Tag Archives: Germantown

Back to the Future

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Yesterday on the way to the East Shelby Republican Club’s annual Master Meal in Germantown, we were listening to Mark Levin on the radio. As usual, Levin applied his razor sharp intellect to President Obama’s flabby rhetoric.

He quoted Obama railing against a possible Supreme Court slapdown of his unpopular Affordable Care Act and lasered in on his command that the U.S. continue forward – or as he put it – forwards. Levin remarked that might be some new English that he isn’t aware of because he always considered the word to be forward.

Anyhow, Levin took issue with the forward thinking mentality. Forward has always been the rallying cry of progressives, particularly scary Socialist/Fascist ones. Who could be against going forwards? It sounds good, doesn’t it? No one wants to be left behind. Everyone wants to be thought of as grasping the new possibilities of the future. Many like to think that just moving “forwards” will leave all problems behind(s).

Right now, I don’t want to go “forwards.” I would even like a little backwards. Not, of course, to the days of Jim Crow, segregated schools, no technology. (Ever wonder why the past is always dominated by racism? Of course, there was some, but America did good things along with the bad.) But to the days when freedom ruled and regulations didn’t; when the government didn’t care whether we drank a Big Gulp or no gulp; when the family was intact and the government supported that.

I liked it when the government thought prayer was a good thing. I liked it when presidents worked in the Oval office instead of late night talk shows, game shows and reality TV. I liked it when the First Lady tried to help girls in Afghanistan reach freedom rather than Michelle Obama reaching and doing push ups on TV shows to promote her view of lifestyles. (Michelle Obama is obsessed isn’t she, with your personal fitness? She intends delegates at the convention join her in some televised workout. Please, I don’t need to see Jerry Nadler doing jumping jacks.)

I liked it when freedom didn’t mean that I could watch oral/gay/kinky sex acts punctuated with the f word on any drama/comedy/entertainment show I sit down to watch. I liked it when small businesses were let succeed or fail on their own and appreciated when they grew.

What makes people think forwards means better? Obama’s forwards to me means poor quality, expensive health care with few doctors and little advancing research. Forwards means the growth of big corporations friendly to him who depend on his whims to survive and over regulated small businesses that must only offer what the government approves. Forward means the loss of the nuclear family and its replacement by uncaring bureaucrats. Forward means I can only buy what the government tells me is good for me. It means the end of individuality and creativity. Big government stifles both. It means an end to American exceptionalism and a world suffering from the loss.

Barack Obama’s forwards is not where I want to go. We could use some of the old ways right now.

Rout Asks for Votes

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Rick Rout began his address to the Midtown Republican Club last night with a call for unity.

“Now that the primary is over, we have to make sure we all vote for Mitt Romney,” urged Rout, who is seeking the post of General Sessions Court Clerk. “But before that I’d like to be in office for two months,” he said. “September 1st is inauguration day for the winners of the Aug. 2 election. We need a clean sweep: Amy Weirich, Tim Walton, Steve Basar and me. We can’t trust Democrats to be in office. We know how to run the county. We have to run it as a business and work within a budget.”

Rout said, “The first thing I’ll do is to call for an audit,” he said, citing the recent indictment of a former clerk. He outline his other goals: to restore honesty, integrity and accountability to the office; balance the budget and ensure the office is self-sufficient; establish random audits within the office for quality control; and continue programs to combat domestic violence including the elderly, children and pets.

In the meantime, Rout stressed the importance of the Midtown vote. “Midtown will make or break my, Amy and Tim’s candidacy. So I want to ask you to walk a neighborhood with me and to get signs up July 1st.”

For more information his website is www.RickRout.com and facebook is ElectRickRout. Any donations can be sent to Friends of Rick Rout, P.O. Box 381853, Germantown, TN 38183-1853.

East Club to Have Fund Raiser

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Every year the East Shelby Republican Club hosts a “master meal.” They raise money for our candidates at an especially necessary time – before the elections. In fact, East Shelby’s Tim Beacham told the Midtown Republican Club their master meal will be the last major fund raising activity to occur before the Aug. 2 election.

Anyone is welcome to attend the bbq dinner made by John Willingham. The theme this year is “keeping it local” and features former Tennessee Governor Don Sundquist and Shelby County Mayor Mark Luttrell. The date is Tuesday, June 26, at 6:30 at the Great Hall at 1900 South Germantown Road.

Tickets are $35 a person and may be purchased online with a credit card at www.mastermeal2012.eventbrite.com. Or, you can mail a check to the East Shelby Republican Club, P.O. Box 383302, Germantown, TN, 38183

Our Council Man Gets It

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Midtown has a Democrat as our representative on the Memphis City Council, but he is a Democrat who gets it when it comes to property taxes.

In today’s Commercial Appeal, Strickland pens an op ed entitled “Memphis can’t afford a property tax hike.” How right he is, in both senses of the word. He points out that Memphians pay the highest property taxes in the state. “Our rate is 30 percent higher than Germantown’s, 75 percent higher than Nashville’s, and 235 percent higher than the rate in Somerville in Fayette County.

“The owner of a $150,000 house in Memphis pays $2,703 a year in taxes. If you move about 25 miles east of Cordova to Somerville, you will pay only $806 in taxes for a house of the same value.” And they want to raise it.
Mayor A C Wharton’s proposed budget for the fiscal year that begins in July, which the City Council will review over the next six weeks, would be the largest budget in the history of Memphis if it is passed as the mayor presented it — $628.3 million. It is $22 million higher than the current year’s budget.

“In 2008, over my objections, the council greatly increased city government spending to $616 million. And despite the fact that the administration claims the mayor’s budget proposal includes $24 million in cuts, the amount spent in operating city government has increased. Any money saved with reductions in one part of city government is spent on a program or job in another area of City Hall.

“If the council approves the mayor’s proposed 47-cent one-year increase in the tax rate, Memphis’ tax rate for the coming fiscal year will be 38 percent higher than Germantown’s, 86 percent higher than Nashville’s and 257 percent higher than Somerville’s. For the $150,000 house, the Memphis owner will pay approximately $2,900 compared to an owner in Nashville paying $1,500. Almost twice as much.”

Strickland sees that the end result of all of this is an exodus to Mississippi and our rural environs. We can’t sustain the loss of so many citizens and operate Memphis efficiently.

I can add that I don’t see, ethically, why a home owner should pay for his home once and then, through property taxes, pay for it again. That is a gouging our founding fathers would rail against.

Strickland is taking a very Reagan approach to the issue against his fellow Democrats. I agree with him; “the future of Memphis rests upon our (the council’s) decisions.” If they allow greed or greedy constituents to win the tax fight we will all lose.

A Call to Action

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Edgar Babian, Shelby County Republican, sent this note out to Memphians:

Six of the state house districts do not have Republicans running in these districts (84,85,87,91,93,98). The deadline for turning in an application to run is Thursday at noon. We need people to pick up a petition to run for these offices to take valuable money from the Democratic party at the November election. They will have paid candidate workers at each of the locations and will probably spend $20,000 for each of these districts. It could be great impact in the upcoming election.

I ran for State house district 85 last time but have been moved out of that district and am now in District 83 held by Mark White who is doing a great Job for each of us. Please consider pulling a petition and turning one in if you live in one of those districts. We need to dominate all of the offices in the state. If you know a republican that can run please have them run for the office we are running out of time.

If you feel strongly about the schools the new school board positions for the new county school district also closes Thursday this is our chance to put good people into office on the board I am running for Position 5 the Germantown, Colierville area.

Our New Director

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Cory Higdon

Club member Ruth Henderson looks on as Cory Higdon speaks.

Republicans are thinking about the presidential race, but Cory Higdon has a warning.

The new executive director for the Shelby GOP reminds us that “before November we have August and we have races we will have to fight for.” Specifically, Higdon mentioned the Assessor of Property, District Attorney General and County Commission seats in Memphis. “We are on defense in Tennessee for protecting our House and Senate wins from 2010,” he reminded us at last night’s Midtown Republican Club meeting.

Of course, the primaries are in March, but “local elections are just as important as federal ones,” he said. “With redistricting, we may be able to pick up two more seats in the state House and Senate,” which would mean we could overcome any obstacles the other side might place in voting. “We will also work to “our majority in the U.S. House and hope to take over the Senate.”

In Shelby County Higdon sees us losing perhaps a house and two state senate seats. “We’ll know soon since the legislature resumes this month and will take that up right away. Then we will know where the seats are and start handling the lawsuits.”

“How can you be involved in helping us win this year?” Higdon asked. “We will need people to help make phone calls and with precinct mailings. January 14 is our 2012 kickoff event at the Devonshire Club House in Germantown. We’ll have DA Amy Weirich plus state and local officials to help us get started and get excited about 2012.”

Then there is the 2012 Lincoln Day Dinner, held this year on February 10 at the Holiday Inn across from the University of Memphis. A speaker will be announced soon.

Higdon will be working on all these projects. We are lucky to be the only county in the entire state which has a full time employee in this post. He’ll get a workout this year.

Kelsey, White Endorse Perry

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Tennessee State Senator Brian Kelsey of Germantown and State Rep. Mark White of Memphis have joined other Tennessee legislators in endorsing Gov. Rick Perry for president.

White said, “Rick Perry doesn’t just spout conservative rhetoric – he implements tangible conservative reform. Governor Perry is a principled constitutional conservative who has cut taxes, reduced spending and stood up to the job killing regulations from Washington bureaucrats.”

Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey had already endorsed Perry. Other Tennesseans include Senate Republican Caucus chairman Bill Ketron of Murfreesboro; State Sen. Jim Summervile of Dickson; House Speaker Pro Tempore Judd Matheny of Tullahoma; and State Rep. Don Miller of Morristown.

Haslam in Memphis

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Memphians will have two chances tomorrow to meet Republican gubernatorial candidate Bill Haslam.

In the morning, Mayor Haslam and wife, Crissy, will be at the University Center Auditorium at U of M, 255 University Center, at 8:30. At 2:15 Haslam will be at Gigi’s cupcakes, 9077 Poplar in Germantown, to meet and greet.