TENNESSEE CONGRESSIONAL ELECTIONS 2014- INCUMBENTS AND CHALLENGERS AND WHERE THEY STAND ON THE ISSUES: BY RUTH KING
http://www.familysecuritymatters.org/publications/detail/tennessee-2014-candidates-for-congress-where-they-stand?f=puball
Primary: August 7, 2014
To see the actual voting records of all incumbents on other issues such as Foreign Policy, Second Amendment Issues, Homeland Security, and other issues as well as their rankings by special interest groups please use the links followed by two stars (**).
U.S. Senate
Bob Corker (R) Next Election in 2018.
Lamar Alexander (R) Incumbent
http://www.lamaralexander.com/ http://www.alexander.senate.gov/public/
http://www.ontheissues.org/senate/lamar_alexander.htm**
HOT BUTTON ISSUES
HEALTHCARE
- Lamar Alexander gave opening remarks on behalf of all congressional Republicans in opposition to Obamacare. The senator told the president the proposal would raise individual premiums. President Obama disagreed, but multiple studies have proved Alexander correct.
- Lamar voted to repeal, defund or oppose Obamacare or its provisions every time on the U.S. Senate floor.
- Lamar supported the Cruz Amendment prohibiting federal funding for Obamacare.
- Lamar supported repeal of Obamacare’s “1099” provision.
- Lamar laid out principles of step-by-step health care reform that offered patients more choice and lowered health care costs.
- Lamar supported Repeal of the CLASS Entitlement Act.
ENERGY http://www.lamaralexander.com/finish-the-keystone-pipeline
Mr. President, There is simply no reason whatsoever for you to not move forward with a pipeline that would make us less reliant on oil from hostile countries and create thousands jobs for American workers. It is time to finish the Keystone XL pipeline! Apr 30, 2014 – “After five years of delays, there is simply no reason whatsoever for the president not to let the Keystone XL pipeline move forward,”
Gordon Ball (D) Challenger
HOT BUTTON ISSUES
IMMIGRATION Our country owes its very existence to immigrants. Immigrants to America have shed their blood for and died for our country in every war for almost 240 years. America is unique precisely because we embrace so many differences. That diversity makes us stronger, more innovative, and more creative. It always has. Our descendants were immigrants. We need common sense immigration reform that will contain two basic components:
- It must uphold existing laws, protecting our borders and enforcing our laws against recruiting, hiring, and exploiting undocumented workers.
- It must be fair to all taxpayers and to legal immigrants. We must have a fair and just path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, one that would require them to pay taxes and be registered before their path to citizenship begins.
HEALTHCARE Back in 1995, I had a heart attack. A month later, I had another one. That was nineteen (19) years ago. I’m healthy now. Of course, the medical bills piled up, but unlike many Americans, I had good health insurance and was also financially able to handle the enormous costs of medical care. However, many American families are financially ruined by catastrophic medical situations, which push them over the economic cliff. In the 21st century, American families should not have to choose between feeding, clothing and sheltering their children, or taking them to the doctor. In these tough economic times, Americans are fighting to maintain their health care coverage as premiums rise, insurance coverage falls, drug prices escalate, and health plans discriminate against those with chronic conditions. The Affordable Healthcare Act has a number of good provisions:
- Ending the practice of insurance companies denying people with preexisting conditions
- Allowing young people to stay on their parents’ insurance until age 26
- Providing tax breaks for small businesses who provide health care
- Preventing insurance discrimination against women
We cannot roll back these and other necessary provisions, because they are too important for American families. However, any legislation that is over 2,200 pages long and is administered by the IRS is, from its inception, way over-the-top. We must fix this, retaining provisions that benefit citizens and throwing out the bad ones. It is inconceivable to me that anyone in Congress read all of this bill before it was passed.
ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENT America’s path toward energy independence can create jobs and generate economic development in Tennessee and elsewhere. We can reduce our dependence on foreign oil, safeguard our environment, and increase the competitiveness of Tennessee manufacturing. From our growing clean energy industry, to our renowned public universities and cutting-edge manufacturers, as Senator, I will help Tennessee lead the way toward an energy independent future. My own analysis of dozens of other energy plans proposed over the past five years guides me to propose a ten-year national energy plan to:
- push the next generation of bio-fuels
- create a domestic bio-fuels industry through advances in biotechnology and cellulose-to-ethanol conversion
- advance commercialization of plug-in hybrids
- advance and promote development of commercial-scale renewable energy and technologies such as solar and wind
- invest in low-emission coal plants
- begin the transition to a digital electricity grid
- develop hydrogen fuel cells
- promote “green” buildings
- construct high-speed rail
- substitute part of the saved gas for oil or convert it to hydrogen
BALANCED BUDGET AMENDMENT I’m for a constitutional amendment that would require the federal government to balance its budget and restore fiscal discipline in Washington. The amendment would direct Congress to balance the federal budget each year and would require that federal spending not exceed revenues except in exceptional cases, such as when the nation is at war. It would also protect the Social Security Trust Fund by exempting it from the scope of the amendment.
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District 1
Phil Roe M.D. (R) Incumbent
http://roe4congress.com/ http://roe.house.gov/
http://www.ontheissues.org/house/Phil_Roe.htm** Rated -2 by AAI, indicating anti-Arab anti-Palestine voting record. (May 2012)
HOT BUTTON ISSUES
HEALTHCARE I voted against the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) in the 111th Congress, and have since been leading the charge to repeal the law and replace it with commonsense reforms. In just a short period of time, this flawed law has proven to be a disaster. There have been numerous technical problems with the ObamaCare website, millions of Americans have been forced out of insurance plans they liked, and patients are finding it harder to keep their doctors-just to name a few of the many problems. That is why I voted in favor of H.R. 45, legislation that would fully repeal the Affordable Care Act. Though supporters of the law claim it will lower health care costs, give more choice to Americans regarding their care, and offer a higher quality of services, this law will do – and is already doing – just the opposite. When Tennessee adopted TennCare-a proposal similar to the ACA-in the 1990s, it failed both to keep costs under control and to extend universal coverage. The cost of the program tripled within 10 years, putting an unbearable strain on the state budget. Additionally, access to health care for TennCare beneficiaries was poor. My top priority in Congress will continue to be the full repeal of this law, and its replacement with patient-centered health reforms.
IMMIGRATION E-Verify I am a proud cosponsor H.R. 1772, the Legal Workforce Act. This legislation aims to improve the E-Verify system and makes it mandatory for all U.S. employers. Currently, around 450,000 American employers use E-Verify. By requiring employers to use E-Verify, we would ensure that American citizens and legal residents would have priority for any employment opportunities. We must protect the integrity of the legal immigration process and eliminate incentives for aliens to skip the line and come here illegally.
SAVE ACT I am an original cosponsor of comprehensive legislation to reform our country’s immigration policies, H.R. 830, the SAVE Act. The SAVE Act offers a three-part plan to drastically reduce illegal immigration, which includes a strict emphasis on border security, the verification of an employee’s legal status, and increased enforcement of existing laws. H.R. 830 would hire 6,000 additional new Border Patrol agents and 1,150 new Immigration and Custom Enforcement agents. In addition, it provides the tools necessary to ensure the INS agents can successfully protect our borders, including additional vehicles, better infrastructure, new facilities, lighting units, weapons, and armor. The SAVE Act also expands E-Verify and makes it available for use by every employer over a four-year period. This will benefit employers because they will be able to efficiently check whether or not their employees are legally authorized to work in the United States.
ENERGY Voted for construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline without limiting amendments. To ease the pain at the pump and at the electric meter-and to free our nation from dependence on foreign oil-we must work toward energy independence. We must develop new supplies of American energy, including oil, natural gas, and coal. That means exploring for oil in Alaska, on the Outer Continental Shelf and in shale formations in the West. We should encourage the development of technologies that allow us to use our vast supply of coal in a more environmentally-responsible manner. And we should continue to develop our massive natural gas reserves. We must also develop and deploy alternative energy sources and technologies including wind, solar, geothermal and biomass energy. Reliable, emission-free nuclear power must also be part of the equation, and we should work to dispose of waste through a central disposal site or by reprocessing.
Michael Salyer (Libertarian) Challenger
https://www.facebook.com/SalyerForUSCongress
District 2
John “Jimmy” Duncan Jr. (R) Incumbent
http://duncan.house.gov/ http://www.ontheissues.org/house/Jimmy_Duncan.htm**
HOT BUTTON ISSUES
ENERGY AND ENVIRONME NT Voted for construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline without limiting amendments. Our economy could and should be booming today and would be were it not for government regulators and environmental radicals. Charles Lane, a columnist for the Washington Post, said climate change is “a rich man’s issue.” Charles Krauthammer, possibly the smartest analyst on issues today, said if we shut down the entire US, it would make almost no difference on carbon emissions, because China and India are opening up coal-fired plants at a rate of almost one a week between them, and Indonesia is the third largest emitter. Paul Driessen, in a column in the Washington Times, wrote that Earth’s average temperature hasn’t increased in 17 years, Arctic sea ice is back to normal following the coldest summer in decades, Antarctic ice is at a record high, tornado frequency is the lowest on record, droughts are shorter and less extreme than during the dust bowl of the 1950’s, and four of the five snowiest winters in the northern hemisphere in the last 50 years have occurred since 2008. Over 37,000 scientists and climatologists have signed a petition stating there is “no convincing scientific evidence” of man-made global warming.
IMMIGRATION Jul 11, 2014 | WATE-TV Rep. Jimmy Duncan calls for deployment of National Guard at U.S./Mexico border Issues: Immigration “If we don’t secure our borders, we won’t have a country,” Duncan told reporters Friday. “We’ll destroy America as we know it.”
Jul 11, 2014 | Knoxville News Sentinel Duncan calls for president to send troops to secure Mexican border Issues: Immigration “This is an emergency situation … it does not require more money, it requires immediate action with funds that are already available,” Duncan said.
Jul 9, 2014 | Knoxville News Sentinel – -Border funding won’t stop illegal crossings, Tennessee congressional delegation says Issues: Immigration – “There is no way that our country can hold the hundreds of millions of people who would come here in a very short time if we simply opened our borders and let everyone in,” Duncan said.
HEALTHCARE The “Affordable Care Act” was the socialist approach to health care, and all it will do over the long haul is make a bad situation even worse by putting the federal government between people and their doctors; this will only lead to a rationing of care, all sorts of inefficiencies and waste, and a declining quality of medical care for everyone. Some people have said that socialized medicine works well in Canada or in some other countries. Always these other countries have about five or ten percent of the population of the U.S., have much higher taxes, and do not have nearly the crime or illegal immigration problems that we have, so the comparisons are meaningless. The sad thing is that even as good as U.S. medical care is now, it would become much better and much less expensive if we could move more in the direction of a free market for medical care instead of in the direction toward more government control and more bureaucracy.
Bob Scott (D) Challenger
http://www.bobscottforcongress.com/ http://www.bobscottforcongress.com/index.php?
option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=35&Itemid=59
HOT BUTTON ISSUES
NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT The achieving of a goal by an immoral means (bombing of a civilian population is a war crime) always has consequences. In my opinion the successful conclusion of World War II resulted in the United States believing good could come from the use of military force and the possession of atom bombs. That belief has distorted our country’s policies for many years. 2. Regarding our nuclear arsenal The genie has been released from the bottle and it will not go back in. The possession of a huge number of nuclear weapons cannot be justified and the feeling of nuclear superiority the huge number of bombs engenders means there is always a temptation to use one or more. It is not possible now for all countries to dispose of all their A-bombs because it would be too easy for some small group or country to build A-bombs surreptitiously and become the most powerful country or group on earth until the other countries could rebuild some A-bombs. It would take a change of many attitudes but the best situation for the world- in my opinion- would be to scrap all the hydrogen bombs and plutonium bombs and keep only a number of U235 bombs that would not destroy the world if they were all used. (U235 bombs do not deteriorate with time- although the explosive charges would have to be replaced periodically.) The A-bombs should be allocated among the UN Security Council permanent members, their use should be prohibited by international law and their security should be regulated tightly. This would require that the United States give up the desire to have overwhelming force compared to the rest of the world and there would be a lot of domestic opposition. It would also require that the other countries that have recently developed A-bombs give up the bombs and the capability to make them and agree to inspections. The other Security Council countries might agree to a consensus allocation that gave the United States a somewhat greater number than the other countries so the United States and the rest of the world could feel secure.
HEALTHCARE It is a disgrace for the United States to have people within our country who cannot get the medical treatment they need because it is too expensive for them. I am currently covered by Medicare and it is a very good program except that it seems to underpay the physicians for some treatments. I favor a program similar to Medicare for everyone. I have heard that the United States spends more for health care per person than any other major country and I believe if the money were allocated rationally that everyone could be covered. The Affordable Care Act is a good start toward improving the health of all our people. There are bound to be start-up problems and we need a US representative who will try to improve it instead of someone who will just vote no no no no no………………………………..no………..no no…………………………… I believe the Medicare prescription drug program should be completely revamped. I favor a national federal medical records program. Physicians would not have to maintain large filing systems and medical records would have continuity and completeness that they do not have now. Currently if you go to several physicians and if you have gone to physicians in the past your medical records are hopelessly confused or lost if you want a comprehensive overview. When a physician retires the patient records are kept for a few years (5 years?) and then destroyed- with modern communications and computers we can preserve medical records and keep them usefully organized.
ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENT Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide from fossil fuels – There is uncertainty regarding how quickly and in what exact way the climate is changing and will change. The one undeniable fact is this: The percentage of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is increasing steadily year after year due to human activity and the increased carbon dioxide WILL have an effect on the climate. The increased carbon dioxide in the air will increase the average surface temperature of the earth and the weather will change in a manner that cannot be easily predicted. I propose funding development of a computer model for the earth’s weather and climate that will allow well informed decisions regarding the effects of burning fossil fuels and other processes that may affect the climate and allow evaluation of remedial measures that will be effective and in conjunction, I propose funding a massive weather collecting system worldwide to gather sufficient data so we can really understand and accurately predict the weather and climate.
Moving to solar – The earth is blessed with a great fusion reactor in the sky- our sun. All the energy from fossil fuels is solar energy stored up through the eons. It is time for us to take our energy directly from the sun and stop removing fossil fuels from the ground (unless they are to be raw materials for plastics or other products). thaitI propose a research and development project along with subsidized manufacturing for solar cells for home roofs. The goal would be to develop a reasonably efficient, inexpensive solar cell that could be installed by ordinary roofers. The solar cells would need to be connected to a transducer that would allow them to put energy into the power grid. Once a market is developed private enterprise will drive the costs down- as it is doing now. To give an idea of scale, if the money spent on the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq had been used for solar cells we could have a solar cell array on every house in our country and our energy problems would be over. With real leadership such an effort is not out of reach but we won’t get there with our current House of Representatives.
Global warming – Climate change will be the result of global warming but there is no need to sugar coat what is happening and use a euphemism- we are experiencing global warming due to burning fossil fuels ( and to some extent cement making). Warming of the oceans will result in more moisture in the air and the rest is conjecture (some conjecture is much better than some other conjecture). It is a simple calculation for a chemical engineer to show that about half of the carbon dioxide released into the air by burning of coal, oil and natural gas is remaining in the atmosphere. The other half is mostly dissolved in the oceans. The carbon dioxide increase in the atmosphere does increase the average temperature of the earth’s surface. There are other things and events that effect the earth surface temperature but the carbon dioxide does increase the average surface temperature of the earth. What is the effect of increased carbon dioxide dissolved in the surfaces of the oceans? More acid ocean surfaces will result which will change the habitat of many creatures. A look at our sister planet Venus with a mostly carbon dioxide atmosphere should remove any doubt as to whether or not a high carbon dioxide atmosphere can change a planet’s surface temperature. The surface temperature of Venus is 863 degrees F. Without carbon dioxide- all other things remaining the same- the surface temperature of Venus would be about -40 degrees F. The average surface temperature of the earth is about 58 degrees F but it would be about 0 degrees F without the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere (note that the oceans would be frozen).
District 3
Chuck Fleischmann (R) Incumbent
http://www.chuckforcongress.com/ http://fleischmann.house.gov/
http://www.ontheissues.org/house/Chuck_Fleischmann.htm** Rated -4 by AAI, indicating anti-Arab anti-Palestine voting record. (May 2012)
HOT BUTTON ISSUES
ENERGY Voted for construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline without limiting amendments. Currently, the United States imports the bulk of its oil from the Middle East and other politically unstable nations. It is imperative to our national security that the United States becomes energy independent. In order to do so, comprehensive energy legislation is needed. I believe that environmentally safe energy exploration in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Reserve (ANWR) and the Outer Continental Shelf is an important component of this comprehensive energy legislation. Furthermore, I believe that nuclear power constitutes a safe, effective, and environmentally friendly way to produce energy for our country. Greater reliance on nuclear power will result in a reduction of importing oil from nations friendly to terrorists. Nuclear power creates jobs, provides large amounts of energy at a time when energy costs are so high, and strengthens our national security and economic stability. A critical part of this is our own Anderson County, specifically Oak Ridge.
IMMIGRATION An estimated 15 to 20 million illegal immigrants currently reside in the United States. I do not support rewarding these illegal immigrants with amnesty. In 1986, when legislation was passed granting general amnesty, the illegal immigrant population quadrupled. America’s current immigration policies are not working. Change is needed. I am convinced that our country’s border security is paramount to our nation’s security. The security of America’s southern border can be improved by increasing the number of border enforcement agents, completing and enhancing the current fence and implementing the use of new technology.
HEALTHCARE Many Americans are currently living without health insurance. Health insurance has become too expensive because health care has become too expensive. It has become a terrible cycle. When people do not have health insurance, they do not make use of preventative health services. They delay acquiring health care and become more likely to visit the emergency room for non-urgent needs. This drives the cost of health care up which in turn drives the cost of health insurance up. Yet, despite the increasing cost, our current health care system has many positive attributes. We need to build upon these. But, there are also changes that can be made to our current health care system that would not only lower costs but also provide patients with the care that they need, want and deserve. A government run health insurance program is not the answer. It would take control away from the doctors. It would threaten employer sponsored health insurance. But, most importantly, it would limit individual choices. Government run health insurance does not work. It doesn’t work in the countries that have it. It won’t work in America. I believe that America’s health care system is worth saving. I believe that its problems can be resolved in such a way that no one loses their current health insurance or their right to choose their own doctor. But, our solutions must be fiscally responsible so that affordable health care can be expanded to include both early detection and prevention yet not limit patient choice and patient-doctor control. We must reform malpractice law to eliminate both excessive medical liability costs and frivolous lawsuits. We must also insure that reimbursement to providers is at levels that will allow them to provide continued care to their patients.
Mary Headrick M.D. (D) Challenger
HOT BUTTON ISSUES
ISRAEL Israel has historically proved a reliable ally to the US. The U.S. has good reason to value this relationship and should continue foreign aid to Israel. Aside from continuing with the longtime malaise for an even more extended period of time, there are three broad outcomes for Israel and Palestine:
1) Two nations in which Israel exists as a Jewish state with secure borders and there are no attacks from any neighbor and there is a Palestinian state, independent, secure and self-governing.
2) There is a single Jewish/Palestinian state with secure borders, national voting rights for Palestinians within that state and peaceful conditions. The result would yield a range from about 50% Jewish population and 48% Muslim population to about 34% Jewish and 65% Muslim. The wide range is because the number of people of Palestinian descent who are living abroad now and might choose to return to their ancestral homeland, if it were stable, is not known.
3) World War III.
Obviously I favor outcome 1 or 2. To achieve 1, the two states’ boundaries must be adjusted to lines mutually agreed upon and internationally recognized. For some time to come these borders need to be guaranteed by external means. Both Israel and Palestine have claims to these ancestral lands and both need to respect the other’s claims. Palestinian groups and Israel must stop attacks upon each other and harsh retaliatory measures. I think other nations, including the U.S. must sponsor peace initiatives. U.S. and multi-national aid to Palestine will need to be stepped up to achieve a stable state. Both this foreign aid and aid to Israel should have conditions attached and enforced that address peace talks, attacks and harsh counter-measures, and establishing and respecting appropriate boundaries.
Continuing the current unstable relationship between Palestine and Israel with periodic hostilities is particularly undesirable. Not only does it degrade the lives of these two peoples and their neighbors, but it tends to destabilize the entire Middle East region.
HEALTHCARE Medicare works but it will soon be too expensive. Private health insurance is already too expensive. We need to change how we pay for health care and we need to understand what works and doesn’t work for good health. Some of the problems, like our obesity, can be tackled with public health programs. Other problems, like whether drug X is good for disease Y, need evaluation by ‘evidence based medicine’. We all need to make advanced directives, called Living Wills, so that individuals have control over how they live and die based upon their own faith and value system. The distorted phrase ‘Death Panels’ in 2009 was a tremendous disservice to every single American. It was just an attempt to stop many Americans from getting the health care they deserve. The Affordable Care Act is a good start in solving some of our nation’s health care issues. The GOP and the current Representative want to repeal it. There is an excellent blog post that explains that it has good provisions and needs to be saved.
REPRODUCTIVE FREEDOM I trust women and therefore support reproductive choice. I support the inclusion of Birth Control Pills among basic health plan benefits for those who are prescribed them. While some might object for themselves, both reflect the Nation’s commitment to personal religious freedom.
OUR ENVIRONMENT There is no ‘Planet B’. Climate change is happening and much of it is due to man-made activities, such as burning coal and oil. We do not need to return to the ‘horse & buggy’ era but we do need a national energy policy. I believe we are all entitled to clean air to breathe, clean water to drink and in which to swim, fish and boat, and safe soil in which to grow our crops and on which to place our children’s sand boxes. I welcome the opportunity to explain greenhouse gases and their effect on our climate. ‘Big Oil’, the ‘Natural Gas’ industry and the ‘Corn growers’ reap profits and special government treatment at the expense of our environment. We must listen very carefully when someone says ‘job-killing regulation’ to be sure this does not hide the awful message ‘environment-poisoning profit-making’.
District 4
Scott DesJarlais M.D. (R) Incumbent
won the primary by only 37 votes and has been diagnosed with cancer for which he will undergo extensive treatments. He faces a stiff challenge from Republican Jim Tracy in the general election.
http://www.scottdesjarlais.com/ http://desjarlais.house.gov/
http://www.ontheissues.org/house/Scott_DesJarlais.htm** Rated -3 by AAI, indicating anti-Arab anti-Palestine voting record. (May 2012)
HOT BUTTON ISSUES
HEALTHCARE Americans experience the best healthcare at affordable prices when big insurance and big government aren’t meddlesome middlemen interfering in the doctor patient relationship. ObamaCare is not the answer to providing better medical care or reducing costs, but rather amplifies the problems with our current system. We can have an immediate impact on improving healthcare by removing state-by-state restrictions and encouraging national competition among insurers, implementing meaningful tort reform, and creating incentives for the use of healthcare savings account so consumers are better informed and have a financial stake in managing their health.
ENERGY Voted for construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline without limiting amendments. We have an abundance of natural and technological resources in our country and should not be held hostage by Arab Sheiks or by regulatory agencies in Washington. The process for oil exploration should be streamlined and expedited while we open up more regions of our country for domestic production. Our energy producers should not be overburdened with regulations that drive up prices and limit supply. Approve the Keystone pipeline.
IMMIGRATION Illegal immigration burdens taxpayers, compromises national security, increases criminal activity, and erodes the significance of being an American citizen. We must secure our border and devote resources to enforcing current immigration law, which includes partnering with state and local law enforcement organizations.
Jim Tracy (R) Challenger
Tennessee State Senator Jim Tracy, a former science teacher and coach and former TSSAA & NCAA basketball referee, has been a small business owner and leader in the community for over 25 years. Jim has been married to his wife Trena for 36 years and they have raised three sons Chad, Craig, and Connor. Jim and his wife attend North Boulevard Church of Christ in Murfreesboro. Senator Tracy has served in the State Senate since 2004 and is the Chairman of the Senate Transportation and Safety Committee.
HOT BUTTON ISSUES
IMM IGRATION Sponsored and Passed E-Verify legislation, which requires businesses in TN to check and make sure that the people they are hiring are legally allowed to work in the United States.
WELFARE REFORM Sponsored and Passed Welfare Reform legislation which stops convicted drug felons from receiving Families First Food Stamp Benefits
EDUCATION Co-sponsored and passed Education Reform legislation including First to the Top which promotes measurable student achievement measurements, Tenure Reform, and the end of Union Collective Bargaining
TRANSPORTATION Sponsored and passed legislation to create the “Transportation Coordination Committee” requiring all state departments to work together and coordinate their transportation efforts which cuts waste and saves Tennessee taxpayer dollars.
BUDGET AND TAX CUTS Voted to eliminate the States inheritance tax- Passed. Voted to cut the state sales tax on groceries- Passed. Voted to pass a balanced state budget that cuts spending by nearly $1 billion dollars from last year while also cutting taxes by $50 million. It also provided funding for several key public safety initiatives, including tougher sentences for certain gang-related crimes and gun possession by those with prior violent felony convictions, along with mandatory incarceration for repeat domestic violence offenders.
Lenda Sherrell (D) Challenger
HOT BUTTON ISSUES
There are three areas that are critical to keeping our families thriving in this economy. First, we must invest in employees and make sure the paycheck delivers on its promise. That includes:
- Providing the opportunities that previous generations have had – decent wages, smart financial options, and health care that does not break the bank. Workers are the backbone of our families and our communities. Every job should be a good one.
- Increasing the federal minimum wage to $10.10. For every increase in individual wages, local communities benefit as those wages get pumped into local stores, restaurants and farmer’s markets. This increase would affect 30 million workers, over half of which work full time, and would boost the economy by $32.6 billion.
Second, we must have a clear and cost effective path for every student from cradle to credential to career.
- We must create a viable pathway from pre-k to college. This pathway ensures graduates will have the skills that attract businesses. It’s clear that jobs in the 21st Century will require advanced credentials, especially in science and technology.
Third, we are improving education for K- 12 grade students and must stay the course if we want Tennessee to be a destination for employers.
- By expanding on the programs that are already working in our schools, we can develop the skills students need to compete in the job market of tomorrow.
- We should recognize that good dedicated teachers are our most important educational resource. Standardized tests cannot and should not be seen as a replacement for good teachers. We need to treat teachers as the professionals they are and give them the support they need to do what they do best – teach our children.
District 5
Jim Cooper (D) Incumbent
http://www.cooperforcongress.com/ http://cooper.house.gov/
http://www.ontheissues.org/house/Jim_Cooper.htm** Rated -2 by AAI, indicating anti-Arab anti-Palestine voting record. (May 2012)
HOT BUTTON ISSUES
ENERGY Voted for construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline without limiting amendments. Jim knows our dependence on foreign oil threatens our national security, and rising energy prices threaten our wallets. Jim believes that new energy solutions can create thousands of jobs in Middle Tennessee and protect our environment. When Congress voted to address global warming last year, Jim introduced a bill to make sure that energy prices remain stable for everyday Americans – and that new rules weren’t manipulated by Wall Street. Jim works to help Tennessee families get a fair deal from their electric co-operatives. He has joined TVA in appealing a frivolous lawsuit to make sure Tennesseans don’t pay hundreds of millions of dollars in unnecessary fines, and continues to support efforts to keep coal mining waste from harming our water supplies in Middle Tennessee.
HEALTHCARE Jim has studied health care for decades and taught health policy at Vanderbilt. Acknowledging his leadership on the issue, President Obama invited Jim to the Blair House summit in February and the White House Forum on Health Reform last March. Jim believes health care reform is both a moral and fiscal imperative. He worked on a bipartisan basis to control cost and improve quality for patients, businesses, and medical professionals, and demanded that any health reform legislation meet the strict budget targets. Jim supported the new health care reform law signed by the President on March 23rd, 2010, believing it is the only realistic hope to curb explosive cost growth and ensure Americans get a fair deal in today’s private health insurance markets. It had the support of every Nashville hospital, 59,000 Catholic Sisters, and the majority of doctors and nurses in town who contacted him. The final package included Jim’s proposals on transparency for the cost of health insurance and an independent advisory board on Medicare payments.
Bob Ries (R) Challenger
http://southernhoosier.wix.com/absolutelybobries
HOT BUTTON ISSUES
IMMIGRATION To finally resolve the issue of immigrants who have entered this country illegally, we must understand the concerns of both sides of the issue. We must accept the fact that we are not going to round up millions of people and return them to their Country of origin. Hispanics who entered this Country illegally live a miserable life of low income and educational limits for their children. Adults don’t expect to become US Citizens, they just want a better life for themselves and for their children to be able to become naturalized US Citizens. Americans not only want to know who is in this Country now, but want to stop any more people from entering our Country illegally. They also want adults who committed the crime of entering the US illegally to: 1) Pay a penalty for their crime, 2) not become US citizens and 3) not be a drain on the economy and taxpayers by requiring welfare benefits. I believe we could resolve this issue once and for all, to the satisfaction of both sides, with a “one page” law that would include immediately closing the border with a “virtual” fence. Building a physical fence is expensive, time consuming and ineffectual. It will not prevent people from climbing over it with ladders, tunneling under it or blowing it up with well-placed explosives. A “virtual fence” would be established by the use of existing satellites, drones and Air Force reconnaissance flights. This “virtual fence” would close 100% of the Border within a month. Air Force Pilots must fly a minimum number of training hours anyway, so that expense is already covered. I suggest they log their training hours by flying along our borders. Through these methods any and all unusual border activity would be identified, and those coordinates would be passed on to border patrols, which I believe should be our military. We could use National Guard units of Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California, or we could use Regular Army units at Fort Bliss, Texas to protect the Borders of Texas and New Mexico, and Fort Huachuca, Arizona to protect the Arizona and California Borders. We may consider using a combination of both. Once this program is completely established and functional, then the following programs would be instituted:
1) Fine each adult who entered the US illegally $1000, payable over 5 years
2) Issue a Temporary Work Permit for 2 years to those who are paying their fines
3) Issue those under 60 who can speak English after 2 years a permanent Permit
4) After 2 years require that Government instructions and tests are in English Only
5) Institute a workable and traceable Migrant Worker Program
6) Issue college Student Visas to every High School Student with a 3.0 GPA
7) Allow that those receiving BS or BA Degrees become eligible for Naturalization
8) Grant full Citizenship to all Military Veterans with an Honorable Discharge
9) Grant full Citizenship to Parents of any Child dying during Military Service
10) Re-work immigration laws to make it easier for farmers to enter the US
11) Re-work immigration laws to eliminate the need to hire attorneys
12) Offer no Amnesty to any adult who has entered the US illegally
13) Offer no tax dollars through welfare or food stamps to any non US citizen
HEALTHCARE ObamaCare Violates Ex Post Facto Provision – Ex Post Facto Laws are prohibited in Article I, Section 9 of the US Constitution. Ex post facto is a Latin term meaning “from a thing done afterward”. The intent of our Founding Fathers was to keep the US Government from passing laws that retroactively make an act illegal. Insurance Companies have for years entered into legal contracts, called policies, with individuals to provide payment for specific health, or accident, occurrences for a specific amount of money called premiums. Under the laws of the land at the time these policies were written, they were legal. ObamaCare has now established laws making some of these “legal” policies “illegal”, requiring Insurance Companies to cancel these “contracts” under penalty of law. Obama Care makes illegal an act that was legal prior to the passing of a future law. This is clearly a violation of the US Constitution, but is causing Insurance Companies to cancel policies; or to not renew expected, inferred and probably orally agreed upon automatic renewals. We need to have a Governor of any State challenge the Constitutionality of Obama Care for the above reasons. This challenge must be made directly to the Supreme Court, under Article III, Section 2, of the US Constitution which states that the Supreme Court is the Court of Original Jurisdiction, and not an Appellate Court, for any Case involving a State.
District 6
Diane Black (R) Incumbent
http://www.votedianeblack.com/ http://black.house.gov/
http://www.ontheissues.org/house/Diane_Black.htm** Rated -3 by AAI, indicating anti-Arab anti-Palestine voting record. (May 2012)
HOT BUTTON ISSUES
ENERGY Voted for construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline without limiting amendments. Apr 18, 2014 – Washington, D.C. – Today, Congressman Diane Black (R-TN-06) issued the following statement on the news that the Obama Administration would again be delaying a decision to approve construction of the Keystone XL pipeline: “Just yesterday, President Obama shamefully tried to lecture Republicans on the need to ‘move on’ from Obamacare and focus on job creation, despite the fact that House Republicans have passed dozens of jobs bills that are sitting on Harry Reid’s desk awaiting a vote,” said Congressman Black. “Today’s decision to again punt on such an overwhelmingly popular and bipartisan jobs project is just another sad example of how unserious this President really is about helping the American people get back to work. The Keystone XL pipeline would provide tens of thousands of jobs to American workers that are struggling in the Obama economy and the Administration has held this project up for far too long.”
IMMIGRATION By failing to secure our border, the federal government has failed to perform its most basic function -providing for the safety and security of its citizens. We are a nation of laws and our failure to effectively enforce them has greatly undermined our rule of law. I adamantly oppose amnesty, regardless of what it is called. We must enact comprehensive immigration reform and send a clear message to immigrants in every country that the only path citizenship is through legal means. Diane’s Record
- Committed to Reform: Diane is an active member of the Immigration Reform Caucus.
- A+ Rating on Combating Illegal Immigration: Diane’s work to stop illegal immigration earned her an A+ rating during the 112th Congress from the conservative anti-amnesty group Numbers USA.
- Protecting States Rights: Diane wrote and passed through the House of Representatives legislation to defund President Obama’s politically motivated lawsuits against states like Arizona that enforce common-sense immigration laws.
- Securing the Border: Black co-authored the SMART Border Act of 2013; legislation to require the Department of Homeland Security to achieve full control of the United States – Mexico border territory within one year and authorize the deployment of 10,000 National Guard troops to the southern border if needed.
- Stopping the Senate Amnesty Bill: Diane was a leading opponent of S. 744, the U.S. Senate’s flawed amnesty bill which granted immediate legal status to millions of illegal immigrants with vague promises of securing the border at a later date. Because of Diane’s tenacity, the House of Representatives successfully blocked this bill from becoming law.
| FOREIGN POLICY AND NATIONAL SECURITY As the war on terror rages on, the world is more dangerous than ever. There are groups all over the world who wish to destroy the freedoms we enjoy and the values that make America great. As a result we must continue to be an example to other countries of freedom and prosperity. In order to do this, we must make sure that our commanders on the ground are not hindered from achieving our objective by arbitrary timelines. I am fully committed to ensuring that our military personnel receive the best equipment, training and support we can give them. Since our nation’s inception, these brave Americans have made great sacrifices for the cause of liberty and they deserve our utmost respect and gratitude. Diane’s Record |
- Investing in National Security: As a member of the Budget Committee, Diane has written and supported budgets that make important investments in our national defense while seeking to eliminate waste, fraud and abuse.
- Supporting Our Troops: Diane has voted to provide our troops in Afghanistan and around the world the resources they need to ensure our freedom.
- Standing with Israel: Diane traveled to Israel to meet with the leaders of our country’s most important ally to talk about how America can help ensure Israel’s long term security.
| HEALTHCARE Obamacare has been a disaster. Government run healthcare goes against America’s founding principles and it is big government at its worst. Instead of improving healthcare, it increases premiums for families, raises taxes, kills jobs, adds to our debt and puts government bureaucrats between patients and their doctors. As a nurse for over 40 years, I understand the damage this law does to our healthcare system. I authored a bill that has become law that repeals part of Obamacare, saving taxpayers $13 billion. But, I won’t rest until the whole law is repealed. True healthcare reform means more choices, lower costs and most importantly, Washington staying out of your healthcare decisions. |
- Complete Repeal: One of Diane’s first votes in the House was to fully repeal Obamacare. Additionally, Diane co-authored the Republican Path to Prosperity Fiscal year 2014, which would assume the complete elimination of Obamacare.
- Defund and Dismantle: Diane joined Tea Party members of Congress in sending a letter to Republican leadership in the House of Representatives demanding that NO appropriations bills with funding for Obamacare be brought to the House floor for a vote.
- Keeping the IRS out of Obamacare: The IRS is tasked with administering 47 tax provisions of Obamacare, but the agency’s recently uncovered political targeting of conservatives has shown that it cannot be trusted to enforce this law in an impartial way. That is why Diane cosponsored and voted for the Keep the IRS Off Your Health Care Act, legislation to prohibit the IRS from implementing any part of Obamacare; effectively shutting down the law altogether.
- Leading by Example: Diane authored and successfully passed the first law repealing a health care provision of Obamacare, saving taxpayers $13 billion over the next ten years.
Amos Powers (D) Challenger
HOT BUTTON ISSUES
HEALTHCARE Amos will work to ensure that all have access to quality and affordable health care, he sees it as basic human right. Amos will work to lower costs and improve quality by taking insurance companies out of decisions that can only be made by you and your doctors, hold insurance companies accountable, an increase in funding for research of our top diseases, and ensure that people no longer have to choose between food and medicine.
IMMIGRATION Amos will work to reform immigration first by going after businesses–big or small–who hire undocumented workers over U.S. citizens. He will work to develop an earned path to citizenship where you go to the back of the line and face penalties for having been here illegally. Amos believes that people who have made the decision to come into the country by legal means should not be pushed to the side while someone who has come illegally go to the front of the line, however the United States must work to develop a better, more efficient, and more secure immigration system. Amos will support legislation that expedites the immigration process, makes it more streamlined and secure.
ENVIRONMENT AND ALTERNATIVE ENERGY Amos will lead the fight to invest in advanced energy solutions like wind, solar, hydro-electric, while updating infrastructure for natural gas and nuclear energy that will bring clean energy jobs to our region. He will work to promote and protect our environment and the natural resources we have in the 6th District; our waterways and mountaintops, and our spectacular natural plateaus. Amos will work to ensure that our parks and natural areas are protected and ensure future generations have the opportunities to visit and enjoy them.
District 7
Marsha Blackburn (R) Incumbent
http://www.marshablackburn.com/ http://blackburn.house.gov/
http://www.ontheissues.org/house/Marsha_Blackburn.htm** Rated -4 by AAI, indicating anti-Arab anti-Palestine voting record. (May 2012)
HOT BUTTON ISSUES
ENERGY Voted for construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline without limiting amendments. She strongly supports the underlying goals of our nation’s environmental laws like the Clean Water Act, the Clean Air Act, and those that protect our National Parks and wildlife habitat. But a common sense approach to maintain a clean environment must reflect the views of those individuals who are most affected by it, and voices at the local level should not be drowned out by federal regulatory overtones originating in Washington D.C. To bring down the price at the pump and keep the economy going, we need a menu of clean, responsible energy options; not winners and losers chosen by the environmental lobby. Congressman Blackburn opposes the Cap & Trade scheme that institutes billions in new taxes but does not do much to create more energy or help the environment. She knows that the EPA is willing to implement this scheme without the consent of Congress and with little regard for the economic impact by restricting carbon dioxide emissions through the Clean Air Act. To stop this bureaucratic overreach and preserve Congressional authority (not to mention your wallet) Marsha Blackburn has sponsored H.R. 97 which will prohibit the EPA from regulating carbon emissions under the Clean Air Act. She supports efforts Senator Inhofe and Chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee, Fred Upton, are making to roll back the EPA.
IMMIGRATION One of the most perplexing problems confronting America is the issue of immigration reform. Most experts now believe that our country has between 10 to 12 million illegal immigrants living in the United States. Not only are illegal immigrants breaking our laws to cross our borders, they also impose a heavy burden on the country economically. From the extra medical service needed to the education expenses incurred, most states are straining to find a way to meet the needs of people living in their states without going through the proper legal channels. Throughout her time in Congress, Marsha Blackburn has dedicated her efforts towards identifying legislative solutions to addressing the critical problem of illegal immigration. As a member of the Immigration Reform Caucus, she supported tough measures to increase penalties for those caught smuggling illegal aliens into the country as well as those employers that knowingly attract and hire illegal immigrants. She is pushing for tough legislation that holds those caught breaking the law accountable. Marsha knows that secure countries have secure borders. Today, every state is a border state and every town is a border town. Since coming to Washington, Congressman Blackburn has worked to ensure that our immigration policies are in sync with this new reality.
HEALTHCARE Congressman Blackburn has been one of the leaders in Congress to repeal and replace Obamacare. She recognizes that health care reform is needed, but she also believes that it must be consumer centered. To that end, Congressman Blackburn introduced H.R. 371 – “the Health Care Choice Act of 2011″ which would repeal Obamacare and replace it with a much clearer, simpler law. It focuses on a patient centered, cost effective approach that reforms our health care system with as little government involvement as possible. Blackburn has been one of the leading opponents of Obamacare because she understood that it was not the reform the American people want or need. The fact that 26 states have instituted legal proceedings to stop Obamacare is just further proof that the American people don’t support it. Marsha believes that Obamacare, if fully implemented, would result in a complete government takeover of our health care, with higher costs, fewer choices, and ultimately the rationing of health care. Tennesseans recognize that as a nation we simply can’t afford the costs of Obamacare, and just as importantly, they are adamant that they do not want the federal government to control their health care. Instead of a budget busting, job destroying law that does nothing to control health care costs or improve the quality of care, we need to develop real health care reform.
Dan Cramer (D) Challenger
http://www.dancramerforcongress.com/
HOT BUTTON ISSUES
My name is Dan Cramer and I am running for Congress because the current politics of partisanship and obstruction are destroying the American dream for too many Tennesseans. I am committed to taking your insistence that your elected officials work for you, to Capitol Hill. Like you, I want to play an active role in making our community, state and country a place where every Tennessean can provide for themselves and their families and where the American dream of giving our children better opportunities than we had ourselves is within every American’s reach. The key issues that I will work on for you in Washington are:
- A strong and supported middle class.
- Support for our national defense through support of our service members and veterans.
- Removing government’s over reach into the personal choices, privacy, and liberties that this nation was founded on.
- A reformed tax system where people only pay their fair share and the government provides the services that its citizens require of it without waste.
- An end to unlimited deficits and a return to common sense financial policy.
District 8
Stephen Fincher (R) Incumbent
http://www.stephenfincher.org/ http://fincher.house.gov/
http://www.ontheissues.org/house/Stephen_Fincher.htm** Rated -3 by AAI, indicating anti-Arab anti-Palestine voting record. (May 2012)
HOT BUTTON ISSUES
ENERGY Voted for construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline without limiting amendments. High gas prices affect everyone. Energy prices heavily influence the economy in West Tennessee, and it is important that we support a comprehensive approach to energy production. I could not disagree more with those that believe in a very narrow limiting energy policy. I will continue to support legislation that encourages domestic energy production, energy efficiency and renewable energy opportunities.
I support the following legislation: The Keystone XL Pipeline The Keystone XL Pipeline would carry oil from Canada to the Gulf Coast, providing more natural gas for America’s energy needs and employing tens of thousands of people immediately. By rejecting the Keystone pipeline, President Obama has chosen a narrow energy policy and turned his back on jobs for unemployed Americans and ignored a way to take advantage of some of North America’s own energy supplies.
ANWR (Arctic National Wildlife Refuge) I requested that the president begin oil drilling in a small portion of ANWR in 2011. Energy policies should not be this complicated. We need to drill here at home. By taking advantage of oil discoveries in the last few years, we can eliminate our dependence on foreign oils and keep energy prices low. ANWR consists of 19 million acres in northeast Alaska. Its 1.5-million-acre coastal plain is viewed by development proponents as a promising onshore oil prospect. According to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the mean estimate of technically recoverable oil from multiple prospects on the federally owned land in the Refuge is 7.7 billion barrels (billion bbl), and there is a small chance that more than 11.8 billion bbl could be recovered on the federal lands over the life of the prospective fields.
H.R. 3548: North American Energy Access Act Under H.R. 3548, President Obama would be cut out of the equation and the fate of the Keystone Pipeline would be left to expert individuals not influenced by special interest groups or re-election campaigns. As a co-sponsor and strong supporter of this bill, I am working with Congressman Lee Terry (R-Neb.) to see that we can bring the Keystone pipeline back to the table so that we can get more Americans back to work. Earlier this month, President Obama side-stepped Congress once again by introducing radical, coal-killing EPA regulations that will lead to skyrocketing energy costs and effectively put a target on the back of tens of thousands of American jobs. Rather than focusing on common-sense solutions to put Americans back to work, Obama’s new EPA regs will lead to long-term, permanent job loss across the country. Even a big-labor union recently admitted that the new EPA regulations will eliminate nearly 500,000 American jobs.
FOREIGN POLICY US-Israel Relations – Since its foundation in 1948, the nation of Israel has been a friend and ally of the United States, and remains the only democracy in the Middle East. It is vital to U.S. foreign policy in the region that we remain Israel’s most staunch ally and supporter. I support a number of pieces of legislation in the 113th Congress, including bills that would include Israel in the Visa Waiver Program, and H.R. 938, which would proclaim that Israel is a major strategic ally of the United States of America. I am also a strong supporter of H.R. 1130, which would allow the President to aid Israel in the maintenance and development of their Iron Dome missile defense system, which is vital in their fight against terrorism.
Benghazi – On September, 11, 2012, the American Embassy in Benghazi, Libya was attacked by terrorists. In the aftermath of the attack, four American citizens had lost their lives, including Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens. Following the attack, the Obama administration claimed it was a random act of terror prompted by an inflammatory video. However, subsequent investigations have found that the attack was carried out by Islamic extremists and was premeditated. The Obama administration knew that the situation in Libya was escalating to dangerous levels, and did nothing to increase the security of those Americans who were there in the service of their country. I don’t believe that the administration did nearly enough to protect those Americans abroad, which is why I cosponsored H.RES.36, which established a committee to investigate and report on the Benghazi attack. The truth about this attack that left four Americans dead and three others injured needs to come out, and the executive branch needs to be held responsible for this failure of foreign policy.
IMMIGRATION The United States is a nation founded and built by immigrants. For centuries, the United States has stood as a beacon of freedom and hope, and throughout that time, millions across the globe have come to the United States in search of the American Dream. Our nation was founded by immigrants and established on the notion that the United States could provide opportunity to all who sought it. I support legal immigration and those who come to our country and abide by our laws and process in order to secure citizenship. Illegal immigration undermines our law, our labor force, and it is a national security threat. I oppose amnesty – it is unfair to reward those who break the law, while punishing those who respect and follow the laws of our country. First and foremost, we must secure our borders and enforce the immigration laws already on the books. A failure to secure our borders presents a greater national security threat.
HEALTHCARE I believe that all Tennesseans deserve access to affordable, high quality health care. However, I do not believe that moving our healthcare system to a single payer system that would put a government bureaucrat between you and your doctor is the way to accomplish this. The passage of Obamacare represents a massive overreach of government that will be costly, represents a threat to our freedoms and is not the best way to assure that all Americans have access to quality healthcare. As of August 2013, I have voted to repeal Obamacare on 40 separate occasions. Despite promises to the contrary, the passage of Obamacare will likely raise premiums twenty to fifty percent in some markets. These rising costs have led to cutbacks in full time employment by some employers who simply cannot afford to shoulder the increased cost of healthcare. The best solution to the healthcare crisis in America today is not a government mandate, but to allow the free market to work to find the strongest, best health care solution for Tennessee families. When I was elected to Congress I declined to accept the government provided healthcare that is offered to Members of Congress and instead continue to receive healthcare services through the same private plan my family had prior to my election.
Wes Bradley (D) Challenger
https://www.facebook.com/ElectWesBradley
District 9
Steve Cohen (D) Incumbent
http://www.cohenforcongress.com/ http://cohen.house.gov/
http://www.ontheissues.org/house/Steve_Cohen.htm** Rated +2 by AAI, indicating pro-Arab pro-Palestine voting record. (May 2012)
HOT BUTTON ISSUES
ENERGY Voted against construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline without limiting amendments. We must also develop a comprehensive plan to address the serious energy crisis that this country faces. We cannot drill our way out of this problem given that the U.S. contains 2.2 percent of world oil reserves and consumes 25.9 percent of the world’s oil consumption. Rather than invoking our brawn, we must utilize our brains and innovate, as Americans have done for generations. We can no longer afford to throw our limited federal dollars at the feet of oil giants, and must begin investing in American ingenuity and create an American clean energy economy. For me the choice is clear, either we can drill our way further into oil dependence, turn a blind eye to the destruction of the environment while we suck out and burn every last drop of oil, and we can exacerbate public health and wellness with the extraction and consumption of dirty fuels; or we can create a new energy economy that creates millions of jobs and protects the environment and public health of future generations. H.R. 5821 – The 10 Million Solar Roofs Act – Recently, I introduced, along with Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, the 10 Million Solar Roofs Act. If enacted, this legislation would be the single largest investment in solar technology in U.S. history. Even though the United States invented the solar cell, other nations such as Germany and Spain have outpaced us in terms of solar energy deployment. Scaling up production in the United States has been difficult because the initial costs of solar remain a large barrier to entry.
WOMEN’S ISSUES MEMPHIS, TN] – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) released the following statement upon learning of the Supreme Court’s Burwell v. Hobby Lobby decision: “Nothing should come between a woman and her health care decisions,” said Congressman Cohen. “Unfortunately, the Supreme Court’s decision today puts an employer in that position. I agree with Justice Ginsburg’s dissent when she says that ‘workers who sustain the operations of [for-profit] corporations are not commonly drawn from one religious community.’ Because of this, employers should not be able to impose their own religious beliefs upon another individual. The employer should instead be a conduit for an employee to receive health insurance at a better rate than the employee might have otherwise received it.”
HEALTHCARE I voted in favor of Congress’ health care reform legislation, H.R. 3590, The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act , and H.R. 4872, The Health Care & Education Affordability Reconciliation Act of 2010. Both of these bills were signed into law by the President in 2010. These laws will forever change the landscape of America’s health care delivery system for the better. These new laws extend health insurance to millions of Americans who don’t have it now, and will cover more than 95 percent of our country’s citizens with affordable, quality health plans. The passage of these bills will help The MED through a provision in the reconciliation package, for which I fought, that increases the state’s diminutive Medicaid Disproportionate Share Hospital (DSH) payment. In January of 2010, I had the opportunity to speak to President Obama about Tennessee’s unusual DSH payment situation. The President was receptive to my suggestions on behalf of Tennessee’s hospitals, especially The MED, and he promised to look into the issue. Under this provision, The MED will receive more federally directed funding than it does now, as it renders more uncompensated care than any other hospital in the state of Tennessee. Accordingly, Shelby County tax payers will reap the benefits of this provision, as they are the ones who foot the bill for the care that The MED provides to those patients who are unable to pay.
Charlotte Bergmann (R) Challenger
HOT BUTTON ISSUES
1. A jobs and growth plan which returns the 9th District to robust job creation with a bold set of tax cuts and regulatory reforms that will free American entrepreneurs to invest and hire, as well as by seeking legislation to reform the Federal Reserve.
2. The creation of more effective transitional programs for returning vets, like after WWII.
3. An American energy plan which will unleash America’s full energy production potential in oil, natural gas, coal, biofuels, wind, nuclear oil shale and more, creating jobs, fueling an enduring manufacturing boom, lowering gasoline, diesel, and other energy prices, increasing government revenues, strengthening the dollar, and bolstering national security.
4. Unleashing growth and innovation to move Tennessee toward open entrepreneurship. By unleashing choice and the power of the market, which can dramatically expand opportunities for every person of every income level, reduce income inequality, generating even more economic growth.
5. Doctor and patient power to replace the Affordable Care Act. Healthcare reforms can be transformed from a bankrupting weight on our economy, from a broken, fragmented system to a coordinated, innovative system that delivers better health with more choices at lower cost for all Americans.
6. The 2nd Amendment. Our unalienable right to bear arms is a human right of all men and women on the planet because they deserve the right to defend themselves from those who would oppress them, exploit them, rape them, or kill them.
7. A commission on religious freedom which should be established to examine and document threats or impediments to religious freedom in the United States and propose steps for reaffirming and protecting the American foundational principles of free speech and free exercise.
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