Friday, August 1, 2008
Originally published at www.thedailytimes.com

Dear Editor:

I have been reading with interest the recent campaign literature and opinions regarding the Aug. 7 election between Senator Finney and Representative Overbey. I respect both men and deem them both to be dedicated to what they do.

However, the one page advertisement in Sunday (July 27) The Daily Times provides a good example of selecting details to support one position and with a careful reading, it appears the details selected prove exactly the opposite of what the writer had in mind.

Specifically, starting with “no new tax pledge.” Senator Finney has signed such a pledge which then raises the question for me, how does he expect the state to pay for increases in teacher pay, increases in pay for at-risk students, increases in English Language Learner Teachers and future road and bridge work? Senator Finney said in his ad that he voted for all of the above.

It is my understanding that a true conservative is one who takes responsibility for getting his own house in order and takes care of the fiscal needs in his own house. That translates to me that the local community bears the greatest responsibility for providing the services, which are needed locally. A true conservative does not want or expect the “state or federal government” to step in and solve every problem. If on the other hand, we expect the state to increase their share of solving our local problems, then we must be prepared to pay for it.

I am and have been an educator (retired teacher and school district administrator) for my entire career and am aware of the issues surrounding teacher pay, providing programs for at-risk students, as well as teachers of English Language. Senator Finney suggests that the local government’s share needs to be reduced while the state government’s share needs to increase. I oppose this position because no matter who pays, state or local government, it is still coming out of my (our) pockets. It is better to have more control over where our local money is used and not be tied to the state mandates that always accompany state funding.

Senator Finney also takes great exception to the fact that Representative Overbey voted for Jimmy Naifeh and refused to vote for “conservative” candidates. I applaud anyone who has the integrity to vote for a particular person for what they perceive to be valid reasons and is not intimidated by others into voting a party line – no matter what.

I agree that Senator Finney has done a good job of keeping us informed. However, until I read the ad run by his campaign staff, I did not fully comprehend how inconsistent his message and actions are. Increasing state share or burden increases our taxes with no local control. I trust the school administrators in Blount County to make the best decisions for us, not the “school experts” at the state level.

I believe that Senator Finney’s staff has done Doug Overbey and unintended service by demonstrating that Rep. Doug Overbey understands the connection between taxes and local and state burdens and local and state control. Representative Overbey voted based on understanding the whole picture that cannot be captured in the one line format that Senator Finney’s staff ran.

Sincerely,

Christy C. Walsh
926 SW Cross Road
Maryville, TN 37803

This entry was posted on Friday, August 1st, 2008 at 11:07 am and is filed under In The News.
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