Part 2: Tennessee Gubernatorial Candidates At the Nashville Republican Women's Luncheon

(Above from left, U.S. Rep. Zach Wamp, R-Chattanooga, Lt. Gov. Ron 'Give Em the Boot' Ramsey, and Knoxville Mayor Bill Haslam greet each other for the 600th time in the past few months on the campaign trail.)

IF YOU'RE A CONSERVATIVE LIKE ME deeply concerned we're losing far too much of our freedom and money to the insane federal government in Washington, then you'll be heartened by what I heard last Friday at the Nashville Republican Women's Club (NRWC) spring luncheon featuring the three gubernatorial candidates who'll run against each other in the August primary. After listening to them talk issues, I came away feeling the people of great State of Tennessee can't go too wrong by electing any of the three.

I think we are moving into the age of the American governor as the elected focus of our democracy rather than the U.S. president. President Obama is certainly hastening that process.

Remember how we always used to ask when a fresh political face comes on the national scene: Think he'll ever run for president? Senator Scott Brown of Massachusetts comes to mind, as does Texas governor Rick Perry. But I think we're naive to think the penultimate office to save The Republic For Which We Stand is the presidency anymore. (Think Gov. Perry needs to stay in Texas, and Sen. Scott Brown where he's just been elected, for heavens sakes!)

Instead, I believe the political offices of Governor are among the most important offices we stand to elect. We need to stop projecting every candidate we like onto the father-figure presidency and leave them where they can be most effective and accountable: in our states, closer to the people that elected them.

So it was especially heartening to hear what the above three men had to say last Friday. I'd like to give you a few the highlights here:

IT'S PUSH BACK TIME FOR STATES AGAINST FEDERAL GOVERNMENT

Push back is the new states rights issue, circa 2010. No one says it better than Ron Ramsey with his Give em the boot! schtick. Ramsey says Obamacare is the straw that broke the camel's back. Now we need to push back and stop letting the feds cram its nonsensical spending and unfunded entitlements down states' throats. Ramsey says Tennessee is still an isle of sanity in a country gone wild with government. The Tenth Amendment was mentioned numerous times during the course of the discussion. Haslam said, We need to show and tell the feds what they're doing to us in no uncertain terms.

MAKING TENNESSEE EVEN MORE BUSINESS AND JOB FRIENDLY THAN IT ALREADY IS

Zach Wamp believes a day is coming---and is already here---when states will be divided into those worth living in and those that are not. California comes to mind as the most unlivable from a tax, budget, declining business and jobs environment standpoint. Wamp intends to keep Tennessee in the more and more livable category and create a hot economy in the process. He says western states are over-regulated, midwestern states are decaying. But Southern states are vibrantly growing and need to continue offering incentives for economic development.

Mayor Haslam who is also a principle owner of Pilot Oil agrees and wants to make Tennessee the #1 location for smal and bigl business and job creation in the U.S. using our state's strategic assets of favorable tax benefits and moderate climate with out right to work laws. Tennessee is not and should not be a state that gives 'cash deals' as incentives to re-locate here as is Mississippi.

Ramsey says we want economic development but be careful not to give away more than we get. As a small businessman in East Tennessee he sums up what he wants from government: Absolutely nothing!

STATE VERSES FEDERAL BUDGETS AND TAXES

Haslam explained local and state governments must balance their budgets and are therefore bound to a certain degree of fiscal restraint and even shrinkage. Conversely, the federal government does not have to balance its budget and can print money to keep up with its runaway spending. As a result, state governments are needing to get smaller even as the federal government keeps growing.


Haslam the reiterated what needed to be said: The one-time bailout is ending and the next governor of Tennessee is going to have to cut the state budget and keep cutting it to be accountable and keep his promise not the raise sales or state income taxes.

Wamp said Tennessee needs new procurement procedures and that he recently visited with Georgia governor Sonny Perdue on procurement issues and how to help the private sector grow as government continues to spread like amoebas.

IMMIGRATION

All three candidates agreed the federal government has failed miserably in its job---an enumerated power----to protect our national boundaries, especially to the south. All agreed with Arizona's state right to protect its boundary with the new law it recently passed. All agreed there would always be jobs in Tennessee for legal immigrants. Period.

As Lt. Governor, Ramsey led the charge that successfully repealed the law allowing illegals to obtain a Tennessee driver's license. He also commented on the fact the Phoenix has the second highest kidnap rate in the country.

Haslam wants to make sure all employers are hiring legally.

Wamp thinks Tennessee should become an e-verify state using the latest technology and the Internet to check legal status of workers, rather than, say, hiring thousands of new IRS agents to make sure the laws are being complied with.

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There was much more but these are the most salient discussions in my opinion. I'll be back to assess the candidates personalities soon.