Tennessee Senator John Ford is, appallingly, back in the news. Remember that this man is the chairman of the child welfare committee.
He testified that he lives with and supports two families.
In the hearing, Ford said he lives some days with ex-wife Tamara Mitchell-Ford and the three children they had together. On others, he said, he stays with his longtime girlfriend, Connie Mathews, and their two children.
You see, the reason that Ford is in court testifying is that a third woman who had the poor sense to allow this man slimeball to procreate is after an increase in child support:
Ford is battling a lawsuit filed by Dana Smith, who is trying to increase his court-ordered support of their 10-year-old daughter. Smith, a former employee under Ford, won a 1996 sexual harassment verdict against him.
The Memphis Democrat has tried to make use of a law he authored that keeps court-ordered support lower when a father is financially responsible for other children....Ford said he pays nearly all bills for both families. They stay in houses he owns and where he also lives, though neither home is in his south Memphis Senate district....
Ford contends that any increase for Smith should be tempered by his financial obligations to his five other minor children. None of those children is subject to child support orders.
Hat tip to Fishkite from a post on Memphis Red Blogs.
Turncoat Republican senator Michael Williams recently won reelection and promptly betrayed his constituency by voting for Democrat John Wilder for Lt. Governor. Wilder returned the favor by naming Williams Speaker Pro Tem and placing him on the Senate Finance and Commerce committees.
Nashville talk radio host Steve Gill is calling for an investigation into Williams' campaign expenditures (for a race in which he ran unoppossed):
“The Tennessee Registry of Election Finance and the Senate itself should
seek answers from Williams about $1300 paid to his ex-wife for
“fundraising”; payments for Senate license plates which are legally
limited to use by Senators and their direct families; payment for tickets!
to NASCAR races and for other collectibles and memorabilia which may or
may not be legitimate campaign expenses; payments for a “jacket”; payments
for gasoline for the Senator’s vehicle which may also have been reimbursed
as part of his Senate per diem; and payments for numerous “framing”
expenses that may or may not have been for the Senator’s personal use.” In
calling for an investigation into the questionable entries on the
Senator’s financial disclosure forms Gill also pointed out that the use of
campaign funds for personal use may also raise issues under the I.R.S. tax
code governing un-reported income.At this point, Gill noted, it is not clear whether the Senator has
violated Tennessee election rules and laws, but there is certainly a basis
for a full and fair investigation into the questionable expenses reported
to the Registry of Election Finance by Senator Williams. “Who are the
beneficiaries of all these “gifts”! from Senator Williams,” Gill asked,
“and how do they relate directly to his re-election – particularly when he
was unopposed?”
Tennesse Tax Revolt reports that Memphis citizens pay the highest property taxes in Tennessee.
Tennessee Tax Revolt, Inc., (TTR) an all-volunteer, non-profit, non-partisan, statewide taxpayer advocacy group, today awarded the City of Memphis the dubious distinction of Winner of the 2005 Tennessee Tax Bowl. Memphis competed with four hundred and two (402) city and county tax jurisdictions around the state and came out on top with a combined city/county property tax rate of $7.27. TTR pointed out that this is more than a dollar above the second place city.
We live in the ugly part of the state, in a crime-infested rat-hole, and have to pay the most for the "priviledge". What's wrong with this picture?
Note: The rates for all 402 cities as well as county residents can be found on the Comptroller's site.
Update: Upon further review, one city does not appear in the list at all: Lakeland. That is because they don't charge any property tax, relying only on sales taxes from businesses in the city. Imagine -- no punishment for being a land owner.