RHEA COUNTY REPUBLICAN
ADVANCING THE CONSERVATIVE CAUSE
Vol. 4 – No. 8 October 2020
DEDICATION
This issue of The Rhea County Republican is dedicated to Jim Murphy, Rhea County Republican Party PAC Treasurer, who passed away on 28 August 2020. He will be missed by all who knew him.
RHEA COUNTY REPUBLICAN PARTY NEWS
Rhea County Republican Party Executive Committee
Bitsy Gryder – Chairman Gary Drinkard – Vice Chairman
Judy Bancroft – Secretary Larry Pendergrass – Treasurer
Linda Pendergrass – Vice Treasurer
The Rhea County Republican Party Monthly Meeting
The next meeting of the Rhea County Republican Party is scheduled for Thursday, October 1st, at 7:00 PM, at the Rhea County Sheriff’s Training Center, located at 711 Eagle Lane, in Evensville, TN.
Bring a friend!
Minutes from the Previous Meeting
RHEA COUNTY REPUBLICAN PARTY
Meeting Minutes for September 3, 2020
Chairman Bitsy Gryder called the meeting to order at 7:10 pm and offered prayer. Joe Gryder led the Pledge of Allegiance.
The August Minutes were read by Judy Bancroft. A correction was made to the next to last paragraph. The “PAC Executive Committee” was changed to the “Executive Committee.” Motion by Gary Drinkard and second by Joe Gryder to accept the minutes as corrected. Motion carried.
Treasurer’s Report: Bitsy Gryder stated that Treasurer Tom Taylor was unable to be at tonight’s meeting to give a report. However, she relayed the beginning and ending balances.
The Legislative Report was given by Kris Bancroft.
OLD BUSINESS:
Bitsy Gryder reported that in relation to the Reagan Day Dinner, one reimbursement item for supplies used and the collection of payment for several auction items are pending.
NEW BUSINESS:
Standards for PAC Donations: The PAC Executive Committee recommends setting a standard of donating $500 to any candidate running as a Republican on the local or State general election ballot. The Standards for State PAC’s, which is what we have, preclude donating to a federal candidate. We would need to apply for a different PAC in order to do so.
A motion was made by Gary Drinkard, second by Joe Gryder, for our PAC donation amounts to be $500 to any candidate running as a Republican on the local or State general election ballot, if sufficient PAC funds are available. Motion carried. 2020 candidates already given $300 will be given $200 more.
Newspaper Ad: The Executive Committee recommends that we run an ad in the Herald News promoting the Republican candidates for all levels of government who are on the ballot for the November 3rd election. The ad would be paid for from the Rhea County Republican Party funds.
A motion was made by Gary Drinkard, second by Judy Bancroft, to run a half-page ad in the Herald News, preferably in Sunday editions. The ad would run twice, at a cost of $750 plus $100 for color, each time. The ad will say “Vote Republican,” it will list the names of all Republican candidates, and it will state “Paid for by the Rhea County Republican Party.” Motion carried. Bitsy Gryder will contact the Election Commission for a complete list of Republican candidates.
PAC Treasurer: Unfortunately, James Murphy, PAC Treasurer, passed away recently due to illness. His services were much appreciated. The Executive Committee recommends asking Ted Doss if he would be willing to fill this position for the remainder of the current term. Motion by Joe Gryder, second by Gary Drinkard, to ask and elect Ted Doss to fill this position. Motion carried.
Vice-Treasurer for Rhea County Republican Party: This position remains vacant. A motion was made by Gary Drinkard, second by Glen Varner, to ask and elect Laura Travis, if she is willing, to serve in this position for the remainder of the term. Motion carried.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
1) Funeral services were announced for Jim Murphy for tomorrow, September 14th. A memorial contribution was discussed. A motion was made by Gary Drinkard, second by Kris Bancroft, to contribute $100 to Jim’s favorite charity. Motion carried.
2) Bitsy Gryder thanked Mable and Glen Varner for providing the refreshments for the evening.
Meeting adjourned at 8:00 pm.
Judy Bancroft
Secretary
Minutes from the Ex-Com Meeting
Executive Committee & PAC Executive Committee Meeting
September 3, 2020
Chairman Bitsy Gryder called the meeting to order at 6:20 pm.
PAC Donations: Discussion was held regarding setting standards for PAC donations to political candidates. It was decided to recommend to the Rhea County Republican Party at the meeting tonight that PAC donations be $500 to any candidate running as a Republican on the local or State general election ballot.
Newspaper Ad: It was decided to recommend at the general meeting tonight that we run an ad in the Herald News promoting Republican candidates, at all levels, who are on the ballot for the November 3rd election. The ad would be paid for by Rhea County Republican Party funds.
PAC Treasurer: It was regretfully announced that PAC Treasurer James Murphy has passed away. There was a motion by Gary Drinkard, second by Judy Bancroft, to recommend asking Ted Doss, if he is willing, to fill the rest of the current term as PAC Treasurer. Motion carried.
Vice-Treasurer for Rhea County Republican Party: A motion was made by Gary Drinkard, second by Judy Bancroft, to recommend asking Laura Travis, if she is willing, to fill this vacant position until the end of the current term. Motion carried.
Meeting adjourned at 7:05 pm.
Judy Bancroft
Secretary
EDITORIAL
Article I – Section 9 – Clause 6, Constitution of the United States, is commonly referred to as the “Emoluments Clause.” It reads: No Title of Nobility shall be granted by the United States: And no Person holding any Office of Profit or Trust under them, shall, without Consent of the Congress, accept any present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince, or foreign State.
While there was some debate “back in the day” over the receipt of mere titles of honor bestowed upon American citizens by foreign governments (Thomas Paine versus Benjamin Franklin), our Founders clearly understood the workings of quid pro quo – something desired by one party in exchange for something desired by another party –
when it came to receiving money and items of intrinsic value, and they knew if our elected representatives and government workers accepted such emoluments from foreign governments it would lead to nothing good for We the People.
After conducting a reasonably exhaustive search on the matter (other than the never-ending witch hunts from the Democrats and the media trying to convict President Trump of some “Russia collusion” crime that was never committed), the last time any questions were raised about an American “holding an Office of Profit or Trust” who received an “emolument” occurred when the Queen of Denmark bestowed upon General Dwight Eisenhower the “Order of the Elephant” (Denmark’s highest order of chivalry) for his leadership in saving the Danes from the Nazis.
What is truly astounding is the number of powerful elected representatives (those holding Offices of Trust), and high-ranking government employees (those holding Offices of Profit), that we routinely hear about who receive monetary “emoluments” from foreign governments.
To make matters worse, none, zero, zip, nada of those elected or appointed individuals have yet to be indicted and prosecuted for any crimes!
While we may occasionally hear of some congressional or DOJ “probe,” subpoena, or hearing into such matters, does anyone recall the last time an elected representative or individual or company working for or contracted by our government was charged with a crime under the Emoluments Clause?
I am more than certain many people reading this have written letters or emails, or made phone calls to their elected representatives, calling their attention to the recent violations of Article I – Section 9 – Clause 6. May I assume your experience has been the same as mine – that your inquiries have been summarily ignored?
In recent years, in my opinion, there have been two major violations of the Emoluments Clause that should have elicited a meaningful response (i.e. jail sentences for the perpetrators) from our Department of Justice. I invite you to consider them accordingly.
The Uranium One scandal was the handiwork of Hillary Clinton; it took place during her tenure as 0bama’s Secretary of State. She cut a deal that gave (sold for a pittance) 20% of all the Uranium produced in the United States to Russia. There has been oft-repeated suspicions that some of that Uranium ended up in Iranian centrifuges. A few days later, Bill Clinton traveled to Moscow and gave a thirty minute speech in return for a $500,000 “honorarium.” That’s a lot of money but we know the Clintons don’t sell out that cheap!
Even Politifact, one of the many liberal-run outfits that try to protect Democrats, had to admit Hillary Clinton sold out the United States with the Uranium One deal: “As Secretary of State, Clinton did serve on a government board that ultimately approved a transfer of uranium, but she wasn’t the deciding vote. And the Clinton Foundation did receive $145 million from parties involved in the transaction — but the dates of a large share of the donations and the deal don’t add up to suggest a quid pro quo.” Politifact’s qualifiers that HRC was not the deciding vote in the transaction and that her acceptance of $145 million does not add up to a quid pro quo arrangement are meaningless rhetoric.
Is anyone so naïve to actually believe the two incidents are not joined at the hip? Is anyone so naïve to believe a lot more in the way of emoluments did not flow into the Clinton coffers? Does anyone recall how much jail time the Clintons received for selling out our country?
So, now we have the nominee for president from the Democrat Party – former VP Joe Biden – whose forty-seven year history in government contains as many suspicious deals as the Clintons – deals that netted his family untold wealth. That Joe Biden claims innocence is meaningless; funneling his bribe money through his relatives (mostly his son Hunter), is nothing more than a poor attempt at obfuscation.
Some months ago, when the Democrats and the liberal media were accusing President Trump of a quid pro quo arrangement with the Ukrainian government, it was revealed that, while Joe Biden was “serving” as Vice President, his son Hunter was being paid millions of dollars to “serve” on the board of Burisma, Ukraine’s nationally owned oil company, all while Joe Biden was overseeing Ukraine policy, in the capacity of Vice President.
More recently, we have learned that Joe Biden’s extortion racket extended into China. Again, son Hunter appears to be the conduit.
Later, we learned while Joe Biden served (mostly his own interests?) as Vice President, Hunter Biden also raked in a lot of dough while serving on the boards of Bohai Harvest RST Shanghai Equity (an investment firm) and Megvii (a company that manufactures facial recognition software) – some indications are that what he gets from the Chinese government makes what he got from the Ukrainians look like chump change. However, this is an especially curious arrangement since the U.S. Department of Commerce has sanctioned “Bohai” and Megvii, for several reasons including theft of intellectual property and human rights violations. Does it mean that Joe Biden enabled his son to gain money from businesses owned by the Chinese Communist Party, knowing that those companies were also conducting espionage against the United States? I think they call that Treason! You’d have to check Article III – Section 3 of your Constitution to make sure.
https://www.theblaze.com/news/hunter-biden-stake-chinese-company-uighurs
Ultimately, we have two examples – Hillary Clinton’s sell out to the Russians via the Uranium One deal, and Joe Biden’s sell out to the Russians and to the Chinese Communist Party – that have gone unprosecuted but there are many, many more! Dare we hope that is about to change?
You may also recall Attorney General William Barr appointed John Durham to serve as Special Prosecutor to investigate the Biden’s involvement in the Ukraine – Burisma fiasco. On 23 September, we learned reports on Mr. Durham’s investigation will be released by the Senate Finance Committee (Chuck Grassley), and the Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee (Senator Ron Johnson), on 24 September. Following are the primary findings contained in that report:
- The State Department, under 0bama – Biden, believed that Joe Biden was engaging in a conflict of interest.
- The State Department detected a $7 million bribe being paid by Burisma, while Hunter Biden was sitting on their Board of Directors. The State Department reported the bribe to the FBI, while Loretta Lynch served as Attorney General.
- There was a “pressure campaign” inside the 0bama White House, being directed through the State Department, invoking Hunter Biden’s name that was trying to make the Burisma allegations “go away” before the election.
- The Durham investigation also revealed both the State Department and the Treasury Department had flagged several transactions of foreign money flowing into companies connected to Hunter Biden. These transfers of money were reported as “suspicious transactions,” which is usually the nomenclature used to prompt a money laundering investigation.
Will Mr. Durham’s report finally be the beginning of an investigation into the dirty dealings of Joe Biden? Will it also encourage meaningful investigations into the “Clinton Crime Family?” Will those investigations finally reach into the 0bama regime? Will we ever see someone put Mr. 0bama on the witness stand to ask him what did he know and when did he know it?
In the coming days will we see Justice served, or will we see Justice die?
FREEDOM OF SPEECH REVEALS ALL
Robert Spencer, Director of Jihad Watch and author of more than twenty books penned an excellent article for PJ Media. The article calls to our attention a disturbing meme being currently voiced by the enemies of our country as programmed into the unthinking mouths of many of America’s youth.
“Well, at least now we know where everyone stands. Journalist Andy Ngo reported that last Wednesday night, ‘around 700 black bloc militants and their supporters rampaged through Oakland, CA. They chanted ‘death to America’ while starting fires and smashing cars and buildings.’ The week before that, according to Townhall’s Julio Rosas, ‘An American flag was burned just outside the Kenosha County, WI Courthouse. One woman screams, ‘Death to America!’ and kicks the fence.’
“Understandably, this has delighted some Iranians. Iranian Ayatollah Lotfollah Dezhkam, Supreme Leader Khamenei’s representative in Iran’s Fars province, stated in a Friday sermon: The shout of the Iranian nation [is] being heard from the mouths of the Americans themselves: ‘Death to America!’
“Dezhkam gloated over what he believed were signs of the imminent demise of the United States: ‘The entire world has seen with its very eyes that today, America cannot be the main decision-maker when it comes to strategic matters in the world. We are unequivocally informing the American administration, Republicans and Democrats alike: If you’ve shut your ears with cotton balls, remove them [so you can hear]. The sound of America being shattered and of its collapse, is being heard all over the world. The shout of the Iranian nation, which has been leading the fight against America for 40 years, is being heard from mouths of the Americans themselves: Death to America!’
“Back in 2015, the Islamic Republic News Agency noted that ‘Death to America’ was ‘chanted at the weekly Friday prayers in mosques and at protests,’ and had ‘turned into the symbol of the Islamic Republic and all struggling nations.’
“So apparently desiring to destroy the United States and commit mass murder of its citizens is the Islamic Republic of Iran’s very reason for being. And now the Leftist rioters are demonstrating that they have the same perspective and same goal.
“The spectacle of American ‘protesters’ screaming ‘Death to America’ is something that could have been foreseen, as it is a result of the miseducation and propaganda that has been fed to American schoolchildren since the 1960s. A generation or more of American young people have been taught to hate their own country, culture, and heritage.”
The full article is available at the following link: https://pjmedia.com/news-and-politics/robert-spencer/2020/09/03/antifa-blm-rioters-now-screaming-death-to-america-n885957?fbclid=IwAR3BQ13lxlvEEjJu7GnIi_cR97ApYgdvMSj60PmhilJ9yblcu87_ENo6vcM
WILL MAIL IN BALLOTS WILL YIELD ACCURATE ELECTION RESULTS?
The FBI found nine military ballots that were discarded in Luzerne County [Pennsylvania]. Now we know that county staff opened up and presumably reviewed the ballots before they were discarded. Seven of the ballots were votes for Trump — two of the ballots were NOT votes for Trump. County workers placed TWO of the ballots back into their envelopes, as if to try to keep them in the counting process.
Dare we think this was an isolated incident? Balderdash!
Chris Enloe, a writer for The Blaze, reported on an incident of mail dumping in California. According to the report, on two occasions, trucks loaded with thousands of envelopes and parcels were dumped into an alley in Glendale. One of the incidents was captured on surveillance cameras. These incidents have led to an investigation by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the law enforcement, crime prevention, and security arm of USPS.
Such incidents are not uncommon, which causes the rational individual to seriously doubt whether voting my mail would yield anything resembling “accurate” election results!
How many such incidents will go undetected and unreported?
THE TREND SETTERS
Nancy Pelosi made headlines (for a few minutes) when a video of her clandestine visit to a hair salon that had been closed under Governor Gavin Newsom’s mandate appeared on several networks. That Ms. Pelosi’s violation of the mask mandate was also mentioned in the story. On being caught flagrante delicto in violation of the COVID-era rules, she was not fined as other violators might have been (up to $1,000 per occurrence), she was not compelled to offer a contrite apology, and she did not seem embarrassed. Instead, Nancy Pelosi shook her boney fist at the camera and screeched “I was set up!”
If Nancy Pelosi’s thumbing her nose at all the “Little People” and declaring she is above the law was a one-off event from the Democrats, we might be willing to simply let it go – to get over it – and accept that Ms. Pelosi had most likely awakened late after a long night of partying and was momentarily due for some very important personal appearance (which was apparently not the case), and wanted to look good (as good as possible), for the camera.
But, Ms. Pelosi’s insult to “us peasants” is certainly not unique. In fact, her action was just another episode in a long-running trend among the Democrats. Following are but a few examples reported over the past two weeks illustrating the Democrats’ general attitude toward all those inconvenient rules the rest of us must follow:
Illinois Governor Pritzker, Democrat, violated the travel restrictions that he himself signed into law when he and his family visited their vacation homes in Florida and Wisconsin. When questioned, the Governor curtly reminded the reporters that he did not have to provide an answer for what he and his family had done.
Governor Phil Murphy (D-NJ) violated his own Executive Order by attending not one, but four, large public gatherings.
Governor Gavin Newsom (D-CA) ordered 19 counties to stop all indoor operations at restaurants and wineries but violated his own mandate when he excluded such operations in Madera County . . . where he and his wife just happen to own stock in a winery.
Then, there’s the episode where the Democrat Governor of Michigan, Gretchen Whitmer, saw to it that her husband was given special privilege when he asked a marina owner to violate the Governor’s rules so he could have his boat put in the water.
To be fair, Democrat Mayor Jim Kenney didn’t violate his own ban on indoor dining in Philadelphia restaurants, he simply held his gathering in Maryland.
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot – a Democrat, of course – violated her own mandate by visiting a beauty salon for a fresh coif. (OK, perhaps that one’s excusable because she definitely needs all the help she can get!)
Finally, Mayor of New York City, Bill de Blasio (a.k.a. Warren Wilhelm), seems to be a regular visitor to the gym. You know, all those gyms he forced to shut down?
[Sources for this article include The National Review and Elizabeth MacDonald – Editor]
RANDOM THOUGHTS
In a capitalist country one person is not poor because another person is rich. Capitalism is not a zero sum economic system; everyone has the ability to attain wealth proportional to their abilities and willingness to work.
A RUSH TO JUDGEMENT GONE INCREDIBLY WRONG
George Floyd became the martyr for all things “Left” when he was apprehended by the Minneapolis police for trying to pass counterfeit currency – a felony – and also in possession of, and high on, illegal drugs. This was not Mr. Floyd’s first run in with the law; he had been previously convicted – and served time for – felonies and other crimes.
Unfortunately, George Floyd, a large and muscular man, resisted arrest and the police officers who were called to the crime scene used non-lethal force to subdue him. As you will read in the following paragraphs, evidence has been presented showing the reason why Mr. Floyd “couldn’t breathe” was because he had ingested what would reasonably be considered a lethal dose of fentanyl – in addition to all the other drugs he had in his system.
We are (finally) beginning to hear reports from credible sources confirming our suspicions that the riots in Minneapolis (and elsewhere) are extremely well-organized events and funded by persons whose names have yet to be revealed to us. Thanks to the liberal media, there are plenty of unfunded rioters who serve as cannon fodder for the organized anarchists and happily rob, steal, loot, burn, and murder for free!
It is reasonable to conclude that had the local politicians reacted quickly to quell the rioting, looting, and other forms of violence, those riots would not have spread into many large metropolitan areas across our country. Instead, the politicians – Governors, Mayors, Council Members, and in some cases Law Enforcement Officials, at best turned a blind eye toward the riots and in some cases condoned them! For the politicians, one might say there was an absence of judgement and for everyone else not directly connected with the organized anarchists, there was a rush to judgement.
The following link provides a report from the Medical Examiner who autopsied Mr. Floyd.
WHEN THE CHIPS ARE DOWN
The future always seems to arrive before most people realize it’s here, and this adage holds true with the matter of implanting computer chips in our brains, and attaching or implanting electro-mechanical devices in our bodies.
Recently, there have been a flurry of articles about brain implants and many people express doubts and fears about them – many people seem to think society will reject them but I believe just the opposite is true. Please consider:
Imagine, being able to know the answers to every question one might find on a test on any subject.
Imagine having a harmonic frequency generator hooked up to your nervous system so you will never feel any pain.
Imagine having a mechanical heart pumping blood through your body. Wait! It’s already here!
Imagine having installed an oxygen processor to infuse oxygen into your bloodstream to replace your lungs.
Imagine being able to spout out the cube root of 8870903873480987043356 without needing a calculator.
Imagine being able to render paintings on par with the Mona Lisa or Night Watch, or being able to sit down and play Beethoven’s 5th Symphony without ever having had a music lesson.
Knowledge is power my friend and the one who has the most knowledge can use it to become the most powerful.
And that is precisely why people will welcome AI, and all the other devices that are coming our way.
RANDOM THOUGHTS
China now boasts having the world’s largest navy. Recently, the Chinese Navy threatened to sink a U.S. Navy vessel to “teach us a lesson.” So, how was China able to build their navy? They aren’t telling us how they did it but one thing for certain is true: Decades of $500 Billion trade surpluses with the United States paid for a lot of it!
WHAT YOU DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT KAMALA HARRIS
Natalie Winters wrote an interesting and informative article about Kamala Harris’ connections with China. The article appeared in The National Pulse, an online magazine. I think you will find the content shocking but very informative; you will come to understand why the Biden-Harris ticket is precisely what the Chinese Communist Party has long been dreaming of!
RANDOM THOUGHTS
The first thing to understand is this: If the Democrats win the election, Joe Biden will NOT be “the President.” He will be merely a figurehead – a puppet – who will be controlled by unseen hands.
If Biden’s handlers are successful, they will finish 0bama’s promise to “fundamentally transform the United States;” they will shred our Constitution and our Freedoms, and then the “true” leaders will emerge to declare the United States a Socialist country. Most people will be shocked to learn who they are.
If Biden’s handlers are not successful, they will disappear back into the woodwork to wait for their next opportunity to destroy the United States and leave mumbling, fumbling Joe to serve as the fall guy.
One thing is for sure though, those who wish to destroy the United States have been on the job since ~1917; they are clever, they are cunning, they are unbelievably determined to accomplish their goal, and they are like termites – they never give up!
QUESTION OF THE MONTH
“Yes” or “No:” Should the Senate vote to confirm President Trump’s Supreme Court nomination prior to the election?
[Please choose the response that most closely reflects your opinion and email to pyrope84045@mypacks.net to share your response with your fellow conservatives. A score on each of the questions will be published in the next edition of The Rhea County Republican. THANKS! – Editor]
Results for last month’s question:
Over the past four years we have heard and read the many stories of how the FBI was used to spy on candidate-then-President Trump, and his associates.
On August 14th we were informed Kevin Clinesmith, a “basement-level” attorney for the FBI, was charged with falsifying a legal document, allegedly for the purpose of advancing a FISA warrant against Carter Page, relative to the accusations made by Russia-based Democrat operatives, against President Trump and his team.
At this time, we occasionally hear rumors of how the 0bama White House were aware that the FBI, as directed by then Attorney General Loretta Lynch, were using illegal means to gather information to harm and discredit Donald Trump and persons associated with him.
How have these revelations impacted your confidence in the FBI, the DOJ?
- I have confidence that all those who have committed crimes will be brought to justice, up to and including former president 0bama.
- I believe Barack 0bama was aware of, but did not give orders to stop, the many criminal activities carried out by the FBI (and others), but he will never be charged with a crime. However, I believe all others will face justice.
- I believe only a few of the minor players in the effort to sabotage President Trump will be brought to justice.
- I don’t think any of those who have committed crimes against President Trump will ever be tried, convicted, and justly punished for their crimes. I have lost all faith in, and respect for, the FBI and our justice system.
A total of 66 people responded; 75% of respondents expressed doubt as to whether anyone in the 0bama regime would be prosecuted for their crimes.
- 4 —– (6%)
- 14 — (21%)
- 31 — (47%)
- 17 — (28%)
RANDOM THOUGHTS
If more politicians in this country were thinking about the next generation instead of the next election, it might be better for the United States and the world. -Claude Pepper, Senator and Representative (8 Sep 1900-1989)
LOST IN THE MAIL?
In the days immediately after the Chinese dropped the “Wuhan virus bomb” on the world, President Trump initially spoke of the efficacy of a drug that had been on the market for decades – hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) – and there were reports that the President had actually used the drug.
Almost immediately, the President was harshly criticized for his statements and “careless” actions, and the initial reports of the efficacy of HCQ were downplayed with claims that this anti-viral drug might cause “harmful side effects” – the worst of which seems to be unverified claims of a very rare incidence rate of cardiac dysrhythmia, and occasional “bad dreams.”
A few weeks later Dr. Stella Immanuel, a Nigerian physician was speaking on the steps of the Capitol in Washington, DC. She stated (and offered proof) that she had cured hundreds of people in her country with a combination of HCQ (marketed under the brand name “Plaquenil”), plus Zithromax (“Z Pack”), a zinc dietary supplement. She was literally begging Members of Congress to instruct Pfizer, Sanofi, and other manufacturers to sell her more. Not one of our elected representatives chose to meet with Dr. Immanuel, or to invite her to speak before a committee.
A week or so later, I watched a televised interview with Dr. Harvey Risch, world renown Epidemiologist and Dean of Yale University School of Medicine, claiming in no uncertain terms that HCQ is definitely a most viable treatment to cure Wuhan virus.
As you know, every day, thousands of people around the world are dying from the Wuhan virus and every day we hear, thanks to Big Pharma, a “new and wonderful drug” will appear at any moment, and all our fears and suffering will be allayed.
Also, as you also know, this new drug will allow Big Pharma to rake in trillions of dollars but if there is already a drug on the market that will effectively cure those stricken with the Wuhan virus, why do taxpayers need to provide the pharmaceutical industry billions of our tax dollars to develop a vaccine?
Along the way in my research for this article I spoke with John Anthony, an entrepreneur from Cleveland, TN, and he provided me with a most informative analysis on the efficacy of HCQ in the form of a video. I hope you will take time to watch it.
https://medicine.yale.edu/news-article/26290/ and https://medicine.yale.edu/news-article/26290/
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
COMMENTS FROM READERS
Readers are encouraged to submit their thoughts, opinions, ideas, and announcements from their city, county, state, and country. Please share your ideas, thoughts, opinions, and announcements by emailing them to: pyrope84045@mypacks.net . Your fellow Conservatives want to hear from you! – Editor
Lynn Chu of New York City writes:
The Democratic Party is the umbrella group working to establish Marxism in America. BLM, Antifa, Occupy, MoveOn, and Media Matters, etc. are simply its related shock troops.
What do conservatives “conserve?” The answer is the Constitution and its premises. These are the primacy of individual liberty, individual autonomy, and individual responsibility—and a limitation to the powers of government.
What Nancy Pelosi and most of the rest of her party do not realize is that the government does not consist of a superior class of worker. Government workers are not the “ruler” of the American people. The State’s powers are limited. It is not entitled to use State force unethically. State force is by and large police—or, outwardly looking, military—in nature. Executive overreach is another term for abuse of State force.
Cathy Hinners – Atlanta, GA provided this expose’ of a new radical group:
So you think the radical freaks and their leftist handlers are going to magically disappear if Biden beats President Trump? Think again. Meet RootsAction, another “grassroots” group of basement dwellers that think socialism is the answer. Their goal is not only to vote Trump out, but to start a campaign against Biden, similar to what the last four years for Trump has been like. “If Biden wins, we’ll be at his door on day one, demanding the kinds of structural reforms that advance racial, economic, and environmental justice,” the statement continues. “But before that, it’s clear what we have to do: This November, we have to #VoteTrumpOut in swing states.”
They don’t want Kamala Harris either, calling her a “political weathervane”
RootsAction has partnered with Progressive Democrats with the goal to assure Trump loses in swing states. Their agenda is clear, as they state this is their pledge: “RootsAction pledges to resist the policies of the Republican regime at every turn, while confronting the Democratic Party’s tendency to give ground to extremist proposals in the name of “bipartisanship.”
With the emphasis on “swing states”, it is highly likely to see protests get larger, with bouts of rioting as the November election gets closer. Currently, RootsAction is looking for volunteers to “bury” Trump in Wisconsin, Michigan and Arizona. Gee, ya think maybe Kenosha is the spark they needed? Detroit and Phoenix have also had weeks of protests.
Pay attention folks, there is a reason these riots are occurring where they are. As Kamala Harris stated herself, “these are not going to end”. Wonder if she knows they’ll come after her too!
Rita Johnson – Wolfboro NH shared the following:
Kristallnacht, also called Night of Broken Glass or November Pogroms, the night of November 9–10, 1938, when German Nazis attacked Jewish persons and property. The name Kristallnacht refers ironically to the litter of broken glass left in the streets after these pogroms. The violence continued during the day of November 10, and in some places acts of violence continued for several more days.
In 2020, we have Kristallmonat, the month (and counting) of Broken Glass. The broken glass, burned ruins, and destroyed property and litter in the great cities of America. The target in Germany was Jewish persons and property. Here in America, the target is Americanism. Under the guise of Social Justice, these violent brown-shirts take justice into their own hands.
Hitler and our current day progressives used similar tactics. For starters blaming the Communist. In 1933, Hitler blamed a devastating Reichstag fire on the communists (its true cause remains a mystery) and convinced President Hindenburg to sign a decree suspending individual and civil liberties, a decree Hitler used to silence his political enemies with false arrests.
In 2016, the election of Trump was blamed on Communist Russia, also without evidence. By 2020, a suspicious virus was used to suspend individual and civil liberties, and this has been used to silence the Progressive radicals political enemies.
Hitler was a radical Socialist, as the people (and I use the term “people” loosely) that are behind Biden who will control America if Biden is elected. Let’s not forget, Hitler won a series of elections until . . .
There are too many comparisons, the violence, the looting, the burning, the killings, the racist brainwashing, the reduction to civil liberties, the push for class warfare, the blaming of the communists, the radical agenda, the one world aspirations, a controlled media and more. Biden has made a deal with the devil and we know the devil always wins that deal. We cannot let this happen. No we are not going to turn into a Nazi state. We will turn into a Socialist Republic with severe freedom and liberty restrictions. It will be bad, very bad. It will be the end of America. The very end!!! If I see it, you should too!!!
Jim Clarkson, Columbia, SC; President of Resource Supply Management, an expert on energy management and procurement www.rsmenergy.com shares some memories from global climate change alarmists from days of yore.
There are ominous signs that the Earth’s weather patterns have begun to change dramatically and that these changes may portend a drastic decline in food production – with serious political implications for just about every nation on Earth. The drop in food output could begin quite soon, perhaps only 10 years from now. The regions destined to feel its impact are the great wheat-producing lands of Canada and the USSR in the North, along with a number of marginally self-sufficient tropical areas – parts of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Indochina and Indonesia – where the growing season is dependent upon the rains brought by the monsoon. – Newsweek April 28, 1975.
The Newsweek article is over 45 years old, but is sounds like the beginning of a typical news story today. There is nothing wishy-washy about the assertions in popular press stories on the environment. We’re doomed, damn it, doomed. No maybes are in the forecast of food shortage by 1985. Newsweek even knows with certainty where the problems will occur. The story is a warning about Global Cooling and the coming Ice Age.
The Newsweek story has the science down pat and presents it in a manner that leaves no room for doubt by us simple laymen. The article presents experts to back its theme:
A survey completed last week by Dr. Murray Mitchell of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reveals a drop of half a degree in average ground temperatures in the Northern Hemisphere between 1945 and 1968. According to George Kukla of Columbia University, satellite photos indicated a sudden, large increase in Northern Hemisphere snow cover in the winter of 1971-72. And a study released last month by two NOAA scientists notes that the amount of sunshine reaching the ground in continental U.S. diminished by 1.3% between 1964 and 1972.
So, there we have it. Those of us that have not starved by 1985 will freeze to death.
Now, of course, the solution cannot be left to individual action and the free enterprise system. Newsweek says scientists want to melt the Arctic ice cap by covering it with black soot collected from coal-fired power plants. Such action would require a huge global bureaucracy and lots of taxes. Global disaster can only be met with global central planning. All this sounds very much like the politically fashionable scare theme de jour of global warming and its centrally planned solutions.
Writer Michael Crichton in his novel State of Fear has a minor character articulate the theme and title of his book.
For 50 years, Western nations had maintained their citizens in a state of perpetual fear. Fear of the other side. Fear of nuclear war. The Communist menace. The Iron Curtin. The Evil Empire. And within the Communist countries, the same in reverse. Fear of us. Then, suddenly, in the fall of 1989, it was all finished. Gone, vanished. Over. The fall of the Berlin Wall created a vacuum of fear. Nature abhors a vacuum. Something had to fill it.
Terrorism is a reason for fear says the character, a professor; and the cause changes over time, but fear is always with us. The professor lectures further:
Has it ever occurred to you how astonishing the culture of Western society really is? Industrialized nations provide their citizens with unprecedented safety, health, and comfort. Average life spans increased fifty percent in the last century. Yet modern people live in abject fear. They are afraid of strangers, of disease, of crime, of the environment. They are afraid of the homes they live in, the food they eat, the technology that surrounds them. They are in a particular fear over things they can’t even see – germs, chemicals, additives, pollutants. They are timid, nervous, fretful, and depressed. And even more amazingly, they are convinced that the environment of the entire planet is being destroyed around them. Remarkable! Like the belief in witchcraft, it’s an extraordinary delusion – a global fantasy worthy of the Middle Ages. Everything is going to hell, and we must live in fear. Amazing.
Those of us in the energy business might not be too interested in the foolishness of the environmental movement except that the movement now wants to substitute painting the North Pole black for a system of mandatory energy planning and wasteful conservation and renewable measures that will raise the price of energy. We have our own special fear. Fear of what harmful policies will flow from the widely-held belief in environment doomsday.
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 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
+ HR 2574 Equity and Inclusion Enforcement Act (Scott, D-VA, 3 pages). This bill amends Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to restore the right to individual civil actions in cases involving disparate impact, and for other purposes. The extent of this bill is applicable only to schools that receive Federal funding. Since practically all schools – public and private – may be offered items of value from the Federal government, it stands to reason that the Federal government may consider such items as “funding,” therefore; all schools become subject to the rules set forth in Mr. Scott’s bill!
To understand the intentions of Mr. Scott’s bill, one first has to understand the term “disparate impact.” Essentially, the term is used (mostly) in cases involving labor law disputes. A claim of disparate impact is established when a situation, rule, or condition adversely effects members of a protected class more than non-members of a protected class.
From the language in the bill:
Section 2 – Designation of monitors under title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964
Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (42 U.S.C. 2000d et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following:
Section 607 – The violation of any regulation relating to disparate impact issued under Section 602 shall give rise to a private civil cause of action for its enforcement to the same extent as does an intentional violation of the prohibition of 601.
[In other words, Section 607 is modified to define disparate action as a felony. However, this bill also requires the employer – school – to hire a snitch to report to the Secretary of Education, should there be any question regarding any complaint. “Complaints” are not restricted merely to race, color, or national origin, but also to sexual orientation or “any” other complaint any individual or group may desire to bring forward.]
Section 3 – Restoration of right to civil action in disparate impact cases under title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964
Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (42 U.S.C. 2000d et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following:
Section 608 –
- Each recipient shall
- Designate at least one employee to coordinate its efforts to comply with requirements adopted pursuant to Section 602 and carry out the responsibilities of the recipient under this Title, including any investigation of any complaint alleging noncompliance of the recipient with such requirements of alleging any actions prohibited under this Title; and
- Notify its students and employees of the name, office address, and telephone number of each employee designated under paragraph (1).
- In this section, the term “recipient” means a recipient referred to in Section 602 that operates an education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance authorized or extended by the Secretary of Education.
Section 4 – Special assistant for equity and inclusion
Section 202(b) of the Department of Education Organization Act (20 U.S.C. 3412(b)) is amended—
- by redesignating paragraph (4) as paragraph (5); and
- by inserting after paragraph (3), the following
- (4) There shall be in the Department a Special Assistant for Equity and Inclusion who shall be appointed by the Secretary. The Special Assistant shall promote, coordinate, and evaluate equity and inclusion programs, including the dissemination of information, technical assistance, and coordination of research activities. The Special Assistant shall advise both the Secretary and Deputy Secretary on all matters relating to equity and inclusion in a manner consistent with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (42 U.S.C. 2000d et seq.)
+ HR 2639 Strength in Diversity Act of 2019 (Fudge, D-OH, 6 pages). This bill establishes a new initiative that will be required in all public schools known as “Strength in Diversity Program.”
The purpose of this Act is to support the development, implementation, and evaluation of comprehensive strategies to address the effects of racial isolation or concentrated poverty by increasing diversity, including racial diversity and socioeconomic diversity, in covered schools. “Racial isolation” and “concentrated poverty” will most likely be mitigated by transporting students from impoverished neighborhoods to schools located in affluent neighborhoods and/or transporting students from affluent neighborhoods into schools located in impoverished neighborhoods.
This program will be funded by extracting 5% of the Federal budget allocated to public schools.
This bill passed in the House of Representatives by a vote of 248/167, and has been forwarded to the Senate for consideration.
HR 4447 Expanding Access to Sustainable Energy Act of 2019 (O’Halleran, D-AZ). This bill would establish an energy storage and micro-grid grant and technical assistance program.
This bill requires the Department of Energy to award grants to assist rural electric cooperatives with identifying, evaluating, designing, and demonstrating energy storage and micro-grid projects that utilize energy from renewable energy sources. (A micro-grid is a group of interconnected loads and distributed energy resources that acts as a single controllable entity and that can connect and disconnect from the grid to operate in grid-connected or island mode.)
+ HR 8111 RNC Act (Quigley, D-IL). This Act may also be cited as the “Reducing Nefarious Crimes Act.” This bill would increase jail time for certain government employees who engage in partisan activities, which are violations of the “Hatch Act” of 1939. The bill is yet another Democrat attempt to target President Trump because he has his daughter Ivanka employed in his administration, plus relatives of other politicians, e.g. Kelly Anne Conway and (formerly) Sarah Huckabee Sanders. One wonders whether this bill would apply to the nepotism of numerous Democrat politicians. How very predictable!
S 2683 Childcare Protection Improvement Act of 2020 (Burr, R-NC). This bill advocates for the establishment a task force, to be known as the Interagency Task Force for Child Safety (referred to in this section as the Task Force) to identify, evaluate, and recommend best practices and technical assistance to assist Federal and State agencies in fully implementing the requirements of section 658H(b) of the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 9858f(b)) for child care staff members.
The Task Force shall—
(1) develop recommendations for improving implementation of the requirements of section 658H(b) of the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990, including recommendations about how the Task Force and member agencies will collaborate and coordinate efforts to implement such requirements, as described in that section; and
(2) develop recommendations in which the Task Force identifies best practices and evaluates technical assistance to assist relevant Federal and State agencies in implementing section 658H(b) of the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990, which identification and evaluation shall include—
- an analysis of available research and information at the Federal and State levels regarding the status of the interstate requirements of that section for child care staff members who have resided in one or more States during the previous 5 years and who seek employment in a child care program in a different State;
- a list of State agencies that are not responding to interstate requests covered by that section for relevant information on child care staff members;
- identification of the challenges State agencies are experiencing in responding to such interstate requests;
- an analysis of the length of time it takes the State agencies in a State to receive such results from State agencies in another State in response to such an interstate request, in accordance with that section;
- an analysis of the average processing time for the interstate requests, in accordance with that section;
- identification of any fees (and entities responsible for paying any such fees) associated with the interstate requests in each State to meet requirements, in accordance with section 658H of the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 9858f), including identification of—
- the extent to which such fees are consistent with subsection (f) of that section; and
- information regarding factors that impact such fees;
- a list of States that are participating in the National Fingerprint File program, as administered by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and an analysis of reasons States have or have not chosen to participate in the program, including barriers to participation such as barriers related to State regulatory requirements and statutes; and
- a list of States that have closed record laws or systems that prevent the States from sharing complete criminal records data or information with State agencies in another State.
+ HR 3935 Protecting Patients Transportation to Care Act (Carter, R-GA, 12 pages).
This bill amends Title XIX of the Social Security Act to provide for the continuing Medicaid coverage of nonemergency transportation to medically necessary services.
In essence, if a person receives Medicaid and is deemed unable to drive or attain public transportation, that individual may arrange through local providers to receive transportation paid for by Medicaid, to and from the facility where they receive medical treatment or services, even though the nature of same are not deemed “medical emergencies.”
+ Five distinct bills have been introduced in response to an increase in suicides; they are: S 785 Commander John Scott Hannon Veterans Mental Health Care Improvement Act of 2019 (Tester, D-MT). The purpose of this bill is to improve mental health care provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes, which has passed in the Senate and has been forwarded to the House of Representatives for consideration.
HR 4564 Suicide Prevention Lifeline Improvement Act of 2019 (Katko, R-NY, 12 pages).
A bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to ensure the provision of high-quality service through the Suicide Prevention Lifeline, and for other purposes.
HR 4585 Campaign to Prevent Suicide Act (Beyer, D-VA, 10 pages). A bill to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to conduct a national suicide prevention media campaign.
S 2661 National Suicide Hotline Designation Act (Gardner, R-CO, 5 pages). A bill to amend the Communications Act of 1934 to designate 9-8-8 as the universal telephone number for the purpose of the national suicide prevention and mental health crisis hotline system operating through the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline and through the Veterans Crisis Line, and for other purposes.
HR 1646 HERO Act (Bera, D-CA, 16 pages). This bill may be cited as the “Helping Emergency Responders Overcome Act.” This bill would require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to improve the detection, prevention, and treatment of mental health issues among public safety officers, and for other purposes.
HR 5698 Promoting Secure 5G Act of 2020 (Timmons, R-SC, 6 pages). This bill requires the Department of the Treasury to instruct the U.S. Executive Director at each international financial institution (e.g., the International Monetary Fund or the International Finance Corporation) that it is U.S. policy to support institutional assistance with advanced wireless technologies only if they provide appropriate security for users, encourage assistance with infrastructure or policy reforms that facilitate the use of secure advanced wireless technologies, and cooperate with institutional member states to strengthen international support for such technologies.
HR 5309 CROWN Act of 2020 (Richmond, D-LA, 14 pages). This bill may be cited as the “Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural hair Act.” The purpose of the bill is to prevent discrimination based on an individual’s texture or style of hair. In reality, it provides an excuse to file a discrimination suit against an institution or employer by allowing an individual to claim they were discriminated against based on the way they wear their hair. Such a bill will compel institutions and employers to act out of fear of reprisal when dealing with individuals who fail to perform or behave in an acceptable manner.
S 4618 Ensuring Relief for Americans Impacted by Economic and Natural Disasters Act, 2020 (Portman, R-OH, 4 pages). This bill makes emergency supplemental appropriations for disaster relief for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2020, and for other purposes for an additional amount for Disaster Relief Fund $86,600,000,000, to remain available until expended: Provided, That the amount provided herein is designated by the Congress as being for an emergency requirement pursuant to section 251(b)(2)(A)(i) of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (2 U.S.C. 901(b)(2)(A)(i)).
HR 8319 Continuing Appropriations Act, 2021 and Other Extensions Act (Lowey, D-NY, 104 pages). This bill makes continuing appropriations for 2021, and for other purposes.
Nita Lowey and her pals have taken a novel approach in writing this bill. For most of the new spending items in this bill, instead of stating specific amounts for each expenditure, language to the effect of saying “whatever it takes” is used. When presenting allocations for items that appeared in last year’s budget, instead of stating the specific amounts for each, language indicating that the continuing appropriations will be made in the amounts previously allocated. This forces the reader to delve into last year’s budget if they wish to know specific amounts for each spending item. New and previously unbudgeted spending amounts are made available to the reader. Estimates tell us the cost of this bill will be $4.2 Trillion. Some of the new spending items include:
- $99 million to fund new Small Business Administration loans
- $1.2 Billion for the Department of Interior
- $9.2 Billion for the National Institute of Health
- $174,000 to revocable trust of the late John R. Lewis
- $700 Billion to secure government-backed mortgages
- $105 Million for “nationally significant” highways
- $10.4 Billion for all other highways
- $3.2 Billion for mass transit subsidies
- $14 Billion for airport subsidies
- $1,000 increase (to $2,500) to process illegal immigrants (Sec. 4102)
- And the list goes on.
[Not counting the trillions of dollars in unfunded mandates, the taxpayer is currently on the hook for more than Twenty-Six Trillion Dollars! – Editor]
LAGNIAPPE
You may be hearing conversations in your state about school vouchers, a means that would enable parents to extricate their children from failing public schools and enroll them in various forms of private schools. Unfortunately, the public school systems across the United States are dysfunctional, and school vouchers seem to be the only means whereby children entrapped in the many failing school systems can hope to escape to receive a reasonably good education.
Tennessee is one of those states that have recently enacted a voucher system. Governor Lee signed the bill in June of 2020, but predictably, there were many individuals and entities who tried to destroy it before it even had a chance to get off the ground; principally, the teachers union and bureaucrats who run the public school systems.
To be fair, the bill signed by Governor Lee in June of 2020 may not have been the perfect but at least it was a huge step in the right direction, and if parents of Tennessee’s school children remain committed to making any necessary changes, we can – perhaps – raise Tennessee schools up from being ranked 41st in the United States. It would be a grave error to give up at this point!
Immediately on passage of the Education Savings Account (ESA) legislation, the cities of Nashville and Memphis sued to stop the voucher program. They complained it wasn’t “fair” because it applied only to their counties. In August of 2020, the State Supreme Court dealt another blow to the voucher system by refusing to hear Governor Lee’s challenge to that ruling. The court withheld its decision until August 5th, and by then it was too late for Governor Lee to debut his voucher program, but there are hopes the voucher program will be made available to parents with children in primary and secondary schools in August of 2021.
Before going further, I would like to address the reader who might be asking: “I don’t have any kids in public schools so why should I care?”
It’s really very simple: If our country does not educate its youth, our country will continue to lose its competitive edge against other countries who are cleaning our clocks where education is concerned! Our country will then cease to be the economic superpower it has been for more than a century. When the United States loses its economic prowess, it will cease to be a superpower by any other measure, and when the U.S. ceases to be a superpower, another country – most likely one that doesn’t like us very much – will move in and take over. Is that clear enough?
Our country’s future success is directly proportional to the level of education made available to our youth!
The teachers unions and the bureaucrats who profit from the public school system have spread a series of myths and totally absurd claims to the ill-informed public and, from there, numerous conspiracy theories were hatched. Among the most frequent claims of the teachers union and their acolytes are that Governor Lee’s bill is “discriminatory,” it taxes people twice; there are (undefined) “strings” attached; it allows “some people” to make money off of education; it redistributes wealth, and; it “does nothing” to address the failed policies in the current system.
Addressing the discrimination farce that the rollout of the voucher program began in the dismally failing schools of Memphis and Nashville – the worst of the worst – seemed only logical since those are the two places where delivering choices for parents was most urgent. That most of the students happened to be minorities is merely the result of geography.
The claim that since tax dollars are given to public schools and to fund the voucher program taxes people twice is simply untrue. The plea that the cost for vouchers were to be deducted from Metro Nashville Public Schools and Shelby County Schools in Memphis would end up “hurting those who remained in public schools” was the primary basis for the argument made by those two school systems.
Those attached “strings” mentioned by the teachers union meant simply that in order for a private school to receive vouchers that school would have to meet academic standards – those same standards that public schools do not meet.
The argument that private schools would be “making money” off educating children comes right out of the “Socialism 101” playbook. It is not surprising that the teachers union didn’t like that!
Insofar as the “redistribution of wealth” argument goes; well yeah! Some “wealth” would be “redistributed” from the failing public schools to those schools who are able to provide students a decent education. It’s called “capitalism.”
Finally, the claim that vouchers would “do nothing” to address the failed policies in the public school system is a claim only someone who has zero understanding of how the private sector functions could possibly make! Please consider: School vouchers would take money from a public school system that has never had to compete (and has, therefore, become a systematic failure), and give it to private schools who have earned their reputations as based on how well they compete – at providing an education! – and, if the public school system wanted to get back in the business of providing an education to our young people, they too would have to improve; they would (finally) be forced to address their failed policies!
Out of left field, the bug-eyed, tinfoil hat crowd came up with yet another argument against school vouchers: “Schools that received vouchers would have to meet government standards.” Yes, unlike those public schools who have, for decades, been able to evade meeting academic standards because (in large part, due to the strength and political influence of their unions, and also due to a tenure policy that should have been thrown out the day it was first suggested), private schools would have to meet “standards.”
There are many kinds of “standards” and the term “standards” might have been that “scary word” that incited the whackos but, in reality, schools should strive for only one kind – academic standards. The social engineering standards do not belong in schools; they do nothing to provide students with the tools they need to perform well in their profession or vocation, and on that level the whackos were right . . . sort of.
There is an alternative to authorizing government bureaucrats to set academic standards. While I personally favor the idea that the government should contract a capable private sector firm to set the only standards – the academic standards – that define what is an acceptable education (and then report to the government on how well schools are functioning), for the present there is no entity better to set standards than our government. But, as weird as this may seem, those who are against vouchers seemingly want to do away with any and all standards! Why? Possibly because it would detrimentally effect those who are “home schooling” their children yet do not have the ability to provide them with an education that would enable them to gain access to universities or compete in the “real” world. How do you think the failure to meet academic standards is going to work out for the student who has been cheated out of a decent education?
For those who still remain unconvinced that our education system has failed to complete its primary task and vouchers, at this point might be the only way to repair the decades of damage caused by public schools, a look at the following data will, perhaps change your mind.
The percentages of students in our nation’s schools who were deemed “proficient” for their grade level is presented by subject by the National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP), on their website https://www.nationsreportcard.gov/#. Selecting the data set for seniors who are enrolled in public schools, the most recent data are as follows:
Civics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23%
Economics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41%
Geography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19%
Mathematics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23%
Reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36%
Science. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21%
Technology & Engineering literacy. . . . . . 45%
U.S. History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11%
Writing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25%
(Art, Music, and Visual Arts were not reported.)
These numbers are appalling, especially when one considers that the U.S. spends more money per student than any other country on earth ($30K/year in Washington DC), yet ranks 19th overall among the industrial nations around the world. As usual, the taxpayer is . . . being cheated, and this time it’s by the public education system.
Scores for Tennessee students was reported as “significantly below” the national average. Readers who may wish to assess their own state’s ranking can do so at the following link:
There’s really no other way to say it other than the taxpayer-funded public school system has systematically failed every child who has attended public schools since it began, and that rate of failure has exacerbated through the years since day one!
For further information please visit the following links:
https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d19/tables/dt19_236.75.asp?current=yes
https://www.nationsreportcard.gov/reading/states/achievement/?grade=8
https://www.nationsreportcard.gov/mathematics/states/achievement/?grade=8
CONTACT YOUR ELECTED REPRESENTATIVES
| President Donald Trump
The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Washington D.C. 20500 Phone: (202) 456-1414 Fax: (202) 456-2461 |
U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander
455 Dirksen Senate Office Building Room 40 – Suite 2 Washington D.C. 20510 Phone: (202) 244-4944 Fax: (202) 228-3398 |
| 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 Majority 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 |
