Are spending cuts truly “draconian”?
Often over the years I have read or heard about big “cuts” in some federal department, agency, or program. Frequently, these cuts are described as “draconian.” However, if you read below the headlines, usually these so-called cuts are really just cuts in a proposed increase. Many times I have heard people express concerns about cuts [...]
Stopping Washington from spending money it doesn’t have
Finally, with the debt-reduction agreement Congress made with the president in early August, Washington is starting to take some responsibility for years of spending money we don’t have. At a time when the federal government is borrowing 40 cents of every dollar it spends, this agreement represents a welcome change in behavior that I was [...]
New budget addresses tough choices ahead
On March 14, I had the privilege of delivering my first State of the State address to the 107th General Assembly and the people of Tennessee. I was pleased to report that relative to many other states, we are in a strong position. There are, however, tough choices ahead, and the budget I proposed addresses [...]
A new privately-funded Marshall plan for the Mid East
In Jerusalem recently, during a private meeting with United States Senators, the prime minister of Israel suggested creating a new Marshall Plan to help people of Middle Eastern countries who are struggling to gain more freedom. In one important way Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s proposal is different from the plan that helped rebuild Western Europe after [...]
Why we should repeal the new health care law now
When giving the Republicans’ opening remarks at the health care summit earlier this year, I told President Obama exactly what the health care reform bill would mean for Americans: “It means there will be about a half trillion dollars of new taxes in it. It means that for millions of Americans, premiums will go up, [...]
Supporting a COLA raise for seniors in need
Millions of older Americans have been hard hit by the economic downturn and depend on Social Security now more than ever to make ends meet. Shrinking nest eggs and retirement savings mean that more seniors on fixed incomes have to make tough financial choices. Many were understandably disappointed to discover that they did not receive [...]
The Haslam-McWherter contest and other assorted election tidbits
As expected, it will be Bill Haslam versus Mike McWherter for the Tennessee governorship in November, and I suspect it will be a most interesting campaign. I believe that Tennessee has had some good leadership in the governor’s seat, at least since Ray Blanton was ousted from office in early 1979, and I believe that [...]
Medicare brochure is propaganda
The other day, I received a nice envelope from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services with a nice brochure inside: “Medicare and the New Health Care Law: What It Means to You.” I’m one of those Americans who are 65 or older, so I’m a part of Medicare and I was interested to [...]
Nuclear power is affordable green power
Forty years ago, at the time of the first Earth Day, Americans became deeply worried about air and water pollution and a population explosion that threatened to overrun the planet’s resources. Nuclear power was seen as a savior to these environmental dilemmas. It could produce large amounts of low-cost, reliable clean energy. Unlike oil, nuclear power [...]
There’s hope for Haiti to “build back better”
As a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, I spent July 16 in Haiti getting a firsthand look at reconstruction efforts following the January 12 earthquake. Despite immense challenges, I left feeling hopeful. Like so many Tennesseans, I feel a personal connection to Haiti. In fact, in the airport in Port-au-Prince, I ran into [...]
