My letter concerning the Safe Commute bills

[Sky King]

I am asking you to co-sponsor SB3002/HB3560 the Safe Parking Lot bill. This is a top issue for me in 2012.

We, the gun owners of Tennesse have been told by the Republicans in the House that we could count on them. We have been told that they are the best friends we could have. Well last year we sat back and only asked for one bill, a parking lot protection bill and the Republicans did not hold true to that committment. This year such a bill is holding up well in The Senate but again the Republican leadership in the House is making us wonder if with such "friends" I would hate to meet my enemies.

Even in the Democrat led House, we were able to get good common sence legislation passed. Now it is time to wonder if we the gun owners of Tennessee were wrong to throw our support behind the Republicans in the last election.

This is good legislation. It has bi-partisan support. Stand up and with the courage to have your vote recorded. Let this bill come to the floor.

Sam Cooper
Memphis Tennessee

[SomeGuy]

That letter ahs roughly the same tone I plan to send to harwell and the rest of the GOP leadership, save McCormick. As far as I know, Gerald isn't standing in our way, though he will get a push to use his position for our benefit.

[C. Richard Archie]

http://www.wsmv.com/story/16913284/parking-lot-gun-bill-would-apply-to-public-sector

From the article:

House Majority Leader Gerald McCormick, R-Chattanooga, noted that the House sponsor of the bill is a Democrat, and suggested that the bill may be a ploy to try to get Republicans to vote against a gun rights bill in an election year.

"If the Democrats in the House want to push this issue, we'll deal with it and vote on it," he said.

There IS something hitting us on our shoes, and he is trying to say it is rain...

I can furnish at least 10 request to get Republicans to carry the Bill in the House, un-answered or refused, and that is due to a lack of "Consensus in the Republican caucus" re this news report:

http://blogs.knoxnews.com/humphrey/2012/02/new-push-underway-for-passage.html



From this article:

According to various accounts, Harwell had admonished Matheny for soliciting other legislators during a House floor session to sign up as co-sponsors of Bass' bill in apparent violation of a policy against those holding leadership positions advocating a bill when there is no House Republican Caucus consensus on the legislation. Matheny apparently believed Niceley -- mistakenly, said Niceley -- had reported his actions to Harwell.

I suggest that the causal agent in all this is money, as expressed in this article:

http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2012/feb/12/companies-pacs-send-29-million-to-lawmakers/?local

From this article:

Tennessee House Majority Leader Gerald McCormick, of Chattanooga,... and House Speaker Beth Harwell, of Nashville, are among the top five recipients of PAC funding in the Tennessee General Assembly for the current election season

The largest donations are from:

The top 5 political action committees and rankings for local PACs that gave directly to Tennessee lawmakers and legislative candidates between Jan. 16, 2011, and Jan. 15, 2012.*

1) Federal Express PAC: $101,582

2) AT&T Tennessee PAC: $93,100

3) Wine & Spirits Wholesalers PAC: $78,100

4) Independent Medicine's PAC TN (physicians): $66,850

5) Tennessee Parents/Teachers Putting Students First: $65,400

If you are a constituent of Leader McCormick, perhaps a direct request to him re his stance would be appropriate, as he intones in this article that he is responsive to his area before "Big Business":

http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2012/feb/06/tennessee-republicans-have-huge-cash-advantage-ove/

Quoted from this article:

House Majority Leader Gerald McCormick, R-Chattanooga, said the GOP’s success “has more do with the fact that we’re in the majority more than anything else.”

He noted that former Democratic House Speaker Jimmy Naifeh, at the height of his power, “used to raise more money than the entire Republican Caucus in some cycles.”

Donors “don’t get anything special out of it,” McCormick said.

Some may expect access, McCormick added, but he noted that if he has two telephone calls at once and one is from Chattanooga and another from a large donor, he takes the local call.

Give him a call, see where he stands on this issue?