Heartland Logistics, LLC
3360 Andersonville Hwy.
Andersonville, Tn 33705
Randy Burt

Croet Greenways Found.
107 Lea Way
Oak Ridge, Tn 37830
Lawrence Young

Comm. Grade Ded. Svcs., LLC
40 New York Ave. Ste. 201
Oak Ridge, Tn 37830
Gary Gilmartin

East Tn Singer Songwriter Assn.
901 Mountain Rd.
Clinton, Tn 37716
Darwin Blair

Small Wonders Nursery School, Inc.
104 Spy Glass Court
Clinton, Tn. 37716
Jean Seymour

Elite Antiques Inc.
316 Market St
Clinton, Tn 37716
John Wildman

MLM Holdings Inc.
454 East Dr.
Oak Ridge Tn 37830
Michael Massey

Tn. Pain Institute Physicians P.L.C.
15 Presidential Dr.
Oak Ridge, Tn 37830
Edward Hadley

BLOUNT COUNTY

Beam LLC.
1330 Pollard Valley Dr.
Maryville, Tn 37803
Benjamin Nibali

Ron Manning Inc.
2901 Six Mile Rd .
Maryville, Tn 37803
Ron Manning

Souther Consulting, PC.
4136 Heron Hill Dr.
Louisville, Tn 37777
Edward Souther

Matthews Ladders, Inc.
1303 Tomahawk Dr.
Maryville, Tn 37801
M.S. Matthews

Coalson Law & Land LLC.
400 Ellis Ave.
Maryville, Tn 37804
Felicia Coalson

White Enterprise Holdings, LLC
226 Gill St.
Alcoa. Tn 37701
Robert White

Mullis Investing, LLC.
3311 Lanyard Ln.
Louisville, Tn 37777
Joe Mullis

BRADLEY COUNTY

Barry W. Donesky, MD. PC
5965 Tallent Rd .
McDonald, Tn 37353
Corp. Service Company

Ooltewah ALF Inv., LLC
3570 Keith St.
Cleveland, Tn 37312
Forrest Preston

Gibson Site,LLC
3845 Waterlevel Hwy.
Cleveland, Tn 37323
Jackie Evans

Brookview Const., LLC
37 2nd St. SW
Cleveland. Tn 37311
Brookview Const. LLC

Senior Healthwatch, LLC
3720 Candles Creek Ridge NW
Cleveland, Tn 37312
E Jannerbo

Cooperscreek LLC
5233 Hunters CV NW
Cleveland, Tn 37312
United States Corp. Agents, INC

J&D Properties, LLC
162 Abshire Ln.
Cleveland, Tn 37323
Douglas Blackwell II

Tako Yaki Japanese Rest., Inc.
172 Old Mouse Creek Rd. NW
Cleveland, Tn 37312
Lian Li

T&D Deliveres, LLC
2421 Rodney Dr.SE
Cleveland, Tn 37323
Troy Carney

Hawkins Delivery LLC
1169 Keith Valley Rd.
Cleveland, Tn 37323
Justin Hawkins

Comprehensive Wellness Ctr., LLC
2535 Georgetown Rd.
Cleveland, Tn 37312
Ian Harper

Asheville R.E. Investors, LLC
3570 Keith St. NW
Cleveland, Tn 37312
Forrest Preston

Cleveland Automotive, LLC
6358 Water Level Hwy.
Cleveland, Tn 37323
Corp. Service Company

Owens Const. Services,LLC
188 Mapleton Dr. NW
Cleveland, Tn 37312
Dustin Owens

HAMILTON COUNTY

Michael Bankston Electric Inc.
402 Peyton Dr.
Hixson, Tn 37343
Maria Bankston

Perrry Homes, Inc.
8608 Georgetown Trc. Ln
Chattanooga, Tn 37421
Vincent Morse

Neat Catering, LLC
701 James Blvd
Signal Mountain, Tn 37377
Agnes Andruk

Taylor Transport LLC
2106 S Greenwood Ave.
Chattanooga, Tn 37416
Darron Perry

American Tobacco Outlet, LLC
8513 Hixson Pike
Hixson, Tn 37343
Ronnie Vaughn

DDC Properties, LLC
419 N Market St. Ste 210
Chattanooga, Tn 37416
Richard Buhrman

Riverview Environmental LLC
4025 Oakwood DR Apt 1006
Chattanooga Tn 37416
Robyn Lively

Gamai LLC
9561 Legacy Oaks Dr.
Oolewah, Tn 37363
Scott Gammenthaler

Avani Corporation
8623 George Town Trc.
Chattanooga, Tn 37421
Vijay Chaudhari

A+ Business Brokerage Inc.
15902 Lakewood Dr.
Sale Creek, Tn 37373
Donnie Pell

Blazing Torch, Inc.
2605 Jenkins Rd. Ste 1-B
Chattanooga, Tn 37421
Bryan Haddock

Surgical Mgmt. Partners,LLC
979 East Third St. Ste G-025
Chattanooga, Tn 37403
Craig Sarine

Timber Wolf Const. LLC
117 S Seminole Dr.
Chattanooga, Tn 37411
Andrew Sellers

ILA Blueberry Creek LLC
9516 Dayton Pike
Soody Daisy, Tn 37379
Corp. Service Company

Watershed Legal Services, PLLC
824 Oak St.
Chattanooga, Tn 37403
Casey Kuhlaman

Southside Wine Shop, LLC
100 W. Main St.
Chattanooga, Tn 37408
Hugh Sharber

Hope International Inc.
15302 Wyndchase
Franklin, Tn 37067
United States Corp. Agents, Inc.

Narnia Holdings, LLC
1612 Gunbarrel Rd.
Charranooga, Tn 37421
Buddy Presley

Cherokee Properties, LLC
736 Georgia Ave.
Chattanooga, Tn 37402
William Johnson

Nava Mgmt., Inc.
2651 Kingsley Ct.
Chattanooga, Tn 37421
Vinod Javer

B&B Recovery, Inc.
8804 Lake Villa Ln.
Chattanooga, Tn 37416
Brandan Bridges

C.L. Brock Investments, LLC
3731 Dorris St.
Chattanooga, Tn 37410
James Catanzaro
Carter Transport LLC
1133 Ridgetop Dr.
Chattanooga, Tn 37421
John Carter

SSI Flooring Inspections LLC
5750 Lake Resort Dr.K-114
Chattanooga, Tn 37415
United States Corp. Agents, Inc

Phoenix-Agape Humane Soc.
4671 University Dr.
Ooltewah, Tn 37363
Richard Harlow

Tempworx LLC
3712 Ringgold Rd.#195
Chattanooga, Tn 37412
Timothy Shipley

Chattanooga Paper&Packing LLC
1641 Fernwood Circle
Chattanooga, Tn 37421
Bradley Hinchman

Mountaintop Const. LLC
118 Lee Parkway
Chattanooga, Tn 37421
Barry Murray

Primeco R.E. Investments LLC
101 Glenwood Dr.
Chattanooga, Tn 37404
Amin Alibhai

Jess, LLC
954 Signal Rd.
Signal Mountain, Tn 37377
Abraham Mynatt

Jerry Perry Reality, INC.
950 Springs Creek Rd. apt 202
Chattanooga, Tn 37412
Jerry Perry

KNOX COUNTY

2CTransport Inc.
5419 Summitridge Ln.
Knoxville, Tn 37921
Virginia Couch

CK International LLC
9340 Linksvue Dr.
Knoxville, Tn 37922
CK Internationl LLC

Legacy Land Parnters, LLC
4823 Old Kingston Pk , Ste 300
Knoxville, Tn 37919
L. Stair IV

Siyaram Corporation
7431 Middlebrook Pike
Knoxville, Tn 37909
Nilaykumar Trambadia

Neyland Apt. Assoc. Two, LLC
530 W 5th Ave.
Knoxville, Tn 37931
Joseph Fielden Jr.

Triple H Transportation, LLC
8919 Maynardville Pk.
Knoxville, Tn 37938
Triple H Transportation LLC

EMCO Inc.
9910 Kay Meg Way
Knoxville, Tn 37922
David Beshears

Long Electrical Services Inc.
6312 Zachary Rd.
Corryton, Tn 37721
Ted Long Jr.

SME Consulting, LLC
3210 Kingsmore Dr.
Knoxville, Tn  37921
Matthew Canfield

Heatseeker Tech. & Design, LLC
1900 Springs St.
Powell, Tn 37849
Michael Robinson

Young Law Office, P.C.
6700 Baum Dr.
Knoxville, Tn 37919
Katherine Young

Shinemen Engineering, LLC
4508 Shane Lane
Knoxville, Tn 37921
Scott Miyamoto

Cherokee Farm Dev.Corp.
2450 E J Chapman Dr.
Knoxville, Tn 37996
David Millhorn

First Choice Chirop.Care Inc.
4600 Chapman Hwy
Knoxville, Tn 37920
John Barber

One Energy Technologies
8540 Kingston Pike
Knoxville, Tn 37919
One Energy Tech. Corp.

Regal Concepts Incorporated
550 Brookshire Way
Knoxville, Tn 37923
Steve Bowen

Kingdom Real Estate, LLC
1711 Schaeffer Rd.
Knoxville, Tn 37923
Kingdom Real Estate, LLC

Granite Concepts, LLC
4611 Central Ave. Pike
Knoxville, Tn 37912
Granite Concepts LLC

Camellia S. Saunders, LLC
1213 Harbin Ridge Ln.
Knoxville, Tn 37909
Camellia Saunders

Will* Rock Entertainment, Inc.
6405 Old Valley Rd.
Knoxville, Tn 37920
George Coode Jr.

Appalachian Stoneworks, Inc.
1815 Ishman Way
Knoxville, Tn 37931
Mark Summer

Axle Logistics, LLC
6915 Office Park Circle
Knoxville, Tn 37909
Ronald Holcomb

BP Kodak, LLC
1111 N. Northshore Dr.
Knoxville, Tn 37919
C. Paul Harrison

Ft. Loudoun Terminal, LLC
9041 Executive Pk. Dr. Ste.116
Knoxville, Tn 37923
CT Corporation System

LOUDON COUNTY

B & C Baxter Ent. LLC
111 Waynoka Lane
Loudon, Tn 37774
William Baxter

C. Gordon Enterprises, LLC
330 Willingham Dr.
Lenoir City, Tn 37771
Terrie Watson

Amer Properties, LLC
300 Rivers Edge Dr.
Loudon, Tn 37774
Syed Amer

MARION COUNTY

Chaffin Enterprises, LLC
918 Dupitt St.
Athens, Tn 37303
Robert Chaffin, III

Jackson St. Warehouse, LLC
20 Washington Ave. NW
Athens, Tn 37971
William Biddle III

ROANE COUNTY

Ashvin, LLC
175 Hilltop Loop Rd.
Kingston, Tn 37753
Sujata Patel

Knoxville Fire Sprinkler, LLC
155 Foremast Rd.
Kingston, Tn 37763
Corp. Service Company

PPR Health Mgmt., LLC
121 W. Hills Court
Harriman, Tn 37748
Mary Matelloni

SEVIER COUNTY

Treewalker Enterprises, Inc.
508 Mountainview Dr.
Seymour, Tn 37865
Jerry McNulty

MCM Investments, LLC
1240 Fox Meadows Bvld. Ste.4
Sevierville, Tn 37862
Joshua Chambers

ELT Enterprizes Inc.
2760 Roberts Rd.
Kodak, Tn 37764
Eric Tarlton

The Equipment Group LLC
404 Second St.
Seymour, Tn 37865
Danny Mull

B & L Consulting
Services, LLC
2930 Chapel View Ct.
Sevierville, Tn 37876
Brian White

Anderson Investment Partners, LLC
622 Douglas Dam Rd.
Kodak, Tn 37764
Charles Anderson

Gatlinburg Construction, Inc
1411 Arbon Lane
Gatlinburg, Tn 37738
William Wolfe

Stokely Family Investments, LLC
250 Valley Rd
Sevierville, Tn 37862
William Stokely IV

In a decision issued during 2010, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the authority of the five-member NLRB could not be delegated to a panel with fewer than three members. On August 27, the term of NLRB Chairman Wilma Liebman expired, leaving the board with only three members. Craig Becker, a former lawyer for the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and AFL-CIO, has been serving since April 2010 on a recess appointment that will end this December. Thus, as of the end of the year, the board will be down to two members, Mark Pearce, the former union-side lawyer who has been appointed chairman to replace Liebman, and the lone Republican on the board, Brian Hayes. Because the board lacks the ability to render decisions with only two members, many expect the NLRB to issue a great number of rulings and do everything possible to improve the status of organized labor before the end of the year.

Consistent with the prediction of increased pro-labor rulings, in August the NLRB issued three rulings that will be of great value to organized labor. All three decisions overruled cases decided when Republicans constituted a majority of the board. Two of the decisions delay how soon unions can be challenged as bargaining representative, after a new union is recognized, or when new owners take over a company.

In the first case, UGL-UNICCO Serv. Co., the board ruled 3-1 to restore a “successor bar” doctrine requiring employers to recognize incumbent unions for a “reasonable period” after a business transition without challenging the majority status of the union. The prior NLRB precedent had ruled that an incumbent union in a successorship situation enjoys only a rebuttable presumption of majority status, and thus the majority status could be quickly challenged where there was proof of loss of majority. However, the new ruling says that the successor bar better achieves the Act’s policy of preserving industrial peace by promoting stability in collective-bargaining relationships. This type fact pattern arises when an entity purchases the assets of another entity having a collective bargaining relationship with the union. The issue comes up when the union wants to negotiate an agreement with a new entity, and the question is whether the new entity has to recognize the collective bargaining relationship or not, particularly when employees indicate during the same time period that they do not want union representation.

In a second case, Lamons Gasket Co., the board similarly overruled precedent and ruled that a representation election petition is barred for a reasonable period of time following voluntary recognition of a union designated by a majority of employees. The fact patterns giving rise to this issue occur when an employer voluntarily recognizes a union through a “card-check” or some similar voluntary recognition, and employees find out about the voluntary recognition and take steps to show that a majority of employees do not want the union.

The third case may end up being the most important of the three, Specialty Healthcare Rehab. Ctr. of Mobile. This case narrows the appropriate voting unit where a union seeks an election among a smaller group of employees. In the ruling, the 3-1 majority notes that the Act requires only that an election be conducted in appropriate unit, and that once the NLRB determines that employees in a proposed voting unit share a community of interest, the petitioned-for unit would not be rendered inappropriate unless the party seeking a larger unit “demonstrates the employees in a larger unit share an overwhelming community of interest with those in the petitioned-for unit.”

Dissenting member Hayes warns that the majority has adopted a bargaining unit test that “obviously encourages unions to engage in incremental organizing in the smallest units possible.” Employers fear that unions will seek elections in “gerrymandered” smaller voting units in favor of the union, and use the success in those smaller units to organize larger units. Some commentators refer to unions now being able to form Amicro-unions in small parts of a company.

Many observers believe that it is unlikely that a third member of the board will be appointed to allow the board to have a quorum after December. Republicans are angered by recent board actions that they see as pro labor, and Democrats in control of the Senate will not allow another Republican member.

On Nov. 30, 2011, the board dropped its attempt to implement a “quickie election” rule prior to losing its quorum at the end of the year. Obama appointees Mark Pearce and Craig Becker moved forward with only some portions of the proposal designed to speed up union elections, removing the most controversial change, which would have shortened the waiting period for a secret ballot vote to 10 to 14 days. Currently, companies have five to six weeks to make their case before a union election at a work site.  As expected, Pearce and Becker, both of whom have close ties to organized labor, voted in favor of the watered-down proposal, which limits litigation surrounding union elections, and Hayes voted no. At this point, it is doubtful that the board will revisit the hot-button quickie election issue and enact the full package this year.

Retaliation now the most common EEOC charge

For the first time in history, retaliation charges filed with EEOC have surpassed race as the most frequently filed EEOC charge. Some suggest that the economy has something to do with the situation, as employees sometimes file a discrimination charge or complaint thinking they will thereby protect their jobs because any subsequent discipline may result in a charge of retaliation for filing the charge or for complaining about discrimination. Sloppy employer procedures and documentation add to the situation, particularly if employees are thereafter disciplined for matters for which they received no prior written warning. Further, some supervisors still make negative comments to employees who have filed a charge or complained of discrimination, which some lawyers refer to as a “smoking gun” of showing discrimination or retaliation. Almost every federal and state employment law has some sort of anti-retaliation provision, and employees and their attorneys are increasingly sophisticated about bringing such claims.

To avoid retaliation claims, employers must evaluate carefully any discipline or other adverse employment actions against an employee after a complaint or charge of discrimination is filed. Employers must separate the investigation of the complaint or charge of discrimination, from the investigation of the subsequent disciplinary action. The situation is particularly dangerous if the disciplinary action is determined by the same person who was previously the subject of the complaint or charge of discriminatory conduct. In such situations, it almost always helps to have a higher authority within the company do a separate and independent review, in an attempt to avoid a contention that the decision has been tainted or prejudiced by the accused supervisor’s input into the decision making process.

War on economics

Remembering the headier days of the EU, when its leaders thought they had created the Second Coming of Europe before 1914, the now-teetering economy has made Europe more reminiscent of the dark days following World War I, when inflation was the order of the day, currencies and entire economies were shattered, and millions of massacred young men lay beneath the Continent’s fertile soil. Europe is not recovering from war these days, but for more than a decade, people who should have known better have made war on the laws of economics, and that is a war that no human being can win.

For all of the angst that currently engulfs the world, it might do us well to remember how Europe and the USA got to this point in the first place, and, more important, why the financial trickery currently being waged by Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke and the European Central Bank not only is bound to fail, but also is destined to drive the world’s economies into the abyss. To make matters worse, Bernanke and company are doing exactly what they were doing to create the crisis in the first place, following a “hair of the dog” financial strategy that is on steroids.

More of the same

As former Bill Clinton Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers wrote recently in the Washington Post, in order to get out of an economic downturn caused by too much spending, too much confidence, and recklessness, governments must spend recklessly and exude confidence. In other words, more of the same.

The title of this article suggests that I am speaking of the dollar, not the euro or the European union, but in reality, the two currencies are tied together and will fall together if for no other reason than the insistence of central bankers around the world that they can inflate their way out of this morass. Before explaining the current strategy to “save” these currencies, however, I first need to point out why we are in this mess in the first place.

For more than a decade, European and American banks have been lending actively, first during the Tech Bubble (which also engulfed Europe), and then the Housing Bubble. Call it “irrational exuberance” or just plain foolishness, but banks and the governments that supported them seemed to revel in the belief that they had conquered economic laws. Unfortunately, real estate firms and high-tech companies were not the only entities expanding beyond the bounds of potential demand; governments also spent wildly, and governments like Greece and the United States expanded their spending by borrowing, and as the borrowing continued, so did the leveraging of the banks.

As long as the economy was booming, the banks and everyone else could operate on the knife-edge, but as soon as it became clear that the frenetic pace was unsustainable, the overleveraged banks found themselves de facto insolvent. This was obvious in 2008, and the notion that any “solution” was for the central banks to “rescue” the commercial banks by facilitating even more loans should have been seen for the utter foolishness that it was.

Instead, the media hailed Bernanke as a “financial genius.” Now, this is “financial genius” as befits Alan Greenspan, who managed to create two bubbles during his tenure as Fed chairman. However, even Greenspan has not been able to match the sheer productivity of Bernanke, as he has managed to create the Mother of All Financial Bubbles, the bubble in government paper.

One must understand that in the U.S. and Europe, loans made to governments simply cannot be paid back because no economy today can generate the kind of activity needed just to pay the debt service, yet the central banks and government officials continue to claim that loaning governments more money so they can make loan payments is a sound policy. It is not; it is sheer delusion.

Will there be a money printing scheme?

So, what is Bernanke’s next rabbit-from-the-hat? Paul Krugman already is demanding that Congress rescind the part of the Federal Reserve Act that prohibits the Fed from purchasing short-term U.S. Government treasuries on the primary market. If that were to be done, that would mean the Fed could monetize government debt directly, which essentially would be a money-printing scheme that differed from what Zimbabwe or numerous Latin American countries have done: pay for government expenditures via printing.

At the present time, 40 percent of U.S. government spending comes via borrowing. That’s right, 40 percent. Most of the Bush-Obama spending spree that followed the realization in 2007 that the Housing Bubble was going to collapse has been spent via borrowing, and now unemployment is higher than it was, and no real recovery is on the horizon.

Inflation and high unemployment

Bernanke really seems to believe that he can inflate the economy back into prosperity and save the world by spreading as many dollars as possible to central banks across the globe. Doing this, as well as pursuing all of the other Fed actions at home has vastly expanded the supply of dollars and by so doing, Bernanke has given us inflation and high unemployment. In the name of “saving” the economy and the currency that represents it, Bernanke is destroying our money and has loosed the dogs of inflation upon us.

In response to an initiative by Gov. Bill Haslam to create jobs via entrepreneurship, the East Tennessee Regional Accelerator Coalition (ETRAC) was formed this year with a Kickoff meeting that was held Dec. 15 in Knoxville. Additionally, the coalition feels there are opportunities in the region that need to be matched with resources to improve a company’s chances for success.

ETRAC is led by the University of Tennessee’s Anderson Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation, a network of over 40 organizations that coordinates their efforts to encourage and support early-stage companies. While there are already several organizations within the region that support start-up businesses, ETRAC believes it can do an even better job because many of those resources are not well coordinated and in some cases new entrepreneurs are not even aware that help exists. ETRAC hopes that they will have a superior impact on a new company’s ability to survive and thrive.

A business accelerator speeds up a young company’s entry into the marketplace. ETRAC starts with a triage of applicants to identify and match entrepreneurs’ needs with targeted resources, giving priority to the highest opportunity businesses, but also connecting other applicants with resources marched to their needs. All applicants will benefit, and depending on the potential opportunity, many are matched with mentors and ultimately investors. ETRAC is not only recruiting entrepreneurs, but mentors and investors, as well. They are establishing a network of experienced and skilled mentors, and networking with several of the incubator facilities in the area to optimize both proximity and type of facility for qualifying start-ups. A pool of angel investors is being organized to complement those already active in the region, in addition to the eight venture funds that have claimed their support to ETRAC.

A key to their success, ETRAC says, in regard to being self-sustaining, is that most of the participating organizations are engaging in the accelerator as an extension or modification to what they already do in support of entrepreneurship in the region, with a firm belief that their own outreach and mission will be enhanced through improving the overall effectiveness of ETRAC in attracting, triaging and matching resources to the early-stage opportunities arising in the area.

Some of the organizations participating in the coalition are Claris Networks, In10sity, Entrepreneurs’ Organization, Entrepreneurs of Knoxville, Pershing Yoakley & Associates, Tech 20/20, Tennessee Veterans Business Organization, ORNL, Knoxville-Oak Ridge Innovation Valley, UT Research Foundation, UT Extension, Pellissippi State Community College, multiple chambers and several entrepreneurial support organizations.

The counties in the East Tennessee region include: Anderson, Blount, Campbell, Claiborne, Cocke, Grainger, Hamblen, Jefferson, Knox, Loudon, Monroe, Morgan, Roane, Scott, Sevier and Union.

Anyone with a high-growth business opportunity that is nearly ready for investment would possibly benefit from working with ETRAC. Those with a business that has already been launched that is looking for help getting on track should also contact ETRAC.

Individuals who have strong entrepreneurial experience interested in serving as a mentor to a potential rising star are also encouraged to contact ETRAC, as well as potential investors who may be interested in early-stage ventures.

For more information, or to express an interest in ETRAC, visit etrac.org or send an e-mail to inquiries@etrac.org.

The two-day program will explore topics such as hedge fund tax allocations; tax consequences of hedge fund structures; taxation of investment transactions; unrelated business taxable income; preparation of hedge fund returns and disclosures; allocation methodologies; contributed stock and stock distributions; state income and state tax withholdings; and impact of foreign income on a K-1.

Karl Jordan is Decosimo’s alternative investment/hedge fund practice leader and also serves as the director in charge of the firm’s Grand Cayman office, Moore Stephens Decosimo Cayman Limited. He has extensive experience in providing services to financial institutions, private investment partnerships, alternative investment partnerships, hedge funds, broker/dealers, real estate companies, captive insurance, investment companies, family offices and high net worth individuals.

Lynn Rodgers is Decosimo’s firm tax director and head of the alternative investment/hedge fund practice. Rodgers consults with entity managers and firm personnel providing structuring, transaction and compliance solutions for domestic and offshore investment entities. She also practices extensively in the partnership arena providing consulting services regarding transaction/entity structures, partnership/operating agreements, partnership tax allocations, like-kind exchanges, debt workouts and partnership interest sales and exchanges.

Elizabeth Powell is Decosimo’s primary tax manager in providing quality control review for tax services to investment entities including hedge funds, offshore funds, private equity groups, mezzanine funds and venture capital funds. She specializes in federal, state and local tax compliance preparation and review, as well as partnership consulting regarding transaction/entity structures, partnership/operating agreements, partnership tax allocation and accounting for uncertainty in income taxes.

Through its highly focused conferences and seminars, FRA provides access to timely, cutting-edge information for the nation’s top executives.

Perennially ranked as a Top 100 accounting and business advisory firm with offices located in Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama, Ohio and the Cayman Islands, Decosimo provides audit, tax and advisory services to clients throughout the world.

There is an unstated context behind the health care debate. Those who prefer government management of medicine have a wider agenda: they hate the idea of a free market in medicine, because they hate the idea of free markets in anything.

Of course, an actual free market in medicine disappeared long ago. What remains is so heavily regulated by the federal and state governments that it is beyond recognition. The U.S. government directly pays for, and therefore controls, half of medical care today. We are only fighting over the remnants of a bygone era.

All the more reason for a vigorous fight.

It is important to realize that the private medical practices and partnerships that remain today are, at their core, small businesses. They struggle to survive under more government-imposed burdens than most businesses. Medicare and Medicaid regulations place an enormous administrative load on even the smallest practices. Add to that similar regulatory regimes in 50 states. And those regulations have established a pattern for private insurance companies. This has imposed a growing and costly burden on private practices. Any physician who cannot manage a complex accounting operation and legal compliance with more than 100,000 pages of regulations cannot remain in practice.

Who should determine medical necessity?

Unfortunately, not all physicians resent this. A few even embrace the idea of a total government takeover of all medical payments.

A supposed opinion poll reported a few years ago by a comedian, about young people starting their working careers, explains this. Half said that they feared the greatest threat to achieving their career goals was the government. The other half said that they had no goals but wanted a job working for the government. In the case of physicians, those who want to toss away their own freedom to practice medicine in return for obedience to the new government masters of medicine must not be allowed to take the rest of the profession with them.

Most physicians are small businessmen. If they are to survive, it must be as businessmen. That is why those who hate business hate physicians in private practice. Before Obamacare passed into law, an editorial in The New York Times attacked private physicians as “unabashed profiteers” because they (instead of the government) “decide what medical or surgical treatments are needed.”

Economic and moral errors

The threat of the absorption of all medical care into the loving arms of politicians, whom we all trust so much, is made possible by a fundamental economic error and a fundamental moral error.

The economic error is the illusion that the government can create medical care. The government cannot provide medical care or anything else to anyone that it does not first expropriate. It can seize the practices of physicians and replace their decisions about patients with those of government boards. It can pay medical bills only by taking money from individuals and employers — or by imposing reimbursements that do not cover a physician’s or hospital’s costs.

Ultimately, business activity must finance all medical care.

But the most important error is moral. The right to make medical decisions is destroyed by the deception of a “right” to medical care. That false right requires that medical care not be allowed except by government permission. What the government cannot create, it can only take, regulate or forbid.

The quality and growth of medical care requires that physicians be left free to literally mind their own businesses. I know that, though I am not a physician, because I am an American businessman. Like my fathers before me.

Richard E. Ralston is the executive director of Americans for Free Choice in Medicine.

As I have said from the very beginning, I support extending the payroll tax cut for 160 million Americans. I voted to extend the cut for one year, extend and reform unemployment benefits, and sustain the Medicare growth rate for patients and doctors for two years. Unfortunately, the Senate refused to return from their vacation, and Harry Reid and President Obama lead a pathetic process that has forced a less-than-ideal extension in order to ensure taxes are not raised on the American people. Once again, cheap political points won out over sound public policy

Let’s be clear, the original bill passed by the House was in the best interest of the American people. However, there is only so much we can do when dealing with an obstructionist Senate and a president mostly concerned about his re-election. I am very much opposed to tax policy and health care policy being decided two months at a time in this country, but I am more opposed to tax increases on the American people. I hope the conference process will produce a long-term solution that will benefit all Americans.

I believe this process has highlighted a clear difference in the way the Republican-led House is interested in governing and the way this Senate and president are interested in governing. We favor long-term solutions over short-sighted political maneuvering. The House has passed a budget that puts us on a long-term path to fiscal solvency, while the Senate has not passed a budget in well over 900 days — continuing to force last-minute budgeting to avoid government shutdowns. Instead of a one-year extension of the payroll tax cut and a two-year “doc fix” for Medicare, they forced a two-month extension and fix. This is wrong and the American people should hold them accountable next November.

Remembering Pearl Harbor

Seventy years ago, our country was attacked on a sleepy Sunday morning in Hawaii.  In a matter of hours we were at war with Japan and the Second World War had reached our shores.  Many brave Americans lost their lives that day fighting back against the sneak attack, and many still remain entombed at the bottom of the harbor to this day.  The attack on Pearl Harbor sparked the rise of what become known as our country’s “Greatest Generation”; a generation of men and women who served our country both overseas and at home in a worldwide fight for freedom.    My dad is one of those who served in World War II, and I have seen in him the strength, patriotism and honor that made America so great during those trying times. This month, we remember those who lost their lives at Pearl Harbor and those who fired the first shots of America’s fight for freedom against fascism.  Dec. 7, 1941 is truly a day that “live(s) in infamy,” and one that reminds us of what Americans are capable of when their country needs them.

U.S. Rep. Chuck Fleischmann, (R-Chattanooga), represents Tennessee’s 3rd District.  He welcomes your comments on this topic, and can be reached at (423) 756-2342.

The latest example was all over Maryville’s sports pages on Sunday, December 4th. One headline read: “Historic Championship: Maryville Wins the 13th State Title — Most Ever.”

Our football team has learned to work well together.

Their record this year was 15 and 0. It was their ninth state title and ninth perfect season under an extraordinary coach, George Quarles, who has won 179 games and lost only 13 in his career — the most state titles of any school in Tennessee’s history. Maryville has averaged 30 or more points in 12 of its 13 seasons under coach Quarles and the quarterback, Patton Robinette, who has scholarship offers from good schools everywhere, was named the Gatorade Tennessee Football Player of the Year, part of which has to do with his academic credentials: a straight A-plus average.

This leads me to the second thing — they work well together on in Maryville, whose district was named the best overall school district in the state by the State Collaborative on Reforming Education. The Maryville city schools recently received all As on their state math, reading, social studies, science, and writing assessments.

According to the Tennessean, Maryville city schools have the second highest test scores in the state in reading and math. The high school was selected as one of three finalists in the prized category of high schools “based primarily on student achievement gains and progress over time.”

The football team and the students clearly have learned to work well together, academically and athletically, at Maryville High School.

How did this all happen? Well, I know a little bit about this. I am a proud graduate of Maryville High School. It is not the richest town in the state by a long shot. Most families in Maryville would describe themselves as middle income.

One reason they succeed and why they achieve so much excellence in so many ways in their schools is that the town devotes about 70 percent of its budget to its schools. It is in a county where about half the citizens have a library card. It is a place where if you get in trouble at school, you get in trouble at home. There is none of this business about parents blaming the teacher and the principal for what the child does.

But the school principal, Greg Roach, who is new to the town, said it best. I watched the game on statewide television and saw when he was asked during a halftime interview, “How did this happen? How did you have this champion football team more than any other school in the state and then you are named the best school district in the state? How can you do that all at once?”

He said, “Well, it is a town school and when something happens, everybody shows up.”

They showed up for the football game, but they also show up at the annual academic awards banquets. I have been to those, and over the last several years it’s become more like a sporting contest, with students getting the same honors, awards, scholarships and pats on the back that football players get.

I used to talk about the Maryville schools and the community of Maryville when I ran for president, and my friend, former education secretary and talk-radio host Bill Bennett, who was chairman of my campaign, would say, “Lamar, not every community in America is Maryville.” And I know that — but I think a lot more could be. There are a lot of theories about what makes a good school, but Principal Roach may have it right: It is a town school, and when something happens, everybody shows up.

Work well to get results

When everybody in a community shows up, when people work well together, good things happen. Working well together is not the end goal, just as working well together was not the goal of the football team: they wanted the championship. Working well together was not the goal of the students: they wanted scholarships. But they knew they had to work well together to get a result.

Perhaps that is a lesson for Washington, DC, as we seek to take the responsibilities we have and earn the respect of the men and women of this country who hired us and sent us here to solve problems.

We should celebrate the success of the championship football team of Maryville High School and the “championship” school district of Maryville and suggest that their lesson on working well together (in Washington, it’s “bipartisanship”) might be a good lesson for us.

On the surface Ron Paul is probably the least likely of all the candidates to win a presidential election if you consider certain points that usually keep a man or woman from seeking the highest office in the land.

First, there is Paul’s age. He is 76 years old, making him one of the oldest persons to ever run for president. Most voters get concerned if a candidate is over 65. Additionally, Paul is not the best orator to ever deliver a speech — a point that seems to endear him to his supporters because he comes across as just a normal human.

Then there is the matter of his newsletters the press finds highly objectionable, even though Mr. Paul reassures reporters and pundits several times every day that he did not write the material they object to and that he, too, finds that material to be highly offensive. No matter how many questions they ask him leading up to their real reason he’s been asked for an interview, reporters just can’t seem to get past the newsletters. The look on their faces when asking about them ranges from utter delight in trying to make Paul squirm, to sheer glee at the thoughts of torturing him with details about the newsletters — again. So predictable, so obnoxious, but still they persevere in their quest. And just what reaction are they trying to achieve?

I’d be embarrassed to ask the same question about the same subject, knowing I’m going to get the same answer. Move on, already. But, then, by now most candidates would have changed their story, or admitted they’d lied or stepped down to go to rehab after confessing to authorship. Ron Paul is not your typical politician.

Those of us who have read his books, talked with him at length or know him personally, laugh at the thoughts of Ron Paul writing those newsletters. It’s simply not what he believes. Even if he did, he is certainly not ignorant enough to write what he is being accused of. And Ron Paul is genius.

While the Democrats and Republicans all start sounding like Libertarians leading up to a presidential election, they cannot describe in any detail how their newfound Libertarian ideas would work in reality. The best they can do is say things like “reduce the size of the federal government,” or “make Congress accountable to the American people.” They are unable to offer even one or two examples of how they would accomplish these things.

In contrast, Ron Paul has written several entire books on the subjects of economics, health care, education, reducing the size and scope of the federal government, drug policy and dozens of more hot topics. Reporters laugh at and are skeptical of Ron Paul’s stance on the important issues of the day because for so many years they have embraced the federal government as some kind of god who can cure all that ails America — and the world for that matter. Ron Paul is speaking a foreign language reporters are unprepared to understand because they have been brainwashed into believing in Government First rather than the Constitution First.

Through it all, Ron Paul has remained polite while under assault from the press. I wonder how much longer he will be able to refrain from telling reporters they are slow learners with very poor memories and even worse manners?

For example, if I were to deliberately run someone down with my car in a parking lot and the person were killed, then I rightly could be charged with murder, as I clearly intended to do what I did. However, if I were driving in a parking lot, adhering to safety standards, and suddenly someone were to run in front of my car and I hit that person, then it is doubtful that I would be charged with a crime at all, even if the results from the two situations were the same: someone was killed.

The distinction is important, especially because federal criminal law today is so pervasive and broad that any one of us has violated a federal criminal statute — often unknowingly — during our adult lives. Where there once were only three federal criminal laws, today there are more than four thousand federal criminal offenses on the books and more than 10,000 federal regulations that, if violated, even unintentionally, can lead to criminal charges.

Many of these laws are vague and the courts have decided that federal prosecutors are to be given the leeway as to determine whether or not they believe something done is a “crime,” with jurors (who usually are not familiar with the law) ultimately being the ones who are supposed to decided upon the criminality of an act. If the reader believes this is a recipe for injustice and outright tyranny, that person is correct.

People are convicted in federal criminal court for things that utterly boggle the mind. Accountants who have prepared reports they believed were accurate have gone to prison. In the case of Dr. William Hurwitz, a pain specialist, he was accused of writing bogus prescriptions for money but even prosecutors admitted that all of the prescriptions he wrote were to his patients, all of which were complaining about pain.

Dr. Hurwitz was a very competent doctor and a compassionate man, but federal prosecutors told the jury that he was nothing more than a “drug dealer” and prosecutors even successfully managed to suppress a document from the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) that the defense was planning to use because they wanted a conviction at all costs. They got their conviction, Dr. Hurwitz went to prison where, thanks to the deplorable medical care that is standard at federal prisons (and I can give you chapter and verse on that one from my own personal observations of prisoners I have known), he lost sight of one eye. Thanks to this and other such cases, thousands of Americans today suffering from debilitating pain cannot get the care they need because federal prosecutors wanted to boost their careers and get Drug War money to boot.

Which brings us to Eric Holder, attorney general of the United States. Under Holder’s watch, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) launched the infamous “Operation Fast and Furious” in which federal agents deliberately had weapons smuggled to drug gangs in Mexico ostensibly to track the guns and the gangs. The whole thing backfired, but when Holder first was questioned about it by Congress, he claimed he had not known of the activity until just before the hearing.

It turns out that Holder did not tell the truth, as memos to Holder surfaced that demonstrated he was informed about what was happening long before he claimed to have known. This is the same Eric Holder who has tried to move Heaven and Earth in order to prosecute former Major League Baseball star Roger Clemens, but claims that when he told a falsehood to Congress, his “state of mind” was not such that his statements were lies.

In other words, Holder says that the mens rea standards should apply to him — and that is assuming that Holder actually was not intending to lie, and given his record as the hatchet man for Janet Reno’s DOJ, I have my doubts about the veracity of anything Holder says. Unfortunately, if your name is not Eric Holder, or if you do not work for the DOJ, then mens rea does not apply to you.

Whether or not Eric Holder’s term in office survives the “Fast and Furious” scandal is something I cannot answer at this time. However, his reprehensible and deceitful conduct and the double standards that seem to be part of the DOJ culture demonstrate that this man is not fit to be the nation’s top law enforcement officer. Holder hardly is the first attorney general to lie and to bully others and he won’t be the last. I’m not sure, however, that there ever will be a more dishonest person in the seat where he now resides.