Well, it looks like the Koch Brothers' agenda

….. is proceeding right along as scheduled here in Tennessee:

UPDATE: Moving right along in North Carolina, too. 
"As more major counties and cities trend Democratic, expect to see Republicans meddling more in local affairs and making a mockery of the concept of self government. Just imagine if congressional Republicans had the ability to gerrymander the state legislatures of California, New York, and Illinois as they have done with the three largest and Democratic-leaning county governments in North Carolina." http://tinyurl.com/qalw7yx

"There is some talk among Republicans of changing state law to allow partisan competition for municipal offices and for local school board seats, now also officially nonpartisan under a current state statute. Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey, R-Blountville, supports such a move……..

“The role of the state party is to get Republicans elected on all levels,” Smith (Gov. Haslam's spokesman) wrote."
http://www.knoxnews.com/news/politiknox/tenn-gop-aims-to-paint-state-redder-than-ever-by-2016_49398253

'Red to the Roots"

All of this is by design….and it is heavily financed, NOT a "grassroots" effort.

"Now the council (ALEC) is looking to take its blueprint for influence over statewide lawmaking and drill it down to the local level. It has already quietly set up, and is making plans for the public launch of, an offshoot called the American City County Exchange (ACCE) that will target policymakers from “villages, towns, cities and counties”.

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/mar/06/conservative-group-alec-city-local-government

Don't forget that that these two guys have had their hand in the "war against women" in all states as well as their group Americans for Prosperity making sure that Insure Tennessee (using the ACA) is not going forward.
http://tinyurl.com/k9oytnq

How long before Tennessee looks and operates just like Kansas, South Carolina, Michigan or Wisconsin? And by latching on to the extreme fundamentalists and NRA to blindly move this effort along…..……how long before the US looks just like the theocracies that we go all over the world to "preach the ways of democracy?"

Insure Tennessee Failed, But Lawmakers Doing Great

Folks in Tennesse remember this:

 "... the public has the right to know the Medicaid expansion program is going to bankrupt Tennessee.…..Now we’re taking it out to where the public can see it. As long as everyone is doing the right thing and following free-market principles they should have nothing to worry about.” http://www.knoxnews.com/news/state/americans-for-prosperity-planted-roots-in-tenn_83024661

Well, the public can see this and the hypocrisy emanating from it: 

"More former and retired Tennessee state legislators are covered by the state employee health insurance program than are current members of the General Assembly — including some who have moved on to other public office, others who haven’t served in more than 30 years and some who were convicted of crimes, state records show."

http://www.knoxnews.com/news/state/more-former-legislators-on-health-plan-than-current-members_09068609

Can't have the ordinary citizens and taxpayers footing the bill (subsiding low incomes) for these poor folks health insurance. Wouldn't be prudent. They need "some skin in the game." Or to quote a Tea Party member comment: 

"... doesn’t justify spending money we don’t have and forcing other people to pay for the medical care of people they do not even know." 

But as long as you've ever served the state of Tennessee…in any capacity for any amount of time….and are no longer there, for any reason, the taxpayer can foot YOUR insurance premiums. And the state can subsidize part of it, just like ALL employer-funded plans do.

"Former state Sen. Edgar Gillock of Memphis is enrolled; he left the Legislature in 1982 after being convicted of taking $130,000 for his influence in awarding government contracts."

Senate Speaker Ron Ramsey, R-Blountville, defended the state health coverage for sitting lawmakers Wednesday. But didn't seem to know the whole story: "That’s something I’ll have to check into and get back with you,” he said.

Yes, let's get it out there where the public can see it. Not that it matters. This Republican run state does exactly what it wants anyway…..voters be damned. 

"They (Americans For Prosperity) have a full-time staff, they've poured in a lot of money indirectly and directly," said Ingram, who was registered to lobby last session for a pro-Insure Tennessee business group. "It's largely to push whatever agenda they have and influence, frankly, our elected officials, our issues, disproportionately more than any of us as individual voters can.

But that's another continuing story….

Out Of State Interests Pushing TN Policy

It's probably just an exercise in futility….but four major Tennessee newspapers are trying to make people of my state aware of what is actually going on here. It is going to be a four part-part series. 

  

      

"…. the outside interests are trying, engaged on such controversial issues as Gov. Bill Haslam’s Insure Tennessee proposal and gun laws, all the way down to less-noticed matters such as experimental drugs and state subsidies to parents of children with specified disabilities…...

"The Koch-founded AFP made defeat of Insure Tennessee its top priority this year…..""Other interest groups engaged in Tennessee range from the National Rifle Association, which has had considerable success in enacting gun rights legislation, to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which has taken to introducing a package of bills drafted at the national level each year that are distinct from the agenda of its state affiliate, the Tennessee Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and hiring its own lobbyists…."

http://www.knoxnews.com/news/state/outofstate-interests-shape-public-policy_81752026

And in case you missed it : http://www.tennessean.com/story/opinion/editorials/2014/04/01/tennessee-political-test-tube-koch-brothers/7132745/

Also, another read on this: https://southernbeale.wordpress.com/2015/05/03/tennessee-where-conservatism-has-come-to-die/

Unfortunately, the GOP base in this state…..the gun loving, gay hating, Bible carrying, racist, antiabortion, "Obama is going to put us in camps" thinking, hate the poor…….will just say it's all liberal propaganda. Tennessee is just like Texas…only with different letters.