HAPPY NEW YEAR!<\/strong> \u00a0THANK YOU!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n This month another milestone was achieved \u2013 the 300th<\/sup><\/strong> subscriber signed up to receive The Rhea County Republican.\u00a0 Publishing this newsletter has been challenging at times but it is truly a labor of love and, therefore, well worth the effort.\u00a0 Your many kind remarks and invaluable suggestions have served as a well spring of inspiration.\u00a0 <\/p>\n\n\n\n Going forward, I hope you will keep in mind that, in addition to being your source for keeping up with legislation, local happenings in the Rhea County Republican Party, and other information I hope you will find useful, The Rhea County Republican is YOUR forum for sharing your opinions, thoughts, announcements, and information you deem useful to your fellow conservatives.\u00a0 You are the reason The Rhea County Republican exists.\u00a0 I hope to hear from you! \u2013 Kris Bancroft, Editor <\/p>\n\n\n\n MARK\nYOUR CALENDAR TODAY<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The Rhea County Republican Party\nwill host its annual Reagan Day Dinner on April 13th<\/sup>, 2018. Details to follow!<\/p>\n\n\n\n RHEA\nCOUNTY REPUBLICAN PARTY EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Keith\nFlatness, Chairman Bitsy\nGryder, Vice Chairman<\/p>\n\n\n\n Donna\nTaylor, Secretary Larry\nPendergrass, Treasurer<\/p>\n\n\n\n Linda Pendergrass, Vice Treasurer Marv Keener, Chaplain<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gary Drinkard, Parliamentarian Jim Murphy, PAC\nChair<\/p>\n\n\n\n JANUARY\nMEETING<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The January meeting of the Rhea\nCounty Republican Party will be held on Thursday, January 3rd<\/sup><\/strong>, at 7:00 PM, at the Rhea County Sheriff\u2019s\nTraining Center, 711 Eagle Ln, Evensville, TN. \nWe look forward to seeing you there!<\/p>\n\n\n\n MINUTES FROM THE NOVEMBER MEETING<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Chairman\nKeith Flatness called the November meeting of the Rhea County Republican Party\nto order at 7:00 PM. Marvin Keener led\nthe invocation and Joe Gryder led the pledge to our flag.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The\nSecretary\u2019s report was read by Debbie Byrd, in the absence of Donna\nTaylor. Marvin Keener moved to accept\nthe minutes as read. Chuck Bauer\nseconded the motion and the motion carried.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Treasurer\u2019s\nreport was given by Larry Pendergrass. \nBitsy Gryder moved to accept the report as read. Marvin Keener seconded the motion and the\nmotion carried.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The\nPAC report was given by Jim Murphy. The\npre-election report has been filed. Joe\nGryder moved to accept the report as read. \nBitsy Gryder seconded the motion and the motion carried.<\/p>\n\n\n\n ANNOUNCMENTS\n\u2013 Election day, encourage people to vote. \nThe RCRP bought 240 radio announcements, five newspaper ads, and put\nsigns out for our candidates. Linda\nPendergrass recorded the radio announcements. \nEarly voting showed that 5,006 votes had been cast, as compared with\n2,140 in the 2014 midterm election.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The\nLegislative Report was given by Kris Bancroft. \nKris, Glen Varner, and Gary Drinkard drafted a letter to Mr. Jesse\nMessimer, Principal of Rhea County High School, asking for his assistance in\nallowing us to sponsor a Republican Club. \nMr. Messimer offered no response.<\/p>\n\n\n\n OLD\nBUSINESS \u2013 The Nominating Committee will present a slate of officers by our\nnext meeting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n NEW\nBUSINESS \u2013 The Herald News will sponsor \u201cA Salute to Our Vets\u201d on November 7th<\/sup>,\nthe 100th<\/sup> anniversary of Veteran\u2019s Day. Joe Gryder moved to donate $100 to help with\nthe event. The motion was seconded by\nLarry Pendergrass and the motion carried.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The\nRCRP membership received an invitation from State Senator Ken Yager to his 25th<\/sup>\nannual chili dinner to be held on November 16th<\/sup>, from 4:30 \u2013 7:30,\nat Roane State Community College. Joe\nGryder motioned to donate $100 to Senator Yager. The motion was seconded by Larry Pendergrass\nand the motion carried.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Missy\nBlevins sent cupcakes to the November meeting as thanks for the RCRP\u2019s support\nof her candidacy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n OPEN\nDISCUSSION \u2013 Preparations for the Reagan Day Dinner are going \u201cOK.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n JOKE\nOF THE MONTH \u2013 Chairman Flatness told his Joke of the Month and the meeting was\nadjourned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Recorded by Debbie Byrd for<\/p>\n\n\n\n Secretary Donna Taylor<\/p>\n\n\n\n RANDOM THOUGHTS<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n According\nto the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), the taxpayers of\nTennessee shelled out $574 Million to subsidize illegal aliens. Visit their website at www.FAIRUS.org<\/a> to\nsee how much the taxpayers in your state were penalized because our government\ncontinues to FAIL to serve its citizens and uphold our laws. <\/p>\n\n\n\n BOOK OF THE MONTH<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n This\nmonth\u2019s book is an excellent choice for those who may wish to write white\npapers, essays, position papers, or letters to their representatives. It aids the writer on how to effectively\npersuade their audience to agree to their particular point of view. The book is entitled Writing Arguments,\nby Dr. John D. Ramage, John C. Bean, and June Johnson (7th<\/sup> edition,\nR.R. Donnelly and sons).<\/p>\n\n\n\n RANDOM THOUGHTS<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n A\nhuman being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog,\nconn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall,\nset a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone,\nsolve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook\na tasty meal, fight efficiently, and die gallantly. Specialization is for insects. \u2013 Robert\nHeinlein <\/p>\n\n\n\n COMMENTS FROM OUR\nREPRESENTATIVES<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Bruce Griffey<\/strong>,\nState Representative for the 75th<\/sup> District, reports he has called\nfor a resolution to end birthright citizenship to children of illegal aliens\nborn in Tennessee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Dr. Scott DesJarlais<\/strong>, (TN-04),\noffered the following statement on the one year anniversary of President\nTrump\u2019s official recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel: \u201cOn the one-year anniversary of President Trump\u2019s recognition of\nJerusalem as the capital of Israel, a momentous event, I am proud to co-sponsor\nthis resolution affirming our support for the United States\u2019 strongest Middle\nEast ally, a Jewish homeland, and the Israeli people. Although Congress\nauthorized moving the U.S. embassy more than two decades ago, only our current\nPresident, fulfilling a promise other presidents have made but broken, had the\ncourage to act. Anti-Semitism and terrorist threats must never deter us from\nstanding up for our principles, including a free and independent Israel with\nJerusalem as its capital. In fact, standing up for our principles and\nsupporting our allies is essential to creating peace and stability in the\nregion.\u201d [Certainly,\nnotes of thanks to President Trump, and to our Representatives is in\norder. Won\u2019t you send a note or make a\ncall today? \u2013 Editor]<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Senator Lamar Alexander <\/strong>(R-TN), offered the following\ncomment: “I will not be a candidate\nfor re-election to the United States Senate in 2020.” He added:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe\npeople of Tennessee have been very generous, electing me to serve more combined\nyears as Governor and Senator than anyone else from our state.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n RANDOM THOUGHTS<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Government\nhas three primary functions. It should\nprovide for the defense of the nation. \nIt should enforce contracts between individuals. It should protect\ncitizens from crimes against themselves or their property. When government \u2013 in pursuit of good intentions\n\u2013 tries to rearrange the economy, legislate morality, or help special\ninterests, the costs come in inefficiency, lack of motivation, and loss of\nfreedom. Government should be a referee,\nnot an active player. \u2013 Milton Friedman <\/p>\n\n\n\n READERS\nANNOUNCEMENTS & COMMENTS <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n This\nsection is provided for our readers to make announcements about activities in\ntheir area or offer commentary on current events; they do not necessarily\nreflect the views of the publisher. All\ncomments are welcomed for so long as their substance can be verified via\nindependent sources. Please e-mail your\nannouncements, comments, and opinions to <\/em>pyrope84045@mypacks.net<\/em><\/a> \u2013 Editor.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Edward Diebold<\/strong>, a\nreader from Windsor, CT, provided the following: \u201cBack in April, William Young, a federal\ndistrict court judge \u2013 a Reagan appointee! \u2013 rendered a decision upholding the Massachusetts\nban on large capacity magazines. I\ncalled Senators Blumenthal and Murphy to protest the decision but was scoffed\nat by their staff members. Every day\nthere\u2019s a new attack on our constitutional rights but I will keep making my\nvoice heard and hope everyone else will too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pam Whitson<\/strong>, a\nreader who lists her location as \u201cStuck on the outbound Kennedy expressway in\nChicago, IL,\u201d shared the following: At a\npress conference today, Governor elect J. B. Pritzker, Speaker of the Illinois\nHouse Michael \u201cBoss\u201d Madigan, and Speaker of the Illinois Senate John Cullerton\nannounced their intention to propose emergency legislation to enact a\n\u201cDeparting Taxpayer Fee\u201d on those who move their primary residence from the\nstate. The proposed fee is 50% of gross\ntaxable income or 1% of the value of all property owned, whichever is higher,\non households with incomes greater than $100K\/year. \u201cIt\u2019s only fair\u201d said Pritzker, \u201csince these\nindividuals enjoyed state services during the period when overwhelming deficits\nand pension obligations were incurred without proper taxation.\u201d Madigan added \u201cthe State requires revenue enhancement,\nand individuals will not be permitted to avoid paying their fair share by\nchanging their state of residence.\u201d [I guess I won\u2019t be moving to Illinois. \u2013\nEditor] <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Brian Troyer<\/strong>, a\nreader from Apple Creek, OH, shared the following Critical Life Lesson: There was a chemistry professor in a large\ncollege that had some exchange students in the class. One day while the class\nwas in the lab, the professor noticed one young man, an exchange student, who\nkept rubbing his back and stretching as if his back hurt. Brian\u2019s quote for today: “The\nproblems we face today are there because the people who work for a living are\nnow outnumbered by those that vote for a living.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gary Loe<\/strong>, a reader in Knoxville, TN offers the\nfollowing: Tennesseans would benefit by\nconservatives working to pass the “Tax Relief Act of 2018” [which likely\nwill be renamed], aka House Bill 1457 sponsored by Rep. Mike Carter (R-Ooltewah),\nand Senate Bill 2649 Sen. Bo Watson<\/a>\n(R-Hixson). Public Funds and Financing –\nAs introduced, establishes the Tennessee taxpayer relief and recession reserve;\nclarifies that deposits into the reserve for revenue fluctuation and the relief\nand recession reserve do not count toward the Copeland Cap; provides an\nautomatic, temporary sales tax reduction when there are sufficient over\ncollections to offset the loss of revenue. – Amends TCA Title 9 and Title 67.\nFURTHERMORE: It is a “Tennessee taxpayer relief and economic recession\nreserve” created as a reserve account in the general fund…and on or\nbefore November 1, 2019…the commissioner of finance and administration shall\ndetermine the amount of over collections, if any, during the prior fiscal\nyear…[the term “over collections” means state revenue collected\nabove the budgeted accrual estimate that would otherwise be allocated to the\ngeneral fund]…and on or before November 15, 2019, over collections shall be\nallocated as follows: (1) If the balance of the reserve for revenue\nfluctuations is less than eight percent (8%) of the state tax revenues allocated\nto the general fund and the education trust fund for the prior fiscal year: (A)\nEither twenty-five percent (25%) of the over collections or the amount needed\nto bring the balance of the reserve for revenue fluctuations to eight percent\n(8%) of the state revenues allocated to the general fund and the education\ntrust fund for the prior fiscal year, whichever amount is less, shall be\nallocated to the reserve for revenue fluctuation, and (B) The remainder of the\nover collections shall be allocated to the relief and recession reserve…MORE\nINFO: http:\/\/wapp.capitol.tn.gov\/apps\/BillInfo\/Default.aspx…<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Troy McFarland<\/strong>, a\nreader from McDonald, TN shared some alarming statistics on the correlation\nbetween vaccines and autism rates:<\/p>\n\n\n\n In 1983 children were given 10\nvaccines<\/p>\n\n\n\n In 2013 the number rose to 32\nvaccines<\/p>\n\n\n\n In 2018 children receive up to 74\nvaccines<\/p>\n\n\n\n Autism rates among children in 1983\n= 1\/10,000<\/p>\n\n\n\n Autism rates among children in 2013\n= 1\/88<\/p>\n\n\n\n Autism rates among children in 2018\n= 1\/36 (1\/28 for boys)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Diane Bederman<\/strong>, a\nreader from Toronto, Canada offers the following news: Canada\nhas declared DIVERSITY as the most important Canadian value. And diversity is\nthe sister of multiculturalism. Canada is not the only country promoting this\nidea. Canada has a Human Rights Tribunal to protect that diversity. If you\nbelieve your human rights have been attacked, you more or less go to court and\nrequest compensation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \nHow does a court decide whose rights are more important when two diverse\ngroups are at the table?<\/p>\n\n\n\n \nThink about that. The Human Rights Tribunal in Canada, and in each\nprovince, has to develop a hierarchy of rights; in a country that at its very\ncore states all people are equal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \nSo I ask, how does a country whose core value is the equality of all\njustify the development of a hierarchy of rights? Which group\u2019s rights (because\nit does come down to identity politics) are more right than another group?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Diversity will be the death of the social\ncontract, and the demise of the lifestyle to which we have become accustomed,\nand now take for granted, as groups of people declare their views as special,\noverruling the rights of others, without a thought to one\u2019s personal\nresponsibilities, responsibilities to others and mutual preservation. We\nare so busy being inclusive through diversity (another Alice in Wonderland oxymoron)\nthat we are losing our connection to the ethic<\/a> and\ntearing apart the social contract that binds us together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n RANDOM THOUGHTS<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n There\nwill come a day where you will cry out for the enforcement of the law. There will come a day where you will long for\nthe law to be the foundation of this Republic. \nSo, you be careful what you do with the law today because, if you weaken\nit today you weaken it forever. \u2013 Trey Gowdy<\/p>\n\n\n\n LEGISLATIVE REPORT<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The purpose of the legislative\nreport is to inform the reader about legislation that is currently under\nconsideration that may have significant impact on our lives so the reader may\nanalyze each bill\u2019s content and become cognizant of what our representatives\nare proposing and (hopefully) become engaged in the process of offering their\nopinions \u2013 in support of or against \u2013 such legislation. They won\u2019t know what you think unless you\ntell them! \u2013 Editor<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n In Tennessee<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n HB 1457<\/strong> Tax Relief Act of\n2018 (which will likely be renamed), has been introduced by Rep. Mike\nCarter, R-District 29. Senator Bo Watson\nwill introduce a companion bill. The\ntext of Rep Carter\u2019s bill and the number of Sen. Watson\u2019s bill are unknown at\nthis time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n HB 2315<\/strong> A bill to cut funding\nto cities, counties, and municipalities that have been identified as having a\n\u201cSanctuary Policy,\u201d sponsored by State\nRep. Jay Dean Reedy, of Montgomery County, becomes law on January 1st<\/sup>,\n2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n [To track bills in the State of\nTennessee, you may wish to visit the following website. <\/em>http:\/\/wapp.capitol.tn.gov\/apps\/BillInfo\/Default.aspx…<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Editor]<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n In Washington DC<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n HR 2846<\/strong> Federal Agency\nCustomer Experience Act of 2017 (Farenthold, R-TX, 10 pages). This bill would require the collection of\nvoluntary feedback on services provided by agencies. Section 6(d) requires the agencies to publish\nthe results of their surveys which are then scrutinized by the OIG to find ways\nof improving services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n HR 6753<\/strong> Strengthening the\nHealth Care Fraud Prevention Task Force Act of 2018 (Walden, OR-R, 12\npages). A bill to amend Title IX of the\nSocial Security Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to\nestablish a public-private partnership for purposes of identifying waste,\nfraud, and abuse. <\/p>\n\n\n\n HR 1567<\/strong> United States \u2013\nMexico Economic Partnership Act (Cuellar, D-TX, 7 pages), a bill to promote\neconomic partnership and cooperation between the United States and Mexico, was\npassed on 28 November and forwarded to the Senate for consideration. This bill makes several important adjustments\nto its predecessor, NAFTA, and benefits all trading partners involved. However, if the bill amended in the Senate,\nit will then have to be sent back to the House of Representatives for their\nconsideration of the changes made in the upper chamber. With a Democrat majority taking over in the\nHouse in January 2019, this could essentially kill the bill or postpone its\npassage for two years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n S 2276<\/strong> Good Accounting in\nGovernment Obligation Act (Young, R-IN, 8 pages), has passed the Senate and\nhas been forwarded to the House of Representatives for consideration. This bill\nrequires each federal agency, in its annual budget justification, to\ninclude a report on: (1) each public recommendation of the Government\nAccountability Office (GAO) that is classified as “open” or\n“closed, unimplemented”; (2) each public recommendation for\ncorrective action from the agency’s office of the inspector general\n(OIG) for which no final action has been taken; and (3) the implementation\nstatus of each such recommendation. Each\nagency shall also provide a copy of this information to its OIG and\nto the GAO.<\/p>\n\n\n\n HR 7213<\/strong> Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Act of 2018\n(Donovan, R-NY, 22 pages), amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to\nestablish the Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Office, and for other\npurposes. This bill was added to the\nschedule for the week beginning December 10th<\/sup>, and was immediately\nforwarded to the House for consideration. \nThe bill passed on a voice vote and has been forwarded to the Senate for\nconsideration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n HR 2<\/strong> Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018, (Conway, R-TX, 1242\npages), amends and extends major programs for income support, food and\nnutrition, land conservation, trade promotion, rural development, research,\nforestry, horticulture, and other miscellaneous programs administered by the\nDepartment of Agriculture (USDA) for five years through 2023. The bill is\nbudget neutral and $112 billion below baseline funding. The bill provides funding for using tax\ndollars to purchase any surplus farm products and making them available to\nlow-income individuals and families; this mechanism keeps farmers solvent if\nthey should produce non-marketable items. \nNOTE: I could find no language in the bill that\naddressed the \u201cWork for Welfare\u201d issue that the House had promised to include\nin this bill. \u2013 Editor]<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n HR 7093<\/strong> Clean up the Code\nAct, (Chabot, R-OH, 3 pages), repeals absurd and out-of-date laws. Did you know you are violating a Federal law\nif you transport a water hyacinth across state lines? Transporting dentures across state lines is\nalso an infraction of Federal law, along with the unauthorized use of the Smoky\nBear character name.<\/p>\n\n\n\n RANDOM\nTHOUGHTS<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n If the natural tendencies of mankind\nare so bad that it is not safe to permit people to be free, how is it that the\ntendencies of these organizers are always good? \nDo not the legislators and their appointed agents belong to the human\nrace? Or do they believe that they\nthemselves are made of a finer clay than the rest of mankind? <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2013 Frederic Bastiat<\/p>\n\n\n\n EDITORIAL<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n In a recent conversation I was questioned about\nmy beliefs and asked to describe my political philosophy. I replied I am a true conservative. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cJust what is a true conservative?\u201d was the\nfollow-up question. <\/p>\n\n\n\n I gave the question some thought and\nreplied: Well, it\u2019s all a matter of\nperspective.<\/p>\n\n\n\n From a political perspective the true\nconservative is that individual who is willing to commit their services and\nresources, as necessary, to preserve our Constitutional Republic, with the\nunderstanding that our Constitution, Declaration of Independence, and our other\nfounding documents are the vessels in which our freedoms and liberties are held\nand preserved. In understanding these\ndocuments, the true conservative also understands that the individual is the\nmaster of their government and not the other way around, and that the best form\nof government is that which exacts the least control over our lives. <\/p>\n\n\n\n From a moral perspective the true conservative\nis that individual who realizes our country was founded on Judeo-Christian values\nand strives to uphold the rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness\nfor all citizens, without reservation, and irrespective of race, color, or\ncreed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n From an ethical perspective the true\nconservative is that individual who is honest in their interactions with others\nand seeks always to be self-sufficient, attaining their self-sufficiency\nthrough learning, planning, prudence, efficiency, and work. <\/p>\n\n\n\n From a patriotic perspective the true\nconservative is that individual who places our country above all others for they\nrealize that the United States of America is a fountain of liberty, it is the\ngreatest country to ever exist on planet Earth, and it is the best hope for all\nhumankind. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The true conservative humbly accepts their\nGod-given dominion over our earth\u2019s life forms and natural resources, and in\ndoing so assumes the enormous responsibilities emanating therefrom in the way\nof practicing good stewardship, and serves to promote by example good\nstewardship to their neighbors. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The true conservative is that individual who is\nfiscally responsible and, although they may never attain great wealth from\ntheir honest labors, they are careful to manage such wealth as they may have\nthrough prudent usage and thrift.<\/p>\n\n\n\n From a cultural perspective the true\nconservative realizes and upholds our unique American Culture as that one\nculture that enables all citizens to achieve any honorable goal they may, for\nso long as they are willing to obey our just laws and put forth the effort to\nattain. <\/p>\n\n\n\n From social perspective the true conservative\nis that individual who offers compassion and patience toward others and, to the\nextent possible, is generous with their time and resources toward helping those\nseeking to improve their own station in life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The true conservative is politically active at\nall levels of government and seeks to understand the activities of their\nelected representatives and then analyzing the impact of those activities. When the true conservative recognizes that their\ngovernment\u2019s activities are detrimental to the people, the true conservative renders\ntheir opinion to the appropriate representative and encourages others to do the\nsame.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When it\u2019s all said and done, the true\nconservative is that individual who embodies our nation\u2019s honorable values and\neagerly rises to defend our wonderful country against any and all threats,\nforeign and domestic, with honor and dedication, and in that manner in which so\nmany of those who came before us have done. \nThe true conservative supports those elected representatives who share\nall these values and works to defeat those who do not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And that, my friend, is my definition of a true\nconservative.<\/p>\n\n\n\n RANDOM THOUGHTS<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The\nfirst reader to send an email to pyrope84045@mypacks.net<\/a> will\nreceive a $25 gift card.<\/p>\n\n\n\n LAGNIAPPE<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n At a recent meeting of the Rhea County Republican Party, the\nsubject of open- versus close primaries was discussed. During the following month, contact was made\nwith our Commissioner of Elections in Rhea County, to invite him to come and\nexplain the pros and cons of each alternative. \nUnfortunately, the Commissioner declined stating his concerns that doing\nso might perceived as an affinity toward a particular political party.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n The unfortunate response we received from the Commissioner\npresented a necessity to seek out the information of interest. While the following provides details about a\nparticular effort in Tennessee to advocate for passage of closed primary\nlegislation, it also provides general information of interest to our readers in\nother states and (possibly) other countries.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n In the following paragraphs, the reader is provided unbiased\ndata on open- versus closed primaries but an opinion must ultimately be derived\ntherefrom. Upon completing your\nexamination, I hope you will make your preferences known to your elected\nrepresentatives. Voicing your opinions\nto those whom you have selected to represent you is the way change is wrought\nin our Constitutional Republic. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Thanks to Terri Richman Nicholson for her assistance in\ngathering this information.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Editor<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n UPDATE!<\/em><\/strong> On 1 December 2018, it was reported that a\nvote had been taken among Tennessee\u2019s Republican Party SEC on whether to\nrecommend to our state legislators to close Republican primaries or keep them\nopen. The Republican SEC voted to close\nour primaries by a margin of 45 to 14 (there were 4 empty seats, to absent\nmembers, and one abstention. In a\ncommunication from Paul Chapman, he explains to us: \u201cThe SEC doesn\u2019t make\nelection law; that is the responsibility of the state legislature. We passed a resolution asking the legislature\nto pass this. It\u2019s in their hands\nnow.\u201d <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Questions and Answers\nabout Closing Tennessee\u2019s Primary Elections<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n What\u2019s the difference\nbetween a primary election and a general election? <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Primaries are\nessentially private events in which the members of the major political parties\nselect who they want to represent them on the upcoming general election ballot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The general election\nis the public election in which everyone participates, whether they are members\nof the parties or not. The general election ballot will list the\nwinners of the primaries and any other candidates who did not run in the\nprimaries (independents).<\/p>\n\n\n\n During the primaries,\npolitical parties are exercising their fourth amendment rights of free\nassociation. The parties should be allowed to determine who is or is not\na member of each party and who can participate in nominating their candidates\nfor the general election without interference from non-party members.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The state (all\ntaxpayers) pays for the primaries. Does that not make them public events?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n No. Tennessee\nlaw is clear that primaries are private events intended only for the members of\nthe major political parties. It is reasonable to ask whether all\ntaxpayers in the state should pay for a private event which benefits only a\nsubset of the electorate. That entire discussion, however, is outside the\nscope of this effort. Eventually, it may\nbe best for the state and the major political parties to move away from\nprimaries to conventions (defined and discussed later) for state-level races.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What\u2019s the difference\nbetween open primaries and closed primaries?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n In an open primary\nsystem, any voter can choose to vote in the primary of any party, whether they\nare affiliated with that party or not. Democrats, Republicans, third\nparty voters and independent voters can vote in the primary of any\nparty. This means that the parties are not selecting their own\ncandidate \u2013 people outside the parties are selecting them! Open primaries allow \u201cmischief voting\u201d in\nwhich voters who have allegiances to one party participate in a primary of\nanother party.<\/strong> These mischief voters seek to affect who is elected\nfor another party to the benefit of their true party in the general election.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In a closed primary\nsystem, only Republican voters can vote in the Republican Primary election and\nonly Democrat voters can vote in the Democratic Primary election. \nStates do it differently, but usually this means that voters must register\ntheir party affiliation in advance when they register to vote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Technically, Tennessee\nis a partially open and partially closed primary state. Voters are\nsupposed to, by law, vote in the primary of the party to which they have\nalready have allegiance or intend to give their allegiance. The law\nsays a person should be a \u201cbona fide\u201d member of a party to participate in that\nparty\u2019s primary. However, Tennessee\u2019s primaries are effectively\nopen because:<\/p>\n\n\n\n a) Tennessee voters do\nnot register their party affiliation in advance (thus there is no way for poll\nworkers to verify the party of a voter at the polls), <\/p>\n\n\n\n b) the law is vague in\nthat it does not define \u201cbona fide\u201d and <\/p>\n\n\n\n c) the process of\nchallenging voters as to their \u201cbona fides\u201d at the polls is complicated and\nlabor-intensive — and thus impractical to implement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In Tennessee, primaries are affected by mischief voters who are\nscamming the system. It is dishonest \u2013 and illegal.<\/strong> But because the law is vague and\nhas no practical enforcement mechanism, there are typically no consequences to\nthese scammers. District Attorney\u2019s hesitate to prosecute voting\ncrimes. In fact, some groups have openly advocated mischief voting \u2013 even\nto the point of openly distributing mailers telling voters they should break\nthe law.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What defines a \u201cbona\nfide\u201d member of a political party?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Tennessee election law\nstates that only \u201cbona fide\u201d members of a party can participate in that party\u2019s\nprimary. There is no definition of \u201cbona fide\u201d in the\nlaw. To make matters worse, the only way to stop someone from voting\nin the primary of another party, where they are not a \u201cbona fide\u201d member, is to\nuse a complicated, labor intensive, and infrequently used \u201cchallenge\u201d process\nat the polling location. Under the current law the parties rarely\nchallenge the \u201cbona fides\u201d of voters. The effect is that anyone can\nget away with voting in the primary of any party without consequence \u2013 even\nthough it is technically illegal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In Tennessee, do\nDemocrats actually vote in Republican primaries and vice versa? <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Yes, there is ample\nproof that members of both parties engage in mischief voting in various\ndistricts and races. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The amount of mischief\nvoting varies depending on the circumstances of the primary\nelection. For instance, when one party has only one candidate\nrunning in their primary, members of that party are encouraged to vote in the\nother party\u2019s primary in order to nominate the candidate who is weaker or who\naligns with their actual party more closely. They know that their party\u2019s\nnominee will have a better chance to defeat the weaker opponent that they\nhelped nominate, or if their party\u2019s nominee loses, they will have helped elect\nthe candidate who more closely aligns with their actual party. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Tennessee has become a\nsolidly Republican State. There are fewer and fewer competitive\nDemocrat primaries (competitive means that there are two or more candidates\nrunning in a primary) and more and more competitive Republican\nprimaries. Because of this,\nthe number of times that it makes sense for Democrats to engage in mischief\nvoting in Republican primaries is much greater than the number of times it\nmakes sense for Republicans to engage in mischief voting in Democrat primaries.<\/strong> \nThis means that Tennessee\u2019s effectively open primary system works against\nRepublicans in more cases than against Democrats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n How much mischief\nvoting occurs in Tennessee\u2019s primaries? Is it enough to affect the\nresults?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Because Tennessee\nvoters do not currently register their party affiliation, it is nearly\nimpossible to precisely quantify mischief voting from voting records.<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, it is\npossible to estimate the level of mischief voting by examining voters who\nswitch back and forth across primary elections. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In what may be the\nfirst study of its kind, an analysis was performed of statewide voting records\nover the last 10 years (2008 to 2018). The study was only for\nstate-level elections (Governor, U.S. Senator, U.S. House, TN Senate and TN\nHouse). This study included 3 Presidential primaries and 6 August\nPrimaries, for a total of nine state and federal primaries. The study did not\nanalyze county level elections (a very difficult task). The study\nfound the following facts:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Total Registered\nVoters: 4,071,710 (100.0%)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Registered Voters who\nnever voted: 889, 277 (21.8%)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Voters who voted only\nin general elections: 1,004,888 (24.7%)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Voters who voted\nnon-partisan* in Primaries: 30,988 (0.8%)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Voters who voted only\nin Republican Primaries: \n1,183,427 (29.1%)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Voters who voted only\nin Democrat Primaries: 657,915 (16.2%)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Voters who voted in\nboth R and D Primaries: 305,215 (7.5%)<\/p>\n\n\n\n * Non-partisan means\nthey voted in a primary but did not select a Republican nor Democrat primary\nballot. This means they voted on some other matter besides nominating\nRepublican or Democrat candidates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The sad state of\naffairs is that 21.8% of registered voters have never participated in state or\nfederal elections after they register to vote. Further, another 24.7% of\nregistered voters did not participate in primaries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The key finding\nregarding closed primaries, though, is found when we look at the percentages\nfor just primary voters:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Voters who\nparticipated in at least one R or one D Primary: 2,146,557 (100% <\/p>\n\n\n\n Voters who voted only\nin Republican Primaries (Republicans): \n1,183,427 (55.1%)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Voters who voted only\nin Democrat Primaries (Democrats): 657,915 (30.6%)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Voters who voted in\nboth R and D Primaries (Mixed voters): 305,215 (14.2%)<\/p>\n\n\n\n The key finding is the\nlast line above: 14.2% of the voters have participated in at least\none Republican Primary AND at least one Democrat primary. This 14.2% of\n\u201cmixed\u201d voters is more than enough to\nswing many primary elections<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The issue becomes more\nsevere when you drill down to county level percentages. The\npercentage of mixed voters varies from a low of 7.6% (Fayette County) up to\n31.9% (Perry County). <\/p>\n\n\n\n A mixed voter could be\nindependents voting in both Republican and Democrat primaries. Some of\nthe mixed voters could be voters who have truly switched parties during the\nstudy period. Some of the mixed voters are those who are engaging\nin purposeful mischief voting — purposefully voting in the primary of the\nparty to which they do not have allegiance in order to affect who is selected\nas that other party\u2019s nominee. Without polling these voters, it is\nimpossible to estimate the percentage of each type of mixed voters. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n Regardless, it is\nclear that a significant number of voters without allegiance to a specific\nparty are participating in that party\u2019s primary elections. This is both\nunethical and illegal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Further, if county primaries\nwere studied, based on anecdotal evidence, the percentages of mixed voting\nwould be much higher. The levels of mischief voting will vary by county\nand will likely be higher in solid Republican districts and solid Democrat\ndistricts. Such a study would be costly and difficult (because\ncounty level data is not consistent across counties and is not collected by the\nstate — making it necessary to collect county level data from all 95 counties\nindividually).<\/p>\n\n\n\n What is being proposed\nto \u201cclose\u201d the primaries? What are the details?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n A bill is currently\nbeing drafted. The proposed outline of the bill is as follows:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Voters who wish to\nparticipate in the primaries must specify their party affiliation when they\nregister to vote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Exception: For voters currently registered when the law\ntakes effect, they will be able to register their party affiliation at the\nfirst statewide primary in which they vote after the law takes effect, without\nhaving to do so in advance. After that\nfirst statewide primary, registered voters who wish to be affiliated with a\nparty and thus vote in that party\u2019s primary must register (or re-register)\nusing current registration processes (e.g., county election offices, DMV, and\nonline).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Voters may only vote\nin the primary of the party to which they are registered on the registration\ndeadline date.<\/p>\n\n\n\n County election\nofficials must certify that a candidate in a primary election is registered to\nthat party at the time they \u201cpull their papers\u201d to qualify to run. The proposal is that this registration be in\naddition to existing candidate qualification processes of the parties. Parties will still be able to use other\ncriteria, such as examining the candidate\u2019s primary voting history and other\ncriteria, to determine if the candidates are \u201cbona fide\u201d members of their party\naccording to the party by-laws.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Voters may only vote\nin the primary of the party to which they are registered on the registration\ndeadline date.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Election officials\nmust maintain the history of the changes to a voter\u2019s party affiliation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the future, it is\npossible that the parties may be asked to confirm the party membership of\nvoters prior to the elections. There are many logistical questions\nto be answered before considering such a step. Further, implementing\nthat much change all at once could be too confusing and complicated for the\nparties and for voters. Thus, for now, it is proposed that voters\nself-declare their party allegiance without requiring approval of the party to\nwhich they are identifying.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here are some further\nquestions and answers about the process:<\/p>\n\n\n\n What happens if a\nvoter decides not to register with either party? <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Voters who decide not\nto register with either party (\u201cnon-affiliated voters\u201d) will not be able to\nvote in the primaries. Technically, they should not be voting in\nthe primaries under current law. They will, of course, be able to vote in\nall general elections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Will a voter be able\nto change their party registration after they make their initial choice?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Yes. They can change their\nparty registration with their county election commission. However, the party affiliation on their\nregistration record on the date that registration ends for a primary election\nwill determine the primary in which they can vote. Voters must make\nany change on or before the registration deadline of the next primary election.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Is there a limit to\nhow many times a voter can change their party registration?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n No. Voters\nmay change their party registration as many times as they wish. It\nis very likely the vast majority of voters will select a party and stay with\nthat party for many primary election cycles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Will this change\nreally stop mischief voting? Won\u2019t those mischief voters just change\ntheir registration multiple times before and after primaries and thus still\nengage in mischief voting?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n No process is 100%\nfool-proof. Technically, a person who is intent on mischief voting\nand who takes the time to re-register in advance of the primaries will still be\nable to switch back and forth from election to election. It is believed\nthat a very small percentage of highly partisan voters (e.g., party leaders and\ncampaign workers) will be aware of the opportunity for mischief voting and will\ntake the time and energy to strategically re-register before each primary\nregistration deadline. It is likely that, under the current system,\nthe vast majority of mischief voters are not planning their voting strategy\nuntil just before the primary election. Instead, they are deciding\nto engage in mischief voting just prior to actually going to the polls. \nThe advance registration requirement will eliminate last minute mischief\nvoters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Will requiring party\nregistration \u201csuppress the vote\u201d or \u201cdisenfranchise\u201d voters?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n No. There are\ntwo parts to this answer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n a. A person\u2019s right\nto vote applies only to general elections. Participation in a primary is\na privilege of membership in the party under that party\u2019s fourth amendment\nrights of free association.<\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n Do you think it would\nbe right if the members of the Kiwanis Club were allowed to vote for the\nPresident of the Lion\u2019s Club or vice versa? Or why would people who are\nnot members of either club have a vote in who becomes the President of either\nclub?<\/p>\n\n\n\n The same is true for\nthe primaries. They are for members of the parties only. \nUnder current Tennessee law, a person who is not a \u201cbona fide\u201d member of a\nparty does not have the \u201cright\u201d to participate in the private primary election\nof that political party. <\/p>\n\n\n\n No one is being\ndisenfranchised by asking them to register their party affiliation and vote\nonly in the primary of that party. In fact, a person who has\nparticipated in a party\u2019s primary and who does not have some allegiance to that\nparty has acted dishonestly, has disrespected the fourth amendment rights of that\nparty and has technically broken Tennessee law (they were not a \u201cbona fide\u201d\nmember of that party). <\/p>\n\n\n\n Everyone gets a vote\nin the GENERAL ELECTION as to who will actually be elected to the office. \nNo one is restricting that right, which is guaranteed under the U.S. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Constitution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n b. Open or closed\nprimaries do not affect voter turnout.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Whether primaries are\nopen or closed does not affect voter turnout. The five states with the highest\nvoter turnout include both open and closed primary states. The five states with\nthe lowest voter turnout include both open and closed primary states. https:\/\/247wallst.com\/special-report\/2018\/09\/24\/states-with-the-highest-voter-turnout-3\/2\/<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n Highest turnout states\n\u2013 Minnesota, New Hampshire, Colorado, Wisconsin, and Lowest turnout states\n– Hawaii, West Virginia, Tennessee, New Mexico (closed), and Texas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What are conventions\nand caucuses? Where do they fit in?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Generally, conventions\nand caucuses are meetings at which members of a political party select their\ncandidates who will appear on the general election ballot. The\nmethods used to select candidates can vary widely from state to state.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In Tennessee, Rule G\nof the Tennessee Republican Party\u2019s By-laws gives the Executive Committee of\neach county the authority to decide whether or not Republican candidates for\nlocal or county offices should be nominated and, if so, whether by party\nprimary or convention. In counties of less than 100,000 people, the\nconvention is attended by individual members of the party who must meet certain\ncriteria. In counties of more than 100,000 people, caucuses are held\nacross the county to select delegates from each part of the county to attend\nthe convention. The delegates and the party members who select them\nmust also meet certain criteria. The delegates attend the convention\n(rather than individual members) to nominate the candidates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The county parties\nmust cover the cost of conventions and caucuses. Thus, the county parties\nmust be well-funded to conduct conventions and caucuses. Conventions\nalso require the county party to be well-organized and well-staffed with\nleaders and volunteers — particularly in larger counties where caucuses must\nalso be organized in advance of the convention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When a county chooses\nto select county and local candidates by convention, voters in that county\nstill participate in the statewide primary elections for State Representative,\nState Senator, Governor, U.S. House and U.S. Senate. The difference for\nthese counties is that the county level seats will not appear on the primary\nballot. Thus the issue of \u201cmischief voting\u201d still exists for the\nstatewide primary elections in counties which utilize conventions for their\ncounty offices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A few county\nRepublican parties successfully conducted county conventions in the 2018\nelection cycle, but historically conventions have been rarely used.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One long-term solution\nfor closing the primaries is to conduct state-wide conventions. To make this happen, the following must be\ntrue: <\/p>\n\n\n\n 1) Party structures\nwould have to be established in every county <\/p>\n\n\n\n 2) The county party\nleaders and volunteers need to be well organized and <\/p>\n\n\n\n 3) The county parties\nneed to be well funded. <\/p>\n\n\n\n These conditions do\nnot exist for either of the major political parties at this time. \nEven the Republican Party is not organized in all 95 counties. Thus\nprimaries, and the issue of \u201cmischief voting\u201d for state-level races, will\ncontinue to exist for the foreseeable future, regardless of whether conventions\nare used in county party elections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n CONTACT\nYOUR ELECTED REPRESENTATIVES<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n“Do you know how to\ncatch wild pigs?”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n The professor asked the young man\nwhat was the matter. The student told him he had a bullet lodged in his back.\nHe had been shot while fighting communists in his native country who were\ntrying to overthrow his country’s government and install a new communist\nregime. In the midst of his story, he looked at the professor and asked a\nstrange question. He asked: “Do you know how to catch wild pigs?”
\nThe professor thought it\nwas a joke and asked for the punch line. The young man said that it was no\njoke. “You catch wild pigs by finding a suitable place in the woods and\nputting corn on the ground. The pigs find it and begin to come every day to eat\nthe free food”.
\n “When they are used to coming\nevery day, you put a fence down one side of the place where they are used to\ncoming. When they get used to the fence, they begin to eat the corn again and\nyou put up another side of the fence”. “They get used to that and\nstart to eat again.
\n You continue until you have all four\nsides of the fence up with a gate in the last side”. “The pigs, which\nare used to the free corn, start to come through the gate to eat that free corn\nagain. You then slam the gate on them and catch the whole herd”.
\n “Suddenly the wild pigs have\nlost their freedom. They run around and around inside the fence, but they are\ncaught. Soon they go back to eating the free corn. They are so used to it that\nthey have forgotten how to forage in the woods for themselves, so they accept\ntheir captivity.”
\n The young man then told the\nprofessor that is exactly what he sees happening in America. The government\nkeeps pushing us toward Communism\/Socialism and keeps spreading the free corn\nout in the form of programs such as supplemental income, tax credit for\nunearned income, tax exemptions, tobacco subsidies, dairy subsidies, payments\nnot to plant crops (CRP), welfare entitlements, medicine, drugs, etc., while we\ncontinually lose our freedoms, just a little at a time as the government forces\nus to participate in many of these programs whether or not we want to.
\n One should always remember two\ntruths: There is no such thing as a free lunch, and you can never hire someone\nto provide a service for you cheaper than you can do it yourself. If you see\nthat all of this wonderful government “help” is a problem confronting\nthe future of democracy in America, you might want to share this with your\nfriends.
\nGod help us all when the gate slams shut!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nMaine (closed)<\/p>\n\n\n\n