Haslam signs Confederate Plate Bill, forgets he signed it, calls for it’s removal

Haslam signs Confederate Plate Bill, forgets he signed it, calls for it’s removal

June 24, 2015
12:03 pm

Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam in a speech yesterday at Volkswagen said he was against the Confederate Flag being on license plates in TN.

In 2012, Governor Bill Haslam, Speaker of the Senate Ron Ramsey, House Speaker Beth Harwell signed a bill to allow the Confederate Flag to be stamped on Tennessee motorcycles, a bill which complements a car version signed by then Democratic Speaker Jimmy Naifeh and Governor Don Sundquist in 2002.

According to an article sighted by the Times Free Press and interview of Haslam, he showed much confusion as he was confronted about the Confederate License Plate bill he signed.

“Haslam said that he wasn’t aware that the flag is stamped on some plates, but “I’d be in favor of discontinuing it.”

According to the TFP “Haslam signed the bill approving the Confederate license plates for motorcycles on March 14, 2012. The bill passed the state Senate and House by wide margins. The vote in the Senate was 27-3, and in the House voted 82-6 in favor, with one person voting present.” 

“The plate, which features the stars and bars of the confederacy on the left side of the plate, is available to Tennessee drivers for an annual fee of $56.50, with $15.38 allocated to the Tennessee Division of Sons of Confederate Veterans, according to the website of the Tennessee Department of Veterans Affairs.”

“The plate can be personalized with five characters for a total fee of $91.50. The typical fee for a license plate is $35, according to the website. ”
http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/local/story/2015/jun/23/haslam-favors-removal-confederate-flag-tennessee-license-plates/311065/

Its true. On March 14th,  2012, Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam, along with Ramsey and Harwell signed Senate Bill 2169 into law allowing Tn citizens to purchase a Confederate License plate for use on their vehicle.

Today, Tn Governor Bill Haslam calls for the elimination of Confederate License plate that he signed into law just a few years ago.
https://www.nashvillepost.com/blogs/postpolitics/2015/6/23/haslam_favors_removal_of_confederate_flag_from_license_plates

For one, this speaks volumes about bills passed in Tennessee and when the political winds shifts so does the mindset of a shifty politician along with or without their support. It largely depends on who is in their pocket.

Two, this speaks to how out of touch and hypocritical Haslam is within his own state where one minute he signs a bill, forgets he signs it, then calls for all license plates bearing the Confederate Flag to be removed. 

Readers also remember each call to limit others freedom of speech will eventually lead to restrictions on your free speech as well. Soon, we are all offended by each other and we will have no freedoms or the ability to express ourselves freely. We will all be divided and separated into our own pods with people like us daring not to venture from that border with out our own sets of rules  and beliefs being violated. This is a slippery slope we are slipping on and it will only lead to less rights now enjoyed by all. 

This is the Change our current president spoke of and our liberal law makers are creating it’s path.

God bless America!

Sources of info:

Thanks to the Chattanooga Times Free Press for their excellent coverage of this issue. Please visit their site frequently. There are many more stories on their site you may find interesting.

In 2002, SB 1303, HB 1893, see bill below.

Click to access pc0876.pdf

In 2012, Senate Bill 2169- Confederate License Plates for Motorcyclists signed by Haslam, Ron Ramsey and  Beth Harwell  in 2012

Click to access PublicChapter553.pdf

Harwell/Haslam power grab limits TN legislators to 10 bills each session

Speaker Beth Harwell and Governor Haslam try to gain iron-grip control over TN legislature

The latest news coming from Nashville Tennessee this week can be best described as a “Power Grab” by lawmakers and Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam and House Speaker Beth Harwell.

The recent steps taken by these two political puppets is clearly a step in giving the legislative branch of our representative government less power while taking the representation out of our state legislatures hands and puts the power to manipulate legislation in the hands of the speaker and the leftist Governor and out of the hands of the people they represent.

In a recent proposal made by TN House Speaker Beth Harwell, obviously made from a request by the Governors desk, calls for TN Legislators to have the ability to only sponsor and submit 10 bill proposals in a legislative session with many exemptions and no restraints on the Governor, giving him dictatorial powers only realized by a few states.

The TNR article below reports the following exemptions giving the Governor more dictatorial power.

Proposed exemptions in the 10-bill cap include:

+ Bills dealing with cities and counties

+ Sunset bills

+ Memorializing or congratulatory resolutions that are not referred to a standing committee

+ Resolutions confirming appointments or authorizing charitable events

+ Resolutions that are procedural in nature that are not referred to a standing committee

Harwell’s office defended granting the governor and his staff special latitude under the measure.

“Much of the legislation presented by the administration has more to do with the nuts and bolts of running state government, and is necessary to the process,” Harwell spokeswoman Kara Owen told TNReport in a statement. “Further, we certainly want to allow members the latitude to use their ten bills for their districts’ priorities, so we feel the exemption to Administration is needed.”

Speaker Harwell and the Governor are citing costs as the driver of this proposal that limits representation from our state representatives. Some legislators are capable of submitting 90 to 100 bills in a session and some representatives have a reputation for “getting a great number” of those bills passed. State budget advocates say it costs a great deal of money to research each bill and apply “numbers” to each bill, stating less bills equals less money spent unwisely. Many citizens who feel bill proposal limitations are a way to deflect their voice and limits the power if the people using their representatives to legislate protection of their rights as members of a constitutional republic.

If this proposal goes forward and is approved by the legislature and ultimately the Governor, large special interest groups and lobbyists with endless money influence will rule our Tn State Legislature and will take the power of the people away and into the hands of a bureaucrat with deep pockets.

It is rumored in Nashville that many lobbyists and special interest groups are already lobbying for their place in line with each legislator, “I get the 2nd and 3rd bill of 10, so and so got your ear last year, one of those spots belong to me!” What a tragedy this Harwell proposal creates. The power of the people taken away at the expense of big government with constraints on those that represent them and lay prey to special interests.

One can argue that “I thought you wanted smaller government, sir? Yes smaller government is always better but smaller government with less representation is not a favorable solution.

Let’s get on the phone and let this RINO darling know that we want equal and unfettered representation in our State House. We the people on occasion suggest model legislation also with issues that affect us. In my opinion this move by the Governor and Speaker Harwell limits our ability to be represented in our own state.

Call the numbers below and quickly as this issue is being debated this week and a decision will be made soon. Let’s let Harwell and Haslam know that dictatorships are not well thought of in the state of Tennessee!

They together are trying to railroad a rules change to stop conservative policies from being implemented. Let’s not let this takeover of our representative government by a few puppets who are deadset on limiting the power of the people.

Here is the story:
http://tnreport.com/2013/01/05/harwells-bill-limit-proposal-filled-with-exemptions/

Call or email her office and tell her NO rules changes!

speaker.beth.harwell@capitol.tn.gov

(615) 504-5398

(615) 385-0357

(615) 741-0709