The Oaths We Take
I'm thankful to have a Lieutenant Governor who cares more about upholding the oath that he took than in advancing his mere opinion:Let us thank and praise Almighty God that there are still men like Ron Ramsey who (presuming they are Christians-other faiths have somewhat similar precepts) take the Christian concept of an oath seriously. There are some denominations of Christianity that teach that oaths should never be sworn because Christ said "swear not at all," but of course God made an oath with Abraham, with Moses, and Joshua, and Christ fulfilled an oath-a promise to which God was bound to "fulfill the law" or the old covenant-with the shedding of his own blood for a new covenant. A true oath makes GOD a party to the agreement and it is more than a contract. An oath is a covenant between the oath-taker and Almighty God that they will do what they say in their end of the covenant, and that in doing so, they agree to allow for the Supreme Judge of the World to hold them to account if they break their oath. Literally, the oath-taker asks for God's help in fulfilling their duties with the words "so help me God," and by those same words call upon themselves Divine Retribution if they knowingly break the covenant they have sworn. Ron Ramsey obviously understands that concept, although many of our political leaders in both parties obviously do not-and this writer is glad that he does not have to stand before God in place of those individuals at the Last Judgment.
Labels: Conservatism, Elections, Local politics, Tennessee politics
Ramsey Puts State Constitution First
It is good to see that Tennessee Lieutenant Governor Ron Ramsey cares about upholding his oath of office:
Tennessee Lieutenant Governor Ron Ramsey struck a strong blow in favor of the Tennessee Constitution by breaking a tie Tuesday in the Tennessee Senate Judiciary Committee in favor of advancing a bill sponsored by State Senator Stacey Campfield (R-Knoxville) which would set the guidelines for electing Supreme and Appellate Court Judges in the State of Tennessee. The trial lawyers' lobby is having a conniption fit over the fact not only did the Lieutenant Governor break a tie in the Judiciary Committee in favor of elected judges, these folks know that the people of Tennessee side with an elected judiciary.
Ramsey himself questions whether electing judges is necessarily a good thing, but unlike both the lawyers and the judges who have chosen to ignore it in recent years, the Lieutenant Governor clearly believes that he took an oath to uphold the Tennessee Constitution, and thus he is obligated to do just that.
Labels: Conservatism, Local politics, Tennessee politics
Value For the Dollar
In the years ahead, people in Jefferson County will demand not only that their taxes be kept low, but more value for the taxes that they do pay:
There is little doubt that Jefferson County is a wonderful place to live-yours truly lives in Jefferson County and wouldn't want to reside anywhere else by the grace of God. However, the fact that the county continues to grow presents some very unique challenges. We know that roughly 70% of county residents currently work outside of the county, and that diminishes the local tax base. The presence of more people will help modify the tax base to a degree, but those new residents are going to eventually demand better and more well-funded schools, and if both property and sales taxes and other fees keep rising, the increasing base of residents will have the right to demand better services for the taxes they pay than what they are getting.
Labels: Conservatism, Local politics, Tennessee politics
McAndrew Night
Friday night, Jefferson County Republicans honored a very special one of our own:
Part of the reason for that, of course, is time. These affairs are not meant to go on all night long, and a highlight of the night for many was when Governor Haslam presented the Lifetime Achievement Award to Barbara McAndrew, a woman whose contributions to the Republican Party in Tennessee are both numerous and legendary. The fund that the Tennessee Federation of Republican Women uses to support legislative candidates bears here name-the Barbara McAndrew Iris Fund. Many of us who are somehow involved in local political activities in Jefferson County owe Barbara McAndrew a debt of gratitude, and this writer owes her a great deal of personal thanks for her confidence in yours truly.
Labels: Conservatism, Local politics, Republican Party, Tennessee politics
