The legislation that passed the House today is an intolerable expansion of federal power and a reminder of the incredible arrogance of Washington. The Obama Administration and Congress chose to defy the majority of Americans and the governors of most states, including our own.

Not only has the Administration in Washington expanded federal government control into yet another area where we would prefer to trust individual decisions and free markets, this legislation usurps our 10th Amendment right to have a state government that reflects our own priorities.

Today the federal government imposed an unbearable unfunded mandate that will explode costs in an area our state has worked hard to control. We can’t tolerate Washington making us pay for their bad ideas, and if elected governor, I will pursue every means necessary to protect our state’s interests.

I know some members of our delegation have been intimately involved in the current health care legislation battle from the beginning, and I thank those of you who have worked to stop this legislation. We need real healthcare reform in America, particularly in the areas of accessibility and cost that place an unfair burden on so many Tennesseans and Americans, but this current legislation is the wrong approach.

As we are now in the “11th hour”, I am writing to urge you to fight through the weekend against the forced passage of federal health care legislation that could have potentially devastating effects on the state we all love and call home. As the Mayor of Knoxville and a candidate for governor in 2010, I am watching the battle closely and I hope, as our elected representatives in Washington, you will do what is best for Tennessee by working together to oppose this legislation.

I personally believe the House, Senate, and President Obama’s versions are ill-conceived, and as elected officials from Tennessee the number one concern we all must have is the damaging impact this will have on our great state. With an estimated additional cost to Tennessee of approximately $750 million over the next five years, this is an unfunded mandate we can’t afford.

Despite Tennessee’s fiscal responsibility, this could force our budget to grow beyond our control, encroach on other important state priorities such as education and economic development, and endanger our fiscal health. Governor Bredesen said it best when he described this legislation as the “mother of all unfunded mandates.”

Washington needs to listen to the people. Tennesseans are tired of the spending, and tired of Washington sending us the bill for their bad ideas. I’ve traveled to all 95 counties in this race for governor, and as I’ve said from the beginning, citizens across the state don’t want to bear the burden of Washington’s out of control spending. At this critical moment, I urge you to do everything you can to oppose this bill and use your office to fight against it.

Again, I want to thank those of you who have been fighting this disastrous bill from the beginning.

Thank you for your attention to this matter. Working together we can stop this legislation and give Tennessee a chance to control its own future.

With warmest regards,

Bill Haslam

Mayor of Knoxville

Click to view a signed copy of the letter to our Tennessee Congressional Delegation…

We headed to Crissy’s hometown of Memphis to start the second week of our Jobs Tour which included stops throughout West Tennessee. We appreciate the continued hospitality in the western part of the state—and we always enjoy being able to spend time with Crissy’s family while on the campaign trail!

It was another busy week full of meetings with small business owners, discussions with economic development professionals and tours of manufacturing facilities —large and small. My favorite part of the tour has been the opportunity to sit down with folks and hear their stories, both their successes and their frustrations. People across our state are hurting, there’s no doubt about it. But you also get a clear picture of the grit and determination that is so much a part of our Tennessee culture. We’ve got a great state and so much to build upon.

If you haven’t had a chance to visit our Jobs Tour website, Jobs4TN.com, I would encourage you to head over there to watch our daily video summaries and join the discussion. And I would love to hear your thoughts so please visit Jobs4TN.com or leave a comment on Facebook to let me know what you think. We’ll be in East Tennessee next week, so come out and join us or stop by Jobs4TN.com to follow along.

This week, I took a few days to make some Middle Tennessee campaign stops on my own, as Bill worked hard in the Mayor’s office and on the campaign trail.  On Wednesday, I started the morning with a wonderful group of Nashville women.  Thanks to the hospitality of Barbara Outhier, we spent the early morning visiting over coffee, talking about the important issues and how Bill is the right candidate to help Tennesseans at this crucial time for our state.  After my morning visit, I headed to the KIPP Charter School – what a fantastic program.  I learned more about this innovative charter school, and I could see the effects of their, “Work Hard. Be Nice.” motto, as I toured the school and visited with students in various classrooms.  After my KIPP visit, I met with some of our women Ambassadors for lunch and had such a fun time visiting.  Through our lunch talk, I learned about several non-profits that have helped so many Tennesseans.  I ended the day with Bill at the Tennessee Chamber Forum – and he did great!

On Thursday, I started the morning touring two schools well-known across Middle Tennessee that focus on providing individualized instruction, Benton Hall and Currey Ingram.  I enjoyed my thorough school tours and the opportunity to meet with students and speak to the Senior Government and Economics class at Currey Ingram.  As Bill has said, the opportunity for school choice is important, and students voiced to me why their school was the perfect fit for them, not just making their education experience better, but giving them the foundation to continue a life of learning.  Following my school visits, I met with leaders of Alignment Nashville and learned about the terrific work they have done in such a short time in the non-profit community.  Their work is so outstanding, and it was evident to see that Nashville is several steps ahead with this great group, bringing other cities outside the state to notice their outstanding work – who have now mirrored their efforts.  Finally, I ended my day out in Hendersonville in which I met with the founder and staff of the Jason Foundation, a terrific organization that brings youth suicide awareness to the forefront of education communities both locally in Tennessee and across the country.  Clark Flatt, who founded the organization in memory to his son Jason, has grown this non-profit to unbelievable heights in such a short time, and his passion to save lives was so evident and inspiring.

All in all, it was a terrific few days on the trail, and I appreciated the opportunity to meet an array of folks of all walks of life, all bonded by the common goal to do better for our state and their fellow Tennesseans.  Thank you!

Yesterday, Mayor Haslam released his Ten Principles for Fiscal Conservative Leadership as an outline of how he plans to govern our state.  He’s clearly the only fiscal conservative in the race who has a proven record based on these principles—not just empty rhetoric.  For example, as Knoxville’s Mayor Bill has been able to triple the city’s rainy day fund while lowering the debt at the same time.

Mayor Haslam’s ten principles are:

1. First ask the question, should state government actually be doing this?
2. Always ask the question, is this the most efficient and effective way to do it?
3. Manage conservatively and spend less than you take in
4. Hold the reins when times are good
5. Prioritize when times are bad
6. Avoid debt
7. Keep taxes low
8. Ensure Tennessee remains a state WITHOUT an income tax
9. Ensure every initiative of state government is producing a measurable, positive outcome
10. Be a faithful steward of taxpayer dollars

Families across the state are turning to local community groups, their churches, and Dave Ramsey-type programs for guidance and as Governor Bill will apply many of these time-tested, common sense principles to guide our state.

If you get a chance, go to our Facebook® page and let us know what conservative, common sense financial principles you and your family use. Click the image below to join the discussion:

We had a very full day yesterday that was blanketed with snow and several visits in Springfield and Clarksville. The snow was absolutely beautiful, but made the drive in to  a little perilous. Thankfully, the food didn’t disappoint and the people were so welcoming and supportive of my plan for Tennessee. I really appreciate everyone braving the weather and slick roads to join us at Tricia’s!

After breakfast, we jumped on Tennessee 49 and headed to Orlinda where we stopped by the Gammon Family Dairy for a tour. The Gammon family has been in the Grade A dairy business since the 70s and just recently started to bottle the milk they produce. What’s unique about their milk is the fact that it’s all natural and does not include any hormones, steroids, or antibiotics.  After a great visit with the Gammon family we headed towards Clarksville.

Once in Clarksville I met with a dozen or so veterans and had a chance to hear their concerns about the direction our state is headed. Almost all of these brave veterans had spent some time at Fort Campbell (which is just north of where we met on the Tennessee-Kentucky line). A common theme of our conversation was the unique bond between Clarksville and Fort Campbell. According to these veterans, Clarksville is a very tight-knit community that goes above and beyond in their support of military families.

After a great visit with the veterans we switched gears a bit and headed to a local business where we discussed economic development. The first group I met with had experience across many industries, but shared the common goal of continuing to improve the Clarksville economy. The second economic development meeting shared a lot of the same themes as the first, but from the perspective of a small business. Thankfully, Clarksville has weathered the economic downturn quite well and is on the path to further job growth with the Hemlock Semiconductor announcement.

We wrapped up our busy day campaigning with a knocking tour of the Hilldale neighborhood and then headed to a meet and greet at Austin Peay State University. The number one concern for people that we met during our neighborhood knock and the meet and greet was jobs. I had a chance to share my plan for bringing high quality jobs to Tennessee which seemed to resonate well the group.

I look forward to hearing from more Tennesseans during my state-wide jobs tour in early March.

A February 14 article by the Knoxville News Sentinel’sTom Humphrey provided a thorough summary of the gubernatorial candidates’ positions on education. The summary format, however, left a bit of confusion regarding Mayor Haslam’s position on charter schools.  Mayor Haslam strongly supports charter schools because innovation and choice are vital components of a successful education system.  He believes that the new charter schools law passed by the General Assembly last year was a victory for innovation and a step in the right direction, but the law did contain language the Mayor opposes. Mayor Haslam opposes restrictions such as the cap on the number of charter schools allowed in the state and restrictions on who can enroll in charter schools, and as governor will advocate for their removal. In fact, the Mayor’s education platform – released last October – calls for the development of a statewide charter school incubator to support the creation of high quality local charter schools.

To learn more about Mayor Haslam’s education priorities, please visit:

http://www.billhaslam.com/site/c.ieJPIWOtEnH/b.5541325/k.B569/Bills_Priorities_for_Education_Reform.htm

Mayor Haslam’s combination of executive and public service experience
makes him uniquely qualified to be Tennessee’s next Governor.