Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Breaking News / Woods Morning Roundup: Turning Coal Ash Into Cash and Other PR Miracles
Posted by Jeff Woods on Tue, May 26, 2009 at 5:26 AM
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Leave it to McNeely Pigott & Fox to find a way to profit from an environmental disaster: A $2 million campaign to repair Roane County's image after the ash spill. ... Stores report shortage of handgun ammo. Can the black helicopters be far away? ... From the Department of Puhleeze! Wamp touts Corker as potential presidential candidate. ... The UAW blames Corker for jeopardizing jobs at Spring Hill. The AP looks at the struggles of the Ethics Commission. ... The Knoxville News Sentinel laments the possibility of an ethics rollback ... and the Chattanooga Times Free Press scolds lawmakers for their "alarming ethical blindness."
If Messrs. Wamp, Ramsey, McCormick and others doubt the need for current campaign limits to remain intact, they should pause and review the long history of undue influence held by big donors over the candidates who need their contributions. The political history of both tacit and explicit corruption between donors and candidates should remind them, and the Legislature generally, of the continuing need for strict campaign finance rules.
The Metro Planning Commission holds more public hearings on May Town Center. ... The governor signs into law the bill banning confiscation of weapons during martial law and the AT&T deregulation bill and a bunch of stuff nobody cares much about: It's against the law to falsely wear military decorations ... or to publish autopsy pictures. ... but it's legal to bring ... home wine from out of state ... or to buy raw milk. ... Ramsey campaigns in East Tennessee. ... The governor frets over cuts to state mental health and children's services, and Ramsey suggests dipping into the $750 million Rainy Day fund:
"It's going to be hard to explain to constituent how we cut the care for the mentally ill and cut the care for children's services when we have all this money sitting over here in the bank."
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