Real Money

Stimulus plans have strings attached to all taxpayers “A billion here and a billion there, pretty soon you’re talking about real money.” – the late Rep. U.S. Sen. Everett M. Dirksen Sen. Dirksen was so 20th century: The federal
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Meet Me at The Wort

Knoxville's Bill Baxter enjoys additional role as Jackson Hole hotelier Longtime Knoxville “big dog” (as we say in these parts about someone of prominence) Bill Baxter took 19th century newspaper editor Horace Greeley’s advice (“Go
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Going Postal

Politicians notice the rare letter that lands on their desk “Mr. Postman,” (said the politician), “look and see, is there a letter (from a constituent) in your bag for me?” Politicians may not sing it like the 1960s group the
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Lamar Alexander

Senator looks back at career as he prepares to exit the stage In 1978, Lamar Alexander started walking across the state toward the Tennessee governor’s office. In 2020, he will walk out of the U.S. Capitol, retiring from the U.S.
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Who’s in charge?

COVID highlights leadership challenges during health emergency The county mayor is responsible for the operations of Knox County government—unless a health emergency prioritizes the ideas of a group of unelected individuals responsible
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The Law and ICE

Spangler protects citizens, enforces law by renewing agreement Some months ago, I was in a social media conversation with a then-city government official on the topic of illegal immigration. Liberal politically, he complained about
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The Color Purple

Will the blue wash over Knoxville’s traditional red political landscape. On a WATE-TV show in 2003, after Bill Haslam was elected Knoxville mayor, I concluded that he might be the “last overtly Republican mayor of Knoxville.” That could
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