Tag: West Tennessee
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Let’s talk about beef.
It used to be a weeknight staple. This year it turned into a luxury. Ground beef hit record prices in 2026. Steaks did too. And here’s the part that should make you mad. The same four companies in the middle of all this get to decide what you pay AND what the rancher gets paid.…
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Disaster mitigation is boring. It’s also why Dyersburg’s water plant survived – and my question for xAI.
Let’s talk about disaster mitigation, because that is an important part of a representative’s job. Disaster mitigation means doing the work before the disaster. You study what can go wrong, you plan for it, and you spend a little now so it costs a lot less later. One major national study found federal mitigation grants…
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The law that pays for your roads expires September 30
Let’s talk about the roads you drove today, because the law that pays for them expires September 30, and the fight over what replaces it decides your commute, your prices, and your safety. Start with the deadline. The 2021 infrastructure law funds highways, bridges, and transit in all 50 states. It runs out September 30,…
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Cut the gas tax? Great. Now there’s less money for your roads.
Get rid of the gas tax. Sounds great, right? Guess what it pays for? Roads. Every Republican running for office loves to say “cut taxes.” Almost none of them tell you what those taxes are doing. So let me tell you what the gas tax does, and why it matters for every road in this…
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The new veterans bill is full of good ideas. Disabled veterans are paying for all of them.
Let’s talk about veterans, because there’s a 554-page veterans bill moving through Congress right now, and most of what’s in it is good. The way it’s paid for is not – and they’re hoping you don’t read that far. It’s called the Take Care of America’s Veterans Act – H.R. 9237. It bundles more than…
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You pay double for sugar – and Tennessee doesn’t even grow it.
I’ve been looking for more solutions that address affordability – you know, that word Trump said Democrats made up? Last week, I wrote about ethanol – how a 1970s rule still forces corn into your gas tank and quietly raises what you pay. Well, sugar works the same way. The federal government caps how much…
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Tennessee turned down $27 billion. Then it lost more hospitals than any state but Texas.
Let’s talk about Healthcare. Tennessee has lost sixteen rural hospitals. That’s more than any state but Texas. One of them was Haywood Park, in Brownsville. It closed in 2014. The building sat empty for eight years. For most of that time, if you had a heart attack in Haywood County, the closest ER was in…