The following article is an excerpt from our March issue. Have you subscribed yet to the leading conservative magazine in West Tennessee? Subscribe online, its safe and easy.

By State Rep. Paul Stanley

In 2004 the Tennessee General Assembly passed a law granting Drivers Certificates to those operating motor vehicles in Tennessee. This act modified an earlier law that granted drivers license to non-citizens. Many, including myself, question why illegal immigrants are in our country in the first place, however, that issue is for another article.

I remember the driver’s license bill, since I was on the House Transportation Committee when it was first considered. The logic behind the 2001 bill was simple. If an individual was operating a motor vehicle on Tennessee roads, they needed to understand our laws and the rules of the road. The intention was not to give these individuals rights and privileges associated with our standard license, but rather a certificate stating they had passed an examination on driving rules. Language was included in the bill stating these certificates could in no way be used as a valid form of identification. Driving certificates would also give the Department of Safety an idea how many of these individuals were in Tennessee and where they resided. Never in our wildest dreams did we imagine our state would become an oasis for illegal immigrants from other states. (more…)

By Mike Hollihan

Democratic legislators held a press conference in Nashville two weeks ago to announce their push for Tennessee to adopt a minimum wage of $6.15 per hour, a dollar more than the current national standard. The Democrats present did not offer any hard figures demonstrating need, or the number of people affected, or the costs to business in Tennessee, but were long on stressing how raising the minimum wage would help “single mothers with families.”

Such a move may have seemed to come out of the blue for the rest of Tennessee, but Memphis has long been dealing with advocates for a similar income “solution”: the living wage. These issues are linked in that Memphis Democratic activists have been pushing for more government intervention on income for some time, and Democrats now see this as a winning issue to run on for the 2006 elections. (more…)