicans: Rutherford County Republicans defend tax increases

Monday, July 20th, 2009
louannzelenick

Rutherford County Tea Party Chairwoman Lou Ann Zelenick defends tax increases.

Tea Party organizer and Rutherford County Republican Chairwoman Lou Ann Zelenick launched her party’s message for the 2010 elections today.

Lou Ann is quoted in today’s Daily News Journal on behalf of Republican candidates saying tax increases by county Republicans this year were the “right decision.”

We don’t recall Lou Ann defending tax increases to the Tea Party wing of the Rutherford County Republican Party, but it’s no surprise to hear just days after Lou Ann was photographed above screaming into a microphone in protest of politicians who raise them.

Lou Ann defended one of the largest property tax increases in Rutherford County passed under current Republican County Mayor Ernest Burgess. Lou Ann went on to say she “can’t wait” for other Republicans to announce their campaigns for the 2010 elections. With a message like that, neither can we!

“The citizens of Rutherford County are fortunate we have an honest, hard-working leader in Mayor Ernest Burgess,” she said. “He puts in 24/7 for the citizens of Rutherford County with dignity and honor.”

Republican County Mayor Burgess campaigned in 2006 on cutting county government spending 10% across the board and promised no property tax increases. Mayor Burgess has failed to live up to his promise, and every Rutherford County tax payer can now expect the bill and thank the Rutherford County Republican Party.

Posted in 2010, Elections, Rutherford County Republican Party, Tax and Spend Republicans, Taxes | 1 Comment »

Federal judge orders Republican Election Commission Chairman Tom Walker to cool his jets

Friday, July 17th, 2009

A federal judge has granted a temporary order barring Republican Election Commission Chairman Tom Walker from firing Rutherford County Election Administrator Hooper Penuel.

The order is the latest in a federal lawsuit against Walker and seven other Republicans who plaintiffs claim are violating the United States Constitution with politically motivated firings of county election administrators.

County election administrators are appointed by local election commissions, and state law required those commissions to have Republican majorities because the GOP gained control of the legislature last year.

Some of those new commissions have ousted election administrators who were appointed by commissions with Democratic majorities. In their lawsuit, the eight administrators say the moves are unlawful.

At a hearing Friday, U.S. District Judge John Nixon approved a temporary restraining order barring Rutherford’s election commission from moving to fire Penuel.

Penuel is the only one of the eight defendants who still works as an election administrator, though court filings say he was told his firing is imminent.

Rutherford County’s Republican election commissioners voted to spend Rutherford County tax payer money on lawyers from Chattanooga to defend themselves in the federal lawsuit. The bill to defend Walker’s behavior could cost Rutherford County tax payers hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Tennessee Democratic Party Chairman Chip Forrester responded to the federal court’s order:

“This decision puts the brake on what appears to be a wholesale removal of election administrators across the state,” Forrester said. “Why would you fire people who have such a wealth of experience and knowledge of the election process if it weren’t political patronage?

“These firings and the refusal of Secretary of State Tre Hargett to implement the Tennessee Voter Confidence Act leads me to believe there is an organized effort by Republicans to obstruct fair and verifiable elections.”

Posted in Crime, Elections, Ethics, Rutherford County Republican Party, Watchdog Alert | No Comments »

Rutherford County Democrats Quarterly Meeting

Thursday, July 16th, 2009



This past Saturday morning,  loyal democrats gathered at Rutherford County’s historic courthouse for our 2nd Quarter meeting. After a welcome from our chairman, Jonathon Fagan, the group heard from our treasurer, Matthew Smitty, who was pleased to report a great increase in the amount of money brought in over the last 3 months.

Will Fields, the parties’ Corresponding Secretary,  informed the group of upcoming events, like the 1st Annual Grow Tennessee Dinner to be held September 19th at 6p.m. on the campus of Middle Tennessee State University. With nearly 100 of the 300 available tickets gone in one day, we hope to make this a great event for Tennessee Democrats. It will be a great chance to hear the 5 candidates for the Governorship of our fair state speak about what they envision for Tennessee’s future. A sit down dinner will be served, and tickets are still available.  More info can be found in our calendar, or by calling 615-796-1472.

Pat McFadden gave a report of all the events that the party membership has attended over the last several months, including Juneteenth at Bradley Academy, International Street Fair, and several other successful events in all corners of the county,  which we will continue to do as much as possible. Please email any officer with community event info that you would like put on the sites community calendar.

We were very pleased to hear from Ashley Newton, with the Change that Works Campaign, regarding important events coming up with President Obama’s health care plan.

The Democratic party was also pleased to hear from Lisa Harrell, candidate for the office of County Clerk. Mrs. Harrell has served the county for several decades and those in attendance were proud to have her there to introduce herself and kick-off her campaign.

Posted in Democratic Party, Events | No Comments »

Tax and Spend Republicans

Tuesday, July 14th, 2009
red-faced and red-handed County Mayor Ernest Burgess

red-faced and red-handed County Mayor Ernest Burgess

Oh, we almost forgot. The Rutherford County Republican Party (RCRP) held another anti-government “Tea Party” on Friday.

Republicans protested their taxes being spent on things like creating 1,000 + jobs at Nissan in Smyrna with $1.6 billion in government loans, local construction companies who bid on three stimulus-funded road projects in the county, and millions in stimulus funds for the county’s schools and extended benefits for the county’s growing unemployed.

Republican protesters even had the nerve to tell our county’s veterans that they don’t deserve the enhanced health care benefits provided them by the federal government’s stimulus funds. Presumably they’d like four more years of the cuts to veteran care that occurred over the past eight years under Republican control of the White House and U.S. Congress. In 2008, Democrats said it’s time the American people honor our heroes who deserve better. American agreed and put Democrats in power to deliver, and that’s just what we did.

The well fed, lawn-chaired crowd of Republicans protested paying taxes, yet the only taxes a majority of the crowd will see increase this year are local property taxes.

County Mayor Ernest Burgess just pushed through one of the largest property tax increases in Rutherford County history. Burgess campaigned in 2006 on cutting county government spending 10% across the board and promised no property tax increases. Mayor Burgess has failed to live up to his promise, and every Tea Party protester will get the bill.

When Republicans take tothe streets in protest, you don’t hear anything about real tax increases Rutherford County voters will soon pay. If Tea Partiers focused on Tax & Spend Republicans like County Mayor Ernest Burgess, they just might be relevant.

Posted in Economy, Rutherford County Republican Party, Tax and Spend Republicans, Taxes | 4 Comments »

Endoscopy Problems, VA Will Pay for Treatment

Monday, July 13th, 2009

bartgordonWASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has agreed to cover costs associated with treatment and follow-up testing for infected veterans in the wake of the endoscopy problems at the Alvin York VA Hospital. The statement came in response to Congressman Bart Gordon’s June 18 letter, in which he requested the VA to give infected veterans the benefit of the doubt and pay in full for the care they need.

“This is not only a good decision, it is the right decision,” said Gordon. “At the end of the day, determining if a veteran’s infection was the result of the York VA’s endoscopy mishaps was going to be very difficult, if not impossible. Paying for the treatment costs is one step in the right direction of rebuilding confidence that veterans have in the Murfreesboro VA.”

Gordon received the letter on July 8 from John R. Gingrich, Chief of Staff to VA Secretary Eric Shinseki. Gingrich stated, “Each VA facility is working with any veteran who received positive results from follow-up testing….Specifically, VA Tennessee Valley Healthcare System (VATVHS) will provide no-cost diagnostic testing and follow-up care to its veterans. VA will ensure they that understand that the treatment they receive is at no cost to them.”

In December, officials at the Alvin York VA Hospital in Murfreesboro discovered that an endoscopy machine used for colon cancer screening had not been properly equipped with a specific valve. After testing more 6,500 potentially affected veterans in Middle Tennessee, 32 have tested positive for Hepatitis B, C, or HIV.

Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

Democrats call on General Assembly to fire Secretary of State Tre Hargett

Friday, July 10th, 2009

The Tennessee Democratic Party today requested the General Assembly fire Sec. of State Tre Hargett for continuing to obstruct the implementation of the Tennessee Voter Confidence Act. Earlier this week, the Sec. of State issued a press release stating there isn’t enough time to uphold the new law that requires paper ballots in next year’s elections.

“The Secretary of State is using his office to obstruct the voting rights of all Tennesseans,” Forrester said. “Mr. Hargett’s refusal to do the job he was sworn to do appears to be part of a nefarious Republican strategy to stand in the way of secure and verifiable elections in Tennessee.

Instead of working to implement state law that was passed almost unanimously last year by both the House and Senate, Sec. Hargett has spent the time lobbying legislators to support Sen. Bill Ketron’s (R-13) bill to re-write the law so that it doesn’t apply to the 2010 elections. State Election Coordinator Mark Goins has also urged county election commissioners to spend their time lobbying the legislature back Sen. Ketron.

In an effort to distract voters from growing unease with recent Republican run-ins with the law, including a federal lawsuit against 8 Republican election commissioners, Sec. Hargett today awarded Sen. Ketron a medallion for all his legislative effort to delay the Tennessee Voter Confidence Act and to kill the state’s Ethics Comission.

“I am honored to present the NASS Medallion Award to Sen. Ketron for his work in pursuing the highest standards of integrity in the electoral process as well as his work to protect the fiscal stability of local governments,” Hargett said in the news release from Senate Republican Caucus spokeswoman Darlene Schlicher.

It’s no surprise Sec. Hargett would use one of five medallions he’s allowed to give out every year as a tool in his continued campaign to obstruct existing election law. Sec. Hargett and Sen. Ketron are two peas in a Republican pod working together to make sure the Tennessee Voter Confidence Act does not apply to the 2010 elections. Voters of Rutherford County deserve and demand better.

Posted in 2010, Elections, Legislation, Sen. Bill Ketron (R-13), Watchdog Alert | No Comments »

Small Biz Bill Passes, Will Spur Cutting-Edge Research

Friday, July 10th, 2009

bartgordonWASHINGTON – On Wednesday (July 8th), the U.S. House passed the Enhancing Small Business Research and Innovation Act, a bipartisan bill that will better assist small businesses in developing cutting-edge commercial technology. The bill modernizes the government’s largest small business research and development programs, the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program and the Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) program.

“Small businesses are the backbone of Tennessee’s economy – more than 95% of our state’s private workforce is employed by small businesses,” said Congressman Gordon who helped draft the bill as Chairman of the House Science and Technology Committee. “As we work to get our economy back on track, it is important that we support the innovative high-tech small businesses that will create jobs. Every year, the SBIR and STTR programs help 1,500 new firms get off the ground throughout our country. This legislation will enable these programs to double the amount of grants they can award to small businesses engaged in innovative research.”

Over the past eight years, 91 SBIR/STTR grants have been awarded to Tennessee small businesses, totaling more than $22 million. Many of these companies have been leading research efforts to cure diseases, strengthen national defense, and develop new energy technologies.

“The SBIR and STTR business programs foster technologic innovation and economic growth in Tennessee and across America,” said Eric Cromwell, president and CEO of the Tennessee Technology Development Corporation, a non-profit organization designed to support small businesses and innovation development in Tennessee. “U.S. small businesses developing novel technologies have limited sources of financial capital to access at such an early stage of development. The SBIR and STTR programs are an important source of early stage capital for small businesses, bridging the gap to follow-on investments from the private sector”

The bill will modernize both programs, requiring each of them to reach out to rural entrepreneurs, veterans, and women. It also requires both programs to give special consideration to small businesses focused on research in the fields of rare-diseases, energy and nanotechnology.

The bill passed the House with overwhelming support and now moves to the Senate for consideration.

Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

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