Sad. I had been trying to convince myself that Haslam is a shrewd RINO using his name to advance his progressive ideas.

Of course his company is doing good. It's an oil company!!! Not all businesses have it's customers by the balls like oil companies do. People still have to drive to work and to the stores.

One of my biggest yaps is how much oil companies control this nation and how it's seeping into our political leadership. It got Bush into office, and here in Tennessee, Haslam's oil put Corker into office and it will soon lubricate Bill's way into the Governors mansion. I still can't understand, but have strong suspicion, why someone who was once the CEO of an oil company would want to be a mayor of a town like Knoxville, or a governor? I know my opinion isn't worth dirt, but I do wonder if Bill's a wolf in sheep's clothing! Is he just a figure head for big oil. He has done a few things for Koxville. Like the revamp of downtown. But I'm unsure if this was really for Knoxville or if it was window dressing for his next step in his political career. Was he responsible for Smart-Fix 40? That was definitely an added plus for the city, but was this project implemented earlier? I do know he increased the amount of red light cameras. I've have never received a ticket from one, but I STILL DON'T LIKE THEM!!!! It's just another thing to detract your attention away from your driving. And to top it off, the majority of the money leaves the county, state and country. Bill seems nice enough, maybe he is, maybe he's not. We will soon find out once he has control of the governors office.

Is Bill for or against a state income Tax?

I take it they expect that arguably the second worst economic downtown in history should have been reversed within a year.

Whereas the Great Depression took ~15 year and Would War II.

I agree w/ skb, theirs is not an oil business as much as it is a cig/beer/lotto one. And junk food.

How do the Haslams do it? All that good private sector stimulus, while still having time to pay $6.5 million in fines for operation and maintenance of underground storage tanks and handling of hazmat materials. and boo hoo. now they won't build travel centers in CA. Durn them pesky environmentalists.

If he wants to run on Pilot's record, let him run on Pilot's record.

Haslam's stretching it on the lowest unemployement claims.

helped Knoxville achieve the lowest unemployment rate of any major metropolitan area in the state.

December, 2009 Unemployment Rates

Chattanooga - 9.5
Knoxville - 9.3
Memphis - 11.1
Nashville - 9.2

Davidson County - 9.2
Hamilton County - 8.9
Knox County - 8.1
Shelby County - 10.3

Chattanooga MSA - 9.1
Knoxville MSA - 8.7
Memphis MSA - 10.3
Nashville MSA - 9.4

Haslam is the Mayor of Knoxville, which does not have the lowest unemployment rate of any major city in Tennessee.

Knox County, with Mayor Ragsdale, does have the lowest reported unemployment rate for any major county in Tennessee and the Knoxville MSA also has the lowest reported unemployment rate of any major MSA in the state. At least he said "helped" considering Knox County and the Knoxville MSA consist of a lot of other leaders contributing to low unemployment.

Pilot only serves coffee, not tea!!

But it's our addiction to oil that draws us into his stores.

And it's the oil market that goes with new road building that drives the company's growth.

It should also be noted that 7 of the top 10 employers in Knoxville are government or government related.

Excellent point. Here where folks are so fiercely anti-government.

I've got that commercial memorized, "opened alot of truckstops, good ones, picked up alot of trash, stocked alot of coolers." I think Haslam would be better than the other GOP choices, if he is only pandering for the primary, which looks kind of silly. I've often wondered are these his ambitions or Big Jims. As for the reasons, mayor, gov and the pres maybe. Who knows.
As for the stimulus, the extra unemployment has allowed me to stay a bit above water. I feel it has saved jobs by allowing me some money to spend, but don't feel its created many new ones.