WHITE SUPREMACY NO MATCH FOR JOHN OLIVER

EXPANDING MEDICAID IS A NO BRAINER

When Tennessee House Speaker Cameron Sexton and Lt. Gov. Randy McNally announced they were creating a 10-member group to study the impact of the state rejecting $1.8 billion in federal education funding, it came as a surprise to some, considering the lack of sound reasoning for it.

But longtime supporters of the state expanding Medicaid already grasp the GOP’s idiocy.

Tennessee could significantly raise the number of people with health coverage and reduce state spending by expanding Medicaid, according to a recent study published by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

The study estimates that 316,000 people would likely enroll in Medicaid and CHIP in Tennessee. Some would be newly eligible enrollees while others would come from the health care Marketplace and others would transition from more expensive employer-sponsored insurance to Medicaid. The number of uninsured people in Tennessee would decline by 27%.

Now for all of the people concerned that Medicaid expansion would increase state spending, the study says that “Tennessee’s spending will decrease slightly by 0.1 percent because the state has one of the highest parent eligibility thresholds among non-expansion states at 82 percent” of the federal poverty level.

So why exactly doesn’t Tennessee expand Medicaid? The answer can be found in the actions of the state’s leaders, like Sexton and McNally. Demonizing federal funding and rhetoric in support of turning away this money apparently does their political careers better than actually serving the people who need health care.

The 316,000 potential enrollees should use their voice and vote out GOP candidates who use the same worn-out tactics to get ahead.

The health of Tennesseans shouldn’t come behind special interests.

THANKS, JOHN OLIVER

It has been a wild ride for the city of Franklin, Tennessee. Alderman Gabrielle Hanson’s run for mayor has been a campaign filled with lies and most concerning, white supremacy.

But luckily this week, incumbent Ken Moore beat Hanson handily, earning 80% of the vote.

All it took to help Franklin voters understand what was at stake and for the rest of the country to get a good belly laugh at Tennessee’s expense was comedian and host of “Last Week Tonight” John Oliver.

Now of course many people were already concerned about the vitriol Hanson was spilling and wanted to ensure she wasn’t going to be the city’s next mayor, but something about having the community you love being portrayed as a white supremacist hub on national television certainly would be motivational.

To the rest of the great cities and communities that make up Tennessee, let’s renounce white supremacy and avoid being the butt of a joke on national TV.

NO DENIER TOO CRAZY

Sane Americans across the nation cheered with glee when House Republicans kept Ohio congressman and 2020 election denier Jim Jordan from being the next Speaker of the House.

But House Republicans said “hold my beer” and chose this week to nominate and elect Louisiana Rep. Mike Johnson as the new Speaker.

Johnson, the former GOP caucus vice chair and an ally of Trump, led the amicus brief signed by more than 100 House Republicans in support of a Texas lawsuit seeking to invalidate the 2020 election results in four states Biden won: Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

This doesn’t bode well for the GOP and its prospects for governing. But the party seems to have forgotten that electing people to Congress who have more interest in serving a minority portion of the party has proven to a problem for the GOP.

The decision to elect Johnson comes from a party that’s holding onto a thread of control it has left. And the kicker is that Republicans have no one to blame but themselves.

HAVE A HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

It’s the spookiest time of the year!

Whether you enjoy passing out candy or creating an entire haunted house out of your home, have a happy and safe Halloween.

Also, it’s still nearly two months till Christmas, so keep those holiday decorations in the closet and think twice before playing Mariah Carey.