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Your vote matters: Democracy is not a spectator sport




Humberd

Humberd

Our recent midterm elections have been completed, and though participation was not what I would have wanted, the will of the majority spoke to select the winning candidates. That sounds like America, until you look deeper.

Montgomery County election records revealed that of our 139,357 registered voters, nearly 100,000 did not cast a ballot. Therefore, the true majority did not speak. There was lots of focus on issues that don’t really impact most families, combined with a steady stream of outrage, blame and misinformation. I believe a true majority of voters expect something better.

Recently, our senior Senator, Ms. Marsha Blackburn, used her anger and outrage machine to try to convince us that energy independence depends not on new technology, but by looking for more fossil fuels here at home. She wants to convince us that plans to develop renewable energy will harm Tennessee families with more expensive utility bills, along with several other unsupported claims. This is quite similar to another crusade Ms. Blackburn led more than 10 years ago. Way back then she was certain that requiring more efficiency from light bulbs was an attack on our “freedom” and could lead to the downfall of the American family. To make her point, she gave 100-watt bulbs as holiday presents that year. Well, the 100-watt light bulb was replaced by LEDs, thanks to improved technology, and we all benefited with dramatically lower electricity usage for lights.

Renewable energy is actually cheaper than oil, gas or coal, and the price continues to fall. Tennessee is getting a huge economic boost as a result of renewable energy technology from the Ford electric vehicle (EV) and car battery production facility in West Tennessee. Montgomery County and Microvast have an EV battery plant approved and a second larger renewable energy company has plans to locate here in the near future. Chattanooga and McMinn County are also slated to develop facilities to support the transition to renewable energy. Even TVA has announced plans to place large solar production arrays on top of their existing coal plant fly ash dump sites. More clean energy growth and good jobs for Tennesseans.

These renewable energy initiatives will lower our energy costs, improve the health of our population and free us from the need to obtain power from dirty sources. Yet Senator Blackburn, who is supposed to be supporting Tennessee, is telling us just the opposite. She is not representing the majority of Tennesseans who want clean air, clean water and good jobs along with lower energy costs. We can have that with these new technologies. Older technologies have had their day, including the incandescent light bulb and the horse and buggy before that.

Tennessee is poised to move forward and embrace the new technologies that will allow us to produce clean energy right here at home. We need to support leaders who will work for us, tell us the truth, and not try to keep us stuck in the past. Get informed, vote next time and if a true majority turns out, we can see change that will benefit all Tennessee families.

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