Summary: Featuring guests Reagan Farr, Commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Revenue and Andrew Hysell, director of the Campaign for Healthy Kids for Save the Children and Joan Randall, chair of the Tennessee Obesity Task Force..

Part 1: March 29, 2010 Bits and bobs of news from health care to buses, Mumpower to Haslam. Plus Al Gore gets it right, how much racism is part of the Anti-health insurance reform protests, and an interview with Commissioner Reagan Farr (he lets us call him “Commish”), of the Tennessee Department of Revenue [30.61MB download mp3]Download audio file (liberadio20100329part1.mp3)

Part 2: March 29, 2010 In this hour we interview Andrew Hysell, director of the Campaign for Healthy Kids for Save the Children and Joan Randall, chair of the Tennessee Obesity Task Force. We also hear two long-time news reporters hold national Republicans leaders to account for their ridiculous posturing and rampant hypocrisy – finally! – and we hear two Democratic state legislators hold state Republican leaders to account for the same. Plus, what should government do? Rep. Glen Casada (R-Franklin) thinks it should abandon it’s most precious resource. But Rep Sherry Jones (D-Nashville) disagrees. [18.8MB download mp3]
Download audio file (liberadio20100329part2.mp3)

One absolute is that government is for the people. Another is that government is in place to protect resources. The most obvious are our natural resources – potential, actual, renewable, or non-renewable – like land, ground water, drinking water, mineral fuels, mountains, forests, wildlife, etc..

A less obvious resource – but the state’s most valuable – is its people. Happy, healthy, productive people make a happy, healthy, and productive state. And a happy, healthy, and productive state always lands in the top ten when statistically ranking important areas like education, health, wealth, and employability.

Investing in its people when they need it most is the smartest thing a government can do.

Right now, Tennesseans are suffering record unemployment and are finding it difficult to feed their families. If we – represented by our government – don’t do something during this difficult time it sends a signal to our most precious resource that they are expendable.

In the video of a legislative debate on HB3206 that would have ended unemployment benefits for Tennessee families with dependent children, Rep. Glen Casada (R-Franklin) sends that signal.

Rep. Sherry Jones (D-Nashville ) pushes back though, because she understands that giving Tennesseans a hand up right now is the best investment we can make.

Thank you, Rep. Jones, for realizing the worth of our people.

T/F/B: Tennessee Democratic Party

More from Aunt B., Southern Beale, Left Wing Cracker, KnoxViews, and Speak to Power.

Pro-life Tennesseans ended the state Legislative session with an impressive win on a long sought priority: removal of preferential treatment for Planned Parenthood, the state’s largest promoter and provider of abortion services.

By strong majorities of 25-7 in the state Senate and 69-22 in the state House, pro-life legislators in both parties took action to remove language first placed into Tennessee law during the early 1970’s which specifically named abortion provider Planned Parenthood as an officially recognized adjunct to state family planning services.

In addition to removing the clause, pro-life legislators enacted language which mandates that the Tennessee Department of Health give priority and preference to local public health departments in the awarding of family planning funds rather than private, non-profit organizations.

If Fowler and his ilk continue to ignore the good work that Planned Parenthood does to reduce the number of unwanted pregnancies in Tennessee which thereby reducing the number of total abortions, then it’s only a matter of time before they will come after your contraceptives for the same purpose – to further their own myopic agenda.

Oh wait, they already are. Fowler knows that the Title X funds represented in this legislation cannot be used to end pregnancies and he also know that for nearly 40 years, Planned Parenthood in Tennessee has received Title X family planning dollars and have used the money to provide reproductive and sexual health care – including contraception – to over 11,500 men and women in Tennessee who could otherwise not afford it.

Better start stocking up on your prophylactics while you still can.

Watch the heroics of some of Tennessee’s Democratic legislators who tried to stop this “compromise bill” from passing.

Rep. JoAnne Favors (D-Chattanooga):

Rep. Brenda Gilmore (D-Nashville):

Chairman Mike Turner (D-Old Hickory):

Rep. Sherry Jones (D-Nashville):

Rep. Jeanne Richardson (D-Memphis):

Again, it still has to pass in the Senate so it’s time to get on the phone one more time. You can find your State Senator here. Once again, the message is: “I am counting on you to vote in favor of SB 1363, the Voter Confidence Act, when it comes to the floor for a vote.”

Dear Senator ______________,

I am a constituent of yours, and I would like to ask you to vote in favor of SB 1363, the Voter Confidence Act. It is expected to be ready for a floor vote in the next few days. If passed, this bill will ensure that we vote on durable paper ballots that are tallied by an optical scanner, and retained in a locked ballot box. These paper ballots also become the ballot of record in case a recount is necessary.

This new system will replace the touchscreen electronic voting machines, offering us verifiable ballots, no long lines at the polls, and a system that is less expensive for counties to use.

The cost of changing our voting equipment will be met with federal funds already held by our state.

I look forward to your voting YES to SB 1363. Thank you for your attention to my views on this critical issue.

Sincerely,
Name
Address
Phone Number

Go Senate!

It also might be nice to drop a quick note to your representative thanking them for their vote!

*Not to mention Jim Jones out in Williamson County, Jane Hardy, Lynn Williams, Shannon Williford, Linden Williford, Ann Williford, Holly Quick, Joe Irrera, Phil Scoggins, Elizabeth Barker, Chick Westover, Barbara Jones, Joyce Kisner, Mary Louise Linn, and Dave Thomas.