NOT AWARE HE VOTED FOR INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS FOR PUBLIC SCHOOLS
The Daily News Journal’s weekly columnist Sam Stockard asked Bill Ketron why he voted for Race To The Federal Trough along with every other Republican legislator from Rutherford County. Here is what Ketron said:
Asked if he knows what the international benchmarks are, state Sen. Bill Ketron said, “I do not. We were told they would come from the U.S. Department of Education. The thing was on a fast track,” Ketron said. “We barely had time to read through it. It’s voluminous.”
Yet Ketron and fellow Republicans, Sen. Jim Tracy, of Shelbyville, Rep. Donna Rowland of Murfreesboro, Rep. Joe Carr of Lascassas and Rep. Pat Marsh of Shelbyville, members of the Rutherford County delegation, voted for it. Only state Rep. Kent Coleman, a Murfreesboro Democrat, voted against it.
So Republican Senator Bill Ketron admits that he voted for a massive overhaul of Tennessee’s education system without knowing much of what it actually accomplished. He also admits that as a “conservative” Republican, he thinks its just great to beg for half a billion dollars in stimulus cash with strings attached - strings that could bind our teachers to international standards. Sounds like something Tennessee’s Tea Party crowd would really oppose, but they are deathly silent on the matter because the legislation was backed by their republican overlords Ron Ramsey and Glen Casada. Just more evidence that the Tea Party crowd are willing to ignore their own stated beliefs if republicans tell them to, just like they did when they gave George W. Bush free reign to plunge our nation into huge war debts and pass unfunded federal mandates like No Child Left Behind.
Here’s how Rutherford County’s delegation voted when it came to tying teachers’ jobs to factors beyond their control: Kent Coleman (D) - NO, Joe Carr (R) - YES, Donna Rowland (R) - YES, Bill Ketron (R) - YES, Jim Tracy (R) -YES.
Last week’s Special Session called by Governor Bredesen to overhaul Tennessee’s education system was a locomotive speeding towards passage that even Superman could not have stopped. This massive legislation was debated in committees for a single day, and passed on the Senate and House floor the next.
Every Republican Representative voted to seek stimulus cash through federal Race To The Top grants, and our Democratic Governor and Democratic Caucuses backed the measure as well even though it meant adopting federal guidelines tying teachers’ performance to mere test scores . Only a handful of Democrats (8 to be exact) were willing to stand up for teachers and say ‘NO’ to a governor of their own Party and their own caucus leadership.
Our own Rep. Kent Coleman was the only Rutherford County legislator to stand on principle and stand up for teachers when it came time to vote, even though he knew he was also standing right in front of a speeding locomotive. It took the courage of Superman to rise and say this on the House floor last Friday night:
Republicans controlled this year’s session of the Tennessee legislature for the first time since reconstruction (1870’s). They took over in a time of unprecedented economic hardship and sagging revenues, adding up to a budget mess that required quick action. What did republicans do with their newfound leadership opportunities? They plugged the budget holes with the very stimulus money they protested, passed “Guns in Bars”, and headed home with their pockets full of per diem checks.
All the while, far right Tennessee Republicans made impassioned speeches about “following the Constitution”, the evils of the stimulus package (yet spent it to plug budget holes), and “limited government”. They even formed a committee to study secession.
Now a Chancery Judge has ruled that the “Guns in Bars” law is unconstitutionally vague, citing that it is problematic for police and small business owners (you know, the ones republicans claim to protect). Following the Constitution to the letter is the one thing all republicans pride themselves in and espouse constantly. This year, when they finally took power for the first time since reconstruction, they couldn’t even do that. The City Paper has the story
In her ruling, [Chancellor] Bonnyman agreed the law was too vague and “does violate the due process rights of the public in general and plaintiff gun permit holders.” The chancellor based her decision on the fact that permit holders cannot determine whether or not they are in violation of the law.
“The principle business being conducted cannot be known to the ordinary citizen,” Bonnyman said. “Inquiry would not be satisfactory or helpful.”
It’s not clear whether or not the Attorney General will appeal the ruling, which effectively eliminated the statute from the law. The legislature is likely to address a new version of the bill in the next session but it is unclear whether or not a guns-in-bar provision will see the same support.
Metro Police Chief Ronal Serpas spoke out in support of Bonnyman’s decision, and said his one concern he had was that the ruling would allow the issue to “again take center stage during the next legislative session instead of the vitally important issue of keeping convicted felons behind bars.”
The state legislature may be out of session but according to local media reports Rep. Joe Carr (R-48) has been spending a lot of summer days at the Capitol claiming per diems, a day’s pay for showing up. Rep. Carr was at the top of the list when it came to which Republican requested the most per diems after the session was already over.
It’s gotten so bad that Republican House Speaker Kent Williams issued a letter to all Representatives asking them to follow some basic guidelines to cut per diem requests. You can read the letter here.
Rep. Carr must not have gotten the memo because he kept requesting money all summer when he thought no one would be watching. Rep. Carr didn’t think twice about pushing his own bill in the last session demanding Gov. Bredesen not accept federal stimulus funds for extended jobless benefits for his district’s growing unemployed. Now that Rep. Carr needs a stimulus of his own, he’s off to collect his directly from the tax payers.
We’ll take a closer look at Rep. Carr’s summer per diem requests later, but first, let’s look at how much our county’s delegation is costing us.
What the list of our county delegation’s per diem requests for the entire session factually shows the voters of our county is a record of spending on the part of the Republican delegation. Rep. Donna Rowland (R-34) doesn’t look that bad on the surface, but then she’s got a lot of making up to do for being deemed the most expensive Republican in the entire House for filing resolutions honoring everything from campaign contributors to her new boyfriend.
The list below does not include per diem requests made after the session, which ought to put Rep. Carr over the top.
Sen. Bill Ketron kisses Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey's pinky ring while Sen. Tracy waits his turn.
Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey will be in town early tomorrow morning to keynote the Murfreesboro Breakfast Rotary Club at the Stones River Country Club. As we predicted last week, Lt. Gov. Ramsey will be introduced to Rutherford County voters by his dutiful pet Senators pictured to the right kissing his pinky ring, Senators Jim Tracy (R-16) and Bill Ketron (R-13).
Voters who considered attending out of curiosity can save themselves the trip. What Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey and Senators Tracy and Ketron will say is no different from what they’ll say all the way up to the 2010 elections despite the facts.
During tense budget negotiations, Lt. Gov Ramsey disappeared to attend several fundraisers during the legislative session, leaving his pet Senators Ketron and Tracy to defend Ramsey’s disastrous budget proposals. His absence was even noted by the much more disciplined Republican Speaker of the House Kent Williams.
Williams said House members were trying to negotiate with senators over a revisions to the state budget plan on Monday, but Ramsey was not involved.
“He’s not here,” Williams told reporters Monday afternoon. “He’s got three fundraisers tonight and that’s a little more important than state government.”
When Lt. Gov. Ramsey returned from raising money for his gubernatorial campaign he found the Democrats got the priorities of working families fully funded despite Ketron and Tracy’s best efforts. Now Lt. Gov Ramsey is on a desperate tour to claim credit for a compromise budget that funds the very priorities his own budget proposal aimed to destroy.
We’re certain Lt. Gov. Ramsey will find at least a couple of suckers in the room tomorrow as he will across the entire state.
Hello fellow Democrats. I’m pleased to inform you that this year’s session of the Tennessee Legislature has finally come to an end. It was a long and arduous one for our own Curt Cobb and Kent Coleman, who had to wade through 142 gun bills and several booze bills sponsored by our republican Senator Bill Ketron and Rep. Joe Carr . At last, republicans proposed a budget that killed recruitment dollars for a private solar power plant that would bring 30,000 jobs to Tennessee , put Pre-K education on the chopping block , gutted the Ethics Commission , repealed the Tennessee Voter Confidence Act , stripped funding for MTSU’s Education Building , halted badly needed road and bridge projects, and even refused to erect statues for Tennessee’s Nobel Peace Prize recipients! Senate Minority Leader Jim Kyle (D - Memphis) likened it to cuttin’ and runnin’ and Governor Bredesen called it “stupid” . Our republican Senators Jim Tracy and Bill Ketron quickly voted for this “stupid” budget, and refused to help MTSU and its Education Building project. Luckily, Democrats in the House were able to fix most of this disastrous budget and forced Senate Speaker Ron Ramsey (R-Bristol) to surrender . We won this round.
But, we weren’t able to save the Ethics Commission, even though Rep. Kent Coleman tried his best to stand up for ethics in government. We also have to live with guns in bars, and paper-verified voting was postponed for another year even though we’re sitting on $34 million to implement it! Bottom line - we need more Democrats in the Tennessee Legislature. This website offers ways to get involved, contribute to the effort, stay updated on the issues, and stay connected. Your continued help and involvement is appreciated.
Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey fails to defund pre-k and MTSU bonds
Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey’s budget proposal to defund pre-k education and construction bonds for MTSU failed to get support of more level-headed lawmakers on Capitol Hill, after Rutherford County rank-and-file Democrats applied the heat over the past week.
In a last minute effort to cut funding to Tennessee’s educational priorities, Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey and Senators Bill Ketron (R-13) and Jim Tracy (R-16) crashed a press conference yesterday and cried out against providing recurring funds to pre-k education. The budget that finally passed rejected their efforts in favor of the common-sense plan promoted by Democrats.
In the House, Rep. Donna Rowland (R-34) went out of her way to make sure her voice vote against MTSU funding was reflected in the official record. Duly noted.
Another defeat to the budget plan promoted by Republicans Ramsey, Ketron and Tracy came when the House approved a compromise budget that included bonds for MTSU’s approved Education Building. Senators Ketron and Tracy had made a back-door deal with Lt. Gov. Ramsey to scuttle the funding, but Democrats raised enough hell through emails and phone calls that Republicans caved.
None of this would have been possible without you standing up for the priorities that matter to your family and Rutherford County. Because Democrats took a stand for the priorities of working families, the Republican plan to cut funding to pre-k education and construction bonds for MTSU and other state universities failed miserably.
Despite their defeated budget proposals to defund education priorities of working families, Senators Ketron and Tracy will welcome Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey to Rutherford County in the coming months to gleefully take credit for the Democratic investments in education. You can count on us making sure the voters are reminded of the truth.
Senators Bill Ketron (R-13) and Jim Tracy (R-16) ran to the media to take credit for funding a needed building project at MTSU, but behind closed doors they’ve pledged allegiance to the Republican Party to defund it.
The Rutherford County Republicans have pledged to pull the plug on construction jobs at MTSU and the on site progress for a new education building for the state’s largest university.
According to David Gregory, vice chancellor for administration and facilities with the Tennessee Board of Regents, the $29.8 million project was funded in the 2007-2008 budget year as a Board of Regents capital outlay project, with a funding structure consisting of $17.3 million in cash and $12.5 million or in bonds.
Of that, $1.7 million has already been allocated in design fees and programming fees to the new building near Cummings Hall and the new roundabout on the MTSU campus. In addition, another $260,000 plus in construction management and site utility construction has been obligated.
Lt. Governor Ron Ramsey and Senators Ketron and Tracy are united in their opposition to improvements in education, health care and jobs. All three Republicans have opposed federal stimulus funds in all three areas, oppose recurring funds for pre-k education and now want to make major cuts in promised funds to MTSU.
Friday, the Senate Finance Committee passed Republican revisions to the governor’s budget plan eliminating the authorization of bonds for several higher education construction projects, including the MTSU project.
Some hope that will be changed on Tuesday, when the full Senate takes up the budget.
“I would say to you, we don’t build those buildings now, we will be unable to build them for some years to come because of the state finances,” said Democratic Sen. Jim Kyle.
MTSU was founded 98 years ago as a teachers college. University officials hope to mark the 100th anniversary by opening a building devoted to education teachers.
Senators Ketron and Tracy have spent months pushing a Republican agenda focused on abortion, guns and booze. When it comes time for leadership on issues that matter to working families of Rutherford County, they both choose cuts in education, health care and jobs instead of the hard work it takes to improve the quality of our lives.
Senators Bill Ketron (R-13) and Jim Tracy (R-16) joined Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey yesterday in crashing a press conference by advocates for pre-K education. Advocates had gathered for a press conference on Capitol Hill to stand up to Republican proposals to cut pre-k funding.
Democrats want funding for pre-k education to be a part of the general budget as recurring funds year after year. Senators Ketron, Tracy and other state Republicans want those funds to remain in non-recurring funds that are voted on by the legislature.
Placing pre-k funding on the annual chopping block is just one of the Republican budget proposals Gov. Bredesen recently called “stupid.” The Republican proposal to keep pre-k funding on the chopping block year after year is part a general state Republican Party agenda of defunding the priorities of working families.
Tennessee ranks in the top half of states that focus on pre-k education. If Tennessee Republicans get their way, Tennessee could find itself knocked off yet another good list of states focused on education.
Tennessee’s Pre-K program met nine out of 10 quality standards benchmarks in the report, The State of Preschool 2008. The state increased enrollment of 4-year-olds to 21 percent, and the $4,465 in per-child state spending earned the state a 13th place ranking on resources.
“Quality Pre-K classrooms are one of the best investments we can make in the education of children in Tennessee,” Governor Bredesen said. “Even in difficult budget times we have been able to maintain our support for these classes and, as this report shows, it’s paying off.”
A legislative aid for Tennessee Republican Senate Caucus Chair Sen. Diane Black (R-18) has been caught sending a racist email to fellow Republicans. It is another example of Tennessee Republicans dangerously fanning the flames of racism over the past year.
Republican Legislative Aid Sherri Goforth admitted yesterday to sending a photo montage of U.S. Presidents from her state-owned computer and email account with President Barack Obama depicted as a pair of floating eyes in darkness. Sen. Black told the media that a written reprimand is all she and other TN GOP leaders intend to do about the email. Goforth is a 20 year state employee and makes close to $50,000 a year.
Goforth made matters worse yesterday by suggesting she was more sorry about being exposed as a racist than she was at her poor judgment and character.
“I went on the wrong email and I inadvertently hit the wrong button,” Goforth told NIT. “I’m very sick about it, and it’s one of those things I can’t change or take back.”
“I am calling on Sen. Black to reject this racist smear and fire this staffer who, on state government time, on state government computers, using a state government email account, launched this bigoted attack on our president,” Forrester said. “Keeping her on the staff would send the message that this type of behavior is condoned by the House Republican Caucus.”
The new leadership of the Tennessee Republican Party has refused to comment on the story hoping this latest incident of racism will disappear. Sen. Bill Ketron (R-13) and Sen. Jim Tracy (R-16) haven’t said a word about their party boss’s decision to keep Goforth employed on the tax payer’s dime.
Since Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey’s backroom budget includes so many firings of state employees, we think he could save at least one working family’s breadwinner from a pink slip by firing this racist staffer. Will Ramsey, Black and the Republican leadership show that kind of integrity? Stay tuned…
Sen. Bill Ketron (R-13) and Sen. Jim Tracy (R-16) have made a partisan pledge to Republican leadership not to fund any bonds for a badly needed building project at Middle Tennessee State University. The closed-door pledge is part of a Republican budget plan that makes major cuts in education, jobs and health care.
Rutherford County’s Republican delegation has wasted months on abortion, guns and booze bills, but threw together a last minute budget proposal that abandons the priorities of working families and those seeking to better themselves through education.
“The Science Building at MTSU has been on the list to be funded for a number of years,” Tracy added. “The time has come for the state to make a commitment to MTSU and its students. I am optimistic that we can get funding this year for this important project.”
Though Ketron and Tracy are quick to take credit for MTSU building projects they never lifted a finger for (no MTSU building projects have begun during their 2 terms) and claim they are working to fund our hometown university, Ketron and Tracy can’t even figure out where the money is.
State Rep. Jim Tracy, R-Shelbyville, said Wednesday that money for the project was appropriated two years ago. “I don’t know if they have used that anywhere else,” he said.
Sen. Bill Ketron, R-Murfreesboro, expressed similar concerns.
“Where did (the money) go? Who authorized them to take the money?” he said.
Ketron and Tracy talk a good game, but now its time to put up or shut up. Will Ketron and Tracy vote to fund MTSU’s Education Building and the jobs it creates? Will they take a stand and fight for MTSU?
TAKE ACTION: Use the form below and ask both Senators Tracy and Ketron to break their pledge with Republicans and fund MTSU’s Education Building.
A Republican sponsored bill (HB 1204 / SB 1331) that would have allowed the coal industry to pollute Tennessee’s waterways narrowly failed in the state House today 49 - 42. The bill’s House sponsor says he is not sure if he’ll try to refile the bill.
Rep. Joe McCord (R-8) admitted today on the House floor that the bill was written and given to him to sponsor by the coal industry. The bill would have allowed selenium levels from coal production to reach unacceptable levels (7.5 ppm) in Tennessee lakes, rivers and streams. Watch this video to see what selenium waste has done to aquatic life.
Rep. McCord and several of his Republican colleagues repeatedly claimed the bill would bring Tennessee up to the latest EPA standards for selenium levels in U.S. waterways. The EPA, however, never adopted the proposal which Republicans falsely claimed were the latest standards.
Furthermore, the scientist who helped draft the 2004 proposal for the EPA on selenium levels has since reported that his findings were wrong and that the bill as written would in fact kill nearly 80% of fish in Tennessee waterways, one reason the proposal was rejected by the Bush Administration’s EPA in the first place.
Despite these facts, Tennessee Republicans persisted on behalf of the coal industry, including those representing Rutherford County.
The audacity of Tennessee Republicans to pass off junk science and misrepresent the truth in the state legislature as the basis of their support for poisoning Tennessee waterways is embarrassing and immoral.
Tennesseans are called upon to be good stewards of God’s creation and to protect it for generations to come. Tennessee Republicans demonstrated today yet again whose side they are on when it comes to that calling. Tennessee Republicans sided with the interests of the coal industry over protecting our environment and our great state’s cultural heritage of hunting and fishing.
Here is how our state’s delegation voted on the selenium bill:
Tracy was listed as the Senate sponsor of the bill, but said he signed on to it as a “caption bill” — a bill with a title, or “caption,” but without any wording which is introduced in the legislature so that specifics can be added onto it later. If the bill number, HB1321, is looked up at the state legislature web site, the caption seems to be about specialty license plates.
You heard that right. Sen. Tracy is hiding his gas tax increase in a bill with no words under a title you would never guess would raise the gas tax. Very clever, Sen. Tracy!
“We’re working on it. It’s not finalized,” he said. “We have some other things to look at.”
When asked if he supports the concept of indexing, Tracy said costs of building roads, which are financed by fuel taxes, have increased 40 percent recently while revenue remains flat.
Republican Sen. Jim Tracy is working on a bill that will increase the gas tax in Tennessee.
Sen. Tracy chairs the Senate Transportation Committee which worked with the House Rural Roads Subcommittee to amend a specialty license plate bill with the gas tax increase.
“We’re working on it. It’s not finalized,” he said. “We have some other things to look at.”
When asked if he supports the concept of indexing, Tracy said costs of building roads, which are financed by fuel taxes, have increased 40 percent recently while revenue remains flat.
“We know we have to do something,” he said.
Even Sen. Tracy realizes that someone has to pay for the roads we need.
According to a Daily News Journal report, Rutherford County gun manufacturer Ronnie Barrett says he’ll now reject a worker training grant he applied for from the state.
“I commend Governor Bredesen and Commissioner Neeley for awarding this grant in Rutherford County,” state Sen. Jim Tracey, R-Shelbyville, said.
“The Incumbent Worker Grants are a good tool to keep employers and workers up to date on the latest skills training,” state Rep. Joe Carr, R-Lascassas, said.
In a flip-flop follow up, Barrett has refused the grant he himself applied for saying he now doesn’t want any part of stimulus money that Rep. Carr and Sen. Tracy said they’re happy to see spent in Rutherford County.
Barrett likened the grants to federal stimulus funds.
“Stimulus money doesn’t exist,” Barrett said. “That’s national debt that goes to our great-grandchilden, and I don’t want any part of it.”
Friday on WGNS 1450 AM, both Rep. Carr and Sen. Tracy again praised and defended spending stimulus funds that Rutherford County Republicans protested on April 15.
Barrett’s principled change of heart makes you wonder how Rep. Carr and Sen. Tracy can protest stimulus funds one week and praise spending them the next. Barrett is a major donor to Rutherford County Republicans and the boyfriend of Rep. Donna Rowland (R-34).
NOT AWARE HE VOTED FOR INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS FOR PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Here’s how Rutherford County’s delegation voted when it came to tying teachers’ jobs to factors 
Republicans controlled this year’s session of the Tennessee legislature for the first time since reconstruction (1870’s). They took over in a time of unprecedented economic hardship and sagging revenues, adding up to a budget mess that required quick action. What did republicans do with their newfound leadership opportunities? They plugged the budget holes with the very stimulus money they protested, passed “Guns in Bars”, and headed home with their 
Since we last reported 
Republican 
