Weekly Columns

  • If the President Expects Compromise, He Must Set the Table for Negotiation
    Dec 5, 2012  - It’s past time for President Obama to offer concrete, realistic solutions to our nation’s fiscal crisis and to prevent the tax increases and arbitrary spending cuts set to go into effect on January 1, known as the fiscal cliff. While the president continues to reject serious proposals from Republica... More
  • Tax Increases Alone Won’t Avert Fiscal Cliff
    Nov 28, 2012  - Tennesseans could wake up to find a lump of coal in their stockings if the fiscal cliff isn’t addressed before the holidays. According to a new report from the White House, taxes on middle class families will increase by $2,200 per year, resulting in a loss of $200 billion in consumer spending, if t... More
  • Thanksgiving
    Nov 21, 2012  - Thanksgiving is a time to give thanks for the harvest and express gratitude for the blessings in your life. It’s about spending time with your family and loved ones. It’s about giving back and giving thanks. As Americans, we have so many blessings to give thanks for. We live in a free country and, d... More
  • Veterans Day
    Nov 11, 2012  - Veterans Day Veterans Day is a chance to give thanks to all the men and women who fight tirelessly to keep us free, including the 495,800 veterans in the state of Tennessee. Veterans Day serves as a powerful reminder of how our nation’s liberty and justice has been preserved by the dedication of our... More
  • New Health Care Challenges Coming With New Year
    Oct 25, 2012  - As 2012 comes to a close, we face many challenges: averting the fiscal cliff that could send us spiraling back into a recession, tackling our crippling deficit and the dire need to balance our budget. But equally worrisome are the sweeping changes coming to our health care system in the new year. Th... More
  • President Praises September Jobs Report While Impending Fiscal Cliff Threatens Economic Growth
    Oct 10, 2012  - The International Monetary Fund (IMF) revised its World Economic Outlook on Tuesday, which found that our already sluggish economic growth has further slowed. Carlo Cottaralli, director of IMF’s fiscal affairs department, said in an interview that the automatic spending cuts and tax hikes set to tak... More
  • School Lunches Should Be Filled with Nutrition, Not Red Tape
    Sep 26, 2012  - Have you ever wondered how school administrators decide what goes into school lunches? As is the case with most federally-run programs, there’s a thick stack of instruction papers for that. On the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) webpage for the Food and Nutrition Services Department, you can... More
  • Deficit Day Sounds Alarm on “Tax, Borrow and Spend”
    Sep 12, 2012  - According to the 2011 Financial Security Index, 58 percent of Americans track their spending against a monthly budget. What if this was the case for the federal government? James Harrigan from the Institute of Political Economy at Utah State University and Antony Davies from Duquesne University pose... More
  • Labor Day Forecast Bleak for Unemployed
    Aug 29, 2012  - Next Monday we observe Labor Day. This federal holiday originated as a day to pay tribute to the contributions of the American worker and their achievements. Unfortunately, this Labor Day will not be a day filled with picnics and parades for the 8.3% of Americans that are unemployed. Still, Presiden... More
  • Domestic Energy Production Can Pave Road to Lower Unemployment
    Aug 15, 2012  - July marked the 42nd consecutive month that unemployment has been at or above 8 percent on the president’s watch, according to a Bureau of Labor Statistics report. The labor force participation rate, which measures individuals working or looking for work, remained low in July with many Americans giv... More