Orwellian

The Patriot Act is coming under increased criticism by the very people who normally would support legislation to strengthen US security. This editor has refrained from comment in the past because our country is at war with terrorism at home and abroad, but it is time to make a stand for something that is far more important than a little security - it is individual liberty, privacy and freedom from an oppressive government. It is impossible for this editor to make an intelligent judgment on the character of Washington politicians and bureaucrats but I can get into the minds of those responsible locally. And I must say I am less than impressed. The Patriot Act in conjunction with Homeland Security, operates at many levels including right here in Bradley County. The local homeland security team consists of high ranking members of emergency management, law enforcement, first responders and some political figures. Legislation like the patriot act awards great powers that have a potential for abuse even to the point of suspending  safeguards built into the US and State Constitutions, so the people that control these powers must be beyond reproach and utterly trustworthy. One of the people that held this power locally was recently fired Emergency Management Director, Jeff Young. His removal from office is shrouded in secrecy - here one minute and gone the next. Truth about the rumors of computer pornography and worse have effectively been stifled because of the usual and counter productive TBI investigation. Anyhow, what's more important is that this man was entrusted with our very freedom. During one of the regular homeland security meetings, Young made a statement that still has the hair on my neck tingling. He said the most serious threat to the security of Bradley County were local tax protesters. That's right, the biggest threat are you and I. Also, because the public is not privy to homeland security planning and has no input into it, presumably the security is being designed for the protection of the government and not the citizen. I have to admit that I see a real problem with the path homeland security is heading, and even worse Jeff Young's view of a major security threat is not isolated. It's time to abolish the Patriot Act and severely limit the activity of the Department of Homeland Security. Unlike the common terrorist, US officials with opinions like Young are a real and identifiable threat to the well-being of the people of Bradley County.
What do you think?

Creative taxation

On page one of this issue is a report of legislation to impose a new tax on the citizens of Tennessee. This tax is a little different than the usual dive into our pockets. It is what I would call "creative taxation." It could be argued that it is not a new tax because it replaces a tax of the same name - a privilege tax. It could be argued that it is not an income tax because the employer is responsible for paying it, even though we all know that any charges levied on a company are passed on in some way. If the wage of the employee is not adjusted to pay for the tax then it must be passed on to the customer, which would make it a sales tax. But a sales tax is limited by law so it can't be a sales tax either. Like most new taxes, this one is starting out low at just 1%, but as history has proven, it is unlikely to stay at 1% for long. Proponents of the legislation needed to come up with a way of making this new tax palatable to the taxpayer so they attached the money generated to a worthy cause - in this case to pay for medical coverage for the poor and to help keep local hospitals running and to ease the burden on TennCare. Can't argue with that, can we? But wait? This new form of revenue although going to a good cause, will free up money already being spent on the good cause, allowing more money to flow into the general fund where it can do what an up-front income tax would have done - increase the spending of state government. You have to be impressed with this brilliantly conceived creative taxation.
What do you think?

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