Rep. Mumpower Forces TNGA GOPers To Sign 'League of Justice' Unity Pledge

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http://web.knoxnews.com/pdf/111208gop-unity.pdf">Rep. Mumpower's Forced 'League of Justice' Unity Pledge

Mumpower will soon be having the Tennessee House Republican Caucus lined up to drink their Flavor-Aid...

http://www.tennessean.com/article/20081112/NEWS0201/811120437/-1/NLETTER01?source=nletter-news">GOP wants speaker's job: A Republican leadership could give new hope to gun, anti-abortion measures

http://www.tnhousegop.org/strong-families.htm">Tennessee House Republican Caucus - Strong Families and Communities

Abortion:  House Republicans will support a constitutional amendment now working its way through the Senate that states that our constitution does not guarantee a right to an abortion.

Courts have struck down laws passed by the General Assembly requiring a waiting period or counseling before an abortion and a state requirement that abortions after the first trimester be performed in a hospital.

The net effect of this has been to make our abortion laws more liberal than the U.S. Supreme Court requires.  This amendment simply assures that Tennessee courts do not go further than the U.S. Supreme on this matter.

http://www.tnhousegop.org/Education/home-schoolers.htm">Tennessee House Republican Caucus - Support Home Schoolers

House Republicans will fight to end discrimination in lottery scholarship eligibility standards. Home-schooled students must score four points higher on the ACT than public school students. This is simply unfair and will encourage lawsuits against the state that we cannot afford.

Home-schoolers don’t cost the state education system yet they still pay taxes to support public schools. We should not discriminate against them in this manner.

* I am thinking that the homeschooled actually "cost" local school systems and students through tax dollars not realized by public school systems through their non-attendance.

and my favorite:

http://www.tnhousegop.org/Education/alt-teacher-licensure.htm">Tennessee House Republican Caucus - Alternative Teacher Licensure

Republicans will encourage innovation and expect results. One way we can do this is to revamp our procedures for alternative teacher licensure. Alternative teaching licenses allow an individual with several years of experience in a profession other than teaching to enter the teaching field. For example, allowing a retired engineer to teach high school math and science classes.

Tennessee currently has a procedure in place that allows this. However, it takes around 18 months to complete and it can be quite costly to the prospective teacher. Quite honestly, one could be forgiven for thinking this seems set up to prevent alternative teacher licensure. No one is suggesting there should not be oversight, or even a credentialing process, but we shouldn’t set up huge obstacles either.

Take for example, a retired engineer. That engineer could go into one of our rural schools and teach Advanced Placement Mathematics and Science. These challenging, college-level courses are taught in high schools. And there is a strong correlation between the availability of these classes and achievement on college entrance exams like the ACT. **

Unfortunately, these classes aren’t available in many rural parts of our state. Alternative teacher licensure is one way, among others, that we can increase the availability of these classes for our students, especially from rural areas, and provide a rewarding second career for qualified professionals. That’s win-win thinking.***

* Notice how the TNRHC pitch for the GOP E-Z Alternative Teachers starts by permitting these proposed E-Z teachers in all math and science classes and moves to a more narrowly defined Advanced Placement Mathematics and Science Courses.

** Perhaps the members of the Tennessee House Republican Causus wiil define "achievement on college entrance exams like the ACT" and hire themselves a retired statistician who can actually cite the ressearch within their upcoming TNHRC newsletters demostrating a "strong correlation between the availability of these classes and achievement on college entrance exams like the ACT - otherwise, these types of statements just seems like something else that Tennessee House Republicans are just blowing out thier asses for sound and effect...

*** I am also thinking that is more demonstrative of "win-win" thinking to:

1) numerically demonstrate the need within each public school system for these so-called E-Z Alternative Teachers across Tennessee, and;
2) what base numbers of retired, willing, and undefined "professionals" that are available in rural areas are available for such GOP E-Z Alernative Teacher licensure in each county and city school system across Tennessee.

[quidam56]

1. Acceptable Standards of Health Care in Tennessee

See what is defined as "horrifying" but quite perfectly acceptable standards of health care in East Tennessee. http://www.wisecountyissues.com