Jobs are, hands down, the most important thing on the minds of Tennesseans as we approach the upcoming election.
We’ve watched the federal government fail time and time again as they have attempted to meddle in the economy. In the Tennessee General Assembly, we understood this would not work. Our approach is a proven path to prosperity.
John Ragan
The phrase, “Citius, Altius, Fortius” (faster, higher, stronger), is the Olympic motto. It is meant to inspire competitors to achieve greater performances than their peers and predecessors … to “own the record.”
Olympic athletes invest, literally, thousands of hours of their lives chasing their dream for a quadrennial chance at a medal and, perhaps, a record. Iron self-discipline drives these people to endure grueling early morning workouts. These are followed by many hours of skills rehearsal and practice followed by even more hours of conditioning.
John Ragan
What are the limits on freedom of speech? Few would argue that the right of free speech is absolute at all times and under all circumstances. However, would anyone fail to concede that this liberty is one of the most basic rights?
Courts have observed that free speech consists of “utterances” that are essential parts of the exposition of ideas. Nonetheless, these same courts have also held that it does not extend to “utterances” that are obscene, profane, libelous, or tend to incite an immediate breach of the peace.
John Ragan
The Declaration of Independence, in its first paragraph, boldly asserts that America should be a separate nation based upon “the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God.” In the very next paragraph, the text posits, as a self-evident truth, that “all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights,” including life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
No place in our nation’s founding documents is the phrase “social justice” to be found. Nowhere is it cited as a divinely endowed right.
Editor’s note: The following speech by Tennessee Rep. John Ragan was given during a Saturday grand opening ceremony at the campaign headquarters for business owner Terry Frank, a Clinton Republican who is running for Anderson County mayor.
Over two hundred years ago, our ancestors boldly declared that every citizen stands before the law as an equal. These brave souls wagered their fortunes, their honor and their very lives on the proposition that the Creator endows every person with the same unalienable rights. These patriots recognized that these rights not only include life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, but economic freedom and many other rights, too numerous to mention.
