An item on the City of Rockwood's Nov. 4, 2008 ballot is a Liquor Store Amendment, and also one allowing Liquor by the drink. Presently the city Harriman has two liquor store probably less than two miles from Rockwood's city limits. Harriman's revenue from liquor sales is appoximately $200,000 dollars, and Kingston is bringing in around $ 75,000. Rockwood could certainly use its fair share of the tax money. Rhea County residents and Cumberland County residents drive through Rockwood to the stores in Harriman and Kingston. It could be well controlled and would help to offset any tax increases that will more than likely show up in the future. The stores AREN'T illegal in Tn., just some towns....Ray Collett

I recently saw a TV spot against Ken Yager. It sucked. It was, frankly, low-life.

Now before I arouse the ire of WC, an ardent Ruppe supporter, or any of her other supporters, I hasten to add that I am with you: I think Ruppe will be a more effective state senator than Ken Yager. I'm also with you in not being at all happy with many of the things about the state Ken Yager left the county in.

BUT:

Slashdot reported today about a UCSB video showing "easy hacking of E-voting machines" (Link...). Techniques for ready hacking of machines, even those with paper trails, are shown. :( I've heard we use hackable machines here. See also:
Links on Roaneviews: Link... , Link...
Outside links: Link... , Link...

... or arbitrarily and unfairly?

State layoffs have started because of state budget woes.

WBIR.COM reports on this, and the firings started in the state Dept of Human Services.

Well, they've got into a legal pissing match, it would appear.
Link...

Knox County Mayor Mike Ragsdale is a complex person. And, as with most all folks, he's not all good or bad.

The following is quoted from a notice seeking applications for these fellowships. Why shouldn't some of these jobs go to Roane Countians? :)

"This spring, the Obama campaign introduced an exciting new program called the Obama Organizing Fellowship."

PDF of report to be found here:
Link...

Bredeson the Great Architect of Healthcare Expenses, the Magnificent Righter of Republican Wrongs - can this be laid at his feet? Did he engineer it and the General Assembly rubber stamp it? I don't know. It's possible, I suppose. It's a two-sided coin. They generally won't pass a budget he doesn't propose. But he can propose anything he wants, and all that ever gets through is what they pass. Go figger...

RB

(I did vote for him twice)

We've been hearing from our esteemed governor, Phil Bredeson, most recently about how many state jobs are going to have to be cut. A state press release recently talked about how we are doin (looks pretty good) at the revenue side of things. Link...

But...

He's on a list, says Chattanooga paper...
Link...

(Update: Link fixed...WC)

Americans want to be in the company of their loved ones in their final years. When a loved one is sick and in need of long term care in the last years of life, they almost always prefer to be at home and in the company of family. This is sometimes an option for family members, but sometimes it isn't possible because of financial considerations. Medicare covers some aspects of in-home health care through private duty nursing, registered social workers and personal health care attendants, but it generally does not pay for family members to stay home and care for their loved ones.

The right to vote is a fundamental right which belongs to all Americans. Unfortunately the justice system has made it very difficult for some five million Americans who are no longer incarcerated but have previous felony convictions to exercise that right. This is an unreasonable limitation on the rights of those who have served their time and has an enormous impact on the national dialogue, limiting the rights of potential voters and skewing the results of elections.

I usually get shot at when I dare to post a quote. I don't care today. I saw this, did some searching, could not find anything to disprove the source but I make no guarantees. So here goes...

"It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena..."

(ATTRIBUTED TO)--Theodore Roosevelt

What a great day we had! For those of you that missed it,

Way to go Tommy! Did you see this? I hope this is the way to insert this link.

How hard would it be to alter the ordinace

Did you know that the City of Harriman already has a Pit Bull Ban? How did this get by without us knowing it? Did I sleep through April?

How are they enforcing it? Not very well! There were several Pit Bulls among the crowd at the Labor day celebrations.

Tennessee is facing a financial drought as well as a weather drought as the second session of the 105th General Assembly gears up.

What happened to Tennessee's much vaunted surplus of last year? A year or so ago, Governor Phil Bredeson and the state money officials were making much of how well Tennessee was doing financially, and told us of a surplus.

Let's break out one of the issues WC listed so it can have a separate discussion - as the members of this forum may desire - that of the office of constable.

One from Mark Twain, one from Thomas Jefferson, and one from Herbert Spencer. Read, consider, enjoy, then discuss if it pleases you. :-)

Let me not be understood as saying that there are no bad laws, nor that grievances may not arise for the redress of which no legal provisions have been made. I mean to say no such thing. But I do mean to say that although bad laws, if they exist, should be repealed as soon as possible, still, while they continue in force, for the sake of example they should be religiously observed.
Abraham Lincoln (1809 - 1865)

From another Roane County blog (Link...)

"Becky Ruppe, County Executive of Morgan County , has announced her bid
for the open senate seat that will be left from Tommy Kilby's vacancy.
According to a press release, Ruppe has the endorsement of Lincoln
Davis, Tommy Kilby and Dennis Ferguson."

Well, I found something that I can offer that will probably even appeal to the real progressives here (who, I don't believe, think I'm one of them, but that's OK). [I'm grinning, kids!]

Are we in danger of losing patriotism in favor of nationalism?

Well, the Founding Fathers all had strong backgrounds in the classics. They KNEW what had made governments rise and fall throughout history. They knew WHY republics are as fragile as they are glorious. They knew that the art of politics involved getting one's hands dirty - in the sense of digging in, not in the sense of corruption.

Here's a bargain. Three from Hillary... enjoy the, ummm... "wisdom"!

"We are going to take things away from you on behalf of the common good."

"God bless the America we are trying to create."

"I'm not going to have some reporters pawing through our papers. We are the president."

RB

"Under democracy, one party always devotes its chief energies to trying to prove that the other party is unfit to rule - and both commonly succeed, and are right."

H.L. Mencken was a neat guy. Helps keep folks thinking. Consider this quote.

To me it should work to keep strong holders of political opinion on any part of the spectrum a bit more "honest." It is such a temptation to be so zealous in promoting those whose beliefs closely parallel our own that we get to the point of imputing bad things and dishonorable motives to those who do not see it the same way.

RB

Having lived up in Massachusetts for a time, I'll probably always have an interest in watching the antics of their politicians.

Here's a handy widget for folks who want to register to vote by mail. It's totally simple, as in fill in the blanks, print out the form, and mail it in.

You might not like the music or the flash animation but everybody knows all adults are already registered and this is for young folks just starting to participate in America....Right?

Right?...Hmmmm...Maybe you'ld better go:

Register to Vote