Rebekah Gorbea from Tennessee 4 All talks about their legislative agenda for 2025. The first is repealing the grocery tax in Tennessee, up for discussion for the second year. A regressive tax in which lower income families are more affected by rising prices than those who benefit from the absence of an income tax. Bills HB02 and SB02 would close corporate loopholes to offset the revenue loss.. The supermajority and the Governor are wary of upsetting the multimillion dollar corporations that pay little to no taxes and receive tax breaks and refunds. Other bills that would benefit working people are also discussed in the program. 

Participation in the legislative process is encouraged and Capitol.TN.gov is a resource. 

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Medicare Advantage has been a preferred option for many healthy seniors and millionaire private health insurance CEOs. It may not be good for seniors if they have a chronic illness, cancer, surgery, or a catastrophic episode, but it will still be a benefit to millionaire private health insurance executives. And it will never be a benefit to Medicare and the hundreds of thousands of seniors who depend on it.  Carol Paris, MD, past President of the Physicians for a National Health Program, sounds the alarm. The trend that government is bad and business is good, is giving corporations the power and the money to take control, leaving many out in favor of profit.

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The Tennessee Governor presented his State of the State address with a budget to support nuclear power, infrastructure, harsh immigration reform, corporate businesses, training programs, and a private school voucher.  But what is missing? Consistently ranking low in health care outcomes, public education, low teacher pay, a rare tax on groceries, high numbers of guns and gun violence, and a high maternal mortality rate, programs for the people are lacking. A year ago, large, high-profit corporations with headquarters outside the state received millions of tax cuts without paying any actual, state taxes. Listen to what a supermajority legislature can do for you and your family. 

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Dr. Sherry Hamby, professor of psychology at the University of the South in Sewanee, TN, counsels us on current-day trauma and how to search for resilience.  Ongoing negativity, name-calling, misinformation, lies, and outrageous verbal abuse from newsmakers without empathy for others can be damaging, whether directed personally or not.
School shootings affect entire communities and when days and weeks of protest for change from elected officials are ignored it is called institutional betrayal.
Resilience may come in the form of introspection or political action. 

A brief bonus interview with Dr. Hamby asks how old is too old to run for political office. 

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Liv Cook organizer of Public School Strong recounts the recent defeat of an expanded voucher program in Tennessee. Public funds for private schools, while public schools starved and teacher pay, remained below the national average, was a nonstarter for many parents and teachers. They said no and made themselves heard. Now millions of dollars from outside special interest groups to support the Governor's cornerstone project have flowed to legislators more likely to vote against the people's wishes. People Power or Project 2025?

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Representative Scott DesJarlais has been the Tennessee Congressman for District 4 for 13 years and is a case for term limits. A fresh, new face would be Victoria Broderick from Fayetteville, TN, a working mother of 2 and various pets, who talks to people. People with issues and concerns that differ from the Trump/DesJarlais agenda, which is the same. It consists of lies and misinformation about immigration, jobs, and the economy for starters. Divisiveness, though, is the main course.

www.victoria4tennessee.org

Common Sense Matters can be found on Apple Podcasts and Spotify,

A left-leaning look at politics, history, and culture in a red county (Franklin), in a red state (Tennessee) with a supermajority Republican legislature that lacks well, common sense. Our elected officials do not represent the people of Tennessee on many issues. Common Sense Matters will present factual and fair, in-depth interviews and testimony as an alternative view of issues and concerns than is currently available. 
 Franklin County TN  Democratic Party sponsors Common Sense Matters

Common Sense Matters can be found on Apple Podcasts and Spotify,