THE RHEA COUNTY REPUBLICAN
ADVANCING THE CONSERVATIVE CAUSE
Vol. 5 – No. 2 April 2021
| Table of Contents
Editorial ——————————————————————– 1 Question of the Month ———————————————— 4 Senate Republicans Calling it Quits in 2022 —————— 4 The Cancel Culture Goes on Offense ————————— 4 Who in Washington Has Sold Out to China ——————- 6 Question of the Month ———————————————— 6 Comments From Representatives ——————————– 6 Comments From Correspondents ——————————– 8 Legislative Report —————————————————- 10 Rhea County Republican Party News————————— 17 Lagniappe – Do Purges Strengthen or Weaken a Party?– 20 Contact Your Representatives ———————————— 22 |
EDITORIAL
I still recall my first job for hourly wages – that is, non-farm work. During my senior year in high school, I worked part-time in a fast food restaurant for the minimum wage at the time. It would have been difficult to have gotten by on my own with such modest earnings but, fortunately, I still lived at home back then, so I had enough money to buy gasoline for my car, and to take a little of the financial load off my parents by essentially feeding and clothing myself. Had the minimum wage been doubled at the time (which is essentially what the Biden regime is trying to do today), I would have no doubt celebrated full throttle . . . until reality set in.
Eventually, I would have learned the tough lesson that every wage earner learns when the minimum wage is raised: It ultimately proves to be a losing proposition every time! Here is what I eventually learned.
When an entrepreneur opens a business, they do so for one reason – to earn a profit. People who are not in business to earn a profit are running a charity.
When starting a new business, the successful entrepreneur carefully plans how they will earn their profit; they calculate all their operations costs – the costs for consumable materials, furnishings and equipment, utilities, rent (or mortgage payments) for the space the business occupies, taxes, licenses, insurance, and the costs for paying their hired help – wages, benefits, Social Security payments – and other incidentals.
When all the costs of doing business are calculated (plus, perhaps, a small margin set aside for future expansion or emergencies), the entrepreneur determines what the price must be for the goods or services they provide to their clients. If they calculate they can cover all the costs of doing business and earn enough money to pay themselves a reasonable return – they take the risk. If not, they go to work for someone else.
A business owner tends to set their profit margin as “thin” as possible in order to remain competitive in the marketplace; the greater the competition, the thinner the margin must be if the enterprise is to remain a going concern. But what happens if the owner’s operational costs rises significantly – such as the case when the wages for their workers increase because of an increase in the minimum wage?
Only one of two things can happen: Either the business owner raises prices on their goods or services, or they give the “pink slip” to the least essential workers so they can keep the doors open. If the business owner does neither, they go out of business.
[NOTE: Some of the fundamentals of running a business have changed through the years, and a new scenario has developed. Today, if the minimum wage goes up, some business owners hire illegal aliens who eagerly work for lower wages and without benefits; these workers receive their payment in cash. – Editor]
Of course, the reduction in staff increases the workload on the remaining workers. This situation generally continues until a more efficient means of doing business is discovered. In businesses that provide a physical product, expansions in automation, robotics, and artificial intelligence are the current trends. At this point, the bottom-rung employees become fully redundant – there are no jobs available for them because technology has eliminated their need.
The most notable examples of bottom-rung jobs that are being eliminated, let us look at the fast food industry and at agriculture.
Today, fast food restaurants are coming on line where the customer places and pays for their order at a touch screen kiosk. Out of eyesight are assembly lines where robots cook the meat, assemble the components (e.g. a hamburger patty, perhaps a slice of some cheese-like substance, and a glob of vegetable-based condiments) onto a bun which another robot has toasted. A mechanical robotic arm shoves the product into a clamshell box while another robot shovels up the fries and yet another robot draws the drink of choice and then shoves it all out to where the customer it can pick it up. Human involvement consists of a technician to maintain and tweak the robots and ancillary equipment, an individual to check the inventory against sales receipts. Sweeping and mopping the floors and cleaning up the parking lot is done by – you guessed it – other robots!
Our grandfather’s farm has also drastically changed. Today, there are robots linked to computers that can autonomously operate farms of any size: Computers continually sense the moisture content and temperature of the soil, they periodically analyze soil samples retrieved by robots and amend it as necessary. When conditions are correct, the computers communicate to the robots that operate all the mechanical equipment to plow, plant, fertilize, irrigate, and harvest the crop – all without so much as a bruise on even the most tender produce. The robots even perform routine maintenance on the equipment.
Not too many of these autonomous operations are in full operation today, but you can be assured that when (if) the minimum wage is doubled, they will spring into full operation much sooner than originally anticipated!
Within the next decade, millions of bottom rung employees will lose their jobs! This will inundate the welfare rolls (and there will be millions more illegal aliens on those welfare rolls!). This is the reason the Democrats are pushing for a “basic minimum wage” programs all across America, whether or not an individual actually has a job!
In the meantime, an increase in bottom rung employee wages harms those who earn just above minimum wage. Should the minimum wage rise to $15.00 per hour, the employee who earned $8.00 per hour will now be paid $15.00 per hour; the same is true for the employee earning $11.00 per hour. But, the workers who earned $15.00 per hour before the minimum wage increase finds themselves back down on the bottom rung again – all the effort they made to earn a higher wage will have been for naught!
Unfortunately, the nightmare doesn’t end there.
When the base wage is increased (until, that is, those bottom rung employees are fully replaced by automatons), the price for those products and services will also increase. In this interim period, inflation will set in and the money we have earned – and all the money we have saved – becomes worth less. If inflation runs rampant – as it might well do – all the money we have earned and saved will become worthless!
Nope! That’s not the end of the story, either.
Given the mindset of the Biden regime, and the enormous debt and unfunded mandates that rests squarely on the shoulders of the working class, we could see what might be described as the Weimar Republic on steroids in the not-too-distant future. One thing is for certain though, as Americans are paid higher wages, the market cost of every product we use will increase. Pretty soon we will find ourselves right back where we started – except workers will find themselves in a higher income tax bracket and our national debt will be much higher.
END NOTES: In many ways, an increase in the minimum wage harms America – and Americans! Outlined above are the immediate and direct impacts of an increase in the minimum wage. An increased minimum wage also harms foreign trade because it makes our products less affordable on the global market. This eventually causes our government to compensate with trade subsidy programs, in order to boost trade levels and artificially support GDP levels. Eventually, everything that was hoped to have been gained by the increased minimum wage level will be lost!
https://www.history.com/topics/germany/weimar-republic
https://www.epi.org/publication/briefingpapers_min_wage_bp/
SENATE REPUBLICANS CALLING IT QUITS IN 2022
Senators Richard Burr (R-NC), Rob Portman (R-OH), Pat Toomey (R-PA), Dick Shelby (R-AL), and Roy Blunt (R-MO) have all announced their retirements – dealing a major blow to the Republican establishment’s inner circle.
The mainstream media believes these departures are a loss for the Republican Party, but they actually create a unique opportunity to replace weak Republicans next year with strong conservatives who will truly fight for our principles and values.
In addition to these open seats, there are also vulnerable Democrats on the ballot in Arizona, Georgia, and New Hampshire.
But electing rock-solid conservatives in these states won’t be easy. Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and his allies are already working to recruit candidates who will help them maintain their RINO fiefdom and, of course, business as usual.
QUESTION OF THE MONTH
[Please respond in a manner that most closely reflects your opinion and email your answers to: pyrope84045@mypacks.net . A score on each question will be published in the next edition of The Rhea County Republican. THANKS! – Editor]
Recently, there has been talk about cleaning up the voter registration rolls in every state but there is little chance that a Federal mandate to do so would be passed by an administration and Congress that was fully dependent on adulterated voter registration polls to win the White House and majorities in both the House of Representatives and the Senate. This means that recertification of voter registration rolls must be accomplished at the State level. This month, I am posing a multi-part question. Since I value your responses I have decided to offer a prize – a $25.00 gift card – to the randomly select respondent who provides answers to this month’s question.
- In which State do you vote?
- Do you think the 2020 election results accurately reflected the will of those citizens who were authorized to vote in your State?
- Have you heard of an organized effort in your State to recertify (some may use the term “purge”), the voter registration rolls?
- Have you heard of other efforts in your State to ensure vote counts will be more accurately reflected in future elections?
- Are you personally involved in the effort to accomplish either of the aforementioned tasks in your State?
- What are your thoughts on whether such efforts in your State will succeed in accomplishing their stated goals?
Responses must be received no later than April 23rd, 2021. The winner’s name, city, and state will be published in the May edition of The Rhea County Republican.
Good Luck!
Response to last month’s question: Should Congress clarify the 14th Amendment to close the anchor baby loop hole? Please vote YES or NO.
Background –
- Each year, hundreds of thousands of babies are born in the United States to illegal aliens. The parents immediately claim their “rights” to Medicaid and food stamps on behalf of their U.S.-born children. Thanks to a rule change during the 0bama regime, illegal aliens with “anchor babies” have been effectively exempt from deportation since 2011.
- In addition, tens of thousands of babies are born in the U.S. each year to tourists who come here to give birth and return home. According to Chinese government sources, in one recent year, ~10,000 Chinese women came to the United States to give birth and then returned home. Under current rules ALL these children are Citizens of the United States! It is conceivable – and likely – these children will be indoctrinated by the Chinese Communist Party and someday return to the United States with all privileges accorded to natural-born citizens – the privilege to vote, to own property, and to run for elected offices (except the Presidency).
- The hospital bills for these births are almost always paid by U.S. taxpayers, although many of the “birthright tourists” are quite wealthy.
- No European country grants birthright citizenship, and many countries around the world ended this privilege in the 1980s, including the United Kingdom, Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, India, Malta, and the Dominican Republic.
[Thanks to The Heritage Foundation for providing the above information. To support their work please contact https://heritage.org Thanks!]
RANDOM THOUGHTS
I believe there are more instances of the abridgment of the rights of the people by the gradual and silent encroachments of those in power than by violent and sudden usurpations. -James Madison, fourth US president (16 Mar 1751-1836)
THE CANCEL CULTURE GOES ON OFFENSE
The faculty of a Loudoun County Virginia school, in collusion with elected representatives in the county, have joined forces to demonize, hack, and DOX parents who question their efforts to advance an anti-white (racist) meme known as “Critical Race Theory.” Details are available at the following link. Virginia Teachers and Public Officials Colluded to Demonize – And Even Hack and DOX – Parents Who Question Critical Race Theory – PJ Media
RANDOM THOUGHTS
When plunder becomes a way of life for a group of men in a society, over the course of time they create for themselves a legal system that authorizes it and a mora code that glorifies it. – Frederic Bastiat, French Economist
WHO IN WASHINGTON HAS SOLD OUT TO CHINA?
The answers may surprise you. Check out the following links, once you do a whole lot of other things will start to make sense:
https://www.independent.org/news/article.asp?id=13221
Peter Schweizer: ‘It’s the oldest story in politics which is follow the money’ | WBMA (abc3340.com)
https://nypost.com/2018/03/17/how-mcconnell-and-chao-used-political-power-to-make-their-family-rich/
COMMENTS FROM REPRESENTATIVES
Elected Representatives from all States and all levels of government are encouraged to share their thoughts, opinions, ideas, and announcements by emailing them to pyrope84045@mypacks.net . Your constituents want to hear from you! – Editor
Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) questioned Dr. Rachel Levine (Mr. Biden’s nominee for Asst. Sec. HHS), on the matter of genital mutilation and sex reassignment of minors
Dr. Paul Questions Rachel Levine During Confirmation Hearing – February 25, 2021 – YouTube
Congressman Scott DesJarlais (R-TN, 4th District) commented:
“If concern about voter fraud with mail-in ballots is delusional, it is a delusion that is shared by most of the world. Even the countries that allow mail-in ballots have protections, such as government-issued photo IDs. But Americans are constantly assured even this step is completely unnecessary. Without basic precautions, our elections are on course to become the laughingstock of the developed world.”
This is an important analysis with statistical backing on how voter ID and mail-in ballot laws compare across other developed countries by the Crime Prevention Research President John R. Lott.
Congressman Scott DesJarlais (R-TN, 4th District) penned an Op-Ed for Newsmax.
A common trope Democratic leadership likes to tout is that the federal government the validity of the 2020 election, they chose to sweep concerns under the rug instead of holding states accountable for not following their own election laws.
Now to ‘fix’ this problem progressives have decided to cement into law the very actions that led the 74 million people that voted for President Trump to question the results.
Leftists are aiming for the federal government to have more power over election regulation than ever before with the introduction of H.R. 1.
It is no secret that those on the other side of the aisle spent four years claiming that the 2016 election was a direct result of foreign election interference. Now in 2021 when threats from China, Russia and other malign foreign actors grow increasingly by the day—H.R. 1 aims to decrease the level of election security for the United States.
By giving D.C. central control over our federal elections, bad actors only need to target one location. Giving election certification control to individual states, where it belongs, means enemies of our democracy must find fifty different ways to tamper with results. States having autonomy over their elections is something I will always fight for.
With that said, states must be held accountable if they do not follow their own election laws.
One of the reasons far-left Democrats want this legislation passed, is to codify the very practices and procedures that left the American people without faith in the election system during 2020.
The widespread use of mail-in-ballots last year left many questioning the validity of the results. These claims deserved an investigation and research into whether mail-in-ballot voting left room for fraud. Democrats winning the White House, Senate, and House ensured a pathway to make this voting practice that clearly benefitted them, a law that will leave our election integrity vulnerable for years to come.
The proposed legislation does nothing to fix the problem at hand.
The rules are being rewritten to favor the progressive party. The score and outcome of the election will remain the same so long as the rules are changed.
If a stack of 50 counterfeit $1 bills and 50 real $1 bills are counted and recounted repeatedly the outcome will always be $100. The outcome will only change when the counterfeit bills are separated from the real bills.
Votes in Arizona and Pennsylvania faced the same problem in 2020. There was no real determination that the votes, even after the recount, were not fraudulent.
Rules were changed at the eleventh hour by state government officials to favor the outcome of one party over another.
Therefore, many members of Congress voted against the certification of Arizona and Pennsylvania’s Electoral College votes and demanded an investigation into why their state laws were not followed.
The policies in this bill go much further than the typically proposed government overreach by the left.
One component of this bill aims to have the government six-times match federal campaign donations under $200. It is not the government’s job to fund a political campaign.
This is socialistic and takes away the freedom of speech. Donations to a campaign are an individual choice by a voter to amplify the message of a candidate they want to see in an elected office.
Individual and corporate tax dollars are being wasted at an astronomical rate under H.R. 1 to potentially fund political candidates they do not support.
If H.R. 1 becomes law, voting criteria as the American people know it will change dramatically.
Fraud will become unchecked and run rampant under this legislation because there will be no voter ID requirement. In order to get on a plane, buy a gun or purchase alcohol you are required to show your [photo] ID.
It is absurd that you would not need a form of government-issued identification to participate in a local, state or federal election.
This legislation is flawed beyond measure. It is an election system overhaul that will do nothing more than make the federal government bigger and take away more power from U.S. citizens.
Allowing left-wing lawmakers to change the rules to win elections for years to come is the last thing Tennessee’s Fourth Congressional District wants.
I opposed this bill, and once again, Speaker Pelosi chose to use partisan tactics to pass legislation in the House designed purely to benefit their electoral political agenda. It is now on every American who believes that election security is pinnacle to our democracy to call on their U.S. Senators to oppose this legislation.
If this bill giving Speaker Pelosi and Leader Schumer even more power heads to President Biden’s desk, it will surely be signed.
Rep. Scott DesJarlais: H.R. 1 Changed the Rules to Win the Game | Newsmax.com
COMMENTS FROM CORRESPONDENTS
You are invited to become a Correspondent and share thoughts, opinions, ideas, and announcements with subscribers to this newsletter. Please state your city, state, or country in your submissions and email them to: pyrope84045@mypacks.net . Your fellow Conservatives want to hear from you! – Editor
Harrison Lapahie of Shiprock, NM offers this for our edification:
Regarding what shall be defined as The Law of the Land: The general misconception is that any statute passed by legislators bearing the appearance of law constitutes the law of the land. However, the U.S. Constitution is the supreme law of the land, and any statute, to be valid, must be in agreement. It is impossible for a law which violates the Constitution to be valid. This is succinctly stated as follows:
“All laws which are repugnant to the Constitution are null and void.” Marbury v. Madison, 5 U.S. (Cranch) 137, 174, 176 (1803).
Alvin Heskett, Murrieta, CA shared the following observation from one of his Romanian friends:
The danger to America is not Joe Biden, but a citizenry capable of entrusting a man like him with the presidency. It will be far easier to undo the follies of a Biden presidency than to restore the necessary common sense and good judgement of a depraved electorate willing to have such a man for their president. The problem is much deeper and far more serious than Mr. Biden, who is a mere symptom of what ails America. Blaming the prince of fools should not blind anyone to the vast confederacy of fools that made him their prince. The Republic can survive Biden, who is, after all, a mere fool. It is less likely to survive a multitude of fools, such as those who made him president.
Merrily Salyer, Sterling, VA shared a link to Thomas Sowell’s treatise on “Trickle Down Theory and Tax Cuts for the Rich,” an excellent read! Sowell_TrickleDown.indd (hooverinstitution.s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com)
RANDOM THOUGHTS
All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing. – Edmund Burke
RANDOM THOUGHTS
The House Judiciary Committee just offered an amendment that requires ICE to be notified when an illegal alien tries to purchase a firearm. The Democrats voted it down! So, the Democrats just admitted they have NO problem with illegal aliens buying a gun but they’re just fine with taking away the rights of American Citizens to keep and bear arms. You can’t make this stuff up!
RANDOM THOUGHTS
Do not blame Caesar, blame the people of Rome who have so enthusiastically acclaimed and adored him and rejoiced in their loss of freedom and danced in his path and gave him triumphal processions. Blame the people who hail him when he speaks in the Forum of the ‘new, wonderful good society’ which shall now be Rome, interpreted to mean ‘more money, more ease, more security, more living fatly at the expense of the industrious.’ – Marcus Tullius Cicero
RANDOM THOUGHTS
The first step in liquidating a people is to erase its memory. Destroy its books, its culture, and its history. Then, have somebody write new books, manufacture a new culture, invent a new history. Before long, the nation will begin to forget what it is and what it was. – Milan Kundera
LEGISLATIVE REPORT
The Legislative Report provides information on some of the more remarkable bills that have been introduced in Congress. Its purpose is to provide the reader with information about pending legislation that may prompt the reader to contact their representatives to express their views.
In the emailed version of the Legislative Report, you will see markers + and + on certain bills. The red icon is placed to encourage the reader to contact their representatives and ask them to vote against the legislation. On bills marked with the green icon, the reader is encouraged to contact their elected representatives and encourage them to support the legislation. The reader is always encouraged to keep informed about all legislation so they may be aware of bills that effect our lives. Decide today that you will make your voice heard. If you remain silent, your representatives will never know your thoughts! – Editor
In the Tennessee Legislature:
In Tennessee, a group of anemic Republican General Assembly members voted down a bill that would have required all employers in Tennessee, to use the FREE federal E-verify tool to help combat employment of illegal aliens.
The obvious and logical reason for wanting employers to use E-verify, is to help disincentivize illegal aliens from migrating to Tennessee. The equation is pretty simple – if there are no jobs available to illegal aliens, then there’s no money for food, rent, etc.
Bill sponsor Rep. Bruce Griffey explained that an employer can use the federal E-verify program for FREE, or engage the services of a third party vendor at a cost of $3.00 per potential employee to have their data run through the federal database.
Republican Sub-committee members, Kevin Vaughn, Clark Boyd, Rush Bricken, and Kirk Haston all agreed that illegal immigration is a problem but that it’s a federal problem to solve, not their responsibility.
Evincing absolutely no interest in exercising their proper sphere of jurisdiction to push back on Biden’s disastrous wide open border policies which dramatically hurt legal immigrant and Tennessee citizen workers, they abdicated to the Chamber of Commerce and NFIB (small business lobby).
Read more at the following link:
In Washington, D.C.
+ HR 1319 American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (John Yarmuth, D-KY, 594 pages). As reported last month, only 9% of this $1.9 Trillion bill does anything related to the efforts to help Americans recover from the effects of the Wuhan virus; the rest is a handout to Democrats and their donors. The bill passed in the House of Representatives without a single vote from Republicans. Two courageous Democrats voted against passage of this bill.
The bill was forwarded to the Senate on 28 February 2021. On 6 March a roll call vote was taken and the bill (as amended by the Senate), was passed by a vote of 50/49. No Republicans voted to pass the bill but Senator Dan Sullivan (R-AK), who had returned home for the funeral of his father in law, did NOT vote. This was a moot point since Kamala Harris would have broken a tie vote to pass the bill.
Since H.R. 1319 was amended in the Senate, it was returned to the House of Representatives for another vote. This bill passed in the House of Representatives on 10 Marc. It was immediately forwarded to Mr. Biden, he signed it and H.R. 1319 is now the law of the land.
RANDOM THOUGHTS
Illegal aliens will receive $4.38 billion in “stimulus checks” according to an article by Charlotte Cuthbertson in the Epoch Times. That should buy lots of votes for the Democrats!
Illegal Immigrants to Receive $4.38 Billion in Stimulus Checks: Report (theepochtimes.com)
+HR1. For the People Act (John Sarbanes, D-MD, 611 pages).
The stated purpose of this bill is to “expand Americans’ access to the ballot box, reduce the influence of big money in politics, strengthen ethics rules for public servants, and implement other anti-corruption measures for the purpose of fortifying our democracy, and for other purposes.” In actuality, if this bill is passed, it will totally adulterate all future elections by:
- Allowing individuals to register to vote via the internet. Conceivably, any person at any location on earth could register to vote. Of course, any individual could also register other people to vote – people in nursing homes, mental institutions, prisons, and cemeteries (Sec. 1001).
- An individual may also capture voter’s registration data and “update” that information to make it appear said individual is in any other locations. (Sec. 1002)
- An individual may request information be sent via email to a registered voter. While this may seem a convenient and money-saving measure, an unscrupulous individual may submit the names of compromised individuals and capture their voting identity (Sec. 1003).
- Requirements (e.g. proof of residency and citizenship) to register to vote are relaxed (Sec. 1004).
- States will be prohibited from requiring applicants to provide more than the last four digits of their Social Security numbers to vote (Sec. 1005).
- Certain individuals may be automatically registered to vote. (Sec. 1012)
- Individuals may vote on the same day they register. In other words, an individual who has never voted in a State or District may claim they have just moved to that State or District and then vote on their day of registration. (Sec. 1031)
- States and Districts may not purge their voter registration rolls without meeting extraordinary requirements. (1014)
- This bill allows payments and grants to organizations who may be involved in registering more voters. (Sec. 1017)
As it is with most all Federal laws and regulations, States and Districts must provide reports to the appropriate Federal agencies proving they have complied with all stipulations in this Act and be prepared to defend themselves against any claims made by individuals and organizations that they have not fully complied with this Act. Some of the claims an individual or group may make against a State or District include:
- “Inappropriately” challenging individuals who request to register to vote. (Sec 1201)
- Redefining “voter intimidation” to include asking that individuals provide certain bona fides prior to being allowed to vote (Sec 1301 – 1304)
- Significantly and permanently lowering the standards for casting provisional ballots and for voting by mail. (Sec 1601 and 1621 – 1623)
According to an analysis published by Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), H.R.-1:
- Uses tax dollars to fund political campaigns by increasing amounts donated by individuals by 600%. “So let’s say Mary from Michigan donates $200 to her preferred candidate. Well, now the U.S. Treasury has just chipped in another 1,200 bucks.”
- It restores voting rights to convicted felons . . . “even if they were convicted of election fraud. Does that make sense to you? Not only is this dangerous…it’s unconstitutional.”
- It weakens the security of our election and makes it more difficult to protect against voter fraud. “It would automatically register voters from DMV and other government databases. Voting is a right, not a mandate. In most cases, this legislation would actually prevent officials from removing ineligible voters from the rolls and would make it much more difficult to verify the accuracy of voter information. So future voters might be underage or dead or illegal immigrants, or registered two or three times . . . Democrats just don’t care.”
This bill passed in the House of Representatives and was forwarded to the Senate for consideration.
+ HR 1280 George Floyd Justice in Policing Act (Karen Bass, D-CA, 107 pages).
The stated purpose of this bill is to hold law enforcement accountable for misconduct in court, improve transparency through data collection, and reform police training and policies.
Ms. Bass’ bill incorporates the text of S 3063 Law Enforcement Trust and Integrity Act of 2019 (Ben Cardin, D-MD), which proposed a scheme to establish – and fund – “community-based organizations” e.g. the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), the National Council of La Raza, the National Urban League, the National Congress of American Indians, or the National Asian Pacific American Legal Consortium (NAPALC), and give them authority to oversee and dictate policies for all municipal Police Departments.
Ms. Bass’ bill takes Mr. Cardin’s bill much further in that it:
- Establishes a “National Police Misconduct Registry.”
- Ends what Ms. Bass defines as “racial and religious profiling.”
- Fully incorporates HR 3299 PRIDE Act https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/3299
Scott DesJarlais (R-TN, 4th District) offered the following comments on Ms. Bass’ bill: “Tonight, Democratic Leadership chose to hastily push through legislation that gives an absurd amount of federal control over policing and election security. Speaker Pelosi and her progressive posse took power away from state governments and local municipalities and put it in the hands of the D.C. swamp.
“Legislation to reform policing practices must be done in a way that protects both individual citizens and officers of the law. H.R. 1280 hands power over to members of Congress that have no clue what it is like to serve and protect on the frontlines. This bill is a direct result of cancel culture that seeks to demonize all law enforcement officers. Taking away vital resources and legal protections leaves both U.S. citizens and agents of the law vulnerable.
“Each state should be able to determine how to conduct their own elections, while at the same time being held accountable. The For the Politicians Act did nothing to calm the fears of millions of Americans that lost faith in the U.S. electoral system after the 2020 election. H.R. 1 codifies mail-in ballot voting, abolishes voter identification laws and gives central control of all elections to Washington politicians.
“Tennessee’s Fourth Congressional District believes just as I do that the role of the federal government in our everyday lives should be small. I voted no on H.R. 1280 and H.R. 1 because these pieces of legislation will weaken both our judicial and electoral systems.”
+ HR 842 Protecting the Right to Organize Act (Robert “Bobby” Scott, D-VA, 25 pages).
In the history of labor laws, this bill is quite possibly the most strenuous of all capitulations to organized labor than any piece of legislation seen since John L. Lewis got away with ordering coal miners to strike during WWII – a strike that jeopardized the security of United States in the midst of our country’s efforts to defeat the Nazis and the Japanese. As written, this bill: (Sec. 204 (1) (B) (6)) amends Title 29 US Code, Paragraph 158 – Section 8, to prevent an employer from replacing strikers for any reason or to lockout strikers and to hire their replacements; it adds Sec. 204 (4) (K), which requires an employer to continue doing business if the workforce makes a decision to unionize. Elsewhere in the bill, this legislation gives the National Labor Relations board full authority in deciding the outcomes of arbitration – an employer forfeits its privilege to have any labor disputed heard in any other court.
This bill passed in the House of Representatives on 9 March, and will be forwarded to the Senate for consideration.
Republicans who voted to pass this bill include: Don Young (AK), Jefferson Van Drew (NJ), Chris Smith (NJ), John Katco (NY) and, Brian Fitzpatrick (PA).
If signed into law, this bill will destroy the ability of U.S. manufacturers to compete on a level playing field with other countries.
+ HR 8. The Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2021 (Mike Thompson, D-CA, 25 pages).
The stated purpose of this bill is to utilize the “current background checks process in the United States to ensure individuals prohibited from gun possession are not able to obtain firearms.”
Passage of this bill would criminalize all person-to-person transfers of firearms, i.e. it would become a felony for an individual to transfer ownership of a firearm to a friend or relative. Even if brokered through an individual holding a Federal Firearm License, the transfer of a firearm would become exponentially more difficult; the wait time for the approval process may be delayed by months – or even years! Should H.R. 127 (which radically modifies Title 18 US Code, Section 922), be signed into law, it could make any and all transfers illegal. (See the March issue of The Rhea County Republican.)
Please note the title of H.R. 8 and keep in mind the names of those Republicans who signed on as co-sponsors; they are: Brian Fitzpatrick, R-PA, 1st District, Chris Smith, R-NJ, 4th District, Fred Upton R-MI, 6th District.
Finally, please note the names of those Republican Representatives who voted to pass this legislation; their names are: Vern Buchanan (FL), Brian Fitzpatrick (PA), Maria Salazar (FL), Andrew Garbarino (NY), Chris Smith (NJ), Fred Upton (MI), Carlos Gimenez (FL), and Adam Kinzinger (IL). THEY WILL BE UP FOR REELECTION IN 2022!
Scott DesJarlais (R-TN, 4th District) offered these comments on H.R. 1446 and HR. 8:
The good people of Tennessee’s Fourth Congressional District are fed up with leftists’ complete disregard for the U.S. Constitution and Speaker Pelosi’s corrupt tactics.
In the latest attempt to suppress the voices of almost 50 percent of representatives duly elected by the American people to represent their values—both H.R. 8 and H.R. 1446 came to vote on the floor without first going through committee markups or hearings. The House Democratic Majority Leadership team does not want to answer for the content of these flawed bills.
Progressives would rather jam through legislation that infringes on the rights of everyday Americans and politically panders to the far-left extreme of their party. I am not surprised Pelosi once again denied U.S. citizens the ability to have their voices heard given that she still refuses to open back up the People’s House.
H.R. 1446 gives the federal government even more control over your Second Amendment rights than ever before. The bill’s waiting period mandates are an egregious violation of your right to gun ownership. H.R. 8 would criminalize the private transfer of a firearm without first a NICS background check. This means even handing a shotgun to your hunting partner now makes you a criminal.
Neither of these bills addresses the issues resulting in gun violence in America. Both gun control bills voted on today make it harder for law-abiding citizens to obtain guns to protect themselves and nothing to prevent firearms from falling into the hands of criminals.
I voted no on both H.R. 1446 and H.R. 8. I fully believe that law-abiding citizens have the right to protect themselves and their families without unnecessary government interference. I urge all concerned citizens to contact their U.S. senators and tell them to vote no on both of these gun control bills.
+ HR 1446 Enhanced Background Checks Act of 2021 (James Clyburn, D-SC, 4 pages).
This bill amends Title 18 US Code, Chapter 44, to strengthen the background check procedures to be followed before a Federal firearms licensee may transfer a firearm to a person who is not such a licensee. As with the case of H.R. 8 (See above entry), the extent to which an individual seeking to purchase a firearm is scrutinized increases exponentially once H.R.-127 is signed into law.
This bill passed in the House of Representatives on 11 March and has been forwarded to the Senate for “consideration.” Two Republicans voted to pass this bill; they are Chris Smith (NJ) and Brian Fitzpatrick (PA). THEY WILL BE UP FOR REELECTION IN 2022!
+ S 461 A bill to create a point of order against legislation modifying the number of Justices of the Supreme Court of the United States. (Ted Cruz, R-TX, 4 pages).
In general: In the Senate, it shall not be in order to consider a provision in a bill, joint resolution, motion, amendment, amendment between the Houses, or conference report amending Title 28 U.S. Code – Section 1, to modify, or that otherwise modifies, the total number of Justices of the Supreme Court of the United States.
Point of order sustained: If a point of order is made by a Senator against a provision described in paragraph (1), and the point of order is sustained by the Chair, that provision shall be stricken from the measure and may not be offered as an amendment from the floor.
This point of order reveals the legal genius of Ted Cruz. By getting this bill passed, the Democrats will not be able to increase the number of Justices on the Supreme Court – in other words, they will not be able to pack the court with liberal Justices.
+ S 590 CONFUCIUS Act (John Kennedy, R-LA, 2 pages). The purpose of this act is to establish limitations regarding Confucius Institutes, and for other purposes.
This Act may be cited as the “Concerns Over Nations Funding University Campus Institutes in the United States Act.”
The term Confucius Institute means a cultural institute directly or indirectly funded by the Government of the People’s Republic of China.
An institution of higher education or other postsecondary educational institution (referred to in this section as an institution) shall not be eligible to receive Federal funds from the Department of Education (except funds under title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1070 et seq.) or other Department of Education funds that are provided directly to students) unless the institution ensures that any contract or agreement between the institution and a Confucius Institute includes clear provisions that:
- Protect academic freedom at the institution;
- Prohibit the application of any foreign law on any campus of the institution, and;
- Grant full managerial authority of the Confucius Institute to the institution, including full control over what is being taught, the activities carried out, the research grants that are made, and who is employed at the Confucius Institute.
- Res 243 Removing a certain Member from a certain committee of the House of Representatives (Kevin McCarthy, R-CA). This resolution was introduced to remove Eric Swalwell (D-CA) from the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence for having had a clandestine relationship with an operative of the Chinese Communist Party and refusing to disclose the relationship when questioned prior to his appointment on that Committee.
The motion to table the resolution passed by a vote of 218/200; three Republicans Michael Guest (MS), Kelly Armstrong (ND), and David Joyce (OH) voted “Present,” while nine Republicans Don Young (AK), Matt Gaetz (FL), Rodney Davis (IL), Adam Kinzinger (IL), Patrick McHenry (NC), Joe Wilson (SC), Louie Gohmert (TX), and Kevin Brady (TX) failed to show up to vote.
HR 1868 To prevent across-the-board spending cuts, and for other purposes (John Yarmuth, D-KY, 10 pages). In the event of a financial crisis, it may be necessary to cut the budgets of all government agencies but Mr. Yarmuth’s bill would allow the Democrats to play favorites and protect those agencies they wish to promote. All Democrats plus twenty-nine Republicans voted to pass this bill.
HR 1603 Farm Workforce Modernization Act (Zoe Lofgren, D-CA, 232 pages). This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to provide for terms and conditions for nonimmigrant workers performing agricultural labor or services, and for other purposes. Essentially, the bill grants permanent residence status to non-citizens, granting them “certified agricultural worker status,” which enables agricultural businesses to fire natural-born citizens and pay lower wages to their employees. This bill passed in the House of Representatives on 18 March, and has been forwarded to the Senate for consideration.
+ HR 6 American Dream and Promise Act of 2021 (Lucille Roybal-Allard, D-CA, 56 pages). The stated purpose of this bill is to “authorize the cancellation of removal and adjustment of status of certain aliens, and for other purposes.” In reality, the purpose of this bill is to destroy the borders of the United States of America. This bill passed in the House of Representatives and has been forwarded to the Senate for consideration.
RHEA COUNTY REPUBLICAN PARTY NEWS
Rhea County Republican Party Executive Committee
Bitsy Gryder – Chairman Kris Bancroft – Vice Chairman
Judy Bancroft – Secretary Marvin Keener Sr. – Treasurer
Ted Engel – Vice Treasurer
The Rhea County Republican Party Monthly Meeting
The next meeting of the Rhea County Republican Party will be held on 13 May 2021, at 7:00 PM, at the Sheriff’s Training Center, 711 Eagle Lane, Evensville, TN.
BRING A FRIEND!
The Rhea County Republican Party did not meet during the month of February 2021, therefore, there are no minutes to post.
Minutes from the Previous Meeting
Chair Elizabeth Gryder opened the meeting at 7:00 pm.
Marvin Keener offered prayer and Tom Taylor led the Pledge of Allegiance.
Elizabeth Gryder welcomed visitors Bill Bastenbach, Jeff Taylor, and Bradley Sherman. She then gave an update on Joe Gryder’s health. A get-well card was circulated at the meeting.
REORGANIZATION:
Laura Travis announced the procedures for election of officers by paper ballot tonight for the up-coming two-year term.
The Nominating Committee’s selection for the position of Chair was Elizabeth Gryder. There were no other nominations. Elizabeth Gryder was elected unanimously.
Kris Bancroft was the Nominating Committee’s choice for Vice-Chair. There were no other nominations and Kris Bancroft was elected unanimously.
The Nominating Committee’s selection for Secretary was Judy Bancroft. There were no other nominations and Judy Bancroft was elected unanimously.
Marvin Keener was selected by the Nominating Committee for Treasurer. There were no other nominations and Marvin Keener was elected unanimously.
There was no nominee from the Nominating Committee for Vice-Treasurer. Kris Bancroft nominated Ted Engel from the floor, and he expressed willingness to accept the position. Ted Engel was elected as Vice-Treasurer unanimously.
Laura Travis then talked about the importance and value of the responsibilities of the Executive Committee, comprised of the above elected officers.
The new officers were congratulated and the meeting was returned to continuing Chair Elizabeth Gryder.
MINUTES:
Judy Bancroft read the minutes from the January 7th meeting. Motion was made by
Donna Taylor and seconded by Debbie Byrd to accept the minutes as read. Motion carried.
TREASURER’S REPORT:
Tom Taylor presented the Treasurer’s Report. Motion by Kris Bancroft, second by Glen Varner to accept the report as read. Motion carried.
PAC TREASURER’S REPORT:
The Report was given by Kris Bancroft. A motion was made by Laura Travis and seconded by Chuck Bower to accept the PAC Report as read. Motion carried.
Elizabeth Gryder stated that in June, each county in Tennessee may decide whether it wants the candidates for all local offices to run by Party, rather than some offices being Non-Partisan. There was discussion about pros and cons of doing so. She will obtain more information, and candidates and others can express any possible interest in this option being pursued.
BUSINESS:
By-Laws: Elizabeth Gryder stated that we need to complete any updating to our By-Laws by July. Kris Bancroft volunteered to and has reviewed our current By-Laws and has recommended a few revisions. Copies of the proposed revisions were available tonight for members to take and review. Members were asked to let someone on the Executive Committee know of any other suggestions for revisions by April 8. The Executive Committee will meet on that date at 7:00 pm to review the By-Laws. At the next regular meeting of May 13, members will vote on the revisions.
Dayton Chamber of Commerce Luncheon: Elizabeth Gryder announced that we are not scheduled to provide a luncheon in 2021.
Spring City Chamber of Commerce: Jody Bower made a motion, seconded by Laura Travis, that we also become a member of that organization. She will obtain information for Elizabeth Gryder on the application process and membership fee so that Party members may vote on that expenditure at our May 13th meeting.
For the good of the Party:
Kris Bancroft spoke to the group regarding several items of interest to the Party:
1) Getting Young People Involved, which would grow and rejuvenate the Party: There is an article in the Herald News from February 17th announcing an essay contest for Tennessee high-school students. The topic is “What does it mean to support and defend the Constitution?” The contest is sponsored by the U. S. District Court and the Chattanooga Chapter of the Federal Bar Association, in conjunction with the national Federal Bar Association’s essay contest. The article was made available to members at the meeting.
2) He thanked attendees for filling out a questionnaire to ascertain interest levels in various activities for our meetings and availability for participating on committees or with other responsibilities.
3) He informed attendees about the availability of his newsletter, The Rhea County Republican, available by e-mail or on the Party’s Facebook page.
4) He urged everyone to become actively involved in the nominations process and campaigns for the most conservative candidates to avoid losing our Constitutional Republic to the Socialists. He reminded us that we must take back the House and Senate in 2022 and regain the White House in 2024.
ANNOUNCEMENTS: Elizabeth Gryder announced that our next regular meeting will be May 13th. She also asked that anyone needing to contact her do so by telephone.
Ted Doss announced that the Johnson & Johnson COVID vaccine is being given tomorrow, from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm, at the Methodist church in Dayton.
Bradley Sherman, Chair of the Franklin County Republican Party, spoke to the group about Republican activities in his county, including a Young Republicans group, and he also spoke about Republican vs. Democrat philosophy. If we wish to contact him, his info is on the State GOP website.
The meeting adjourned at 8:12 pm.
Judy Bancroft
Secretary
LAGNIAPPE
DO PURGES STRENGTHEN OR WEAKEN AN ENTITY?
The conservative House Freedom Caucus called on Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY), to resign after she made comments Wednesday saying former President Donald Trump should not have a leadership role in the GOP moving forward.
“She should step down,” Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ), told news outlets on Thursday. Another member, Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX), asserted Cheney “forfeited her right” to be the chairwoman for the Republican Caucus.
https://www.theepochtimes.com/t-andy-biggs
In a vote several weeks ago, Republicans again chose Cheney to be the No. 3 House Republican, coming after she voted to impeach Trump. On Wednesday, Cheney broke with House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), during a news conference when they were asked about Mr. Trump’s scheduled speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) this weekend.
https://twitter.com/cspan/status136405432673746946
Representative McCarthy said, “Yes, he should.” But Cheney said: “That’s up to CPAC … I don’t believe that he should be playing a role in the future of the party or the country.”
Biggs told Fox News the following Thursday that Cheney shouldn’t be in the House leadership because she allegedly doesn’t have her finger on the pulse of the GOP.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/house-freedom-caucus-members-cheney-step-down-anti-trumpcomme
Kevin McCarthy said later: “I also think she is absolutely devoid of any kind of political reading of what’s going on in the party,” he said. “If she [has] any sense of shame, she would step down.”
Our former President remains enormously popular with the Republican Party, and a recent poll revealed that a significant number of Republican voters would consider joining a Trump-backed political party. Meanwhile, a number of lawmakers who either voted to impeach or convict Trump have been censured in their home states.
Representative Cheney, the daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney, was also censured by the Wyoming GOP earlier this month. In response, Ms. Cheney said that members of the Wyoming Republican Party “are mistaken” and “have been lied to” about the January 6th Capitol breach.
The Wyoming committee also called on her to “immediately resign” after her vote to impeach President Trump.
Representative Matt Gaetz (R-FL), a Trump surrogate in Congress, traveled to Wyoming to rally against Ms. Cheney following her vote, and Donald Trump Jr., the president’s son, called the rally to add his support. Former campaign manager for President Trump, Corey Lewandowski singled Representative Cheney out as the first target for his nascent political action committee.
In the midst of the Republican rift, National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman Senator Rick Scott (R-FL), released a memo on Feb. 23rd calling on Republicans to drop the internal squabbling and focus on defeating the Democrats in the midterm elections.
These events are just another episode in the long history of the Republican Party and illustrate how the GOP is, for one reason or another, constantly in a state of internal strife. These episodes have always weakened the party (temporarily, at least), but the very fact that such episodes take place illustrate that Republicans are, by and large, free thinkers.
Unlike the Democrats, the Republicans don’t behave like a bunch of termites set on a unified mission to destroy our Constitutional Republic, but their lack of unification has allowed the Democrats to constantly gain ground over the past 120 years.
As for those Statesmen wannabes who compel us to think how high-minded it is to “reach across the aisle,” we have seen far too many times how that “reaching across the aisle” business is a one-way gesture and, more often than not, that gesture has left the Republicans with some missing fingers! It’s long past time to be done with trying to reason with those for whom “reason” is not a part of their vocabulary!
Given what we have witnessed this century – the arrival of openly progressive-minded RINOs who are moving the GOP away from its fiscally and constitutionally conservative foundation, individuals who have, in far too many cases, capitulated to the will of the Democrats – it seems a fair question (if not an essential one!), as to whether the Republican Party should refine itself by cleaning its own house – that is, to purge itself of those individuals who are not abundantly clear as to what it means to be a Constitutional Conservative, and especially those individuals who are beholden to the K Street puppet masters.
If it is to be so then it is the responsibility of the voter to make it so! Accomplishing such a task will require WORK on the part of every voter. Each of us must do the difficult work of vetting each and every candidate. We must confront them with questions and if they refuse to answer our questions we must make it known that they evaded us. We must also know the stuff they are made of – we must know their credentials, their tenets, their philosophy, the ethical code to which they ascribe, and once we find the best of all possible candidates, WE must get out on the campaign trail and work with all that’s within us to get them elected.
CONTACT YOUR ELECTED REPRESENTATIVES TODAY!
Regardless of where you live you can find your elected representatives at any level of government by visiting the following link. Remember: While they might be fairly bright, none of them can read your mind so it is your duty as a citizen to express your thoughts (and to urge all your friends and family and like-minded folks to do the same!)
https://www.usa.gov/elected-officials
Here’s a handy guide for Tennesseans in the 4th Congressional District:
| Joseph Robinette Biden (a.k.a. the “Big Guy”)
The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Washington D.C. 20500 Phone: (202) 456-1414 Fax: (202) 456-2461 |
U.S. Senator Bill Hagerty
Russell Senate Office Building Suite SR-B11 Washington D.C. 20510 Phone: (202) 244-4944 Fax: (202) 228-3398 e-mail: https://www.hagerty.senate.gov |
| U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn
357 Dirksen Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510 Phone: (202) 224-3344 Fax: (202) 228-0566 To contact visit website: |
U.S Representative Dr. Scott DesJarlais
2301 Rayburn HOB Washington, DC 20515 Phone: (202) 225-6831 Fax: (202) 226-5172 |
| Governor Bill Lee
Tennessee State Capitol Nashville, Tennessee 37243 Phone: (615) 741-2001 Fax: (615) 532-9711 |
Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House
https://www.speaker.gov/contact Link above provides all methods of contact.
Mitch McConnell, Senate Minority Leader https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=contact
|
| State Representative Ron Travis
301 Sixth Avenue North Suite G-3 War Memorial Building Nashville, Tennessee 37243 Phone: (615) 741-1450
|
State Senator Ken Yager
301 Sixth Avenue North Suite G-19 War Memorial Building Nashville, Tennessee 37243 Phone: (615) 741-1449 Fax: (615) 253-0237 |
