Posts Tagged ‘tea party’

Stimulus Funds Repave Thompson Lane, Add Bike Lanes #TCOT

Saturday, May 8th, 2010

Hoover Inc., a local road contractor, got the half-million dollar contract

Hoover Inc., a local road contractor, got the half-million dollar contract

Will the TEA Partiers lay down in front of Hoover’s asphalt machines in protest? Here’s hoping they actually have the guts to stick by their earlier loudmouth protests against federal stimulus funding. It would at least be more entertaining, but we won’t hold our breath. The Murfreesboro Post has the news:

The work will include milling and resurfacing of the existing road that crosses Medical Center Parkway and re-striping the road to create a new bike lane.

The federal stimulus funds were part of President Barack Obama’s American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). The federal stimulus aimed to put people back to work during one of the worst economic recessions in American history.

In 2009, some local residents protested on the square in Murfreesboro as part of a national “Tea Party” movement angry over federal stimulus spending.

The Thompson Lane road improvements will be funded 100 percent by federal stimulus funds. Richardson told the council that since this was a local street, the federal funds saved the city tremendously.

The road improvement is just one of several areas throughout the county that will benefit from ARRA funds in this manner.

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Posted in ARRA | 5 Comments »

Rutherford TEA Party Embraces Extremist Ousted By GOP

Friday, April 16th, 2010

collinmMatt Collins was ousted from the Vice Chairmanship of the Davidson County Republican Party in November after refusing to shake the hand of gubernatorial candidate Zach Wamp. His stated reason? He thought Wamp had too liberal of a voting record.

Now he is a featured speaker at a Rutherford TEA Party event in Murfreesboro.

After his ouster, Collins said his removal was a “soviet-style purge” and “a personal vindictive move by some in the DCRP and the TNGOP to remove me because they did not want their fellow Republicans such as Rep Zigzag Zach Wamp, Mayor “Ban’em” Bill Haslam, Senator “Large Government” Lamar Alexander, and Senator “Bailout Bob” Corker held accountable.”

Since leaving the Republican party, Collins has joined a Ron Paul organization named “Campaign For Liberty” which now meets at the Rutherford County Republican Party headquarters.

By featuring such an extremist figure as a featured speaker, does the Rutherford TEA Party/Republican Party condone such behavior and endorse calling their fellow Republicans names like “Senator Bailout Bob Corker” and “Senator Large Government Alexander”? Do they also consider the Davidson County Republican Party a “soviet-style” organization?

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Posted in Radical Republicans, Rutherford County Republican Party | 46 Comments »

Republican Tea Party Leader Seeks Return To Jim Crow

Wednesday, February 10th, 2010

Last Saturday night was a shocking beginning to the Tea Party Convention held in Nashville, Tennessee at the Gaylord Entertainment Center. Republican Congressman Tom Tancredo opened the convention by calling for voter literacy tests, which were used selectively in the Jim Crow South to deny the black vote.

Literacy tests were used to great effect, and were required at the poll worker’s discretion. The poll workers in the Jim Crow South were white. If a white voter wished to cast a vote, they were not required to pass a literacy test. If a black voter came to the polls, the worker would require him or her to pass a “civics literacy test” in order to vote. Following are some of the actual questions that appeared on Alabama literacy tests between 1890 and 1966 were asked only to black voters. See if you could have passed the test and voted in the Jim Crow South:

1. If a person charged with treason denies his guilt, how many persons must testify against him before he can be convicted?

2. In what year did Congress gain the right to prohibit the migration of persons to the states?

3. The power of granting patents, that is os securing to inventors the exclusive right of their discoveries, is given to the Congress for the purpose of ______________.

How did you do? Not too well? Well, during Jim Crow you wouldn’t have to worry about taking this test at all if you were white. Now a Republican Congressman wishes to return our country to the 1890’s, and he received massive applause from his Tea Party audience. It happened right here in Middle Tennessee.

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Posted in Radical Republicans, Republican leaders, Tea Parties | 2 Comments »

Ketron Admits He Votes For Legislation He Doesn’t Read

Tuesday, January 26th, 2010

billketron1NOT 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.

Did Senator Ketron also sponsor workmans’ compensation legislation he didn’t understand, or did he know that he would be taking independent contractors’ hard earned profits while helping his insurance business’ bottom line by enacting Public Chapter 1041? What other legislation has Bill Ketron helped to pass without reading or knowing the consequences?

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Posted in Education, Legislation, Rep. Donna Rowland (R-34), Rep. Joe Carr (R-48), Rep. Kent Coleman (D-49), Republican leaders, Rutherford County Republican Party, Sen. Bill Ketron (R-13), Sen. Jim Tracy (R-16), Tea Parties | No Comments »

Rutherford and Williamson County tea party organizer owed thousands for unpaid taxes

Tuesday, May 19th, 2009

angry leahyA prominent Middle Tennessee Republican and tea party organizer has filed a lawsuit against a blogger for revealing his tax troubles.

Nationwide Tea Party Coalition co-founder and Williamson County Republican Michael Patrick Leahy filed a libel lawsuit naming Stephanie Grasmick and challenging her claim that Leahy committed “tax fraud.”

Documents posted at Teablogging show tens of thousands of dollars in tax liens and civil and small claims judgments against Leahy. On Twitter, Leahy admitted hours ago that “tax liens is an accurate statement,” but took issue with claims that he has committed tax fraud.

Leahy is a prominent figure in a national conservative movement to protest taxes. One of his tea parties organized Rutherford County Republicans to protest taxes and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Leahy was elected as a delegate to the Republican National Committee as an at-large delegate from the State of Tennessee. Leahy currently hosts two programs on Pajamas TV: TCOTonPJTV and The Tea Party Coalition Show. You can read more of his accomplishments on his website.

Leahy describes himself as your average Republican who happens to hate taxes a lot. He travels to and from his Thompson’s Station home on the very public roads other people’s taxes pay for. He and his family is protected by tax-funded police and emergency personnel who save lives with less and less, yet documents show Leahy hates taxes so much that liens had to be placed against him for unpaid taxes.

Michael Patrick Leahy was Keith Olbermann’s “Worst Person In The World.”

America is the greatest country on Earth, and we owe our gratitude to those who pay their share in blood and treasure to make it that way, but some people here in Middle Tennessee feel that price is better paid by others while they reap the benefits. Rutherford County Republicans registered their complaints by protesting enhanced health benefits our hereos deserve, spending $13.9 million in stimulus money in Rutherford County schools, extending unemployment benefits for Rutherford County’s growing unemployed as well as $30 million to retrain dislocated and low-income workers.

After eight long years of disastrous conservative economic policies that led to record deficit spending, unprecedented government expansion and a deepening recession, it’s time Republicans start being part of the solution instead of continuing to be part of the problem.

The Rutherford County Republican Party has invited Leahy to speak at an “instant tea party for Bart Gordon” scheduled for Thursday May 21.

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Posted in ARRA, Economy, Rutherford County Republican Party, Taxes | 6 Comments »

Rutherford County’s unemployed and low-income workers get help

Tuesday, April 21st, 2009

If Rep. Joe Carr (R-48) gets his way, thousands of unemployed Rutherford County residents will not get an extension of their unemployment benefits in some of the hardest times many have ever experienced in Middle Tennessee. Rep. Carr is sponsoring a bill to reject the stimulus funds. The extension of unemployment benefits is part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

Today’s Daily News Journal reports that Tennessee will also receive over $30 million to retrain dislocated or low-income workers through the ARRA. You can learn more about what the ARRA federal stimulus is funding here in Tennessee.

“The training, particularly in emerging occupations, that will be provided with these Recovery Act funds will help prepare unemployed Tennesseans for new jobs at a time when that’s more important than ever,” Bredesen said.

The funding is anticipated to increase participation of the dislocated worker program by more than 1,300, which is 40 percent, over the number of individuals who received training services last year.

Adult services are expected to increase by approximately 2,000 slots, or 20 percent, over last year.

“Being out of work is especially difficult in this economic environment,” Commissioner of Labor and Workforce Development James Neeley said. “Many laid-off workers and adults haven’t had to worry about updating their skills for years, and this Recovery Act funding provides an opportunity to do just that.”

The Rutherford County Republican Party took to the streets by the hundreds April 15 to protest this much needed help after eight long years of failed economic policy, unprecedented government expansion and out of control spending that resulted in a recession.

Republicans also protested the millions of dollars to be spent on Rutherford County and Murfreesboro schools as well as enhanced benefits for Rutherford County veterans.

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Posted in Economy, Education, Gov. Phil Bredesen, Jobs, RCDP, Taxes, Veterans | No Comments »