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Herron says he'll fight for jobs, less spending

April 13, 2010

By KEVIN SAULS and BONNIE LILL
The Stewart Houston Times

State Sen. Roy Herron is seeking a seat in Congress and, to that end, made campaign stops in Houston and Stewart counties last Thursday.

Herron (D-Dresden) shook hands and spoke for about an hour at Fitz’s Restaurant in Erin and then met supporters at the courthouse in Dover.

In Houston County, he spent most of his time on jobs – or the lack of them – in an area with more than 12 percent unemployment.

 “If I get the chance to represent you in Washington, my top three priorities will be jobs, jobs and jobs,” Herron said. “My next three will be cut the spending, cut the spending, cut the spending.”

Though it is the Democrat-controlled Congress that has sent the country and the economy reeling with record spending and deficits, Herron told his audience he would be “as conservative with your dollars as I am with my own. If you know a tighter person than me, I’d like you to introduce him to me.”

He is running in the 8th Congressional District, which covers 19 counties from Memphis in the west to Clarksville in the east.

Herron said he is optimistic about the Highland Rim’s economic future for a number of reasons:

The joint Stewart-Houston Industrial Park. “The state has been trying to get counties to work together. You’ve all been ahead of the curve on that.”

 “The quality of people. You have the right values and right work ethic that attracts businesses.”

The business climate in Tennessee is among the very best in the country.” He cited the new Clarksville location of the Hemlock Semiconductor plant, which could spark spinoff industries in surrounding areas.

A half-billion-dollar education reform package passed by state lawmakers that will make more money available to schools and will tie teacher job security to student performance.

Improving online capability that will enable rural students to access the same high-level educational resources as students in more populated areas. “Broadband access is going to be huge.”

Herron seemed a bit taken aback when Erin pharmacy technicians Brandy Jones and Lisa Moore told him that they think TennCare – Tennessee’s Medicaid managed care program - is a disaster.

 “Millions of dollars are being wasted,” Jones said.

 “I see people throw a fit over paying a $3 co-pay for a brand-name medicine that costs $300. I can’t get that medicine on my insurance, and my husband has good insurance.”
Herron promised to address their concerns.

He delivered a similar message about jobs in Dover where about 30 people awaited him at the courthouse.

 “I am the sixth generation of my family in Weakley County,” he said, “and I am convinced that if we don’t have job opportunities, then I’ll be the last. I want my grandkids to have the same quality of life as I do.”

He said that it’s become a personal mission to help create conditions favorable to keeping and creating jobs in Tennessee so people can remain here and work.

He also stressed the benefit to Stewart County of the U.S. 79 widening.

Brad Wallace of Dover commented on the new Dollar General Market that is going in on Hwy. 79 in the Big Rock area.

Herron said, “The last time I checked, two-thirds of the sales tax paid by Stewart Countians is paid elsewhere.”

He said that more shopping opportunities in Stewart County would keep more sales tax money in the county.

Herron did as much listening as talking when he fielded questions during the session and chatted with residents afterward.

Dover resident Charles Westerman voiced his displeasure with so much work going overseas.

Herron replied, “We have free trade but not fair trade…Trade agreements need to be repealed or reformed.”

He cited the need once again for broadband access that would allow Tennesseans to compete for jobs that they could do at home.

 “International competition over the internet requires that we all have broadband,” he said.

James Robertson pointed out that part of the problem with companies paying good wages is that for every dollar paid out, there are 40-75 cents in benefits that the employer must pay.

 “It’s an enormous strain to compete,” said Herron.

After the session, Eileen Frazier spent a few minutes with the senator, voicing her displeasure about some aspects of Tennessee’s status as a right-to-work state.

She made the point that employers in Tennessee are not above getting rid of higher-paid employees and replacing them with those who will accept less money, thereby exacerbating the unemployment problem in the state.

Herron talks jobs and deficit in Clarksville visit

By BRIAN EASON • The Leaf-Chronicle • April 13, 2010

State Sen. Roy Herron, the Dresden Democrat running for Congress in Tennessee’s Eighth District, stopped in Clarksville Monday morning on the final leg of his “Jobs Tour.”

Herron spoke to a small crowd of supporters at the Franklin Room at F&M Bank, where, aside from “jobs, jobs, jobs,” he spoke of the need for deficit reduction, calling it the “single biggest threat” to the country’s security.

“I am literally scared for the future of this country if we don’t get a handle on this debt,” he said. “I don’t know how long you can keep piling up a trillion and a half in debt year after year, but I know this — you can’t do it very long if you want to stay around.”

Herron, who is running unopposed in the Democratic primary, is one of three major party candidates looking to fill a seat left vacant after Rep. John Tanner’s December announcement that he would retire.

Like many other politicians who have stumped in the area lately, Herron praised Montgomery County’s business leaders and public officials for their leadership during a tough economic time.

“As we climb out of this ditch, there’s no state better positioned (than Tennessee) and no place better positioned than Montgomery County to move forward,” he said, noting Hemlock Semiconductor LLC, Austin Peay State University and Fort Campbell as key strengths for the area.

 
In an interview afterward, he noted infrastructure and education as areas that would benefit from federal investment, citing road projects and high-speed Internet in rural areas as examples.

On the issue of deficit reduction, Herron wouldn’t specify which areas he’d cut, pointing to a hazardous political culture, adding that bipartisan cooperation is needed if cuts are to be made.

“The challenge is, if you start singling out, ‘OK, I cut here,’ then your political opponent attacks you,” he said. “So it’s going to have to be done in a bipartisan way. In my opinion, the biggest threat to the country right now is the deficit spending; the biggest threat to getting the deficit spending under control is the excessive partisanship in Washington.”

Herron cited the health care bill — which he said he would not have voted for “in that form” — as an example of an area where cost control would be a challenge.

“I know what the Congressional Budget Office said, that over a period of time it would actually lower the deficits, but I — quite frankly, I’m not fully persuaded that Congress will do the things necessary to make that happen,” he said.

He added that some aspects of the bill — like protections for those with pre-existing conditions — were things “everybody oughta want,” but improvements needed to be made.

“You don’t just pass a bill like this and then walk away from it,” he said. “You can’t. You shouldn’t. You gotta go back, look at it, see how it’s working or not working and improve it.”

Roy Herron – A Friend to Tennessee Hunters and Fishermen

West Tennessee Outdoors Magazine

March/April 2010

From the Editor’s Desk of Rob Somerville

I have personally known Senator Roy Herron of Dresden for nearly two decades. In fact, I’ve been around his family, especially him and his two teenage sons, at various outdoors related events over the years.

With all due respect to our great country and its political hierarchy, I tread cautiously about publicly endorsing any candidate on either local or national levels. I have only spoken in favor of one other candidate in my 25-plus years as an outdoor journalist.

Due to this magazine’s credibility and our “call it like it is” editorial content, West Tennessee Outdoors has been referred to as “the voice of the blue collar sportsmen of Tennessee.”

I guess the reason for that moniker is because we have credibility. We praise individuals or groups when they do what we consider the correct thing for protecting the wildlife, our habitat, and Tennessee sportsmen’s rights to pursue the great American traditions of hunting and fishing. We also let the public know whenever we believe these subjects are at risk in a manner that may harm them.

With that being said, I have to say that Roy Herron should be supported by any voters in the state, especially hunters and fishermen, in his campaign to run for Congress in the 8^th District. Here are some reasons that I believe Roy Herron is a proponent of our outdoor lifestyle and will fight for us all in Washington, D.C. when elected to Congress:

·         Roy Herron is a crusader in educating and encouraging the youth of today in the ethical and safe participation of the outdoor lifestyle.

o   As a Senator, for every year that I can recall, he has been a key supporter and instrumental in the success of the West Tennessee Youth Outdoor Jamboree that I founded 14 years ago. I have also hunted with Roy and his two sons on several occasions and have witnessed the patience and care he displays when teaching ethical conservational behavior that all responsible sportsmen should practice.

·         Roy Herron has publicly taken a stand as a Tennessee Senator to preserve our outdoor heritage.

o   Senator Herron recently co-signed a bill, called “The Right to Hunt and Fish Amendment” to change the constitutional of our state that, if passed, will preserve the outdoor heritage we now enjoy for future generations.

·         Roy Herron is in good standing with the NRA, the organization that is our greatest lobbyist for Second Amendment of our United States Constitution which states, “A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the People to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.”

o   It is public knowledge that Roy Herron is a “lifetime member” of the NRA. In past election campaigns, Roy Herron has received an A+ rating from the NRA, which is the highest political rating given by the NRA.

·         Roy Herron keeps his ear to the ground about all issues concerning the outdoors and its lifestyle in Tennessee.

o   For longer than I have, Roy has been a member in good standing of Tennessee Outdoor Writers Association (TOWA) and attended their annual conferences. I can’t count the times I witnessed him speaking to members of the outdoor media, TWRA officials and biologists, and experts in wildlife and conservation. I observed him listening intently and taking notes, and asking intelligent questions, so he could better understand outdoor-related issues and represent his people in an informed manner in Nashville.

·         Unfortunately, I rarely meet an individual that possesses the characteristic traits which I refer to as “Old School.”

o   What I mean is a person who “walks the walk” instead of just “talking the talk.” I define an “Old School” man as a person of ethics and standing. Someone who tells you what they will do, and then makes every effort to do exactly what they promised if not more. It is someone who values their name and credibility over material things and their ego.

·         Roy Herron has proved his character to me time after time when he stood to gain nothing in doing so.

o   In my observations, Tennessee Senator Roy Herron has held more public meetings than any other elected official I know. He listens with no pretense or false sense of caring. Then he acts to the best benefit of our state and its citizens!

Summary: I have listed my opinion based on my observations and matters of public record as to why Roy Herron should be supported by all enthusiasts of the outdoors, whether hunters and fishermen or now, who enjoy this lifestyle which God in His bountiful goodness has given the people of the Volunteer State. I have not even touched on other important issues that Roy has proved his concern for in his legislative career. These subjects prove that the native son of Dresden, Tennessee cares about senior citizens, our children’s safety, education and much more.

These are all topics that you should research and decide on yourself but are not proper editorial content for an outdoor publication.

It is our duty as sportsmen to research all candidates that are campaigning to represent us in any office. If we do not vote for the right individual to represent us, our attitude of “It will never happen in our state” may prove wrong and the traditional heritage of enjoying the great outdoors as we now do will be stripped from us like a thief in the night. We must protect these inalienable rights by voting the right candidates into office like Roy Herron for Congress.

Isn’t it about time that we elect one of our own into Congress?

For more information, go to www.royherron.com.

Herron Touts Jobs, Port in Visit to Reelfoot Lake

By: Evan Jones, Banner Editor
Posted: Wednesday, April 14, 2010 8:53 am

State Senator Roy Herron (D-Dresden) met with a group of more than a dozen persons for a luncheon Thursday at Bluebank Fish House and Grill as part of a jobs tour as he campaigns for the U.S. House seat being vacated by John Tanner who is retiring.

Herron, a former minister, small-town attorney and businessman said the Northwest Tennessee Port and Industrial Park at Cates Landing, I-69, and the expansion of Everett Stewart Regional Airport are just some of the reasons he is hopeful about Lake County’s future when it comes to jobs.

Herron made his remarks at the Blue Bank Fish House and Grill as part of his 19-county Jobs Tour. He met with small business owners, working people and local leaders about what he should do in Congress to help grow and save jobs.

“My top three priorities for Tennessee are jobs, jobs and jobs,” Herron said. “I am optimistic about the future of saving, growing and recruiting jobs for Lake County for several reasons.”

Herron said improvements to infrastructure and investments in people are crucial to creating jobs.

Regarding infrastructure, Herron said the Northwest Tennessee Port and Industrial Park will bring thousands of jobs to the area. The future completion of Interstate 69, Highway 45 West, and the expansion of the Everett Stewart Regional Airport also will open up new opportunities for business and job growth.

For investments in people, Tennessee’s recent award of $500 million in Race to the Top funds will greatly improve public education and play an important role in future jobs growth, Herron said. “We have an incredible opportunity to improve our schools as never before. Now we have to make sure we spend those dollars wisely.”

Making the area even more attractive for economic development is the progress made in fighting crime. In the state senate, Herron has worked for new criminal penalties for making and distributing crystal meth, as well as stronger measures to lock up sex offenders. He has also fought to protect people’s homes against predatory lenders and loan sharks.

“When crime is low, business is better,” Herron said. “And when people are not having to pay 300 percent and 400 percent interest to unscrupulous lenders, they are able to spend more money with local merchants and we are better able to recruit jobs. That’s why I will continue to be aggressive in fighting crime and predatory lenders who take advantage of our senior citizens.”

Living within our means to avoid additional taxes has also made Tennessee attractive to out-of-state companies. Herron recently voted against a state income tax for the fifth time, and he has a long record of voting against raising the state sales tax rate.

“The hard working people of Lake County didn’t cause these hard times, but they are certainly feeling the effects,” Herron said. “More than 10 percent of the people here are unemployed and people are suffering, but there are many reasons for hope.

“Tennessee is one of the top five states in the country in terms of business climate for jobs growth because we’ve worked hard to make the right investments in infrastructure and education. And we’ve fought crime and higher taxes,” he added.

“The most important asset is the quality of our people,” Herron said. “The people here work hard and are truly committed to this community.”