As a History teacher, I talk about what makes nations work and what causes their collapse all the time. It is my observation that throughout history, the quickest way to ruin a democracy or a republic is for people to become greedy, greedy with power and money. It ruined Athens and it ruined Rome. SoContinue reading “Government Accountability”
Category Archives: Policies
Foreign Policy
I have taught Advanced Placement World History for 10 years. Each year I discuss how our world has developed to where it is today. I investigate with my students the reasons for revolution and discovery. We contemplate the human experience and why people make the choices they have made in the past and in theContinue reading “Foreign Policy”
Trade
High tariffs can be detrimental to trade. Just as they were in 1930 with the Smoot-Hawley Tariff. It was designed to help American industries but instead created a worldwide tariff war that amplified the Great Depression. While we must hold China and other nations accountable for fair trade practices, we must acknowledge that every tariffContinue reading “Trade”
Deficit & Debt
Our government accrued a deficit last year of $1.109 trillion and is projected to amount a whopping $1.103 trillion this year. This is due to several factors. One factor is that legislators realized that the more they spend, the more it grows the economy. They also realize that they won’t get reelected if they proposeContinue reading “Deficit & Debt”
Rural Broadband Act
As a teacher, I give homework and classwork that requires internet access. This year the Hamilton County school system went 1 to 1 with students and ChromeBooks. Students no longer even have a hard copy textbook for many of their classes since many of them are solely online. This saves money for school systems, butContinue reading “Rural Broadband Act”
Infrastructure
When was the last time you saw workers repairing your local bridges? Are they safe? This is an issue both parties agree on and yet very little has been accomplished. It’s time to get this moving forward, for both our economy and for the safety of our citizens. 64 years ago, President Eisenhower signed theContinue reading “Infrastructure”
Employment Education
Declining industry workers should be assisted in job retraining. Many community colleges, local non-profits, unions, and employers offer pathways to increased employability. We should offer incentives for those programs to expand and make them available to more Americans who find themselves needing to change employment paths. Two-year college or training programs (Like Bill Haslem’s) shouldContinue reading “Employment Education”
Protections
Tech companies must be required to protect your privacy and data. We should have a national Consumer Privacy Act that allows users to opt out of having their data shared and requires data brokers to register with the Attorney General so you, the consumer are protected. Antitrust laws and consumer oversight must be used toContinue reading “Protections”
Economy
Capitalism has allowed the economy of the United States to become one of the strongest in the world. The United States, with our capitalist economy, has been able to create amazing growth and prosperity for many of its citizens. It has allowed for historic innovations and provided global economic stability. Sometimes though, due to ourContinue reading “Economy”
Immigration
Most Americans came to this country as immigrants and helped build our nation. Immigration has always provided substantial economic growth in Tennessee and across the country. We need to fix our broken immigration system and to remove partisan politics from this important issue. I support effective and data-driven immigration reform. We need to develop aContinue reading “Immigration”