It was a chilly day of campaigning in Rutherford County on Saturday. Lisa Harrell, Democratic candidate for Rutherford County Clerk, was seen tailgaiting at the MTSU Homecoming Game. Ms. Harrell and her husband James also visited the Rutherford County Democratic Party’s voter registration booth at the Bradley Academy Heritage Festival.
Archive for October, 2009
Lisa Harrell Campaigning for Rutherford County Clerk
Tuesday, October 27th, 2009Gordon Gaining Traction with Nuclear Waste Ban
Tuesday, October 27th, 2009
The following editorial has gone national, being printed in the Jackson Sun, Sarasota Herald-Tribune, and even Columbus’ Coshocton Tribune …
DON’T LET U.S. BE GLOBAL NUCLEAR WASTE DUMP
Published: Tuesday, October 27, 2009 at 1:00 a.m.
If a friend asked to dump his garbage in your yard because he knew you would know what to do with it, what would you say? Probably, no thanks. That’s what the U.S. should say to countries that want to send their nuclear waste here for processing and storage.
Thankfully, Sen. Lamar Alexander and U.S. Rep. Bart Gordon are sponsoring legislation in Congress to keep other countries’ nuclear waste out of the U.S. …
The controversy arose when a private Utah company, EnergySolutions, asked the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for permission to bring in 20,000 tons of low-level radioactive waste from Italy. The company would process the waste in Tennessee and store the resulting 1,600 tons at a private facility 80 miles west of Salt Lake City. The NRC said it has applications from Mexico and Brazil to do the same thing.
The U.S. handles its own nuclear waste based on a regional system established by Congress in the 1980s. Current laws don’t address importing nuclear waste from other countries. …
The problem with allowing the waste to come to the U.S. is that America will become the world’s dumping ground for nuclear waste. That’s because no other country will accept the stuff. This is not a “world leader” designation America needs.
– The Jackson, Tenn., Sun
Zelnek Forced Out By Fellow Republicans
Monday, October 26th, 2009
Last month, we reported on the internal brawl of the Rutherford County republican party. Matthew Hurtt, former DNJ columnist/Rutherford young republican vice chairman and treasurer/conservative blogger, called for Lou Ann Zelnek to resign as Chairman of the Rutherford County republicans. Former Tennessee republican party communications director Bill Hobbs chimed in, criticizing her as a weak candidate with too much baggage.
Matt Hurtt followed up his call for a resignation with daily tweets:
matthewhurtt: 19 days since @LouAnnZelenik announced Congressional bid. When will she resign as Chairman of the RuCo GOP? This is a conflict of interest.
matthewhurtt: 18 days since @LouAnnZelenik announced Congressional bid. When will she resign as Chairman of the RuCo GOP? This is a conflict of interest.
matthewhurtt: 17 days since @LouAnnZelenik announced Congressional bid. When will she resign as Chairman of the RuCo GOP? This is a conflict of interest
Looks like Hurtt got his way, and its not surprising. Zelineck was already rejected by her own party in her own county when losing a mere state house primary, even though she outspent her opponent 4 to 1. It seems nothing has changed in the circular firing squad known as the Rutherford County republican party. Its no wonder Americans’ confidence in republican leadership is at a 25-year low.
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Gordon Votes for Solar Tech Bill to Boost Tennessee Jobs
Thursday, October 22nd, 2009WASHINGTON – To build upon the new solar technology jobs being created in Tennessee, Congressman Bart Gordon used his chairmanship of the House Science and Technology Committee to advance the Solar Technology Roadmap Act. The bipartisan bill overwhelmingly passed the full U.S. House of Representatives in a vote of 310 to 106 today.
“If solar power isn’t the first thing you think of when I talk about Tennessee, I’ll forgive you,” Congressman Gordon said during his opening remarks about the Solar Roadmap bill on the House Floor today. “But over the last few years we’ve really seen first-hand the major potential that solar energy has to create new jobs and reduce our dependence on foreign oil in the process.”
The Solar Roadmap bill, H.R. 3585, would establish a comprehensive process to facilitate the research, development and demonstration of American solar technology in partnership with the private sector. The bill would also direct the Department of Energy to award grants to entrepreneurs, research agencies and academic laboratories that are leading the field in solar technology development and solar manufacturing.
“Solar technology is creating jobs throughout Tennessee and the rest of the country,” explained Gordon. “The short- and long-term roadmap that will be written as a result of this bill is modeled on the successful National Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors, which has been instrumental in creating thousands of jobs and helping the semiconductor technology industry advance rapidly over the past two decades.”
The Solar Roadmap bill would require the U.S. Secretary of Energy to appoint an 11-member Solar Technology Roadmap Committee to write, review and update a Solar Technology Roadmap. Moving forward, the roadmap will provide a path to make solar technology more dependable and widely available to American consumers.
“The solar technology plants in Clarksville and Cleveland, as well as Nissan’s electric car and battery plant in Smyrna, are going to be instrumental in making Tennessee a leader in the new clean energy industries that will help our country become more energy independent,” added Gordon. “This bill will help additional solar projects get off the ground and boost job growth in the process.”
The Solar Technology Roadmap Act has been endorsed by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. In a letter of support, the Chamber wrote, “Increased research, development, and demonstration of solar technology is crucial to America’s energy security needs, and H.R. 3585 would help move one step closer to that goal.”
The bill has also been endorsed by the National Association of Manufacturers, the Solar Energy Industries Association, BP, IBM, Intel and National Semiconductor. Having passed the House, the bill now moves to the Senate for consideration.
“Bill Frist Too Liberal”, Says Conservative Talk Show Host Laura Ingraham
Thursday, October 22nd, 2009
CLAIMS FORMER GOP MAJORITY LEADER FRIST AGAINST FREEDOM
On her conservative talk radio show yesterday, Laura Ingraham and Republican Minnesota Congresswoman Michelle Bachmann described Bob Dole and Bill Frist (R-TN) as “losers” who were against a “pro-freedom” agenda because he supports healthcare reform. Ingraham went so far as to suggest that Frist’s ideology was a “losing outlook”. Will the circular firing squad (otherwise known as the republican party) come to an end? Considering recent polling, let’s hope not…
The pair discussed recent statements made by retired GOP Senate Majority Leaders Bill Frist (TN) and Bob Dole (KS) in support of some type of comprehensive health reform.
Dole has called for Republicans to become engaged in the process, stating “we’ve got to do something” to solve the current crisis. Frist has endorsed the Senate Finance health reform bill, and has called out “people on the extreme” in his own party for falsely labeling President Obama’s health reform as “socialized medicine.” Clearly incensed by these comments, Ingraham and Bachmann traded barbs trashing the former Republican leaders for daring to veer away from a “pro-freedom agenda”:
INGRAHAM: Of course. God bless Bob Dole he just came on our show, I have great respect for the man. And also for Frist. But Frist presided over a pretty disastrous situation in the Senate.
BACHMANN: They lost.
INGRAHAM: They lost. And Bob Dole lost how many times on a national level? I guess I’ve lost count. [...] That Republican ideology and that Republican outlook has been a losing outlook. That’s why President Obama wants more of us to be like them.
BACHMANN: Because we want a pro-freedom agenda. And he’s trying to throw people around who he believes will increase a non-pro-freedom agenda.
American Confidence In Republicans Hits 25-Year Low
Tuesday, October 20th, 2009
A tracking poll conducted quarterly for the past 30 years has found that an initial rally by republicans earlier this year has been wiped away and replaced with the lowest confidence among likely voters that the GOP has faced since 1983. Chris Cilliza has the breakdown.
Less than one in five voters (19 percent) expressed confidence in Republicans’ ability to make the right decisions for America’s future while a whopping 79 percent lacked that confidence.
Among independent voters, who went heavily for Obama in 2008 and congressional Democrats in 2006, the numbers for Republicans on the confidence questions were even worse. Just 17 percent of independents expressed confidence in Republicans’ ability to make the right decision while 83 percent said they did not have that confidence.
On the generic ballot question, 51 percent of the sample said they would cast a vote for a Democratic candidate in their congressional district next fall while just 39 percent said they would opt for a GOP candidate. (As late as this summer, Republicans had seemingly narrowed the wide generic ballot lead Democrats enjoyed for much of the last two election cycles.)
And, perhaps most troubling for GOP hopes is the fact that just 20 percent of the Post sample identified themselves as Republicans, the lowest that number has been in Post polling since 1983. (No, that is not a typo.)
The poll was conducted by conventional and cellular telephone from Oct. 15 to 19 among a random sample of 1,004 adults. The margin of sampling error for the full poll is plus or minus three percentage points.
Action by Congress Needed to Stop Nuclear Waste Imports
Friday, October 16th, 2009 WASHINGTON – U.S. Rep. Bart Gordon’s bill to ban imports of nuclear waste got a boost today when an official from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission confirmed the agency currently lacks the power and authority to stop imports and disposal of foreign-generated radioactive waste in the United States.
“The NRC, the very agency that regulates low-level radioactive waste, made clear unless my bill is passed, nothing will stop countries like Mexico, Italy and Brazil from dumping their radioactive waste in our country,” said Gordon. “The fact is we have limited space for this kind of waste and it should be reserved for domestic industries that generate it – the medical facilities, university research labs and utility companies. These industries, in 36 states, have only one available disposal site to use located in Clive, Utah.”
Today’s legislative hearing on Gordon’s bill, the Radioactive Import Deterrence (RID) Act, H.R. 515, was held before the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Energy and the Environment.
During the hearing, Gordon asked the NRC official, Margaret Doane, if it was fair to summarize her testimony by saying unless Congress makes a policy decision, the NRC currently doesn’t have the authority to stop foreign radioactive waste from entering the U.S. for disposal.
“That’s right,” Doane responded.
The U.S. is the only country in the world that imports radioactive waste of other countries for disposal. Currently, a permit is pending with NRC to import 20,000 tons of Italian low-level radioactive waste for disposal in the U.S., which would be the largest importation ever of foreign-generated radioactive waste. Permits to import and dispose of radioactive waste from Mexico and Brazil are also pending. If these permits are approved, the nuclear waste shipments would be transported to Tennessee for processing and later disposed of in Utah.
Gordon’s legislation, the RID Act, would ban the Nuclear Regulatory Commission from authorizing the importation of foreign-generated radioactive waste for disposal in the U.S. unless the President deems the importation would meet critical national or international policy goals.
“By banning the importation of radioactive waste for disposal, we’ll also send the world the right message: if you are going to produce low-level radioactive waste, you’ve got to build the necessary disposal facilities,” stated Gordon during the hearing.
Veterans’ Health Care Is Bart Gordon’s First Budget Priority
Friday, October 9th, 2009WASHINGTON – For more than two decades, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ health care system has been plagued by consistently late and, at times, inadequate budgets. On Wednesday (October 7), the U.S. House of Representatives passed bipartisan legislation to ensure timely funding for veterans’ health care.
“Our veterans deserve the best available care – red tape and bureaucratic budgetary issues shouldn’t get in the way of their health care,” said Congressman Bart Gordon, who strongly supported the bill’s passage. “Over the years, the VA has had to make do with insufficient budgets resulting in restricted access for many veterans. This bill will change that.”
In 19 of the past 22 years, the VA has not received its budgetary funding prior to the start of the fiscal year. The legislation, the Veterans Health Care Budget Reform and Transparency Act (H.R. 1016), would require the VA to provide detailed budgetary estimates sooner so that Congress can allocate funds for the VA’s medical care programs one year in advance of the start of each fiscal year.
“My father and uncle served during World War II and they taught me the importance of taking care of those who volunteer to defend our country,” added Gordon. “Delays in VA funding do a disservice to those who have served. By streamlining the budgetary process, the VA will have up to a year to plan how to deliver the most efficient and effective care to our veterans.”
The bill would require the VA to submit a report each July on the resources it needs for the upcoming fiscal year in order for Congress to address any funding imbalances. This will help to safeguard against the budget shortfalls that the VA has faced in recent years.
The bipartisan bill is supported by a coalition of veteran service organizations, including the American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars, AMVETS, and Disabled American Veterans, who have endorsed the bill as “an historic legislative victory on behalf of all veterans.”
The bill now moves to the Senate where it is expected to pass and then be signed into law by the President.
Gordon’s Fight Against Foreign Nuclear Waste Continues
Friday, October 9th, 2009WASHINGTON – A congressional hearing has been set for next Friday (Oct. 16) on Congressman Bart Gordon’s bill to ban the importation of foreign-generated nuclear waste. The legislation would prevent foreign radioactive waste from being processed in Tennessee and disposed of in the United States.
“We are the only nation in the world that imports and disposes low-level radioactive waste from other countries,” said Congressman Gordon. “Unless we act, the United States is destined to become the world’s dumping ground for foreign nuclear waste. If that happens, U.S. industries could find themselves without adequate space to dispose of domestically-produced waste.”
Currently, a permit is pending with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission to import 20,000 tons of Italian low-level radioactive waste for disposal in the United States, which would be the largest importation ever of foreign-generated radioactive waste. If approved, the 20,000 tons of nuclear waste would be transported to Tennessee for processing and later disposed of in Utah.
“The bipartisan legislation I’ve introduced would prevent the waste from coming in,” added Gordon. “This hearing will provide another opportunity to shed light on the importance of this issue. I look forward to generating more support for the bill as we move it through the committee process and to the House floor for a vote.”
Gordon’s bill, the Radioactive Import Deterrence Act, or the “RID Act,” would prohibit the NRC from authorizing the importation of foreign-generated low-level radioactive waste for disposal in the United States unless the President deems the importation would meet critical national or international goals.
The U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Energy and the Environment will consider Gordon’s legislation next Friday. After the hearing, the bill is expected to move through the committee process and come to the House floor for a full vote.
“I have long fought to keep nuclear waste from coming into Tennessee,” said Gordon, “and I will continue to fight against the importation and disposal of foreign radioactive waste. If a country is going to generate radioactive waste, whether it is produced by researchers, hospitals, or nuclear power plants, it has a responsibility to also build the necessary disposal sites.”
Former Rutherford Young Republican Officer, Conservative Activist Calls For Resignation of Lou Ann Zelinick
Thursday, October 8th, 2009
Matthew Hurtt, Former Rutherford County Young Republican Vice Chair & Treasurer, Conservative Blogger, Former DNJ Guest Columnist
ARLINGTON, VA - Former Rutherford County Young Republican Vice-Chairman and Daily News Journal columnist Matthew Hurtt suggests today that Rutherford County Republican Party Chairman Lou Ann Zelenik should resign her position following her announcement Tuesday that she would seek the Republican nomination for Congress in Tennessee’s 6th District against incumbent Democrat Bart Gordon.
In a post on MatthewHurtt.com today, Hurtt wrote, “My advice now is that [Zelenik] immediately and without hesitation resign her position as Chairman. Continuing in this role is in clear violation of what I would consider political professionalism. Zelenik absolutely must remove herself from the party leadership.”
Hurtt cited the conflict of interest in Zelenik’s chairmanship due to the fact that other Republican candidates filed to run. “Lou Ann is not the only Republican in this race,” Hurtt said. “Dave Evans,a Major General in the U.S. Army Reserve, filed to run for Congress long before Zelenik’s announcement. It seems to me that an unfair advantage exists for Zelenik due to apparent support by the Rutherford County Republican Party based on the fact that she serves on the Executive Committee.”
Zelenik, who served as the Vice-Chairman of the Rutherford County Republican Party at the time, unsuccessfully ran for State House in 2008 against Joe Carr in the Republican primary. Hurtt notes, “Zelenik’s candidacy in 2008 caused great turmoil among the Rutherford County Republican Party. Rumors were spread that were detrimental to the successful candidate, Joe Carr.”
Tennessee Republicans sour on Tea Party Leader Lou Ann Zelenick
Wednesday, October 7th, 2009It wasn’t hard to predict that Rutherford County Tea Party Leader Lou Ann Zelenick would have a hard time convincing her own party to vote for her.
Given the fact that Lou Ann is also the Rutherford County Republican Party Chairwoman, you’d think her party would be enthusiastic about her recent announcement to run for something.
Lou Ann’s own Republican Party rejected her primary bid against Joe Carr to represent the 48th District in the Tennessee State Legislature. Rutherford County Republican voters literally voted for a crook rather than sending Lou Ann Zelenick to represent the county in the House of Representatives.
Republicans knew better and probably wouldn’t trust Lou Ann as a dog catcher. Now Lou Ann’s own party is coming out to remind voters who the real Lou Ann Zelenick is, and it’s worth reading.
Former Tennessee GOP Spokesman Bill Hobbs says on FaceBook:
With all due respect to Dave Evans, his campaign isn’t catching fire and few people I have talked to think he can beat Bart Gordon. With all due respect to Lou Ann, the GOP isn’t going to beat Bart with someone who has been around politics for a long time, and who lost a state house primary, and who is not a “fresh face” in politics.
Former Rutherford County Young Republicans Vice Chairman and TreasurerMatthew Hurtt says on his blog:
Lastly, I am concerned about the history of Zelenik’s political aspirations. She jumped into a Republican primary as a member of the RuCo GOP Executive Committee in 2008, running against Joe Carr – and she ran a nasty, nasty campaign. Now, she’s jumping into a Republican primary as a member of the RuCo GOP Executive Committee in 2010 against Dave Evans. Whether or not her campaign will be nasty is yet to be seen. Is she running to further the goals of the Republican Party or is she running to further the goals of Lou Ann Zelenik?
MTSU Receives $300K to Fight Lead Poisoning
Wednesday, October 7th, 2009WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Congressman Bart Gordon announced that Middle Tennessee State University has been awarded $300,000 from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to reduce hazards posed by lead.
“Lead poisoning can cause a whole range of health problems, from behavioral issues and learning disabilities to seizures and even death,” said Congressman Gordon. “This grant will allow MTSU to help Tennessee families understand the risks associated with lead and identify if this material is a hazard in their homes.”
MTSU received the $300,000 grant from U.S. Housing Department’s Lead Outreach Program to raise public awareness and knowledge about lead poisoning. The grant will be used to develop a coalition of partnerships across Tennessee that will provide lead hazard control training, outreach and education to families in Tennessee.
“Exposure to lead is especially harmful to children – it actually inhibits development of the brain,” said Dr. Kathy Mathis, MTSU’s project director and an associate professor in the University’s Engineering Technology Department. “This is the fourth grant we’ve received from the U.S. Housing Department. We’ll use these funds to focus on getting essential information out to the people of Tennessee about the hazards posed by lead. We appreciate Congressman Gordon’s continued support and the confidence that the U.S. Housing Department has placed in MTSU.”
The grant will specifically be used to provide 2,034 individuals with lead outreach through home visits, reach an additional 1.7 million people through public media, and participate in more than 70 health fairs and community events throughout the state of Tennessee.
“MTSU has long been committed to eliminating lead hazards.” added Gordon, “I remain committed to helping the University and other Middle Tennessee agencies continue this important work.”
Governor Bredesen And Ty Cobb In Aprons…
Tuesday, October 6th, 2009
Governor Bredesen made his second stop in the 62nd District on behalf of his friend and our candidate Ty Cobb. He recognized Ty’s commitment to serve the citizens of the district. Both Bredesen and Cobb then demonstrated that commitment to serve by donning aprons and serving delicious catfish, hushpuppies, and cole slaw to over 400 attendees of Ty’s Fish Fry on Saturday at the American Legion in Shelbyville. John Carney of the Shelbyville Times-Gazette reports:
The apron-clad governor personally served fish to many of those in line, stepping away for a while in order to participate in public remarks.
Bredesen called Cobb “the right kind of person to send down to those jobs in Nashville,” and said that a special election, alone on the ballot, requires a concerted effort from the party faithful.
“It’s all about getting out the vote,” said Bredesen.
Womack Family Honored For Commitment to Education
Sunday, October 4th, 2009MTSU EDUCATION DEPARTMENT NAMED IN THEIR HONOR
“Dr. Bob” and his family have been committed to MTSU and education since its inception. The Department of Education that they helped build to national prominence will now be named in their honor. The Daily News Journal has the story:
This family moves mountains.
From the time the doors of Middle Tennessee State Normal School opened in 1911, the Womack family has influenced the look, feel and heart of the campus-and has also provided leadership across the education spectrum in the state of Tennessee.
“Dr. Bob, his four children and their families have made a commitment to the university both in outright contributions and in their estate planning that will easily be the largest gift to that program,” added Joe Bales, MTSU vice president for development and university relations. “This, coupled with the earlier announcement of the construction of our new education building, signifies our commitment to maintaining our College of Education as Tennessee’s preeminent education program.”
Dr. Bob, as he is affectionately called by nearly everyone on campus, is starting his 53rd year of teaching at the university that he says “feels just like home.” As a student he enrolled in what was then State Teachers College in 1941.
Son Andy Womack shares his father’s sentiment.
During Andy Womack’s tenure as chair of the state Senate Education Committee, the topography of the campus changed considerably. “I was very proud of the fact that we were able to get the mass communication building as well as the infrastructure which made possible the new business building, the new library and the renovation of the Todd Library. … When we moved back here in 1957, MTSU was just a small college. Now it has become a major university, not only in Tennessee but in the southeast and the nation.”
VA To Issue Student Veterans Emergency Checks
Thursday, October 1st, 2009WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has announced that starting Friday (Oct. 2) emergency checks would be available to student veterans to cover costs guaranteed under the new G.I. Bill signed into law in 2008. Thousands of veterans who applied for educational benefits under the program have not yet received their payments due to delayed processing.
“No veteran should have to dip into their savings or postpone buying books for class because of outdated technology and backed-up claims,” said Congressman Bart Gordon. “Now student veterans will be able to obtain the promised funds by visiting the VA’s regional office in Nashville or by applying online.”
VA regional offices will start distributing checks of up to $3,000 on Friday, October 2, to eligible students across the country. Tennessee’s regional office is located in Nashville (110 9th Avenue South; 1-800-827-1000). Students should bring a photo ID and a course schedule. Student veterans can also apply for an emergency check by visiting www.va.gov. Online applicants will receive their emergency payments through the mail after processing.
“Thousands of Tennessee’s National Guardsmen served our country in Iraq and Afghanistan,” explained Gordon. “These veterans and the other members of our Armed Forces who defended our country abroad deserve the full, four-year college education promised to them when we passed the new G.I. Bill.”
The emergency checks will help student veterans make payments towards books and housing. The money will be deducted from future payments, which are expected to arrive on the normal schedule – the beginning of the month following the period for which they are being reimbursed.
Qualified veterans were able to apply for the new college benefits beginning in May of this year, and started receiving tuition benefits in August, along with housing and book stipends which are paid retroactively. Almost 300,000 claims have been submitted for the program.
