Thoughts of an Average Woman

CONTRASTING ELECTION MAILINGS TNGOP V TNDEM

One of the more interesting things about being an independent, is the election propaganda I receive.  This year we have "scare the crap out of you because democrats are coming to take your money" propaganda from the GOP. 
I kid you not.  Two mailings from the TN Republican Party have the same information inside.  The front of one states "Failing to vote could be a costly mistake."  The picture shows a pair of male hands folded over a wad of $20 and $10 bills.  (Sorry, I'm writing this far away from my scanner)  On the back, above the information for early voting, in red letters the mailing states: "Protect your pocketbook by voting early."  The front of the second mailing shows a man holding out an empty pocket from his pants, and states, in yellow block letters: "If Democrats take control, they are coming to (size and color of the font now changes to larger italicized white letters) pick your pocket."
Inside, the first claims that "Democrats will raise taxes in America..."  the second says "Democrats want to raise taxes".  Next is the same in both: "If you don't vote, liberal Democrats will take control of Congress and raise taxes."  The second mailing has an additional blurb below this statement: "The first thing liberal Democrats are planning if they take control is to rollback the Republican tax cuts that have created millions of jobs over the past three years."
That is followed by a listing of how these supposed raised taxes would cost families, single moms, senior citizens and small business owners.  Allegedly the figures they use are from the US Department of Treasury.  Not one of these discusses how the Bush/GOP tax cuts only benefited the wealthy.  In fact, other than the top 1% of earners, and those that just echo the GOP talking points, most have opposed the tax cuts, because they just don't perform the way they were sold.
Have the tax cuts really created millions of new jobs?  The White House states that 5.4 million jobs have been created since August 2003.  Yeah, technically that is millions of jobs.  However, the majority of jobs gained have been through jobs created from increased government spending.  Additionally, if you actually look at the slow job growth we are currently in, and compare it to historically similar times, we are far, far behind in job growth (same report).
Really, the GOP has nothing to crow about, nor to scare you.  In fact, it is their own policies that have put you in the financial situation that you currently find yourself.
I haven't even talked about the decreasing wage many earners are seeing, which the GOP ignores.  In fact, I showed in early September how the median income for TN'eans has dropped during the last 6 years.
Let's contrast this with the mailings from the Democrat side, the first featuring Harold Ford, Jr.
The front states "Faith in our future" and shows Ford holding  a little girl (family member?).  Inside, the headline says: "Harold Ford is the change we need."  Then it continues in-between two pictures of Ford,
These days, our families are under siege.  Greedy oil companies gouge us at the pump.  Prescription drug companies make medicine unaffordable.  Politicians turn a blind eye to struggling schools and dangerous streets.
Harold Ford and the Democrats will fight for family security.  They'll work for higher wages for working families, affordable health care for our children, and make our schools and streets safer."
Let's face it, this is nothing new.  Just about everyone I know has talked about the price gouging at the pumps -- whether or not the fortuitous increase in prices after Katrina and the end of 2005/beginning of 2006 were legally determined to be price gouging or not, that is how many, many people felt.  Health care is in crisis -- in TN many people were dropped from the state program.  Our schools are more concerned with accountability rather than teaching.  As far as higher wages, it was the GOP on the Hill that tried hooking minimum wage to tax cuts for the wealthy.  (Obviously, the GOP doesn't give a rats behind about working people)  In TN, minimum wage didn't get passed either.  In other words, these are all topics many average people in this state (as well as across the nation)discuss, or think about (not necessarily obsessively) how it directly and indirectly impacts their families.
The second democrat mailing was a long postcard.  There is picture of Bush on TV with a male hand holding a Comcast TV controller on the right-hand side.  On the left side, block white letters on a black background the statement: "Don't just change the channel.  Change America.  Vote early Oct. 18-Nov. 2"  On the flip side, on the left side, two pictures -- one each of Bredesen and Ford, and above that the statement, "We need Democratic leadership in Tennessee and Washington"  and another reminder to change America, and the early voting days.
Now, there is one more thing, that is really trite, but made an impression on me.  The GOP mailings were sent to the surname Family, whereas the Democratic mailings were labeled hubby, me, and son surname.  The dems bothered to take the time to individualize the registered voters of the family.
Bottom line we have installing fear through unsubstantiated declaration of losing money(GOP) vs lets work on the problems that so many people are concerned with.  Which party has the average person in mind?
Personally, I find the TN dems to be no better than the GOP in many instances.  Ford has been a Bush rubberstamper a lot of the time, I'm sorry to say.  However, I would much prefer that over someone that would be a Bush rubberstamper all of the time.

KNOXVILLE TN EARLY VOTING

Early voting for Tennessee state and federal elections starts tomorrow.   We do get letters, and today I received an email asking to explain the Amendments voters in Knoxville will be facing. 

I have called the election commission and also inquired at my local voting place about the above and could not get any satisfaction.  There was no one I could talk to at my local voting place so I asked the man in charge of passports if he could help me and he informed me that he was as baffled as I am.  I read over the amendments but am still confused and if everyone who voted read these in the voting booth we would need a week to vote even if it was a poor turnout as it usually is in Knoxville. I think I need you, an average American woman to help me.  Can you put these constitutional amendments in a nutshell - make them more concise;Dear reader, I will try. 
One may view the ballot here.  Contained within this ballot are: 1. two Amendments to the Tennessee Constitution.  2. Knox Countians will also decide 3 questions to the Knox County Charter (Charter Amendments), and pension plan for sheriffs.3. City of Knoxville residents will decide some issues on the city Pensions
The first amendment to the state constitution Tennesseans will decide is the marriage amendment.
TN already has a law stating that marriage is defined to be between a man and a woman.  The idea behind enshrining this into the state constitution is so that the law cannot be challenged.  Because the amendment is not limited to DEFINING marriage, but also about recognizing only a particular group of people, another particular group of people will lose civil rights.   The question, is the amendment overkill since there is already a law in place?
They say love is blind, and we always hear that associated with looks or overlooking a spouses/partners idiosyncrasies.  However, if love is truly blind, gender would also be overlooked.The second state constitutional amendment Tennessee voters will decide, is in regards to a program of property tax relief for senior citizens.  You should read the amended language.In simplest terms, this amendment, should it pass, would allow the state legislature to authorize a program of property tax relief for senior citizens should they be presented with one.  This amendment does not require the state legislature to do so, just allows them to do so. 
My concern with this is that any property tax program for seniors would not be equally implemented across the state.  For example, a senior in Knoxville may not be eligible for a property tax freeze yet a senior in Maryville may be, based on whether their respective cities/counties have implemented a property tax freeze.  And herein lies the problem I see.  The actual desire to implement such a program is left to the individual county's or municipality's within Tennessee.  Would the seniors of TN be better served if the state legislature implemented a property tax freeze, as laid out in this amendment, as a law rather than a constitutional amendment?
Now we come to the Knox County Charter questions.  This stems from the brouhaha over the constitutionality of the Knox County Charter and the validity of term limits, and which we are still awaiting a decision (answer) from the supreme court.  The long and the short of it, the 3 questions to the county Charter may end up being moot.  However, in case the charter is valid, these questions need to be asked of the voters, and thus should be answered prior to the supreme decision.  (assuming the supreme court doesn't hand down it's answer prior to Nov. 7th)
Because the amendments to the Knox County charter were longer than 300 words each, here is the  link to the full amendments.  Basically, these amendments include and defines elected Officers that were not clearly defined(page 20) and included in the current charter and the question if they are/were subject to term limits.   If you remember,
The county law department has argued that term limits apply only to county commissioners and the county mayor. The Charter Review Committee that drafted the amendments on the ballot says that term limits apply to all county officeholders except judges, including the sheriff, trustee, register of deeds, property assessor and county clerk.
Now the voters will decide if all officers should be subject to term limits, if it passes, or if only commissioners and the county mayor are subject to term limits, as the county law department believes, if it does not pass.
The County Code Commission (question 2) relates to the fact that when term limits were first voted on, the amendment was not filed nor was it published.  Having the County Code Commission would rectify the short-comings this county has had completing their legal duties of publishing the County Code (Charter and ordinances).   
The third question seems to be just a clarification, according to the Charter review Committee.  I have to admit I hadn't really checked on that question before.
The County pension amendment is best explained by Sandra Clark (via R. Neal).  We need to ask ourselves why sheriff deputies should not have a defined pension plan, after all they do for us, not to mention the goofy hours they work.
But Hutchison, in a interview last week, said voters should consider the life span (59 years) of an officer. Stress causes physical problems, he said, citing Lt. James Carson who was wounded in a west Knox shootout several years ago. “After 25 years, if James were to retire he would make $255 a month under our present plan,” Hutchison said. If Carson elected a 10-year payout, he would earn $690 a month for 10 years.
Under the proposed pension, deputies would get 70 percent of the average pay of their last two years as a “defined benefit.” Taxpayers would be obligated to fund any shortfall out of the operating budget.
Under the current pension plan, and based on these numbers, these deputies will retire with an income well below poverty levels.   To remain with the current pension plan would put additional stress on the state (medicare to start).
Finally, City of Knoxville voters have an additional 4 questions to answer, all pertaining to pensions.  I have to be honest here, I have not seen anything explaining how these changes, if passed, would impact the current pension system.  Keeping that in mind...
The first question, makes sense in part, as it is written.  You would think it would make sense that any changes to the city pension system should be brought to the pension board for review.  Does each suggested amendment need an actuarial study, I couldn't tell you.  Nor does the amendment as written discuss the additional costs of the actuarial study.
The remaining three questions sound as if there will be significant enough changes in what is available and how pensions are calculate.  Are the benefits to the people collecting their pensions  or to the city in having to pay less?  I couldn't tell you.  Perhaps someone else can let us know in comments.
If you are voting in the city of Knoxville or Knox County here is a listing of early voting centers.
See 'ya at the polls!

REGAL CINEMA'S DECIDING WHAT MOVIES YOU SHOULD WATCH

Now, this is done daily...which theaters will show which movies.  But, I have to wonder if the folks from Regal understood Death of a President, before making their decision that Knoxvillians, and thousands of other people, cannot see it in their theaters.

The controversial film "Death of a President," which depicts the fictional assassination of President George W. Bush, may have a tough time finding an audience.

Knoxville-based Regal Entertainment Group - the largest movie theater chain - has decided not to screen the film. Regal has 542 theaters in 40 states 6,383 screens in the U.S.

Read that first sentence KNS writer, Bledsoe, writes.  The film may have a tough time finding an audience?  Well, duh!  If the cinemas in the area refuse to show it, it stands that there won't be an audience.  It is the people making that decision, it is the cinema's making the decision whether a film will have an audience or not.

"It's controversial," said Ball. "In many ways, it is sympathetic to George Bush. It talks about a rush to judgment. In no way is it a call for violence."

Using Ball's explanation, it seems that Death of a Presidentfalls into the realm of speculative fiction.   But, it appears that Regal made their decision based on the fictional assasination rather than following a line of what if's and could be's to it's conclusion. 

While I personally don't go to movie theaters (I can't sit still that long), I will buy the DVD when it comes out.  Perhaps Newmarket should seriously consider distributing to Independent cinema's since the big boy (Regal) doesn't want to play.