Marjorie Taylor Greene’s Divorce

As usual, the Georgia Congresswoman shows little acquaintance with the facts, this time, with her suggestion that red states should get a divorce from blue states.  She might want to look at which states are most dependent on federal funding – think red – generated by so-called donor states – think blue. 

In other words, her beloved red states would have to increase their taxes to pay for the services that are now funded by other states’ taxes.  After all, the red states are so callously run they have some of the worst indicators in the country – worst health, worst infant mortality, worst poverty, worst mental health, and more

If she plans to divorce blue states, she’s going to need alimony.

God and Guns

It’s become a favorite right wing talking point that the Second Amendment is God-given.  A senator referred to the right to bear arms as a gift from God, another politician said his political party was about God and guns, and another tracked the second amendment to the New Testament.

When I was a kid, we had “sword drills” in church.  That’s when someone called out a Bible verse and everyone competed to open a closed Bible and find the verse first.  In all of those sword drills, I never ran across a verse about God giving names to the animals and then giving humanity a gun to shoot them.

Meanwhile, back here at home, the Tennessee Legislature continues to memorialize itself as the most idiotic state legislature in the country.  The cognitive dissonance of its members is best seen in its determination to flood Tennessee’s cities with guns while acting incredulous about gun crimes at epidemic levels.

It’s enough to make the cynical among us to think that they are pouring more and more guns into Memphis so they can complain about how poorly run are “Democratic cities.”

Lee Harris v. Wanda Halbert

Wanda Halbert has the largest Greek chorus of people screaming for her to leave office of any elected official in many years.  The chorus includes the county commissioners and the thousands of people like me who spent four hours on the phone and three hours in line to get my new license. 

Tennessee Representative Mark White – who has a penchant for injecting state government into local government affairs – even proposed a state bill that would make it easy for voters to recall her – lowering the percentage of voters whose signatures are needed on a petition from 15% to 1%.  State law should not be personality-driven and if Mr. White believes 1% is the perfect percentage for a recall, would he be willing to apply it to himself?

The most recent shot taken at Ms. Halbert was by Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris who ordered her to find a new place to replace her Poplar Plaza office or face ouster.  Her response was that he is not her boss.

She’s right.  She is an independent elected official and hers is not an office under the mayor’s control.  Mayor Harris may be exploiting what he saw as a moment to gain political points but he overstepped his authority in this case.

Our Trans Kid Hating Legislators

In a world where we are sadly accustomed to audacious comment by politicians intent to stripping certain people of their rights as Americans, there’s nothing more infuriating than the statements made about trans kids. 

At the same time that right wingers are pushing the Parents Bill of Rights on the premise that parents need more involvement to make decisions about their children’s education, they take away parents’ authority to make decisions about their trans kids.  That’s the level of hypocrisy that is practiced on a daily basis.

One legislator said that they needed to pass the law because these trans children are in pain and need someone to protect them.  Here’s betting none of these sanctimonious, judgmental people have ever met a trans kid but if they are in pain, it’s because of the hate being directed at them by the people in elected office.

I know of a trans child who’s attending elementary school in Memphis.  He is happy and enjoying life like any child his age and here’s how much attention he’s received from his classmates – none. 

These legislators are obsessed with everyone’s genitals and they see everything – everything! – through a sexual lens.  Then they claim that it’s the people in drag shows that have dirty minds.

As for the boy attending school in Memphis, his parents are moving to Boston to eliminate the ignorant interference by the state in decision they make in the best interest of their child. 

It’s dispiriting to see how our state government is now used as an instrument of cruelty but this is now our world in Tennessee.  More to the point, it’s hard to imagine how these people can sleep at night as they continue to treat children as political pawns.

Doug McGowen’s Source of Information

New MLGW president Doug McGowen recently told his board that any change in electricity would require expensive changes in the transmission system.  This is a continuing point of dispute between the advocates of TVA and those in favor of looking for a new electricity provider.

Remarkably, with such a contentious issue, Mr. McGowen did not reveal the source of his information, and remarkably still is that no reporter asked him.

A Taxing Issue

In one of those petty exchanges that are more about politics than smart policy, the assessor’s office wrote the Blight Authority and threatened to tax the vacant properties that it turns into affordable housing. 

Clearly, it was a communications issue and the assessor’s office fired off the letter because it didn’t get the Blight Authority’s help soon enough to answer a question.  Allison Fouche, Mayor Strickland’s communication guru, put it right when she called it an “alleged issue.”

Taking It to Strickland

After years of practicing a brilliant brand of diplomacy to garner the support of Mayor Strickland for the rebirth of the Mid-South Coliseum, it seems obvious that it is now taking a different approach after the mayor talked of building an amateur soccer arena where the historic arena now sits.

The recent missives from the Coliseum Coalition take direct shots at the mayor’s grand plan to demolish the Coliseum and it appears that although it is still circumspect in its comments, the gloves are clearly off when it comes to the mayor. The Coalition has even pointed to multiple alternate locations for the soccer arena if the mayor is willing to have an open mind.

It’s easy to understand the group’s frustration.  For years, the Strickland Administration encouraged the Coliseum Coalition to soldier on with its plans, only to pull the rug out from under them with his soccer arena plans.

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