An investigative audit done by the state of Tennessee Comptroller of the Treasury and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation revealed that the Crump Police Department in Hardin County failed to account for at least 343 pills, according to an audit report.

The audit said that the investigation was part of the ongoing process of examining the records of municipalities. Done in cooperation with the TBI, the investigation included an inventory of contraband property and focused primarily on the period of July 1, 2008, through Aug. 31, 2011.

“Our investigative audit revealed that at least 343 pills seized by the Crump Police Department … were not in evidence and were unaccounted for,” Dennis F. Dycus, the Treasury’s director of municipal audit, said in a letter to the Crump mayor and board of aldermen. “Initially, the police chief discovered that several contraband drugs awaiting transport to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation laboratory for testing were missing.

I will admit, I have no idea how such things works, but honestly, I would think that such a large number of pills vanishing would have been noticed fairly quickly.  Crump is a very small town, quite rural.  Shoot, you can’t even really call it a town.  One stop light, a couple of gas station/c-stores, and a flea market.  Like I said, not much of a town.  The police department is small, so losing a large number of pills in the office would be just a WEE bit suspicious.  This does not bode well for the community.

Tennessee lawmakers moved Wednesday toward ousting the Occupy Nashville encampment from the grounds of the state Capitol, after a legislator said action is needed to stop the “theft” of a public place.

A subcommittee in the House of Representatives approved a measure that would bar camping on state property without permission, taking the first step toward giving Gov. Bill Haslam the legal authority to remove the approximately four dozen tents erected on War Memorial Plaza. The move puts the legislature on track to authorize removal of the encampment within a matter of weeks.

A representative for the Occupy Nashville protest tried to convince the House Judiciary subcommittee that the tents are a form of protest that should be protected by the First Amendment. But members acted unanimously to endorse removing an encampment that the measure’s sponsor, state Rep. Eric Watson, R-Cleveland, said has fostered crime, lewdness and unsanitary conditions since it began in October.

I am honestly surprised that Tennessee has allowed those nasty beings to continue to camp on PUBLIC property!  I’m all for 1st Amendment rights, but these pigs have gone beyond ‘freedom of speech’ into, what some might consider, debauchery.  The Occupy bunch have a rather colorful history of filth and crime.

Tents are NOT a 1st Amendment issue.  They are inanimate objects, and have no voice.  Those who put those tents up have every right to express their opinions.  They do NOT have the right to hinder others from making use of the plaza that is owned by ALL the people of Tennessee.  It is past time for these children to go home, get cleaned up, and grow up!  Nobody OWES you a damn thing!

You might expect Tennessee’s senators to clash with President Barack Obama on most of their congressional votes.

After all, Republican Sens. Lamar Alexander and Bob Corker are no fans of the president’s policies.

After the president’s State of the Union address Tuesday, Alexander nicknamed the nation’s economic doldrums the “Obama economy,” and according to Bloomberg, Corker told its next-day breakfast panel the speech signaled “that for the next year we’re really not going to do much.”

But Alexander and Corker voted in line with Obama’s positions 63 percent and 61 percent of the time last year, respectively — more often than all but a few other Republican senators.

I know I can’t be the only person in the state of Tennessee who KNOWS we need new Senators!  Last go round, I couldn’t, in good conscience, vote for Alexander.  I didn’t vote for the other guy either.  I just left it blank.  This time, Corker is up for re-election, and once again, unless we have someone who actually reflects the values of Tennesseans, instead of the elites of D.C., I won’t be able to cast my vote for him either!

I honestly wish we could find a CONSERVATIVE primary challenger.  I have asked at least one person I know who would make a great Senator, but he has other obligations right now.    Perhaps Marsha Blackburn could challenge him?  At least she hasn’t fallen so far into the trap of D.C. insider politics, she can’t see the light!    Hmm….  I wonder if Stacey Campfield would be up for the challenge?  Just a thought!

How can we have any trust in our representatives who vote so overwhelmingly WITH a man/child whose sole purpose seems to be the destruction of our nation?  The answer is quite simple.  We can’t.

As you may know, today marks the start of this year’s legislative session. And just a few minutes ago in the Old Supreme Court Chambers, I announced my 2012 legislative package aimed at moving Tennessee forward. This year, my focus remains: working to make Tennessee the No. 1 state in the Southeast for high quality jobs. We hope to get closer to this goal through economic development efforts, meaningful education reform, a more efficient and effective state government and improved public safety. Our 2012 legislative package is aimed at impacting key issues that are absolutely crucial to tackle now. Here’s a sampling of these issues:

• Strengthening the Department of Economic and Community Development’s FastTrack program by budgeting more for the grant program and giving the department more flexibility in utilizing those grants to attract and grow Tennessee jobs
• Lowering the state portion of the sales tax on food from 5.5 percent to 5.0 percent over three years.
• Providing innovation opportunities to local school districts by eliminating the outdated requirement of state and local salary schedules based strictly on seniority and training.
• Taking a first step in reaching my goal of raising the state’s inheritance tax exemption from $1 million to $5 million by increasing it to $1.25 million to lower the burden on family farmers and family business owners as these businesses span generations
• Restructuring a number of state boards and commissions to eliminate duplicative functions and provide more accountability and oversight of these agencies
• Addressing a number of public safety issues including prescription drug abuse, tougher sentencing for certain types of gang-related crimes, tougher sentencing for gun possession by those with prior violent felony convictions and mandatory jail time for repeat domestic violence offenders
• Updating and reforming the state’s antiquated employment system through the TEAM Act (Tennessee Excellence Accountability and Management) by simplifying the hiring process, providing flexibility to retain and reward outstanding employees and streamlining the appeals process for employees. Watch a video detailing some of the employment issues facing the state »

These examples just scratch the surface of what we’re working on in 2012. I hope you’ll visit forward.tn.gov to learn more and watch a video about some of the issues with our state’s employment system. Thanks so much for your support and please feel free to share your feedback.

Best,

Bill  (source)

Why would it take the state 3 years to lower taxes on food from 5.5 to 5.0?  They can raise the tax in a day but can’t lower it?  Riiiiight.  Paying tax on food, which is a necessity, is absurd to begin with, but to piddle around lowering the tax?  That’s just ridiculous! 

Senate Speaker Ron Ramsey expects Tennessee will put in place a law that requires drug tests for people drawing government assistance or workers’ compensation. Other high-ranking Republicans aren’t so sure.

What’s not to be sure about?

The House speaker and the governor have voiced concerns about the cost and whether federal rules that govern the programs, including food stamps and welfare, give the state enough flexibility to start drug-testing programs that can survive a legal challenge.

Well, what you do, see, is take the cost out of whatever monetary benefits said testee will be getting. Yup. Charge them for the test. If they pass, fine. If they fail, just think how much money the state would save by not paying said benefits for the flunker. Our hard earned money should not be supporting someone’s drug habit. So, what’s the problem?

Ramsey, R-Blountville, recently told the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce that a similar proposal last legislative session carried a $12 million price tag but did not take into account the savings the state or employers will see from cutting off benefits to drug users.

See? It really would come out to our benefit. And, like I said, make the testee pay for the test. If they want state and federal benefits, then while they are looking for employment, they should be stone cold sober, right? Not to mention the test should be given on a monthly basis, with the cost being deducted from any compensation they’d receive.

“This is your money that we’re trying to protect here,” Ramsey told the business group. “Folks, we don’t need to give any support to that lifestyle.”

Ramsey said he’s confident that lawmakers will be able to make a strong case based on other states’ experience that the proposal would be revenue neutral.

Why, oh why, isn’t Ron Ramsey our governor instead the RINO we got? sigh….

House Speaker Beth Harwell said that while she agreed with the aim of the drug-testing proposal, addressing the state’s financial picture is a bigger priority.

“With the budgetary constraints that we face in this state, we want to make sure that those who are receiving assistance from the state are qualified and are doing everything they personally can do to take care and provide for themselves,” said Harwell, a Nashville Republican. “I think there will be a thorough discussion, but I think it’s too early to predict whether it will pass.”

If our state legislators don’t give a damn about spending OUR money on junkies and drunks, then I really don’t think they should be sitting in Nashville with the power to take from us, and give to them, do you? How about we use some common sense once in a while? The state’s financial picture includes giving benefits to people who don’t deserve them. I’d say that’s a pretty big priority as well, and it would end up saving US in the long run.

Gov. Bill Haslam said recently that he hasn’t seen specifics of the proposal but that there are still a series of questions that need to be addressed.

“We need to see what sort of federal leeway we have there, and I haven’t gotten that data back yet,” he said. “And No. 2, who would implement that and how would it be implemented?”

Ya know, Haslam is pretty nice guy, but I’m not all that impressed with him in a leadership role. Those questions that need to be addressed includes how much will this save the state of Tennessee in the long run. I’d say, quite a bit. And honestly, has anyone looked at the 10th Amendment lately? Stop handing over power that belongs to the state to the feckless…I mean federal government. Sheesh!

Florida became the first state to enact drug testing for welfare applicants since Michigan tried and failed more than a decade ago. Michigan’s random drug-testing program for welfare recipients lasted five weeks in 1999 before it was halted by a judge, kicking off a four-year legal battle that ended with an appeals court ruling it unconstitutional.

How is it unconstitutional? If that’s the case, then no company should be allowed to drug test either. If I own a company, I’m going to make sure I don’t have people who are high working in my business. It’s BAD for the business, and there are major safety concerns. The same should apply for those getting “free stuff”. It shouldn’t be free to them. Drug use is a crime.  Why reward criminal behavior?  They should earn the benefits! I’m kind of fed up with judges making decisions contrary to the will of the people. This is one area where Newt is right. These libtards bozos have no business changing the laws to suit THEIR political agenda.  They do NOT have that power, however, they have taken it away from the people.  Oklahoma is a good example.

H/T: Rod Williams via Facebook

Gov. Bill Haslam is calling for more study of Tennessee’s new process for evaluating teachers, in a bid to head off legislative action spurred by complaints over the system’s fairness and practicality.

Haslam said Wednesday that he has appointed SCORE, a Nashville advocacy group that pushed for reforms to teacher evaluations, to conduct a formal review of how well the state’s new system is working. The review will coincide with an internal analysis by the Tennessee Department of Education.

The study comes after state lawmakers, including some fellow Republicans, questioned whether efforts to grade teacher performance are being rolled out haphazardly. Haslam defended the new system and urged lawmakers not to take action until after the state and SCORE reports have been delivered.

All teachers need to be evaluated.  If they are unionistas, they need to be examined even more closely!  I’d also like to exactly what they are teaching, how much common knowledge is being taught, so while they are examining the teachers, they also might want to take a real good look at the teacher’s curriculum.

I have no idea what exactly is entailed in this plan, but I’d suggest that looking back over the years on how well each teacher’s students have done in their classroom would be a real good start.  If the large majority of students are learning, then I’d say that teacher is doing fairly well.  If not, then odds are, that particular teacher sucks, and should find a different line of work.

If the system that Gov Haslam came up with needs tweaking, then, by all means, have at it, as long as students are learning what they need to know to survive when they hit the REAL world.  It would also be nice if they were learning the TRUE history of the country, civics, and a bit of ethics.  These seem to be sorely lacking in today’s education.  Teaching the to recycle is all well and fine, but without some knowledge of our past, the kids will undoubtedly continue on the path of what we are seeing today with the likes of OWS and Obamabots.  Ignorance is NOT bliss!  It’s dangerous!

Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.) on Friday morning said GOP presidential candidate Rick Perry is pushing for a Congress that works just half of its time in Washington, and the other half at members’ local Wal-Mart.

Congratulations Memphis! Once again, you make Tennessee appear to be full of idiots by continuing to elect this bozo to Congress! Stevie, I’m afraid you aren’t qualified to work at Wally World. You’d have to have at least a little bit of common sense to be hired

Speaking on the House floor, Cohen was critiquing a GOP bill that could come up next week that would require Congress to approve all federal regulations. Cohen said this would require Congress to be in session even longer, which goes against candidate Perry’s prescription for a half-time Congress.

Actually, no, it wouldn’t. Well, it wouldn’t if y’all actually did the job you were hired to do, and stay out of OUR business. You’d have plenty of time if y’all just stop creating more useless programs, spending money that isn’t yours, and WE don’t have.

“How can we work half-time under President Perry?” Cohen asked. “We’d have to be working time and a half. And we know there’s not enough money for overtime, and President Perry doesn’t want us to do that, he wants us to get a separate job when we go home.

Heaven forbid if y’all were actually efficient, and could do the job set out in the Constitution, instead of playing games with the American taxpayers money. Personally, I’d like to see your salary cut in half, or maybe more!

“We go back to San Antonio, we work half-time as a congressman and half-time we work at Wal-Mart,” Cohen added. “That’s what he’s suggesting.”

Perry has suggested that Congress only work part-time in order to reduce Washington’s power and save money.

Dude, I’m not sure if you are aware of this or not, but San Antonio is in Texas, and YOU supposedly live in Tennessee. Why would you get a job in Texas? Maroon! Evidently, Cohen is not aware that Congress is SUPPOSE to be a part time job, not a life time career. Aren’t most of you idjits lawyers? How about you go home, and practice law. Heaven knows, y’all could use all the practice you can get! You’ve been getting rich off the sweat of OUR labors for long enough!

H/T: Maria

An overnight blaze in Adamsville completely destroyed three Main Street buildings, including the SawMeal Restaurant and Steakhouse, located at 142 East Main Street.

According to Lt. Kenny Brewer of the Adamsville Fire Department, Adamsville Fire and surrounding units battled the fire for hours and as of around 8:30 AM this morning, the cause of the fire was still undetermined and pending investigation.

“The fire is under control but there are still areas that are hot; still alot of smoke” said Brewer.

Along with the Saw Meal, that was completely destroyed, the Dance Academy adjacent to the Saw Meal and the Saw Meal’s large dining room were also declared completely destroyed in the fire. the Saw Meal’s Coffee shop and a tanning salon sustained heavy smoke and water damage.

Sad!  We haven’t been to the Saw Mill in quite a while due to, well, issues.  But while they may not have had the best food around, it was pretty darn good, with the type of friendly service you would expect in a Southern restaurant, and don’t get me started on their homemade cakes the size of a small house!  GOOD stuff!  I’m hoping there wasn’t any chicanery involved, and would be real happy to see them open back up in the not too distant future!

As an aside: I thought the name was Sawmill, but here it’s spelled Saw Meal, plus it’s listed both ways on Google. Oh well, no biggie.

I’m Zach Poskevich and I am running for United States Senate in the state of Tennessee because I cherish this country and I firmly believe we have an obligation to restore our government to the principles that our founding fathers intended. My life experiences have shaped who I am today, so let me tell you a little more about where I came from. I appreciate your interest in getting to know more about me.

Well now…  I think I just might have to look a bit further into this young fellow.  While Corker isn’t as much of a RINO as Lamar Alexander, he has not been as strong on conservative principles as many of us had hoped he would be.

I believe in American exceptionalism and make no apologies that our innovation and entrepreneurship have led to higher standard of living not just in America but around the world. America was founded on biblical principles and since its inception has been what President Reagan called, “a shining city upon a hill whose beacon light guides freedom-loving people everywhere.” Today, just 20 years later, many Americans do not understand the cost or the value of that freedom.

Yep, think I just might like this guy!

Sincerely,

Ronald L. Ramsey
Lieutenant Governor
Speaker of the Senate

Occupy Nashville protesters say they’re being mindful not to disturb the Southern Festival of Books, which is taking place this weekend on Legislative Plaza.

A small group of protesters have maintained occupation at the plaza with the blessing of the festival’s organizers since the event began on Friday. Today, that group will remain in place while a crowd of about 400 gathers in Public Square Park for a rally and march beginning at 1 p.m., said Occupy Nashville organizer Darlene Neal.

“We don’t want to interfere with the festival,” Neal said. “Our city needs the revenue and the tourism it creates.”

Well, ain’t that mighty nice of ‘em. Are they going to bathe for the occasion, or will they follow their brethren up there in New York, and bless the visitors with their stench? Just askin’.

Since last weekend, a core group of about 15 protesters have remained on site at Legislative Plaza 24/7 for Occupy Nashville, held in support of the Occupy Wall Street protesters in New York City.

15 huh? Apparently, there aren’t too many in Tennessee who are whiny enough to join in the fun. I’d like to think that Southern folks are more self reliant than those who live in predominately blue states, but those in Atlanta disabused me of that idea.  I wonder if Legislative Plaza will be as neat and tidy when they finally go home as the Tea Party folks always leaves it?

I noticed The Tennessean didn’t provide any pictures.  Hmmmm…..  Or maybe I just missed them.

The mayor of Whiteville, Tenn. said his community is under attack from a national atheist organization that is threatening to sue unless they remove a cross atop the town’s water tower.

“They are terrorists as far as I’m concerned,” said Mayor James Bellar about the Freedom From Religion Foundation. “They are alleging that some Whiteville resident feels very, very intimidated by this cross.”

The mayor told Fox News Radio that the cross was erected on the town’s water tower about eight years ago by a private group of citizens. They collected private donations to cover the costs.
It’s just a cross on the water tower,” he said. “All we’re doing is exercising our right to practice our beliefs down here but this organization is now going to stymie that. We’re not out here knocking on doors trying to convert people.”

But the Wisconsin-based Freedom From Religion Foundation said the cross is a violation of the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. They’ve given the mayor until the end of October to remove the cross. If he refuses, they have threatened to sue.

“The law is very clear on this,” Freedom From Religion Foundation co-president Dan Barker told Fox News Radio. “A secular city may not promote or hinder religion. We don’t have a problem with believers putting up crosses wherever they want, but this is a cross put up by the city on the city water tower.”

What law would that be? A group of private citizens put a cross on a water tower that they pay for through their own tax money. How is that breaking any law? And who says the city is secular? One thing I’ve learned since moving to Tennessee, there are few cities or towns that could be called secular. Oh sure, there might be a few folks who are idiots like the ‘Freedom from Religion’ bunch, but they are few and far between.

Us folks down here in the South would much appreciate it if you Yankees would keep your godless noses out of our business.  Y’all might want to look towards your own salvation, and stop messing in other peoples lives.  We know Who is in charge, and it ain’t you!