Press Release from Bill Haslam for Governor; June 29, 2010:
Tea Party Leaders and Limited Government Advocates Across State Support the Mayor
KNOXVILLE –Republican gubernatorial candidate and Knoxville Mayor Bill Haslam today announced a series of endorsements from Tea Party leaders who said his proven record of conservative fiscal leadership made Haslam the candidate they were looking for as the next Governor of Tennessee.
Grassroots activists across the state have been drawn to Mayor Haslam because of his conservative record, real-world business experience and belief that government should be limited and accountable to the people.
“Bill Haslam has shown the residents of Knoxville that he’s committed to the same principles I am as a Tea Party member: limited government and reduced spending,” said Cathy Farmer, a Madison County Tea Party member. “I want leaders who can grasp the basic principle of responsible, limited government, something our leaders in Washington can’t seem to understand.”
“I’m supporting Bill Haslam because he’s a man of integrity with a proven record of making the tough calls, such as reducing spending, saving money and downsizing government, that Washington can’t seem to make,” said Mike Smiley, a Williamson County Tea Party activist.
“As a resident of Grainger County, I’ve been able to watch Bill Haslam’s leadership from a close distance, and I was extremely proud to represent him at the Tea Party Convention in Gatlinburg,” said Bob Fearnside, a Tea Party activist. “His career achievements – reducing the city’s debt by 25 percent, the lowest property tax rates in more than 50 years, spending less and reducing the number of city employees to the lowest total in 15 years – are exactly in line with the Tea Party movement.”
“Bill Haslam is the best candidate for Tennessee’s next governor because he understands that any tax money isn’t his; it’s ours,” said Debbie Moody, Tipton County Tea Party activist. “We need leaders that have a track record of backing up their statements with good, solid conservative actions. Bill Haslam is that kind of leader.”
“Any time citizens organize to keep government accountable, I think that’s a good thing,” Haslam said. “I’m grateful for the endorsements of these community leaders because I’m committed to conservative governing principles, and this group of individuals brings great energy to the campaign.”
Tea Party for Haslam Coalition and their Grand Division location:
Jim Weresuk (Middle)
Bob Fearnside (East)
Suzanne Fearnside (East)
Dr. James Fjerstad (East)
Sandra Fjerstad (East)
Pat Patton (East)
Mary Ellen Patton (East)
Mike Smiley (Middle)
Cathy Farmer (West)
Debbie Moody (West)
Roger Staton (West)
Doug Northam (Middle)
Carol Sletto (Middle)
Michelle McDaniel (West)
Catherine Ross (Middle)
Cecil van Winkle (Middle)
Brandon Cherry (Middle)
Steve Hawlik (Middle)
Sarah Caporale (Middle)
James McCalister (Middle)
Mayor Haslam is the two-term Republican Mayor of Knoxville, reelected in 2007 with 87 percent of the vote. A hardworking, conservative public servant, Haslam led Knoxville to become one of the top ten metropolitan areas for business and expansion, while reducing the city’s debt, tripling the rainy day fund, reducing the number of city employees to the lowest amount in 15 years and bringing property taxes to the lowest rate in 50 years. An executive leader with a proven record of success, he helped grow his family’s small business from 800 employees into one of Tennessee’s largest companies with 14,000 employees.
For more information on Bill Haslam, please visit www.BillHaslam.com.
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From a Gun Owners of America report: http://www.goapvf.org
Bill Haslam, mayor of Knoxville since 2003, was a member of New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg’s gun-grabbing group Mayors Against Illegal Guns.
As a member of the group, Bill Haslam’s name was part of a 2007 letter to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi supporting a bill to prohibit the hundreds of thousands of people on the federal government’s so-called terror “watch list” from purchasing firearms.
Under the bill, the Attorney General is permitted to strip away the civil liberties of Americans without due process of law and without the accused even knowing the details of the suspicion.
This provision was part of a larger bill that would have federalized even more gang and gun crimes, which properly belong at the state and local levels.
In 2008, Haslam’s name again appeared on a letter to Reid and Pelosi seeking to close the non-existent and misleadingly named “gun show loophole.” This legislation would have led to the closing down of gun shows and opened the door to complete federal control of private firearms transactions.
As soon as Haslam announced his bid for governor, he left Bloomberg’s anti gun group with much haste. If that isn’t the clearest sign of pandering and lip service, then we don’t know what is.
Another opponent in the race, Representative Zach Wamp, also has a problem with your freedoms.
Rep. Wamp helped Sen. John McCain and liberals in Congress to put a stranglehold on free speech with the so-called Campaign Finance Reform Act (better known as the Incumbent Protection Act).
When Republican opposition stymied the bill in 2001, the anti-freedom crowd circulated a “discharge petition” to force it on to the House floor. Zach Wamp joined a handful of other Republican turncoats to help pass a law that made it illegal to publish information — such as what is contained in this letter — within 30 days of a primary or 60 days of a general election.
Rep. Wamp also voted against an amendment to the bill that would have at least protected the right of groups like GOA to widely disseminate voter guides during the “prohibited” periods.
Of all the types of speech protected by the First Amendment, political speech was foremost on the minds of the Founding Fathers. Just this year, the U.S. Supreme Court recognized that fact and in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (a case in which Gun Owners Foundation participated) undid much of the damage caused by Wamp and his congressional allies.