WELL, It seems that NO ONE in Knoxville, East Tennessee OR IN DISTRICT 2, cares ONE diddly-damn about this hidden, secret, shameful USE of OUR FEDERAL TAX DOLLARS in this immoral, for-sure unethical way ! Jamie Satterfield, who is well known here as a super journalist brought it to the public's attention!DID NO ONE SEE HER EXPOSE' on the front page of KNS on Monday except me? Or did the thousands of readers who did read it just 'shrug' and move on to the Sports Section ?

HI, All: And after Monday's kick off event here locally for our Super, qualified Democratic Candidate, Dr. Joshua Williams, who is running to TAKE BACK the seat in Congress from the "Duncan Dynasty", I am thrilled to let all you Nay-Sayers, critics and rumor mongers know that our REAL DEMOCRATIC PARTY is BACK!

This is also a sure thing because of the REAL DEMOCRATIC PARTY wins ACROSS this country engineered by young people, and WOMEN ! And locally and State-wide, we have a slate of wonderful candidates who are on their way to take over our Tennessee House seats and one Senate Seat...next year.

As a hard worker in our Renewed local KCDP,(since 2009) I have met, and supported many good Democrats who ran for office, who represented the BEST Tennessee had to offer...who were defeated by right wing scare tactics, disrespect of women and our Rights, and outside dirty money.
But TODAY is a new Day!

Thank you, Sam McKenzie, for doing the right thing...having the courage to insist that Stacey Campfield be censured by his peers in the State Senate.

Mrs Boggs was correct! His blatant hatred of any one who MIGHT be gay, especially if he is a young teen in this State MUST STOP. His ignorant gibberish, lies and mis-information about HIV/AIDS is worse than ludicrous. It endangers the health of so many who choose to accept his ridiculous 'instructions' on how one contracts HIV/AIDS...the "DON'T SAY GAY" bill actually encouraged the uneducated 'religious' to think it was/is OK to attack, assault, threaten and stalk, even online, young people who are gay or may APPEAR to be gay.

We have lost 3 young teens to suicide in TN because they could not live with assaults on their very beings. How does Campfield explain all the females living here who have received HIV/AIDS from their bi-sexual boyfriends/husbands? Or all the babies born HERE with AIDS?

Thank you Sam. You may have saved some lives today. And we KNOW Duncan Massey will not do anything. But our LGBT community should be grateful for your standing up for them in this State of HATE. And Stacey needs therapy. He proves it every time he speaks.

Our villiage idiot Stacey Campfield claimed last summer that he will re-submit his bill, rejected in the Legislature TWICE, to allow guns on all our State college campuses!

This should be enough information, without trying to find out MOTIVE, that there are waaaaay too many guns in this State of Hate already.

Enough said.

If y'all missed it, "Gingrich 2012 Campaign Gearing UP in TN", Sunday in KNS, well, Stacey and Rep. Tony Shipley from Kingsport practically have THE NEWT in the White House!

Our TN Democratic Party is announcing a STATE-wide effort to find potential voters and help them gain access to their nearest Drivers License Center, help them with proof of ID so they can get registered to vote for next year and beyond.

This is going on all day today around the State. If you want to help provide access to those who may be intimidated with this new punitive, un-Constitutional "Law", COME ON DOWN! We welcome your support!

Go to Fountain City Park TODAY and sign up to help.

Check it out; I saw it on the WATE 6 News updates just now. First, Dr. McIntyre says NO on closing our 5 schools, and now the Board has refused to 'contract out' our dedicated, respected and loved custodians...This is a win for our students, teachers and parents...and of course, this vote saved over 300 full-time jobs.

Now, it is up to the Governor and his clueless head of our State Ed Dept to put those millions back in our public schools. For-profit,private, charter, tuition schools are for wealthy families. The 'vouchers' are just a "come-on" to get parents tricked into moving their kids to "better schools". Or maybe we can just demand that the County Mayor sell...oh, say...$7 million more in County property and balance the Schools' budget.

Awesome! Thanks School Board members!

Yes, I am ashamed. The worst American President, not even allowed to "speak" in Canada, was given a "christian" hero's welcome in Sevier County. Worshippers/fans of the mass murderer paid $125 per person for a 'weekend conference' to hear 'christian' Bush speak for an hour.

It was such a secret and we know why. Me, myself and I and another few hundred who really tried to protest his wars, torture, wasting billions on the bloody streets of Baghdad would have been waving our "Go Back Home" signs at the I-40 407 exit.

He has been banned by 2 New England States, France, and Canada, places who want him arrested and charged with war crimes. Hell, thousands of true American patriots want him indicted and convicted in THIS country. Problem with that goal is that we are too broke to fund a $6 million + trial (the amount it cost us for the impeachment trial of Bill Clinton..who didn't murder anyone.)

But of course the war dog is more than welcome here, claiming to be a 'christian', and raking in thousands with his false piety.

President Obama announced he was calling to order a Special Session of Congress, for September 7, to announce a new and extensive JOBS Plan. But Wait! Speaker Boehner said that would not be possible. The President was told he would have to pick 'another date' because it was just not convenient for the House to appear on September 7th. And the reason: The GOP and the TEA bag Party had already scheduled another of their enlightening candidate debates for that evening!

Besides the scheduled debate, well some of his members hadn't returned from their long vacations yet and they would just be too busy to listen to the President.

I think I am correct when I say that this would be the 19th JOBS bill presented to Congress in the last 2 1/2 years from this Administration...bills that are laying on the desks of these elected representatives of the people who have failed to act on any of them.

was a hoot. I marched with signs: "Why Duncan? Why won't you make your rich friends pay TAX they owe?" And "Lamar's net worth? $350 million, Bob's net worth? Millions...are y'all going to pay tax on it?"

I decided that phone calls, e-mails, faxes, even personal visits to these (3 Stooges) have done nothing to make them do the right thing. I wore my Obama gear, carried my signs in a small corner of the off sidewalk on Cumberland by their offices. I got lots of 'thumbs up', the guards didn't even ask me a question, BUT....a guy with a camera came out and took my photo, didn't say why, only that he was NOT with the media. I said thanks!

Some nice visitors from Russia stopped to talk. When I explained why I was protesting, their spokesman told me to be reassured...that the world over, the situation was the same. Politicians get elected to office and then do NOT represent the people. They only work to see how much money they can make from their 'service'!

It was a good experience. I thought I would give y'all a heads up in case my photo is slapped up on the Post Office wall or featured as a target page in "Guns and Ammo"...

Hopefully our country will not be forced into default. I tried to do my bit to let folks who are not informed get that way.

He has already voted for the "Ryan Budget" which will destroy Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid.

Yesterday he attacked the EPA for being 'diabotical' and "power Mad"...yet every single Congressional Committee he served on voted down any initiative by the EPA to protect our environment, air, land, water and mountains from coal ash and MTR.

I will be marching with my friends from MoveOn, close to his office on Cumberland, at NOON.

We must speak out against a life-long Rep who has done NOTHING to help us, the people who elected him.

I'll be lookin' for ya.

I am going to take a break from posting anything here or providing truths about any issue or to anyone who has challenged my position. The main reasons are:

In the last 48 hours it is clear that those who want to continue to divide us are at it again, under the guise of explaining one candidate's apparent success in fund-raising.

And since I have NOT publicly supported either Democratic candidate, I will not get pulled into this vitriol, name-calling, and such. As a KCDP member, and an OFA member, I have been accused of "eating my young" and more disgusting terms...and that from a former friend... a former friend and his wife who were guests in my home, a former friend that I marched in the rain for 6 hours on Tazwell Pike because this former friend needed help to protest the presence on the School Board of the Wife-abusing, crazed, drug-abuser, Bill Phillips.

Please, Randy, I do not want my e-mail address available to anyone on this group list. I will let you know if and when I will want to write anything on this blog here again.

Oh, and if any of you have been hurt by the Hacking of my information, let me know. I understand that my situation has been reported to the FBI internet crime hotline.

It happened over-night; the message sent to everyone in my name was one of those 'send money immediately' scams. According to me (user name misspelled), I am 'stranded in London'...I only WISH! Anyway I have changed all my passwords and have notified everyone who got one of my desparate notes.

And after my incident of Identity Theft in 2003, that was a walk in the park. This has been a worse nightmare though; AND apparently one cannot talk to a real person at Yahoo. However, for a fee, in advance (!) a tech-y person will consider my question and respond online after you pay up! ($38 to $48 up front!) Customer service at its finest!

But since I am also without a fuel pump for my car at present, I choose NOT to send off my credit card number over the net, on the assumption that said tech-y MIGHT be able to help me. Any suggestions? A USED fuel pump costs $100 and the only one in East TN is in White Pine!

What a day...but I can laugh now.

EXAMPLES abound in Knox County Government. If you do not get the KNS, here are a few juicy items:

STEALING, JUST BECAUSE I CAN:
Thanks to the tenacious work by our TBI, this week a GRAND JURY is hearing secret testimony (yeah, secret!) from 2 former employees of the Knox County Trustee's office regarding possible theft, graft, and/or fraud committed by former Trustee Mike Lowe ($22,000 vacation) and John Haun's over-paying himself by $182,000 among several other alleged...um...miscalulations of records while in office...prior to 2007...Questions abound including: Why SECRET testimony? Why now?

GOLFING ON TAX-PAYER MONEY,BECAUSE I DESERVE IT:
And today...in the KNS is the sweet little story, verified by KNS photographer, of several County officials GOLFING on our tax dollars at Three Ridges Golf Club...oh, yeah...And if this location sounds familiar, it is one of the County-owned properties that Burchett claims he might 'sell' to pay for a new Carter school...oh, and this is also the same entity that he 'donated' $1.5 million IN GRANT MONEY TO in his Budgett...of our tax money, while cutting jobs, education programs and services for the elderly. And those golfers had more excuses than "Carter has liver pills" why they just HAD to play golf on our money! The bottom line...they falsified their time cards or records to reflect they were SICK or had Doctor appointments, etc.

Yep, just like one of the alleged Trustee people being investigated said through his lawyer: "He is going to start paying all the money back...". Of course he will but would he have said that had he NOT been caught???

And you don't want to miss this huge NON PARTISAN (GOP) managed Candidate forum, this Thursday at the Clinton Highway Expo Center! Just think. You will be able to hear from NON PARTISAN (GOP only) pundits, NON PARTISAN Radio and TV commentators and just soak up all that NON PARTISAN (GOP) good will.

If you have not heard from some of these (NON-Partisan GOP) candidates, I have overheard a few NON PARTISAN (GOP)positions I would like to share...in case you can't make it.

Re the destruction of a chance for those who have qualified for a secure place to live in the TYP plan : "WELL, ALL THOSE DRUNKS AND ADDICTS WILL HAVE TO GET CLEAN BEFORE I WILL SUPPORT THIS". So ignorant.

Re the Hillside plan: "WE DO NOT WANT THIS PLAN RAMMED DOWN OUR THROATS", not mentioning the 3-year Commission that worked studied this issue and came up with a fair plan for all.

Re "people who live in the projects"...."AFTER ALL, JESUS SAID WE WILL ALWAYS HAVE THE POOR WITH US" as an excuse for not helping anyone in need.

You all will just love it. Sorry I can't make it. I have to watch paint dry that evening.

It sure is a shame that the County Mayor didn't appoint Commissioner Amy Broyles to the "committee" that wrote his disasterous attempt at a budget! He even admitted several times during his campaign that he didn't have much 'experience' on financial matters or budgets, but he would get the best advice possible for those issues. How did that work out for our County?

Commissioner Broyles worked hard, did her homework and managed to propose a practical alternative to the draconian mess that Burchett's advisors pushed on the taxpayers.

The article, found in today's KNS, "Broyles Floats New Budget with raises, without layoffs", page A7.
In her budget, the details include:
NO TAX INCREASE.
NO layoffs AND it will give county employees a one-step
raise.
PAYS more on the outstanding debt than last year.
RESTORES jobs to 7 employees to be chosen by Burchett to be laid off.
RESTORES 80% of funding to several non-profits, including the
Beck Cultural Exchange Center.
RESTORES $5,000 in discretionary funding for each
Commissioner.
RESTORES funding for IJAMS Nature Center
Cuts funding for the "HOPE RESOURCE CENTER", a religion-based program that does not offer factual information on sexuality, and/or birth control.
And it cut the $25,000 allocated for food for County Commission meetings.

Common sense, practical, humanitarian, very well researched, savings documented...I surely hope the County Commission will look at both budgets and then decide which one actually helps most of our citizens, does pay down our debt while still continues funding vital programs for all groups and all neighborhoods in our county.

Way to GO, AMY! You are another example, like Sam McKenzie, of a dedicated, devoted, experienced public servant. I am proud to know you.

This part 2 of how much I respect and admire our Commish, Sam McKenzie. While others have been totally stuck in the rut of name calling, racial baiting, and going nowhere, our Commissioner thoughtfully, and with great motivation and dedication to his County, came up with a solution of at least some of the draconian cuts in the County budget. It is an Amendment that would take monies which were offered to 'Public Works', over what they asked for and divided it among the most programs, that help the most in need.

Thanks so much, Sam. We knew our votes for you were not going to be wasted!!

to attend our KCDP First Friday event AND reviewed with us the County Mayor's 'budget' in detail...He explained his positions, both for and against, the major items,the cuts to important programs, and gave an in-depth description of some items that have not been addressed. He and his wife Gwen were a welcome addition to our First Friday celebration. He is the epitomy of how an elected representative of the people should serve. Thanks, Sam and Gwen, for taking your time to visit with us. District 1 is fortunate to have your experienced leadership working for all of Knox County on our County Commission.

First, he cut jobs and forced the school system to cut jobs - 34 in his Department and 17 from "KC Schools Central Office." Then, check out what he cut vs. what he piled millions on.

Most all social programs that provide essential services took big hits or were cut altogether. The Beck Cultural Exchange Center funding received $150,000 for last year, budget cut 92% to new amount proposed: $12,000.

Departments dissolved, or cut out permanently:

Family Investment Corp. last year $169,620, this year: 0
Senior Summit last year $15,000, this year: 0
Office of Neighborhoods last year $340,869.00, this year: 0
Dept of Community Development: 0
Child and Family last year $35,000, this year: 0
Seniors At Home last year $50,000, this year: 0

Meanwhile, the following items received HUGE amounts:

The PBA which was criticized at every mayoral debate (which Burchett did not attend) last year received $6,316,256 and next year it will receive $6,623,039.00

Something called "Three Ridges Golf Course Fund": $1,162,697

Something titled "Legislative Delegation": $63,134

Item titled "Sports Open": $168,240 will receive the same amount next year.

This is the candidate who was lauded and praised for his 'government experience'. In his first 6 months in office, we learned that he did not attend board meetings, committees meetings, sent his 'staff members' to report back about each situation. From where I live here in East Knoxville, I feel this area of Knox County has been betrayed by those who promoting voting for this candidate who chose to not support vital community services for kids, for Seniors, for the homeless, or for The Beck Center, a storehouse of history, heritage and culture for our community.

Check out this budget and make sure you attend the hearings scheduled to discuss this mess. If you stay home and do not speak out, this budget will slide through AS IS.

EVEN IF Johnson only got several facts right, (and he does have a problem with facts vs. lies and gossip!) John Duncan has obviously slipped into the GOP/TEA camp with his support of and his VOTE for Ryan's outrageous budget plan!

IS NO ONE Going to call him out?

We liberal Democrats are NOT the rich billionaires who want to "take away your money because we know how to spend it better than you"!

Come on, people! I know, I know. He has been a GOP icon here as was his Daddy. But Johnson has finally exposed him to be a closet right wing 'conservative' who wants to do nothing for the people of Tennessee. NOTHING.

Greg Johnson: Duncan stakes Republican claim to middle class