Local Democrats Thank Voters for Large Turnout and Candidates for Inclusive Campaigns The Washington County Democratic Party (WCDP) thanks voters for turning out in record numbers during the midterm election in our county (at 39.95% compared to 30% statewide). We should all be proud of the work accomplished to date to inform voters about issues ... Read more
There are two issues I hear frequently from Republican voters in Tennessee as to why they vote for Republican candidates: guns and abortion. You see, I’m intimately familiar with the narrative: “Democrats only want to take away my guns and kill babies.” Propaganda works. First of all, plenty of Democrats own guns. They enjoy hunting, ... Read more
Opinion Piece by Chair Kate Craig Ballad Health is developing quite a reputation for bullying anyone who speaks out about their policies and practices as well as how the medical monopoly is negatively impacting the community’s access to healthcare. Last week, national news outlets ran stories on how Ballad Health was seeking federal charges against ... Read more
I like to fall asleep with the television on Nick at Nite. This morning I woke up to a commercial for Tennessee Connections Academy. Connections Academy runs online K-12 “public” schools in all 50 states. At least that’s how it was advertised. Here’s their website for Connections Academy. And here is the website for Tennessee ... Read more
Last week, Donald Trump “officially” kicked off his 2020 campaign for re-election in Orlando, Florida. The “original” announcement regarding his re-election campaign actually took place the day of his Inauguration, when he boldly announced he was going to run again in 2020 and would be accepting donations for that campaign. That was something that was ... Read more
Confronted with a Georgetown University report showing that “the uninsured rate for Tennessean women ages 18 to 44 is more than 12%, compared to less than 9% in many states with expanded Medicaid“, local Rep. Micah Van Huss made comments that left many of us with more questions than answers. Instead of addressing Medicaid expansion—which ... Read more
I’ve been reading up on Mr. Casada’s “escapades” since becoming the Tennessee House Speaker and I have to admit I am not surprised by them, but I am a bit amazed that our state government doesn’t have any official procedure, in place, to remove a legislator from office. I won’t rehash the majority of scandals ... Read more
American democracy is dependent on free and equally accessible quality public education. Without that, the bedrock of what we hold dear would deteriorate. The founding principle of everyone is equal with equal opportunities, a principle we currently aspire to achieve, is only possible by fully funding public education. The first American public school opened in ... Read more
It’s no surprise that it’s only February 20, 2019 and yet the 2020 election is upon us. The 2016 election ended with heartbreak and calls to action, action that is now coming to fruition. So it should come as no surprise that we have Democratic candidates filling the field and vying for our votes. This ... Read more
This morning, WCYB Reporter, John Engel, interviewed Tennessee’s First Congressional District Representative, Phil Roe, where Congressman Roe stated that “many” of the students taking English as a Second Language (ESL) classes in the Johnson City School System are here illegally. John Engel asked: “Congressman, if they’re hiring English learning language teachers, that doesn’t necessarily mean ... Read more
