Cordova Cookout!

Do you live in Cordova, TN?  If so, you are invited to the Cordova Candidate Cookout on Sunday, September 6th from noon until 2:30 p.m. Where?   Country Hills HOA Clubhouse, 1610 Oaken Bucket, Cordova, TN 38018

Join candidates Jim Tomasik (regular District 2), Robin Spielberger (Super District 9, Position 1), and Lynn Moss (Super District 9, Position 2), for a good 'ol fashioned cookout, Cordova Candidate style!

Bring the family and enjoy free hot dogs, chips, cookies, and soft drinks this coming Sunday afternoon from Noon until 2:30pm. We will have literature, buttons, stickers, yard signs, and voter registration information! This is laid back casual event - sure to be informative and FUN for the entire family.

Why is it important to come and meet Robin, Lynn and Jim?  Especially on a holiday weekend?  Memphis is in a mess and it is time to clean out the current City council.  It is time to restore fiscal sanity to the city of Memphis.

• All three candidates are for restoring the benefits to city employees that were cut last year.  Any changes should be to future employees, not current or past employees. 

• All three are for De-annexation.  In fact, Jim, Robin and Lynn have worked to change state law to stop forced annexation and will continue to work to let the citizens of forced annexation areas to decide whether they want to stay part of the city of Memphis or not.  They are not Johnny-come-latelies to the De-annexation fight.  Memphis has gobbled up Cordova and it isn't good for the citizens of Cordova or the rest of Memphis.  All three will be a voice on the Memphis city council supporting De-annexation.

• Robin, Lynn and Jim are all animal lovers and believe that the Memphis Animal services needs an overhaul.  

• Jim, Robin and Lynn believe that less regulations for businesses will encourage individual to start new businesses in Memphis.  

• Lynn, Jim and Robin believe that it is time for Memphis to get back to the basics of what local government should do.  

We will have voter registration forms on site and will be able to double check your voter registration so that you can take care of any issues that may arise. We will also be able to explain the 4 VOTES that you will receive for Memphis City Council since many of you are new Memphis citizens thanks to forced annexation.

We also ask that you please bring a donation of pet food to benefit Memphis Pets Alive! - a phenomenal organization serving the furry citizens of Memphis. Overhauling the Memphis Animal Services is one of the big pieces of each of our platforms.

To learn more about the candidates, please visit their websites listed below. Also, if you cannot attend the event, please consider making a much-needed donation to 1 or all of the candidates!

We hope to see you on Sunday!!

• Robin Spielberger - Right for Memphis - RightforMemphis.com
• Lynn Moss – Moss for Memphis – MossforMemphis.com
•Jim Tomasik – JimTomasik.com


* * *ALL 3 candidates are running in Districts and Super Districts which include the Cordova area. Please know that these 3 candidates are running 3 separate campaigns but felt that reaching out to the Cordova citizens was extremely important and often neglected by prior candidates.

You do not have to support all 3 candidates to support 1 candidate in attendance. The candidates understand that loyalties and preferences are different for each person but felt combining resources in order to give Cordovans the chance to meet multiple candidates was most beneficial.* * *

The Race for Memphis City Council . . .

Last night, ~May 14, 2015~ there was a debate for City Council District 7 at the Douglass K-8 Optional School.  The candidates attending were Berlin Boyd, ~current interim councilman~ Thurston Smith, Michael Steven Moore and Anthony Anderson.  The questions were asked by a variety of elected officials and community activists as well as three students from Douglass’ debate team.    Brian Clay invited several candidates and community leaders to speak before the debate.  I've listed the particulars at the end.

What struck me the most about the questions was that not one of them was about economic development.  A couple of the candidates talked about how everyone deserves a livable wage, but no one addressed how to unleash the power of businesses so that there are jobs to provide a wage ~livable or otherwise~.  Education was a hot topic, which, as Terry Roland pointed out, Memphis is no longer in the school business.  How to bring more money into the district was asked.  How long and where they lived in the district was asked.  Blight was discussed.  I have to give kudos to Ms. Carter for bringing up the youth mobs and violence, but each of the candidates’ answers to that was more money for education and community programs.  The first student’s question was about the economic divide in Memphis.  The second student’s question was about mandatory preschool, ~as an aside, Mr. Boyd mentioned that funding for preschool was going to come up again~ and the third student’s question was about keeping Memphis college graduates in Memphis.  There wasn’t a question about smart meters.  There wasn’t a question about restoring the police and fire pensions even though there was a group from the “Just the Facts” group on Facebook sitting in front.  The Bass Pro Shop didn’t get asked about or the PILOT programs either.  It was all about getting public and private funding and how each of the candidates could get the most money.

I have to give Mr. Boyd credit because he did bring up the city budget and the fiscal cliff that we are up against.  He did talk about how the pension plan should have been addressed years ago.  He didn’t discuss his record about voting for some of the high dollar projects that the city of Memphis taxpayers are on the hook for.   I also have to give kudos to Mr. Boyd because he was the only business owner and entrepreneur among them.  He did talk about the tax base and how we need to not allow anyone to tell us how much we are worth, but go out and make it happen.  I also give him kudos for showing up due to the fact that he was in a motorcycle accident over the weekend and was on crutches.

Michael Steven Moore mentioned several times that he was Barbara Swearengen Holt-Ware’s son and had run her former campaigns.  His campaign slogan was "Every inch, every individual, and every issue."  Even when the question was for the candidates to each pick an issue that was important to the community and discuss how they would address it, he came back to his campaign slogan instead of actually answering with a specific issue.  He ran and lost to Lee Harris for this city council seat in 2011.

Anthony Anderson called himself a social-preneur.  For those who might be wondering what a social-preneur is, a social-preneur is an entrepreneur who practices social justice.  Mr. Anderson mentioned that when they started the charter schools they paid everyone down to the custodian a living wage with benefits.His qualifications that he touted was that he founded a network of charter schools that have been successful and that he has experience with funneling private money into infrastructure for schools.  He also talked several times about how we should “spread the wealth.”

Last but not least was Thurston Smith.  The names that he dropped were President Obama and Loretta Lynch.  He even pulled up an email from Loretta Lynch on his phone that he had received from her that day.  He came to Memphis because of his appointment in the Veterans Administration.  Not a real plus in my book because of the fiasco that the VA is in currently.  His idea on getting funding for the district is crack ~taxpayer~ money from various grants.  In fact, he posted this idea on the FB group “Just the Facts” and ended up deleting the post because he was challenged on how the problem isn't enough money, but the breakdown of the family and missing dads.  He deleted the post because it had turned political.  Hello!?!  You are running for a political office that will be spending taxpayer money.

It looks like I left a little too soon.  It was getting late and my bottom was sore from sitting on the hard benches for so long.  They were wrapping up the district 7 debate and it sounded like they were wrapping up the event, but apparently I was wrong.  The event was supposed to be a debate for Super District 8 as well, but since only Martavius Jones was in attendance and it was so late, I didn't think that they would do it.  Apparently, Kemba Ford acted as interviewer for Mr. Jones and asked him pretty much the questions that were asked the district 7 candidates.  Shelby Co Commissioner Terry Roland apparently called out Martavius Jones ~who is also currently on the Shelby County Commission~ in typical Terry Roland fashion and there were words exchanged.  From a video that I saw, it looks like I was with the majority of the attendees.  Most had already left.

The irony to me is that this debate took place in a school and community that was named after Frederick Douglass.  Frederick Douglass was a slave who taught himself to read and influenced President Abraham Lincoln.  Frederick Douglass didn’t make excuses for himself and look for handouts.  He loved the Constitution and worked hard to become successful.  I’ll share with you with a couple of his quotes.

“In that instrument I hold there is neither warrant, license, nor sanction of the hateful thing; but, interpreted, as it ought to be interpreted, the Constitution is a glorious liberty document.  Read its preamble, consider its purposes.”

and

“In regard to the colored people, there is always more that is benevolent, I perceive, than just, manifested towards us. What I ask for the negro is not benevolence, not pity, not sympathy, but simply justice. The American people have always been anxious to know what they shall do with us.... I have had but one answer from the beginning. Do nothing with us! Your doing with us has already played the mischief with us. Do nothing with us! If the apples will not remain on the tree of their own strength, if they are worm-eaten at the core, if they are early ripe and disposed to fall, let them fall! ... And if the negro cannot stand on his own legs, let him fall also. All I ask is, give him a chance to stand on his own legs! Let him alone! ... Your interference is doing him positive injury.”

I didn't hear any of the spirit of Frederick Douglass last night.  All I heard were people looking for what government could do for them.  Memphis has great potential, but we are in serious trouble because so many of the citizens of Memphis don’t understand economics and the proper role of government.  City government isn't about funding social projects.  From the Memphis City Charter, Article 1, Section 1, the original taxing district ~later changed to city~ was created “in order to provide the means of local government for the peace, safety and general welfare of such districts.”  That means law enforcement and infrastructure.  General welfare means that it benefits all of the city of Memphis, not just certain groups within the city.

Memphis has great potential and I love this city, but we will not move forward until we get back to the basics of a civil society.  We have professional race stirrers.  We have elected officials that spend too much money on things that government ~taxpayers~ has no business funding.  We want safe neighborhoods and quality education for our kids.  Neither of those will happen until we get back to taking responsibility for our actions and parents taking responsibility for their children.  Instead of blaming those that leave Memphis looking for those things, why don't we work on providing them.  We are experiencing the consequences of looking to the government to fix our problems.  Isn't it time to try something different?

Notes:
The panel who asked the questions were Shelby County Commissioner Terry Roland, Shelby County Democratic Party Secretary Lexie Reed Carter , former City Councilman Shep Wilburn, talk show host Jennings Benard, community activist Charlie Caswell, and Carlissa Shaw from Horne/Wells as well as three students from the Douglass debate team.  Also asked to speak were Jim Strickland, ~current city councilman and candidate for mayor~ Kenneth Whalum, ~former MCS board member who has pulled petitions for both city council and mayor~ Michael Williams, ~Memphis Police Association President and also running for mayor~ Randa Spears, ~Shelby Co. Democratic Party Chariman~ John Cornes, ~real estate~ and City Councilwoman Wanda Halbert.

Ambushed by Shelby County Republicans

Update:  It appears that Commissioner Heidi Shafer is also supporting this plan.  Both she and Terry Roland spoke at the Shelby County Republican Women's Club this week.  A report from an attendee said that both Roland and Shafer were speaking in support of this scheme.  At the Commission meeting, Shafer played the role of good cop with us by talking with us and giving us the impression that she agreed with us.  She had recused herself from voting on the resolution because she works in the healthcare industry. 

What has the state party promised or threatened our elected leaders here in Shelby County?  Why is this so important to Haslam? 

There were four of us who witnessed the ambush on Monday by Republican Shelby County Commissioners.  Just two weeks ago, those of us who understand economics and the disaster that ObamaCare is, prevailed over the ruling class Republicans who wanted to pass a resolution supporting Governor Haslam's scheme to expand Medicaid in TN.  We called and emailed and instructed our representatives ~did you know that the Tennessee Constitution codifies our right to instruct our representatives?~ that we do not want to expand Medicaid in TN.  We know what ObamaCare is doing and will do to healthcare in our great country if not stopped.  As my youngest daughter used to say, "We don't want it!"  The people spoke and the resolution was pulled.  Well, low and behold, it reared it's ugly head once again on Monday.  It was not on the agenda.  It was an add-on sponsored by Terry Roland ~Republican~ and Van Jones ~Democrat.~ 

This is the email that I sent to Commissioners Roland, Reaves, Billingsley and Chism.  Commissioner Shafer recused herself because of her working in the healthcare industry and I didn't bother sending it to Steve Basar because he has already shown that he is not a conservative. 

Commissioner Roland,

I am disappointed with what I witnessed during the county commission meeting Monday. 

 

First, let me address the shenanigans that took place in the meeting.  It was a very cowardly act to ambush the citizens of Shelby County ~Republicans specifically~ in this manner.  You were not happy with the input you received by phone, email and from Republicans and other citizens who attended and spoke before the last Commission meeting where you tried to get support for the governor's scheme, so you decided to ambush us Monday by doing a last minute add-on to the agenda.  This is what we have come to expect from the Democrats and a tactic you have claimed in the past to despise.  Do you have such a short memory that you don't remember the last couple of months?  What was the recent lawsuit by the Democrats plus Steve Basar about?  Wasn't it about who could add-on an item to the commission agenda and whether a simple majority or super-majority was needed to overrule the chairman to add an item to the agenda?  What was the dire emergency that made it imperative that this resolution needed to be passed yesterday?

 

You spoke that you didn't like the ACA, but your back was against the wall because if we don't expand Medicaid in TN under this scheme, then you would be forced to raise property taxes in Shelby County.  We can't let the Med go under, after all.  We have heard this threat for years/decades.  We know what will happen if we expand Medicaid here in TN.  Do you not remember the TennCare debacle? It almost bankrupted the state.  It took a Democrat to come in and fix that fiasco.  Is that what you want?  Pave the way for a Democrat governor?

Two citizens, who happened to be present at Monday's meeting, spoke against this referendum.  They brought up some important points:

• What are we going to do when the federal monies dry up and the citizens of TN are stuck with having to pay the shortfall?
• Many of the states that went ahead and expanded Medicaid have still had hospital closings.
• Several states have handled this problem in ways that was beneficial to the medical providers and the patients and their solutions need to be examined to see if they would work in TN.
• You said that the smaller hospitals serving the surrounding counties are struggling because of the ACA and that the Memphis Regional Hospital (the MED) would have to take those patients.  However, the stated reason that the hospital in Fayette County is closing was because the people in the area were not using it. (only one new patient a day) and it was not cost effective to keep it open.

You did not show them the courtesy to slow down long enough to address those concerns but went directly to the vote.

By expanding Medicaid ~like Haslam wants to~ we are just kicking the can down the road.

I agree with Thomas Payne.

 

"I prefer peace.  But if trouble must come, let it come in my time, so that my children can live in peace

It is time for courage from you, our elected officials.  It is time for leaders to articulate conservatism and limited government.  You purport to espouse limited government.  Your actions speak louder than your words.

For more details on the Commission meeting, click here. 

To instruct our representatives ~as the TN State Constitution says we have the right to~ here is the link to their email addresses or call them at 222-1000.

Outside Independence Hall when the Constitutional Convention of 1787 ended, Mrs. Powel of Philadelphia asked Benjamin Franklin,
"Well, Doctor, what have we got, a republic or a monarchy?"
With no hesitation whatsoever, Franklin responded,
"A republic, if you can keep it." 

It is up to us to keep our republic.  Voting is just the beginning of our civic responsibility.  Help save our republic.  It starts at the local level because power is in the district. 

Commissioner Terry Roland will be the speaker at the Dutch Treat Luncheon on Saturday, January 17th at noon at Jason's Deli.  Jason's Deli is located at 3473 Poplar ~corner of Highland and Poplar~.  Come early if you want to order a meal.  This will be a great time to ask him why he pulled this stunt. 

I Feel So Much Safer Now . . .

Yesterday I attended the Shelby County Commission Committee Meetings.  One of the highlights was a discussion with the head of the Shelby County Health Dept and representatives from the local hospitals on the subject of Ebola.  You never know what you will find out when you begin to take self-governance serious and go to these meetings.  I felt like I was in an infomercial for the flu shot.  Think I'm jesting?  Here is the report from Mike Mathews of ABC 24.  Note to Mike Mathews and ABC 24, the flu isn't 100% preventable even with the flu shot.  See this study.  It estimates that the flu vaccine is only about 59% effective.  Full disclosure:  My daughter who has a compromised immune system due to her transplant did get a flu shot.  I do not want my child in an emergency room or hospital this season.  While the flu vaccine is not 100% effective, I do want to give my daughter the best chance at not getting the flu.

Now back to Ebola and Shelby County.  Ms. Madlock reiterated that it is not airborne nor spread by casual contact; although the virus was in all bodily fluids of a person including sweat and that the virus can live on surfaces for 2 hours.  I wish I could have asked her for clarification on that info.  According to the CDC ~hat/tip MidSouth Sentinel~ the Ebola virus can travel through air, but they made that admission in a very sneaky and hard to find manner. The following statement is under Low Risk Exposures:

Close contact is defined as
a)  being within approximately 3 feet (1 meter) of an EVD patient or within the patient’s room or care area for a prolonged period of time (e.g., health care personnel, household members) while not wearing recommended personal protective equipment (i.e., standard, droplet, and contact precautions; see Infection Prevention and Control Recommendations)
b)  having direct brief contact (e.g., shaking hands) with an EVD patient while not wearing recommended personal protective equipment.
The footnote explains that For purposes of monitoring and movement restrictions of persons with Ebola virus exposure, low risk is interpreted as some risk.

"The implication of this statement is very, very clear: Ebola DOES in fact travel through the air."  Also, if it can last for a couple of hours on a hard surface, there doesn't seem to have to be direct contact, just touching a hard surface after an infected person does.  We've also been told that unless an Ebola patient is showing signs of the disease, that they are not infectious.  Since the symptoms of Ebola are similar to the flu, how many of us stay home when feeling a bit under the weather?  Just living in reality here.  Why do you think there is such a market for over-the-counter flu medications?

The panel of "experts" was also asked if they were prepared for isolation since we are being told that only a few hospitals in the nation have specially built isolation units with negative airflow.  Again, the answer was not reassuring. Apparently, isolation consists of a private room with a private bathroom. The patient's room would have limited individuals with access to the room who would be “protected”.  She said that that many hospitals do have the special isolation units which they use for case of tuberculosis, but that Ebola wouldn't warrant the use of these units.   Here is the link from the CDC that provides this information.  Not sure why the CDC made such a big deal about these units when bringing the first Ebola patients to the US happened.  My guess, is it's all about optics.  As it happens, my family has experience with isolation.  My dd was put in isolation when she was in ICU at Le Bonheur as couple of years ago.  We had to gown and mask up when we entered her room.

CDC Guidelines for Isolation for Ebola

Someone did text Commissioner Roland about the disposal of a dead body. He passed along the question. Ms. Madlock said that they were going to send out information on the CDC guidelines to all the mortuaries and funeral homes. Commissioner Justin Ford, whose family is in the funeral home business, asked about autopsy to determine the cause of death with Ebola and was told that there would be no autopsy. The CDC guidelines were to double bag the body and then either cremate or put body in a hermetically sealed coffin.  Mr. Ford then asked about whether there could be a service and was told that he would receive the guidelines from the CDC.  My impression was that Ms. Madlock was irritated at this line of questioning.  I don't think she was ready for such a specific question.

Bottom line:  I was not reassured.  Many contradictions and unanswered questions.  Ms. Madlock said that the SC Health Dept was sending out guidelines to all the licensed doctors, healthcare facilities, school nurses etc.  I'm sure they'll be as excited to get and read them as Ms. Madlock was in coming and answering questions from the Shelby County Commissioners.  While I am not panicking ~and I am not advocating panicking~ I am not reassured about how ready Shelby County is for Ebola.  I am praying that there isn't an outbreak and that Ms. Madlock is correct.  In the meantime, I am taking my own precautions for my family.  We cannot depend upon the government to do it.

Update:  I received these from a friend.  Apparently this is what the Shelby County Health Dept. sent out to all of our healthcare facilities etc.

With the nurse who cared for Duncan contracting the disease, it appears that Ebola might be a bigger deal than Ms. Madlock and her staff are letting on.  

What do You want from Your Politicians in 2014?

Local TV station WREG posted this question on their FB page, “What new year resolutions would you like to see local politicians make?”  As I looked down through the comments there were many that said “retire” “quit lying” and “work for the people who elected them.”  One was, “take better care of WE THE PEOPLE.”  Some even wanted fiscal responsibility and the impeachment of Obama.  While many of these responses are laudable and I agree with, I wondered how many of these commenters were actually holding their elected officials accountable.  They seem to think that it is the politicians’ responsibility to be honest and responsible when it is actually the other way around.    While it is true that we should seek to elect honest and trustworthy individuals into office, it is up to We the People to make sure that they are once they are elected.  Politicians are like everyone else. They must be held accountable. It is up to us to hold them accountable. How many of us attend city council meetings? Attend committee meetings? It is truly an eye opener. The first MLG&W board meeting that I attended was amazing. The way that they ~our employees~ treated Memphis citizens was shocking. Public servants they are not.

Outside Independence Hall when the Constitutional Convention of 1787 ended, Mrs. Powel of Philadelphia asked Benjamin Franklin, "Well, Doctor, what have we got, a republic or a monarchy?" With no hesitation whatsoever, Franklin responded, "A republic, if you can keep it."

It is up to us to keep it. If we want Memphis and our politicians to change, it is up to us to be informed and hold them accountable. Don't be satisfied with what they tell you when they want your vote. Be informed throughout the process.  An example of this is TN Senator Lamar Alexander on the recent budget "deal" that cuts pensions for disabled veterans and negates the slight sequestration savings.  Lamar Alexander is up for reelection this year, so he dutifully voted against it.  The real vote however was for cloture, which he voted for.  So in essence, he can technically say in his campaign ads that he voted against the bill, but the rest of the story is that if he wouldn't have voted for cloture on the bill, ~along with some other wimpy Republicans~ it would not have made it to the vote for passage.

You would be amazed at what one person can accomplish.  That citizen must be informed and pro-active in the political process.  One of the popular quotes that we see around the start a new year is “You must be the change you wish to see in the world” by Gandhi.  We must apply this to the political process as well.  2014 is a big year.  Are you going to be the change that you want to see in Memphis or wherever you live?

If you really want to know how to effectively engage and be proactive, go to the Center for Self Governance.  Their training is invaluable to the citizen activist.  Don’t just leave your future and the future of your kids and grandkids to nameless politicians.  It’s up to us to keep our Republic.  I don’t know about you, but their future is worth it.  

The question isn’t how our politicians are going to change, it’s how are we going to effect change in our politicians.

Steve Cohen Makes Memphis Proud Again . . .

Just Kidding!

TN-9 Congressman Steve Cohen took to the floor of the House of Representatives on October 1, 2013 to attack Republicans on the first day of the government shutdown.

I had a Facebook friend post his rant with the caption of "Don't you wish you had a Congressman like mine."  

My response to him was.  He is my congressman and I'm ashamed of him.

Here is Steve Cohen's enlightening rant.  Unfortunately, he gets several things wrong.  




First of all, I'm more worried about my children and grandchildren's healthcare and economic future than I am about some tourists wanting to see the Statue of Liberty.

Second of all, repeating the title "affordable care act" doesn't make it really affordable. ObamaCare was rammed thru a Democrat Congress w/o a single Republican vote and will increase the deficit by Trillions according to the GAO ~that's the Government Accounting Office~. Whatever happened to Obama's promise that he would not sign a plan that would increase the deficit by one dime? Know what was truly bipartisan? The votes to defund and repeal it.

Third, slavery was the law of the land and upheld by the Supreme Courts also.  Does the name Dred Scott ring any bells?  Good thing Republicans didn't just throw up their hands and go along with that law.

Fourth, Social Security and Medicare are broke.

Fifth, where is the budget?  There wouldn't be this “crisis” if the Democrat Senate had done their Constitutionally mandated job and passed a budget.  The federal government hasn't had a budget for the entire Obama administration.

Sixth; it isn't the federal government role to fund assistance programs for the poor.  “The Powers delegated to the federal government are few and defined…war, peace negotiations, and foreign commerce.”  James Madison.  Here is a quick primer on what the proper role of the Federal government according to those that wrote it.  Plus there wouldn't be as many Americans needing assistance if we had a growing economy.

How ironic is it that Cohen is suddenly a hawk on the debt.  Since he has been in Congress, the federal deficit has increased by over $6.5 Trillion.  Not Billion, but Trillion.  During the Bush administration, the Republicans added $1.6 Trillion in 6 years.  In the last two years of Bush's administration, when the Democrats ~which include Steve Cohen~ took control of Congress, they added $1.8 Trillion.  That's right; in two years, the Democrats increased the federal debt more than 6 years of Republicans.  And that was just the beginning.  There has been Trillion $$ deficits yearly since then.  His statement against repealing the medical device tax shows Cohen’s mindset. Repealing the medical device tax would “cost the government $30 Billion.”   All money belongs to the government; they just allow us to keep some of it.

And about those “death panels;” you mean the ones that Paul Krugman admits to here and then there’s Howard Dean admitting that there are death panels here.

Exactly what is the Independent Advisory Board, Mr. Cohen.  You voted for the bill; please explain to us what that panel is.

Also Cohen claims that it’s not a government takeover, but insurance.  Tell me, Mr. Cohen, what is it when the government has control over what a doctor gets paid, what medicines and procedures get paid for; when government mandates that one purchases it and also what it has to include and so on?  ObamaCare has over 20,000 ~and counting~ pages of regulations.  That’s not insurance, that’s control.  He also claims that ObamaCare is a Republican idea, citing RomneyCare as an example.  Really?  What is he smoking?  Some of that weed that he wants to legalize, but I digress.  First of all, RomneyCare was 70 pages; ObamaCare is 2,074 pages.  RomneyCare contained no new taxes.  ObamaCare has over $500 Billion in new taxes, taxes people who don’t buy insurance and cuts over $700 Billion from Medicare.  RomneyCare is on the state level, ObamaCare is on the federal level and as I've already explained, the powers delegated to the federal government are war, peace negotiations and foreign commerce.  Which one of those includes mandating buying insurance?

Last, but not least, Cohen opines that Congress and their staff have to live under the exchanges ~and that it is unfortunate~ because according to him, they are no longer subsidized.  Maybe Cohen missed the memo that Congress and their staff will get 75% of their premiums subsidized.  Poor things; they make 6 figures and they won’t be able to afford ObamaCare.  I thought that Cohen said this was the “Affordable Care Act.”  So affordable that even those that make 6 figures can’t afford it.  And that is different from us “regular” Americans.  Under ObamaCare exchanges, Americans whose employers provide healthcare will not qualify for subsidies.

Bottom line; Steve Cohen proves again that he has no idea what he’s talking about.  He’s been on the public dole since he was in his 20’s.  It’s time he retires and lives under the laws that he’s passed for the rest of us to live under.

Update:  After lapdog Cohen steps to the microphone to bemoan that because of the government shutdown, there will be no new patients at the NIH, Harry Reid asks, Why would we want to do that?" referring to Dana Bash's question about the Republican's plan to fund the NIH if it would help one kid with cancer.

I think Mr. Reid needs a refresher course in civics.  It is the Constitutional job of the Congress to fund government every year.  It's called a budget.  I'm sure you remember what that is even though you haven't passed one.

Open Letter to Memphis City Council

Dear Memphis City Council,

Today you will be voting on whether to allow MLG&W to spend $10.15 Million to start implementing their plan for installing 60,000 "smart meters". This is just the down payment for a proposed $215 Million they say it will take for all MLGW customers to be converted to "smart meters".  I listened to the report by WREG New Channel 3 last night. 


"The News Channel 3 Investigators decided to separate fact from fiction, so we put the three types of meters MLGW currently uses to the test.

"This was a controlled test at an MLGW facility and News Channel 3 cameras recorded 24/7 to make sure nobody could tamper with the meters.

"Here’s how the meters record how much energy you use:

"First, the analog meter.

“'You have a stater, which calculates your consumption,' MLGW’s Anthony Wilson said.

"Digital and smart meters are similar.

"They read your energy use — also known as kilowatt hours — with capacitors.

"Smart Meters send usage information directly to MLGW.

"As of now, there’s no scientific proof smart meters cause health problems, although there’s also no proof they don’t.

"What News Channel 3 could prove is if the smart meter will force your bill to go up.

"In our week-long test, MLGW sent an extra heavy load through the system to simulate what an average customer uses in a month.

"The amount of energy the meters read rises in the video. You can also see the numbers are pretty similar on all three meters.

"We had them run non-stop for 96 hours. The results were as follows:

"Analog: 1:42:55
Digital: 1:43:40
Smart: 1:43:53

"What do those numbers really mean?

"With the analog meter, your bill would be $207.40

"The digital meter adds up to $205.09

"The smart meter would charge you $205.38

"All three numbers are within MLGW’s two percent margin of error.

"The smart meter also lets you monitor how much energy you’re using.

"You can also choose to sign up for a time of use program, which charges you different rates depending on when you’re using the most energy."

Kudos for the great propaganda piece for MLG&W.  I noticed that they left out several key items in their “test”.  They mentioned the time of use rates at the end.  ~the highlighted portion of the report"  Why didn’t they run the test with the current rates against the time of use rates? 

From the cut and paste document that MLG&W provided you with to answer those of us who contact you. 

“Smart grid technology is another proven tool to help customers identify energy consumption and make improvements to lower their usage—while lowering their utility costs.” 

That statement implies that goal of MLG&W is to lower customer’s usage of power.  While you say that the time of use rates are optional at this time, what is going to happen when the carrot approach doesn’t work?  What is the stick going to be? 

Another quote from the MLG&W answer sheet;

“Smart meters only indicate the amount of energy used every 15 minutes. They do not control appliances nor tell what a customer is watching on TV. The encrypted data only provides a reading and a meter number.”

One simple question; are these “smart meters” one way or two way communication devices?  Big difference.  Will they only be able to transmit data to MLG&W or will MLG&W ~or someone else~ be able to shut them off remotely or reprogram them remotely?  If MLG&W can reprogram or shut them off remotely, then this is the perfect “stick” in their stated objective of lower customer’s usage of power. 

I just received a reply from MLG&W via the WREG page regarding the two way communication of the Smart Meter.

MLGW  "Smart meters communicate with the utility once a day and, when needed, we can communicate with the meter to connect or disconnect service."

So these smart meters will have two way communication capabilities. 

Relating to your answer regarding our privacy; all one has to do is look at the recent revelations with the NSA and Edward Snowden to question how “private” the data that is collected from these meters will be. 

There was another CBS station that did an investigative report on "smart" meters in California. 

In this report, it talks about the utilities ability to "control your usage remotely"  See video at about 1:13 in the video.  "So if there's a heat wave, they can turn your air conditioning down from a distance."

I am asking you to tell MLG&W no today and instead let the voters of Memphis decide on Smart Meters.  I know that your MLG&W answer sheet says that MLG&W customers will be able to opt out and thus we will have a choice and a referendum is unnecessary.  What is MLG&W afraid of with a referendum?   

Have a Great Day!

TNWAHM

P.S.  I will see you downtown. 
 

 

OUT OF CONTROL !

WREG Channel News  June 28, 2013

 Link:   MLGW Awaits City Council Decision on Smart Meters

If you are following the doings of the Memphis City Council and Shelby County County Commission you will see more and more legislation being proposed in order to 'control' the behavior of the citizens of this community. Let's take the new Smart Meters that are being discussed in the City Council next week.  (link above)

If you are not familiar, Smart Meters are part of the new Smart Grid that is being implemented across the US. (You-Tube link below)These mighty meter marvels will have the ability to send your water usage and later electricity and gas usage wirelessly by microwave technology to MLGW every 15 minutes 24 hr a day. When fully implemented, there will also be an inside component that will allow the homeowner (at their own expense) to monitor their own usage and adjust their behavior accordingly. 

The new meters will have a Time of Day (TOD) billing rate which. at the moment, MLGW is saying is optional. They are neglecting to say whether your bill will go up if you opt out of the TOD metering. If fact there is a lot about these meters that MLGW is neglecting to say. 

The new water meters are being installed throughout the US. The meters cost the taxpayers $400 -$500 each and the price tag will go up when electricity and gas is added to the metering systems.  MLGW is spending over 10 million to replace our current analog meter (the meter that is on your house now that is read by a human). An analog meter, needs no batteries, has a lifetime of over 30 years, and doesn't send out high energy microwaves right next to my dining room window.  

When your new Smart Meter is installed,  MLGW will also have the capability to communicate directly with the meter and regulate (Control)  the amount of electricity you receive causing air conditioners and refrigerators etc. to run slower at on peak times. Other cities are reporting damage to their appliances as a result of the brownouts.  (link below) MLGW says this will save us money on our bills by helping YOU best decide how to regulate your water usage. Really?

Citizens in cities around the country, including our own City Council Member Janice Fullilove,  that have already been using the meters say "not so much".  Council Member Fullilove had MLGW take her smart meter off of her house after it had been installed during the pilot program last year citing "malfunction and higher water bills”. Others have concerns about the bursts of microwave energy affecting the health of the residents of the home.  (link below) 

Seem excessive?  It certainly does to me.  Up until now, MLGW was content to bill me according to a once-a-month reading by a Meter Reader.  Here is how it works.  I use the water, The Meter Reader record my usage at the end of the month, I get a bill.  Simple right?  So why the change?

I am pretty much in agreement with Jack Oliphint, a retiree who lives 20 miles north of Houston in Spring, TX. Mr Oliphint thinks the $3.45 a month he will pay his local utility company in the coming years for a smart meter is too much, considering what he sees as rather elusive benefits.

"There's no mystery about how you save energy", says the 71 year old retired furniture salesman, "You turn down the air conditioner and shut off some lights. I don't need an expensive meter to do that."

Here is a link to the Wall Street Journal article that outlines several other US cities experiences with Smart Meters.

Here is a link to  a You Tube discussion on Smart Meters and the Smart Grid. 

WSJ- Smart Meter, Dumb Idea? 

You Tube- Protect yourself from Digital Meters

Note: Being a member of CUSC (Citizens of Unincorporated Shelby County), it bothers me to no small extent that the Memphis City Council, who I have no voice in electing, can make decisions that affect my life and property.

Ayn Wz Rite - Guest Blogger

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Spending TPM ~TaxPayer's Money~

Every citizen needs to go down to their local governing body and sit in on a session of hearing your elected officials spend TPM ~TaxPayer Money.~ I did just that yesterday. I went down, with a group of other concerned citizens to observe the Shelby County Commission meeting yesterday, June 17, 2013. Believe me, the sound bites that you get from the local news are not what really happens. Did you know that three of your elected employees ~County Commissioners~ routinely leave early from their own board meeting? Walter Bailey, James Harvey and Sidney Chism left before the end of the meeting ~as did the media with their cameras~. There were just a few of us that stayed to the end.

These are the highlights that I found interesting from yesterday’s meeting:
1) The cavalier attitude that many commissioners spend, as Commissioner Shafer refers to it, TPM ~TaxPayer Money~

2) The spoiled childlike behavior of several commissioners. If they get their feelings hurt, they will use their vote to “punish” the perceived offender. Really? This is TPM ~TaxPayer Money~ you are voting with, my money and you are going act like a spoiled child? On Resolutions 29 and 30; the County Commission ordinance concerning “living wage” for County contractors is in violation of TN state law and they didn’t pass the amendment to fix it because Commissioners Brooks, Mulroy and Ford abstained from voting because they were pouting ~and electioneering~ that their resolution was violation of state law and Commissioners Bailey, Harvey and Chism had already left. The bottom line ~as I understand it~ is that we are in violation of a state law that if implemented will invite a lawsuit by the state of TN. IS that being fiscally responsible? More TaxPayer Money for lawyers?

3) The bloviating of many commissioners. They love to hear the sound of their own voices. It doesn’t matter that they make no sense or listen to their fellow commissioners; they just want to make the news. Commissioner Bailey is bad about this.

4) The idea of “us vs them” is prevalent among the Commissioners. Many use the rhetoric of “unity” but their idea of unity is everyone agreeing with them. It’s good for their reelection and sound bites if they can sell their constituents on that they are “fighting” against the injustices of the white suburbanites who don’t want to fund their slush funds and require fiscal accountability for TPM ~TaxPayer Money~. Commissioner Bunker talked frequently about the failed policies and mindset that those in Memphis bring to the table, yet those are the policies that they want to continue to adopt. Seriously?

5) The media doesn’t do their job. They only stayed for the property tax vote. I didn’t see one reference to the debate and votes on delaying the effective date for the new building codes. Not mentioned was the fact that the new Residential code that they passed previously was impossible to build and Commissioner Bailey voted against delaying an impossible building code. 6) When discussing the school’s budget, no one from the school administration was there. They were asking for an additional $20 Million from the County Taxpayers and they can’t even show up to answer questions?

7) The prevailing attitude of the Shelby County Commission is, “Just write a check; it doesn’t matter whether there is money in the bank or not.” Don’t worry; we’ll just raise the taxes on the working people of Shelby County.

Here are some of the reports from local media on the meeting. Note that I couldn’t even find a report from WREG; maybe they covered it during their newscast, but nothing online. I guess this wasn’t important enough for them to cover.

MyFoxMemphis

Commissioner Bunker said something that I really like ~and am going to steal~ “I represent the people to the government, not the government to the people.” to which Commissioner Bailey couldn't understand what he meant. and when Commissioner Bailey said that the best financial minds said that we had to have a tax increase, Commissioner Wyatt says that the best financial bureaucrats saying that we need a tax increase.

Memphis Daily News
WMCTV
Local News 24



Also note that I didn't link to the CA because they require a subscription  and as the CFO of TNWAHM,  I didn't authorize myself to approve that expense.

Bottom line, Memphis and Shelby County, until we educate the public on why we need fiscal responsibility and how lower taxes increases the tax base and businesses coming into the Memphis area, we aren't going to grow and flourish into the great city that we have the potential for, we will be traveling down the pathway of Detroit.  The best thing for Desoto County has been Memphis tax policy.    

Update:  I contacted "News" Channel 3 about their lack of coverage of the meeting.  They directed me to this story about the new payroll plan that was adopted by the school administration and By the way, the Shelby Co. Commission passed the Schools budget," and didn't bother to mention that no one from the school administration was there to answer questions about the budget.

Why Primary Nominating Petitions Matter

Just when I think that it's over, something else pops up to remind me.  Fraud is fraud and who is watching our election officials?  With the recent convictions of two Democrats perpetrating voter fraud on behalf of Barack Obama in the 2008 Democrat Primary, I am reminded of the fraud that I uncovered at the Shelby County Election Commission in 2012 concerning a Republican Primary Petition.  Here is the background of what I found.

I finally received a copy of the voters that Mr. Holden considered as qualified voters for George Flinn, Jr's petition.  I met in person with Shelby County Election Commissioner Norma Lester at the Shelby County Election Commission office on Nixon Dr in Memphis on September 11, 2012.  Mr. Holden was present for the first part of this meeting.  Ms. Lester didn't appreciate that a member of the media was there ~not that it mattered because they left before we got to the proof that the signatures weren't qualified~.  Mr. Holden didn't have the documents that I had requested in my emails setting up the meeting with Ms. Lester.  My colleague who was with me, and who also filed a complaint with the State Election Commission, started by laying out the original petitions  and showing the irregularities among the checking of the petitions.  Since there are not guidelines for how the candidates' petitions are checked, Ms. Lester wasn't  interested in the differences of how the various candidate's petitions were that Mr. Holden signified by his signature that he did in fact check.  She said that she was concerned that there were actually 25 qualified signatures on the petition.

Mr. Holden then took us to a computer so that we could see the database that the staff used to check the signatures.  The requirements for signatures on the nominating petition are posted here.

According to the Shelby County Election Commission Website:

"Voters' Signatures. The nominating petition must be signed by at least twenty-five (25) voters who are registered in the candidate's house district, and the candidate. The signature of the candidate does not count towards the required twenty-five (25) signatures. Each voter who signs the petition must also supply his or her residence address as it appears on his or her voter registration records."

Since he had a meeting, Mr. Holden turned us over to Ms. Perkins so that we could look-up the voters whose signatures Mr. Holden had approved on Flinn's petition.  There were three voter signatures that we were questioning.  On the database that we had access to, these three signatures didn't match to addresses on their voter registration.  On the first voter, the current address matched the address on the petition.  When I asked Ms. Perkins when the address was changed, the computed showed that the address was changed in May which was after the April 5, 2012 deadline.  The same was the case for the 2nd voter on our list.  The third voter that we questioned, the computer showed that her address had been changed on April 5, 2012.  The excuse that Ms. Perkins offered and ~Ms. Lester agreed with~ was that it was really confusing with the redistricting and with candidates bringing in their petitions as such a late date.  At that point in the meeting, I realized that regardless of what the facts were, it didn't matter to the Shelby County Election Commission.

At the next election commission meeting, September 19, 2012, Commissioner Lester admitted that I was right and that two of the signatures on Dr. Flinn's petition weren't valid, but that it didn't matter.

From the September 19, 2012 minutes ~which weren't approved and posted until 5 months later~

"Commissioner Nollner requested that the record reflect a summary of Commissioner Lester's meeting with citizen Brenda Fowler. "Ms. Fowler registered a complaint alleging two signatures on a candidates petition were not valid. Commissioner Lester met with Ms. Fowler and in the course of the meeting it was noted the allegation was true that two signatures were in fact not valid, however there were enough valid signatures that the validity of candidate's petition was not in question." Ms. Fowler also alleged that there was a conflict with the state's website as to deadline of petition filing. Commissioner Lester stated that would be an issue for the State."

There you have it.  Two invalid signatures on George Flinn, Jr's nominating petition and the Shelby County Election Commission doesn't care.  Their "reasoning" is that because Flinn's petition had more signatures then  he surely had enough valid signatures.  The point is that Mr. Holden signified by his signing of Flinn's nominating petition that he found 25 valid signatures.  The truth of the matter is that Richard Holden signed an election document that was incorrect.  In my book, that's election fraud.  Apparently not to the Republican or Democrat Parties here in Shelby County.  How about with the voters?  Do we really care about elections?

What the "Heck" is going on in the Shelby County Schools?

Confused about what is going on in the Shelby County Schools? Join other Shelby County, TN parents for a Dinner/Forum with a panel of state and local community leaders. You will have the opportunity to ask questions that will help you make informed decisions regarding your family's educational options.

Panelists will include Rep. Mark White, TN General Assembly Chairman of the Education Subcommittee; Matt Throckmorton, TN Charter Schools Association; Shelby Co. Commissioner, Chris Thomas and parents from TN Virtual Academy.

Sponsored by CharlottePAC and Sober House Homeless Mission.

Ticket can be purchased Here.

Join us on Facebook.

 

What's Really Going on with the Shelby County Election Commission?

One has to wonder what is the motivation behind why Shelby County Election Commissioners Norma Lester and George Monger are putting on a show in getting rid of administrator Richard Holden.  From the WMC-TV website:

Embattled Shelby County Election Commission administrator Richard Holden gets to keep his job.

This comes after a brutal attack from Democratic commissioners who repeatedly questioned Holden's leadership over his staff.  The commission's three Republicans voted to keep Holden.

Last August, my interest was piqued when I had questions about the Primary.  Upon further investigations, I discovered several irregularities in the filing of the candidates petitions to be on the Primary ballot for the TN-9 Congressional seat.  Here are more details on what I found.  I personally met with Ms. Lester on 9/11/2012 at the Shelby County Election Commission offices and we discovered that two of the voter signatures that Holden approved on George Flinn's petition were invalid.  Ms. Lester excused them as "mistakes" without any investigation into whether Mr. Holden actually did his job and checked George Flinn's nominating petition or just signed his name to it 

After the events of today, I wonder if Ms. Lester and Mr. Monger really want to get rid of Mr. Holden or whether they want to keep him on so that they can blame the Republicans for the continual mess-ups in the Shelby County Elections.

Well, Ms. Lester and Mr. Monger; enquiringly minds want to know.  Why didn't you launch an investigation on Mr. Holden's actions back in April 2012?  I handed you evidence of wrong doing on Mr. Holden's part, but you did nothing with it

Don't think that I'm excusing the Republican on the Commission.  They were in CYA mode about the whole thing.  They are a microcosm of what is wrong with the establishment of the Republican Party; they don't want to do what is right, just what will give them power.  The interaction that I had with Dee Nollner and Robert Meyers left much to be desired  They weren't interested in finding out the truth either, in fact, Ms. Nollner was more interested in smearing me than in answering my questions.

Elections are vital to our Republic; we need to hold our election officials accountable.  The Shelby County Election Commission needs an overhaul.

Update #1:  I was looking for the Commission Minutes from the September 19, 2012 meeting where they put Holden on probation.  Couldn't find them.

Update #2:  The Shelby County Election Commission Meeting minutes from their September 19, 2012 meetings were finally approved and posted after five months.  The regular minutes are there where they admit that I was right, but that they didn't care, but the Minutes from the meeting where they put Holden on probation haven't been posted.  According to this tweet from Commissioner Monger, the September 19, 2012 minutes were held up because Commissioner Nollner wanted Commissioner Lester to falsify the minutes.  

@tnwahm were held up for 5 months b/c comm Lester as secretary was not willing to falsify the minutes as your republican commissioner wanted
— George Monger (@georgemonger) February 22, 2013

Debacle in the Shelby County August 2 Primary

There is something funny going on with George Flinn, Jr.'s petition that he filed with the Shelby County Election Commission so that he could be on the ballot for the August 2, 2012 primary.  Upon examination of Flinn's original petition, it looks like Mr. Holden ~Administrator of Elections~ did not check his signatures by noon on April 5, 2012 ~the deadline for petitions to be filed.~  It also looks like there was a date change on the form that Holden signed signifying that George Flinn, Jr. had 26 qualified signatures.  This indicates that Flinn did not meet the deadline for turning in his petition.  George Flinn, Jr. should not have been on the ballot for the August 2, 2012 Primary; therefore he should not be certified by the Shelby County Election Commission to be on the ballot as the Republican nominee on November 6, 2012.

This has been brought to the attention of the Shelby County Republican Party and they are ignoring it as well.  If they think that Cohen will not use this against Flinn ~if he remains on the ballot for November~ as an October Surprise; they are more than naive.  

 As Ms. Bergmann stated yesterday at the news conference "We do not live in a Banana Republic."  We are a nation of laws.  The cavalier way that the Shelby County Election Commission, the TN Secretary of State, the Republican Party of Shelby County and the media have treated this whole election process is unacceptable.  Who has the courage to stand up and cry "Foul!  Not on my watch!"  Do we really want to see change in Memphis and Shelby County?  Or is it just something we say because it sound good?

I am absolutely incensed.  Elections matter and the incompetence and probable fraud in the Shelby County Election Commission is unacceptable.  I’m tired of the “good old boy network” in Shelby County.  No wonder there’s animosity between the two major communities in Memphis.  There’s incompetency at all levels and those in “power” don’t care or listen to the complaints of the “other” side.  There is NO communication going on.  A prime example is how the August 2 Primary was handled and how errors brought to the attention of the Commission ~both State and County~ are being handled and swept under the rug.  

My curiosity was piqued when I was discussing the Primary election with a friend and I wanted to know about a specific date concerning one of the candidates for TN-9 Congressional district.  I went to www.Shelbyvote.com ~the Shelby County Election Commission’s website~ to look at the petitions filed by each of the candidates.  When looking at the different candidates petitions, I noticed that some were time/date stamped and some were not.  Knowing that the petitions had a specific time and date deadline for filing their nominating petitions with registered voters’ signatures; I decided to investigate further.  I went down to the office on 980 Nixon on August 13, 2012 and asked to see the original petitions filed by the candidates.  What I saw was glaring incompetence at the least ~good old boys network~ and possible vote fraud.  I received copies of the petitions and went home to study them further.  What I discovered is that Richard Holden did not check George Flinn, Jr.’s signatures.  Mr. Holden stated that there were 26 valid signatures, but it’s not clear whose signatures he was counting or excluding.  By looking at ALL the petitions filed and checked by even Mr. Holden himself, it’s clear that “one of these things is not like the other.”

I followed the protocol for filing a complaint with the Secretary of State’s office in Nashville and waited.  I attended the Shelby County Election Commission’s committee meetings and general meeting on August 20.  What I observed was the absolute breakdown of communication and CYA.  The commissioners certified the election w/o even looking at the stacks of info that was presented to them.  Mr. Monger and Ms. Lester brought up the incompetence of Richard Holden and asked for his resignation.  The Republicans on the Commission voted that down with the caveat that they wanted to see what the state audit had to say about it.  While I agree about not rushing to judgment ~which it’s apparent happens~ I agree with Mr. Monger and Ms. Lester about Holden.  He was the election official that I cited specifically in my complaint about the candidates’ filing petitions.  After the meeting I talked to both Mr. Meyers and Mr. Monger about what I had found.  Both said that they would look into the matter.  I emailed them both a copy of my complaint filed with the State that specifies the irregularities on the petitions and impressed upon them how important it was that they looked at the originals.  Mr. Meyers emailed me back and said that he referred the matter to the attorney.   Mr. Monger emailed me back and said that he would look into it himself.  I have not heard back from either them since. 

Meanwhile, one of the other voters that went down in person with me to see the petitions ~who also filed a complaint~ received a reply from the State informing him that she had looked into the complaint and called Sharon Logan at the Shelby County Election Commission office who verified that Dr. Flinn did indeed have 25 valid signatures.  Talk about the fox guarding the hen house.  Of course Ms. Logan is going to say that Dr. Flinn’s petition was correct.  This is why we originally filed the complaint with the state election office.  I want to know from Ms. Logan and Mr. Holden exactly which of those signatures were valid on April 5, 2012 at noon which is the deadline for filing.  

I've been interviewed by one local tv station.   I showed them my copies of the nominating petitions.  Both the reporter and the camera man acknowledged that they could see what I was talking about in reference to the petitions.  Charlotte Bergmann ~who lost the primary to George Flinn~ called a press conference to allow several of us citizens who filed complaints with the TN Secretary of State concerning the election to alert the local media.  We had one show up and she received a call from Bart Sullivan at the Commercial Appeal.  He's based in D.C.   He posted an article about it trying to make it look like sour grapes for Ms. Bergmann.  He called Mr. Holden from D.C. and asked him if the allegation was true.  Of course Mr. Holden denied it.

This is my response to Bartholomew Sullivan and the rest of the media.  

"Mr. Sullivan, have you even looked at the original petition filed by George Flinn, Jr. ~or any of the other candidates that were on the ballot~?  Or are you just going to take the word of an incompetent administrator?  Why is it that voters have to do the job of the Shelby County Election Commission, the Secretary of State of TN and the media?  This is a job of CYA by Richard Holden.  What do you expect him to say? “I didn’t do my job?  I am incompetent?  I signed an election document because my friend George Flinn, Jr said everything was OK.”   I witnessed the fiasco of the Shelby County Election Commission committee meetings and general Meeting on Monday.  Talk about a joke.  At least the Democrats on the Commission were willing to call Holden out on his incompetence.  

The facts are these:  Mr. Holden signed the form verifying that George Flinn Jr.’s petition had 26 qualified voters.  Mr. Holden never checked the petition.  I challenge ANYONE to go down to Election Commission offices at 980 Nixon and look at the original petitions of all the candidates for TN-9 Congressional District. .  It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see that “one of these things is not like the other.” There was also a date change on the form that Mr. Holden signed among many other irregularities.

Mr. Sullivan; instead of pontificating from Washington D.C. on something that you haven’t even seen; why don’t you get yourself down to the Shelby County Election Commission and pull the original petitions yourself and do a little investigating.  Why don’t you ask Mr. Holden which of the signatures on George Flinn, Jr.’s petition are the 26 qualified registered voters as of April 5, 2012?"

These are some of the irregularities that I found when examining the ORIGINAL petitions filed by the TN-9 Congressional Candidates.  

1.       Although Holden indicated on the Nominating Petition Signature Verification Form that George Flinn Jr.’s nominating petition contained twenty-six eligible signatures and addresses, when the check marks are counted, they total up to only nineteen (19), well under the required twenty-five (25). The rest of the marks being minuses or indistinguishable. If this is the case, then George Flinn, Jr. should not have been placed on the Aug 2 ballot for the Republican primary. 

2.       I inspected the marks placed on the original nominating petitions by the officers of the Shelby County Election Commission while in the process of validating the names, registration, and district of each voter.  On all the other petitions, except for George Flinn Jr.’s, it is very apparent which voters were considered valid and which voters were invalid by the election officer.  This is not true of the marks placed on Geroge Flinn Jr.’s nominating petition. On his petition, which is validated and signed by Robert Holden, it is difficult to distinguish by the marks on the petition, which of the signatures Holden accepts as valid and eligible and which he does not.

3.       It is further noted that on all the other candidate’s petitions, including one that is also validated by Robert Holden, the verification marks and comments are made in the margin in red ink and the total number of valid signatures for each page are noted and circled at the bottom of each page. This makes it quite simple to add the circled numbers on each page of the petition and arrive at the total number of valid signatures.   There is no total of valid signatures notated at the bottom of any page of the petition submitted by George Flinn Jr.

4.       It is stated in the Shelby County Election Qualifying Procedures that the signature of the candidate does not count toward the required twenty-five (25) signatures Candidate George Flinn, Jr signed his own petition and that is not noted in the margin by Holden; however, on the petition submitted by Saulsberry ~which was also checked by Holden~ the candidate signed his as well and the notation “candidate” was noted in the margin.

5.       On the Nomination Petition Signature Verification page for George Flinn, Jr the Date Verified appears to have been changed from 4-5-12 to 4-4-12 by Richard Holden.

6.       Date on the form that the candidate signs stating that none of their relatives are serving as election officials appears to have been changed on George Flinn, Jr’s form from the 5^th day of April to the 4^th Day of April.

7.       Date on Sec 2-9-108, TN Code Annotated page was changed from 4-5-12 to 4-4-12 but the change was initialed by Hart. 

8.       Time/Date stamped on the petitions submitted by Rollin Wilson Stooksberry ‘s final signatures and on Tomeka Hart’s signatures were too late for the certified copy (which were given to the candidate when the petition was submitted) to have been filed at the State Election Commission in Nashville by noon on the 5^th of  April deadline as required in TN State Law.