Tennessee’s five Democratic congressman voted to expand S-CHIP to 11 million uninsured children in the United States this week.
All four of Tennessee’s Republican congressmen voted against it – including Zach Wamp, who thinks he’s ready to be our governor.
What does Sen. Lamar Alexander think about his GOP colleagues who try to block the S-CHIP bill?
“I disagree with it. I think the children’s health insurance bill is good for Tennessee — 127,000 Tennessee children need it,” [said Sen. Lamar] Alexander, a Tennessee Republican.
That’s 127,000 Tennessee children that our Republican congressman are fighting to keep uninsured. So who’s side is Sen. Bob Corker on?
In a joint release, Alexander and Corker said SCHIP reauthorization would boost Tennessee’s efforts to provide coverage for the state’s neediest children and help compensate Tennessee hospitals that treat a large number of patients who are unable to pay their bills.
Looks like Corker is siding with the kids. Good for you, Senator.
Both Corker and Alexander voted for S-CHIP and against President Bush’s veto three months ago, so I’m sure we can count on their continued support next week when the bill goes back up for a vote in the Senate. This time, President Obama will sign it into law.
Go, Obama!
(Okay, okay, that stuff in italics up there is from October and refers to Bush's veto - but you're telling me it doesn't apply now? What changed?)
Showing posts with label Zach Wamp. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Zach Wamp. Show all posts
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Friday, January 9, 2009
Turning a Blind Eye
It’ll be nice to have a functioning EPA again:
The Environmental Protection Agency eight years ago said it wanted to set a national standard for ponds or landfills used to dispose of wastes produced from burning coal.
The agency has yet to act.
Eight years, huh? That’s a pretty telling number.
The notion that the Bush Administration neglected an issue that would have been uncomfortable for the energy industry will surprise no one. The idea that if the Bush Administration had bothered to act, the TVA ash disaster in East Tennessee might have been averted will be lost on deliberately blind-eye Republicans like Rep. Zach Wamp.
Once again the Bush Administration failed to foresee or prevent a disaster that they had been explicitly warned about. Leaving President-elect Obama to deal with this:
Millions of tons of toxic coal ash is piling up in power plant ponds in 32 states, a practice the federal government has long recognized as a risk to human health and the environment but has left unregulated.
An Associated Press analysis of the most recent Energy Department data found that 156 coal-fired power plants store ash in surface ponds similar to the one that collapsed last month in Tennessee.
Only 11 more days until the White House is once again the head of the federal government instead of its primary obstacle.
The Environmental Protection Agency eight years ago said it wanted to set a national standard for ponds or landfills used to dispose of wastes produced from burning coal.
The agency has yet to act.
Eight years, huh? That’s a pretty telling number.
The notion that the Bush Administration neglected an issue that would have been uncomfortable for the energy industry will surprise no one. The idea that if the Bush Administration had bothered to act, the TVA ash disaster in East Tennessee might have been averted will be lost on deliberately blind-eye Republicans like Rep. Zach Wamp.
Once again the Bush Administration failed to foresee or prevent a disaster that they had been explicitly warned about. Leaving President-elect Obama to deal with this:
Millions of tons of toxic coal ash is piling up in power plant ponds in 32 states, a practice the federal government has long recognized as a risk to human health and the environment but has left unregulated.
An Associated Press analysis of the most recent Energy Department data found that 156 coal-fired power plants store ash in surface ponds similar to the one that collapsed last month in Tennessee.
Only 11 more days until the White House is once again the head of the federal government instead of its primary obstacle.
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Katrina-like?
When Rep. Zach Wamp (R-TN) called the TVA ash disaster a “Katrina-like event” today, I was ready to cheer him on. Yes! It’s huge! It demands immediate action on a massive scale! The media and the federal government should be all over it!
But then I kept reading…
“I think it's time that the federal government look at an incident like this as more of a disaster like Katrina, as opposed to malfeasance by anyone or neglect by anyone," he said.
Wait a minute. So when he says “Katrina-like,” he’s not talking about the scope of the disaster or the urgency or the need for sweeping solutions. He’s calling it an act of nature that no one is really to blame for. He’s brushing aside the need to investigate or hold anyone accountable. Typical Republican garbage.
Sigh. I thought, just maybe, running for governor had forced Rep. Wamp to actually show himself as a take charge leader who’s ready to get things done for Tennessee. But no – he’s still just a partisan hack content to play games rather than find solutions.
Maybe I’m wrong. I hope so. I hope Rep. Wamp proves everything I just wrote to be wildly off base.
This is an opportunity, Rep. Wamp, to take ownership of a problem no one wants to touch and prove yourself to be a true leader. Are you ready to take a chance and do something big? If so, I’ll sing your praises.
If not, you’re not ready to be governor.
But then I kept reading…
“I think it's time that the federal government look at an incident like this as more of a disaster like Katrina, as opposed to malfeasance by anyone or neglect by anyone," he said.
Wait a minute. So when he says “Katrina-like,” he’s not talking about the scope of the disaster or the urgency or the need for sweeping solutions. He’s calling it an act of nature that no one is really to blame for. He’s brushing aside the need to investigate or hold anyone accountable. Typical Republican garbage.
Sigh. I thought, just maybe, running for governor had forced Rep. Wamp to actually show himself as a take charge leader who’s ready to get things done for Tennessee. But no – he’s still just a partisan hack content to play games rather than find solutions.
Maybe I’m wrong. I hope so. I hope Rep. Wamp proves everything I just wrote to be wildly off base.
This is an opportunity, Rep. Wamp, to take ownership of a problem no one wants to touch and prove yourself to be a true leader. Are you ready to take a chance and do something big? If so, I’ll sing your praises.
If not, you’re not ready to be governor.
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Down the Road
What’s missing from this billboard?
There’s the candidate’s name – but what’s he running for?
Presumably, these ads are promoting Rep. Wamp for re-election to Congress. In reality, of course, they’re all about the governor’s race in 2010. A dead giveaway is that they appear far outside Wamp’s actual congressional district.
I saw a ton of these all over East Tennessee while travelling for the Thanksgiving holiday. Were these billboards paid for by Wamp’s congressional campaign?
If so, I suspect they technically follow the letter of the law if not the spirit. After all, Wamp isn’t an official candidate for governor yet and shouldn’t be raising or spending money on his gubernatorial campaign already.
Wamp wants to make it official in January, if only Bill Frist would hurry up and announce one way or the other. Since Wamp doesn’t have Frist’s star power, he needs to start campaigning now.
My prediction: Frist is in, and no big-name Republican or Democrat has the guts to run against him.
There’s the candidate’s name – but what’s he running for?
Presumably, these ads are promoting Rep. Wamp for re-election to Congress. In reality, of course, they’re all about the governor’s race in 2010. A dead giveaway is that they appear far outside Wamp’s actual congressional district.
I saw a ton of these all over East Tennessee while travelling for the Thanksgiving holiday. Were these billboards paid for by Wamp’s congressional campaign?
If so, I suspect they technically follow the letter of the law if not the spirit. After all, Wamp isn’t an official candidate for governor yet and shouldn’t be raising or spending money on his gubernatorial campaign already.
Wamp wants to make it official in January, if only Bill Frist would hurry up and announce one way or the other. Since Wamp doesn’t have Frist’s star power, he needs to start campaigning now.
My prediction: Frist is in, and no big-name Republican or Democrat has the guts to run against him.
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