Recent editorials from Tennessee newspapers:
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Feb. 11
The Johnson City Press on unlicenseds child car providerse:
Finding suitable and affordable child care undoubtedly is a struggle for many working families, particularly those without abundant resources.
We applaud state Rep. Timothy Hill, R-Bountville, for seeking a solution, but we can’t agree with the details of his proposed legislation that would allow for more unlicensed care in rural counties.
As Press Staff Writer Jonathan Roberts reported in Thursday’s edition, Hill’s bill would allow unlicensed child care providers to furnish child care for up to 10 children in counties with a population of less than 50,000. The state currently allows an unlicensed provider to care for no more than four unrelated children. While facilities would still be subject to Tennessee Department of Human Services regulations, the bill would require care providers to undergo only 10 hours of training.
We echo the concerns expressed by Unicoi Child Care Center owner Sandy Gouge, who called allowing unlicensed facilities to care for so many children “mind-boggling” and the 10-hour requirement “almost absurd.” Tennessee has scores of detailed licensing requirements and care standards, yet Hill’s bill would shovel that into less time than it takes to complete a week’s worth of high school homework.
The state’s “frequently asked questions” pages alone include such details as physical/mental examinations required of staff, background checks, education requirements for center directors, supervision planning, the use of blankets and mats, the application of sunscreen and diaper ointment, the use of pacifiers, how microwaves are used, drug screenings for drivers, identification requirements for those who check children in and out of facilities. That’s a fraction of the concerns involved.
State licensing standards exist for a reason, and in this case, child safety is the overriding consideration. The fact that the bill would require parents to sign waivers acknowledging the provider is unlicensed says it all. The risk is evident in the bill’s own language.
It’s true the needs of Tennessee families are not being met. A recent study reported 98%percent of parents surveyed in the Tri-Cities area said inadequate child care hurt their work productivity or opportunities. The report put the dollar figure on lost earnings, production and revenues at $43 million in the upper eight counties alone.
Tennessee has to find ways to make care more accessible, but not at the cost of endangering children. What Hill called a “medium step” toward a solution would in reality be a major step back.
Sound policy never arises from desperation, and this bill would be a rash act.
Online: https://www.johnsoncitypress.com/
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Feb. 4
The Kingsport TimesNews on serving liquor by the drink:
Sullivan County stood by when Johnson City, Kingsport and Bristol approved liquor by the drink in the 1980s. It stood by for decades as alcohol tax dollars rolled into city coffers, even attempting a back-door snatch of some of that cash several years ago.
That having failed, at long last the county may set the stage for on-premise alcohol consumption outside the city limits, but it may be a tough sell for non-city residents.
Led by Johnson City, the cities’ saw a new era of development and a significant new revenue source when residents voted for liquor by the drink. Tennessee imposes a 15% tax on such sales, and the state keeps half, sending the other half back to the locality where that money is then split again with half going to the local school system.
Several years ago, Sullivan joined five other counties in suing for a cut of that money on the premise that they should get a share of that portion earmarked for school systems. The suit claimed the county was owed $750,000 from Bristol and about $1.2 million from Kingsport. The cities disputed the claims, arguing that the law allowed them to keep the tax proceeds for their own schools, not schools in areas that failed to approve liquor by the drink.
The trial courts reached varied results, some holding in favor of the counties and others for the cities. The cases were all appealed, and in four of them the Court of Appeals held in favor of the cities. In one case, however, a different panel of judges on the Court of Appeals held in favor of the county, and so last May the state Supreme Court settled the issue, siding with the cities.
Under a proposed resolution that will require a two-thirds vote on Feb. 21, county commissioners may place a liquor by the drink referendum on the county ballot in the Nov. 3 election. Sponsor Hershel Glover of Bluff City said it is time for Sullivan County to join in collecting alcohol taxes.
“We’re losing a lot of revenue,” Glover said.
Commissioner Dwight King of Piney Flats added that the District 5 area represented by him and Glover includes Boone Lake, South Holston Lake and the U.S. Highways 19E-11E intersection between Bristol, Tennessee, and Johnson City - areas Glover said are ripe for new hotels, restaurants and other businesses to generate jobs and tax revenues if liquor by the drink passes.
“We’ve got to find a way in Sullivan County to generate revenue,” Glover said.
King predicted a “major restaurant” for eastern Sullivan County and said the owner of Pardner’s Restaurant in Piney Flats would like to add alcohol, and he predicted a hotel that could cater to Bristol Motor Speedway visitors and fishing and boating enthusiasts on the two lakes.
If all goes as elected officials hope, county residents including those in the cities will decide the matter. Approval will be a step forward for rural business development and a badly needed revenue stream for the county, but will city residents vote to lose tax revenue to the county? And will more conservative rural residents support alcohol sales?
The arguments will be interesting, and the votes will be based largely either on territorial or moral standards. What say you, Sullivan County?
Online: https://www.timesnews.net/
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Feb. 2
The Cookeville Herald-Citizen on State Representative Micah Van Huss introducing a resolution that would label CNN and The Washington Post as “fake news”:
A Tennessee lawmaker has jumped aboard the “fake news” bandwagon and joined the chorus of ignorance.
State Representative Micah Van Huss, a Republican who represents part of Washington County, last week introduced House Joint Resolution 0779 that “recognizes CNN and the Washington Post as fake news and condemns them for denigrating our citizens.”
While we doubt that the 143-year-old, Pulitzer Prize-winning, long respected Washington Post needs much defense of a resolution that one of our readers told us caused her to choke on her coffee, we thought it was worth reviewing the seven principles for the conduct of a newspaper, established by Eugene Meyer when he bought the Post in 1935.
- The first mission of a newspaper is to tell the truth as nearly as the truth may be ascertained.
- The newspaper shall tell ALL the truth so far as it can learn it, concerning the important affairs of America and the world.
- As a disseminator of the news, the paper shall observe the decencies that are obligatory upon a private gentleman.
- What it prints shall be fit reading for the young as well as for the old.
- The newspaper’s duty is to its readers and to the public at large, and not to the private interests of its owners.
- In the pursuit of truth, the newspaper shall be prepared to make sacrifices of its material fortunes, if such course be necessary for the public good.
- The newspaper shall not be the ally of any special interest, but shall be fair and free and wholesome in its outlook on public affairs and public men.”
Those 85-year-old words still speak volumes on what journalists everywhere strive for today, when it’s perhaps even more difficult than ever before to determine what’s true and what isn’t in the midst of 24-hour news cycles and headlines on social media.
We do this conducting the daily unglamorous work of a newspaper, reporting about the things happening in our community.
We tell you about how your leaders are spending your tax dollars.
We tell you when your neighbors have done something worthy of praise.
We tell you about crime and things you need to know to stay safe.
We urge our lawmakers to abandon this joke of a resolution and get to work on real issues that matter for Tennesseans.
Some Tennesseans don’t have access to healthcare in their communities because their hospitals have closed.
Some Tennesseans pay hundreds of dollars every month for prescription medication, including insulin.
Some Tennesseans have to work multiple minimum-wage jobs to keep food on the table and a roof over their heads.
More and more Tennesseans need to visit food banks to make sure they eat.
When all Tennesseans have food to eat, affordable housing, and medical care, then lawmakers can go to Nashville and file petty bills. Until that time, they’ve got too much real work to do.
Online: http://herald-citizen.com/
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