Since my mother passed the state of Tennessee has done away with the inheritance tax, the Hall tax on dividends, and recently a big drop in the business tax.

So where does money come from now? I just heard from Aneisa Rolen at Pellissippi State that Tennessee has just now added a fee of $25 per online credit hour! Students are struggling to come up with that fee by August 14 or they will be dropped from the course. Consider the Republican mantra is increasing skills and pulling oneself up by the bootstraps. This move is counterproductive.

One Cool Tip my mom taught me is one can donate appreciated stock and avoid capital gains. So that's why I was in contact with Aneisa this week. Since stocks are still close to the peak it might be a good time to consider donating to community colleges. "Rolen, Aneisa" alrolen@pstcc.edu

Many any of the larger charities will accept stock donations as well.