Dear Governor Haslam

Dear Governor Haslam,

I’m sure you agree, the holiday season and the approaching new year is a good time for reflection about values, family, friends and future. As the leader of a state, there’s a lot to ponder.

This year, Christmas inTennessee is remarkably Dickensian. You are old enough to have been educated in a time when people knew who Charles Dickens was, and have no doubt read his books. It’s sad that, going into 2014, life in Tennessee is reminiscent of the environments and situations most commonly portrayed in Dickens' writings, such as poverty and social injustice.  

You are the leader of a state in which fully one out of four children live in poverty, and you seem to accept that. You are the leader of a state in which millions of working poor do not have checking accounts, so they cash their checks and take out payday loans from companies that charge usurious rates upwards of 400 per cent APR. Yet you permit that without comment. You are the leader of a state in which millions of working poor do not have health insurance for themselves and their children, yet you forego millions of dollars per day in free money from the federal government while states like Kentucky and Arkansas enjoy the benefits of that economic stimulus. Hospitals in communities across the state are either closing or making harsh cuts to services because the monies they were anticipating from Washington have not come, a direct result of your lack of leadership. Even Governor Perry of Texas, certainly no rocket scientist, is looking into how he can take advantage of the income. You are certainly a better leader than he, are you not? I certainly think so.

A friend talked to me about his former stock broker, whom he had to let go. He said this, and I paraphrase, “I listened to him because everything was going up, and he led me to believe, foolishly, that it was because of him. It turned out that when the market was collapsing, he wasn’t as smart as he thought.” 

It’s easy to lead a state when the economy’s good and there’s great things on the horizon. Hell, anyone can do that. True leadership proves itself when times are hard, as they are now. I believe, sir, that you are found wanting.

When so many children enter school hungry each day, they are not prepared to learn.

When, on cold winter days, children go to school without jackets, shivering as they enter the building, no learning takes place. Poor children start their education fully two years behind their better-off peers in language development. Most of them never catch up. Poor children miss more days of class, have more health related issues and are more prone to act out in class, disrupting education for teachers and classmates alike. Yet you said nothing when the members of the US House of Representatives slashed SNAP funding that children rely upon to each, about $1.80 per meal per day. When Tennessee children fail to graduate, fully a third of them join the ranks of the Tennessee prison system, at a cost of some $55,000/year. Yet you don’t speak from your bully pulpit to educate your legislators about the cost to the state of a poorly qualified workforce, which results from inattention to the needs of Tennessee’s children. 

As you ponder the future, Governor, consider enlisting an outreach to the teachers who are trying valiantly to serve their children and, by extension, the state. Reach out to the working poor by raising the minimum wage so they can better support their families,  so they can have the time to nurture their children’s growth, so they can afford to buy life’s necessities and health insurance. Ask for legislation that stops the usury in lending and check cashing that depletes the already limited funds of the poorest of our citizens. Take the steps necessary to elevate the state’s standing in the nation. 

Lastly, consider this about the economy from a non-economist. If a wealthy person gets a $10,000 tax break, that money goes into his already flush coffers. He may invest it for sure but he has no need to spend it. Give poor people $10,000 and watch it flood the local economy within minutes, as it buys food and clothing, pays outstanding bills, covers the cost of dentistry or covers numerous other expenses. 

Governor, consider leading for the benefit of all your constituents. Imagine the legacy of such actions and decide for yourself what you want your legacy to be.

Thank you for reading.

Happy Holidays to you and yours,

Joe Malgeri

Dandridge, TN

 December 23, 2014

FYI  --  Poor people spend 100% of dollar they take in

  American Workers spend 98%

Rich Americans spend 30%