It’s an exciting time to live in Tennessee’s 6th district. Our Gallatin Chamber of Commerce just celebrated 95 years of service to the local business community, the White County High School Marching Band was chosen to perform in the National Independence Day Parade in Washington, D.C., and Cookeville’s own Brent Carl Fleshman received national honors for his morning radio show in the Upper Cumberland. Even when the evening news headlines can be cause for gloom, we can be proud of all there is to celebrate right here in middle Tennessee. With that in mind, I want to share a few quick updates about the latest from back home and in Washington:
There He Goes Again
Yesterday President Obama went to Miami and attempted to give another sales pitch for Obamacare, ignoring the harsh reality that the healthcare law is collapsing in Tennessee and elsewhere around the country. Tennesseans saw the latest evidence of that just his month when we learned that insurance plans sold on the Obamacare exchange were limiting access to one of our major hospitals; separating patients from the doctors they know and trust. The President’s speech was vintage Obama: he deflected responsibility for soaring premium rates and attempted to solve a government-created problem with an even bigger government “solution.” His answer to the latest Obamacare woes was a further expansion of the law. He insisted that “The problem is not that government is too involved in the process, the problem is we have not reached everybody and pulled them in.” Tennesseans know that further expanding an already failed law won’t fix its fundamental laws. That is why House Republicans have a real plan to repeal and replace Obamacare before it inflicts any further damage.
Tell Me What You Think
Take a look at THIS. It’s a short form, the size of a postcard, and with a willing partner in the White House who will join House Republicans in fighting to overhaul our tax code, it could be the only form you need to complete your taxes. Today, it takes the average family 13 hours just to prepare their tax returns. Imagine the money, time, and stress that Tennessee families could save if a single sheet of paper like that was all you needed. Our conservative plan to simplify the tax code could make a reality, but I need your help and input. I want to make sure that I’m representing YOU as best I can, so please take a minute to answer a quick, one-question survey and let me know what a fairer, flatter, and simpler tax code would mean for your life. You can complete the survey HERE.
Small Businesses Doing Big Things
It has been a busy week as I traveled across Tennessee’s 6th district touring small businesses with large impacts on the 6th District economy. I began by I stopping in to see the newly expanded Jackson Kayak manufacturing facility in Sparta to get a firsthand look at their latest products and to hear about how they are bringing 250 additional jobs to the White County region. I also toured Bennett Industries in Cookeville–a full service manufacturer specializing in stainless steel fabrication, custom metal stamping, and welding. I even got to try my hand at welding while I was there.
