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<title>Tennessee Center for Policy Research :: Commentaries</title>
<copyright>Tennessee Center for Policy Research 2008</copyright>
<link>http://www.tennesseepolicy.org/main/page.php?page_id=26</link>
<description></description>
<language>en-us</language>
<lastBuildDate>Fri, 4 Jul 2008 12:34:00 -0600</lastBuildDate>
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<link>http://www.tennesseepolicy.org/main/page.php?page_id=26</link>
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<title>State Sunshine Law Leaves Tennesseans in the Dark</title>
<link>http://www.tennesseepolicy.org/main/article.php?article_id=754</link>
<guid>http://www.tennesseepolicy.org/main/article.php?article_id=754</guid>
<pubDate>Tue, 3 Jun 2008 09:29:49 -0600</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ &ldquo;All state, county and municipal records ... shall at all times, during business hours, be open for personal inspection by any citizen of Tennessee, and those in charge of such records shall not refuse such right of inspection to any citizen, unless otherwise provided by state law.&rdquo;  
 
Those words &ndash; the heart of the Tennessee Open Records Act &ndash; empower Tennesseans with the ability demand documents, correspondences, contracts and other information in order to hold their government accountable.  <a href="http://www.tennesseepolicy.org/main/article.php?article_id=754">[...]</a>]]></description>
<category>Commentaries</category>
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<title>The Shortfall is an Opportunity to Trim Fat from State Government</title>
<link>http://www.tennesseepolicy.org/main/article.php?article_id=723</link>
<guid>http://www.tennesseepolicy.org/main/article.php?article_id=723</guid>
<pubDate>Mon, 5 May 2008 11:12:13 -0600</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[After years of sunny skies and easy sailing, Tennessee&rsquo;s economy stands on the precipice of an economic downturn. Simultaneously, the state government faces a budget shortfall likely to exceed a half-billion dollars. Gov. Phil Bredesen and many state lawmakers seem quick to blame the shortfall on a lack of revenue &ndash; a politician&rsquo;s way of suggesting you aren&rsquo;t paying enough taxes.  <a href="http://www.tennesseepolicy.org/main/article.php?article_id=723">[...]</a>]]></description>
<category>Commentaries</category>
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<title>CoverTN is No Magic Cure for the Uninsured</title>
<link>http://www.tennesseepolicy.org/main/article.php?article_id=709</link>
<guid>http://www.tennesseepolicy.org/main/article.php?article_id=709</guid>
<pubDate>Mon, 28 Apr 2008 10:03:36 -0600</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ Today marks the beginning of Cover the Uninsured Week. Tennessee bureaucrats plan to celebrate with a &ldquo;Cover Tennessee Call-In For Coverage,&rdquo; a taxpayer-funded advertising effort to increase participation in state-run healthcare schemes including CoverTN.  
 
Unfortunately, there is no reason to celebrate CoverTN.  <a href="http://www.tennesseepolicy.org/main/article.php?article_id=709">[...]</a>]]></description>
<category>Commentaries</category>
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<title>Simple Steps Will Stop Per Diem Abuse</title>
<link>http://www.tennesseepolicy.org/main/article.php?article_id=672</link>
<guid>http://www.tennesseepolicy.org/main/article.php?article_id=672</guid>
<pubDate>Thu, 20 Mar 2008 13:13:52 -0600</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ One of the greatest features of Tennessee&rsquo;s state government is its part-time legislature. Since lawmakers generally meet for no more than 90 days every two years, the state&rsquo;s elected officials are true &ldquo;citizen legislators.&rdquo; Most legislators hold their office, not to boost their income, but to serve the public.  <a href="http://www.tennesseepolicy.org/main/article.php?article_id=672">[...]</a>]]></description>
<category>Commentaries</category>
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<title>Wasteful Spending Continues for the Three Little Pigs of Washington County</title>
<link>http://www.tennesseepolicy.org/main/article.php?article_id=668</link>
<guid>http://www.tennesseepolicy.org/main/article.php?article_id=668</guid>
<pubDate>Mon, 17 Mar 2008 12:15:16 -0600</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[   Everyone remembers the fairy tale about the &ldquo;Three Little Pigs.&rdquo; You may not know, however, that we have our very own version of the Three Little Pigs right here in Washington County. In the fairy tale version, the Three Little Pigs leave home to seek their fortunes, learning valuable life lessons along the way.  <a href="http://www.tennesseepolicy.org/main/article.php?article_id=668">[...]</a>]]></description>
<category>Commentaries</category>
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<title>Tennesseans Want Choices in Education</title>
<link>http://www.tennesseepolicy.org/main/article.php?article_id=656</link>
<guid>http://www.tennesseepolicy.org/main/article.php?article_id=656</guid>
<pubDate>Sun, 16 Mar 2008 17:13:51 -0600</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ Public schools are the last place Tennessee&rsquo;s parents want to send their children to learn, according to a poll of 1,200 Tennesseans released today by the Friedman Foundation and co-sponsored by the Tennessee Center for Policy Research. 
 &nbsp;
 Respondents to the statewide poll of likely voters were asked which type of school they would select&mdash;regular public schools, charter schools, private schools or homeschooling&mdash;in order to obtain the best education for their children.  <a href="http://www.tennesseepolicy.org/main/article.php?article_id=656">[...]</a>]]></description>
<category>Commentaries</category>
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<title>Tennessee Plan Puts Politics Before the Constitution</title>
<link>http://www.tennesseepolicy.org/main/article.php?article_id=651</link>
<guid>http://www.tennesseepolicy.org/main/article.php?article_id=651</guid>
<pubDate>Tue, 3 Jun 2008 09:30:05 -0600</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[ 
  
  There is a place where a government has denied the constitutionally-protected voting rights of more than 3.3 million registered voters.&nbsp;Qualified candidates who want to run for office are prevented from appearing on the ballot.&nbsp;Judges who determine the fate of thousands are selected by well-connected interest groups in closed door meetings.
 &nbsp;
  This place isn&rsquo;t Cuba or North Korea.  <a href="http://www.tennesseepolicy.org/main/article.php?article_id=651">[...]</a>]]></description>
<category>Commentaries</category>
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<title>Government Should Do Less to Make Tennessee More Business-Friendly</title>
<link>http://www.tennesseepolicy.org/main/article.php?article_id=624</link>
<guid>http://www.tennesseepolicy.org/main/article.php?article_id=624</guid>
<pubDate>Mon, 5 May 2008 11:07:43 -0600</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[  How does  Tennessee's business climate compare with other states across   America? The short answer: "not bad."   
  In a recent  Fortune Small Business ranking,   Tennessee was the 13th most business-friendly state in the nation. The Tax Foundation, in its annual study of state business climates, ranked   Tennessee.  <a href="http://www.tennesseepolicy.org/main/article.php?article_id=624">[...]</a>]]></description>
<category>Commentaries</category>
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<title>Kids Come Last in State's Flawed Pre-K Scheme</title>
<link>http://www.tennesseepolicy.org/main/article.php?article_id=623</link>
<guid>http://www.tennesseepolicy.org/main/article.php?article_id=623</guid>
<pubDate>Mon, 28 Apr 2008 09:33:31 -0600</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[  &ldquo;It&rsquo;s for the kids.&rdquo; That clich&eacute; rang in the ears of Tennesseans in 2005 when Gov. Phil Bredesen made his pitch to wildly expand the state&rsquo;s Pre-Kindergarten program and put state government&mdash;which by nearly every measure fails miserably at educating five to 18 year olds&mdash;in the business of educating (and babysitting) four-year-olds.  <a href="http://www.tennesseepolicy.org/main/article.php?article_id=623">[...]</a>]]></description>
<category>Commentaries</category>
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<title>Business-Minded Bredesen on the Right Track for Improving "Dropout Factory" Schools</title>
<link>http://www.tennesseepolicy.org/main/article.php?article_id=593</link>
<guid>http://www.tennesseepolicy.org/main/article.php?article_id=593</guid>
<pubDate>Mon, 17 Mar 2008 12:03:20 -0600</pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Last week, a Johns Hopkins University study labeled 37 of Tennessee&rsquo;s high schools &ldquo;dropout factories,&rdquo; sending the state&rsquo;s high school principals and state education bureaucrats into a tizzy. According to the report, 14.2 percent of Tennessee&rsquo;s public high schools failed to graduate at least 60 percent of their students.  <a href="http://www.tennesseepolicy.org/main/article.php?article_id=593">[...]</a>]]></description>
<category>Commentaries</category>
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