By Steve Hunley

Out of Touch Democrats

Democrat candidate for Knox County Mayor Debbie Helsley, in yet another fundraising screed, decries the "rising rents" while promising to address "the climate crisis" and create an office that prioritizes "working families."  That's just too good to pass up and let's reflect for a moment on why rents are rising.  It can be summed up in a single word: Democrats.  Joe Biden's hyper-inflation continues to raise the price of just about everything.  Biden's war on energy has dramatically raised the price of fuel.  The Bidenflation has also raised the cost of food and goods.  Another reason why rents will be rising inside the City of Knoxville is Mayor Indya Kincannon's proposal to raise taxes 50 cents on every $100 of property, the largest property tax increase in the history of the city.  One has to be an idiot to believe raising property taxes won't affect rents.  Of course it will.  And precisely who will that tax increase hurt the most?  Why, working families of course, who can least afford escalating rents and mortgages.

Now, Debbie Helsley sat in the audience as Indya Kincannon proposed the biggest property tax increase in Knoxville's history and applauded like the rest of the Democrats.  The only prioritizing of working families the Democrats intend to do is raise their taxes like everybody else's.

There was a time when Democrats could legitimately make a good argument they were interested in working people.  That time has come and gone.  Nowadays Democrat elites fly in their private jets to lecture the rest of us about the "climate crisis" and support trade deals that send American jobs overseas.

The Democrat Party has long since abandoned rural voters, but they too have left working-class people and families.  Every large city in this country is run by Democrats and a good number of them have been run into the ground.  Democrats in Knox County howl about homelessness, for instance, yet the problem is confined largely entirely to the city limits.  Seattle (which elected a Republican-leaning mayor and a Republican district attorney), Los Angeles and San Francisco are all examples where city governments have tried to expand services to the homeless, which has exacerbated the problem as the homeless have moved into the yards and neighborhoods of city residents, as well as the parks and other green spaces.

If the Democrats had their way in Knoxville and Knox County, nobody (save for the elite) would own a car, most of the city would be turned into subsidized housing and everyone would be riding a unicorn and filling up on a heapin' helping of rainbow stew.

It hasn't happened in a single American city thus far and it won't happen here either.  The supposed concern for working family while utterly ignoring, much less criticizing, the source of rising rents defies the science of logic and reason.

So, too, does Indya Kincannon's proposed big tax increase.  Kincannon didn't even bother to pare down a single expenditure by the City of Knoxville.  Kincannon never even went through the show of cutting a single penny out of the budget.  The City government has already wasted $27 million in tax money through cost overruns on its new headquarters for the police department.

Don't look for those Democrats running for county offices to be at all critical of the hypocrisy of Indya Kincannon or snipe at Joe Biden's failed policies.  Never going to happen.  They'll pretend all the way to the election next August.  A well-informed voter is mighty hard to fool.

More Out of Touch Democrats

The Biden administration is preparing to install its own Ministry of Truth.  That is at the same time Biden said that those Americans who believe in free speech, parents have a right to help determine what their children are taught, disagree with open borders are extremists.  The reality is Biden represents the most elitist and authoritarian element in the history of the United States.

And, of course, every really authoritarian government in history has had its own Ministry of Truth whether it was Hitler's Germany or Stalin's Soviet Union.  The woman selected by Alejandro Mayorkas, the most incompetent official I can recall in memory to serve in the administration of any president, has selected a woman to head his little Ministry of Truth who is blatantly anti-free speech.  Nina Jankowicz is a partisan Democrat who doesn't even bother to make an effort to hide her own personal bias.

Senator Josh Hawley is exactly right in terming Jankowicz a "human geyser of misinformation" herself.

General Election School Board Races

One of the most interesting aspects of the recent primary election has been little noticed by much anyone.  Of course with a turnout of around 6%, which is utterly appalling, the people were conspicuous in their staying away on election day.  Still, at least four candidates have advanced to the general election who believe in parental rights and support vouchers in the races for the Knox County Board of Education.  Will Edwards in the 4th District, Betsy Henderson in the 6th District, Steve Triplett in the 7th District, and Kristy Kristi in the 9th District.  Edwards will face Katherine Bike in the general election; Dominque Oakley is running as an Independent in the general election and will face Steve Triplett.  Annabel Henley is running against board chair Kristy Kristi in South Knoxville.  Local Democrats seem poised to place whatever resources they have behind Bike and Henley.  Both Bike and Henley are liberals and almost certainly candidates who support the teachers' unions over parents.  The 9th District has become even more Republican following redistricting and both Edwards and Kristi have to be considered heavy favorites in the general election. Steve Triplett will be heavily favored in the general election as well.

Congratulations to Tom Spangler

Even though the turnout was low, Tom Spangler ran a positive and flawless campaign, running on his record of the last four years.  Spangler's approach was a direct contrast to that of Jimmy "JJ" Jones, who followed a scorched earth policy.  Spangler won an astonishing 71% of the vote in the Republican primary, winning by an even greater percentage than he did over Lee Trammel four years ago.  Jones endorsed Trammel at every turn during that campaign and was vocal in his support for his election stand-in.  Running against the real thing this year, Tom Spangler beat the stuffing out of Jones.

Those people who showed up to vote, at least, were pretty clear in choosing a competent administration versus the return of the good ol' boy era.  That chapter of our history appears to have been closed and we begin another.  Tom Spangler is honest, capable, and compassionate.  He is also the least political person during my lifetime to serve as Knox County's sheriff. Congratulations, Tom.

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