Harassing phone calls must not be tolerated
The largest tax increase in state history hasn’t been warmly embraced by a number of Tennesseans. That was to be expected.
As a result, many taxpayers have voiced their displeasure by calling their state senator or state representative and letting their feelings be known. That, too, was to be expected.
Unfortunately, it hasn’t stopped there. Some of our state legislators – and their families – have been threatened with acts of violence over the phone. Other times, they’ve answered a call only to find a profanity-laced tirade waiting for them.
These actions are not only out of line, they’re against the law. Threatening to cause bodily harm to a person, by definition of the law, is as much a case of assault as actually punching that person in the nose. As long as the person believes he or she could face legitimate harm, it’s assault.
We fully believe the people threatening and harassing our state legislators need to be prosecuted to the fullest extend of the law. It’s one thing to call your representative and express your views. That’s your right, your privilege, and it’s what democracy is all about.
It’s quite another thing, however, to call up your representative and threaten to break his legs. Democracy has nothing to do with calling your legislator and threatening to shoot him because he or she didn’t vote your way.
The people who make these phone calls are spineless slugs who crawl from beneath rocks. They should be punished and identified through published photos in the newspaper indicating exactly what they have done.
It’s a small, cowardly person who hides behind telephone anonymity to spew violent words of hate, to curse elected officials and threaten the safety of their loved ones.
Above all, it should be noted the profanity-laced tirades our lawmakers have been forced to endure are not deserving – especially when it comes to the representatives we have from Warren County.
The very nature of politics dictates that elected officials must be able to compromise. Whether that’s the Warren County Commission, the Tennessee General Assembly, or the United States Congress, compromise is essential.
And that’s exactly what Sen. Jerry Cooper, Rep. Charles Curtiss and Rep. Shelby Rhinehart did throughout the budget process. Curtiss and Rhinehart both voted for an income tax they didn’t whole-heartedly endorse because they didn’t want Tennessee to fall on financial ruin.
All three representatives realized it wouldn’t be a step forward to fire thousands of teachers and other state employees. They realized closing driver’s license centers and state parks was not in Tennessee’s best interest. And they showed they were willing to compromise and vote for a plan which might not have been their favorite.
Our representatives are not do-nothing lawmakers and the state unfortunately has several of those. Lawmakers who refused to vote for any tax plan during the budget crisis were: Rep. Mark Goins, R-LaFollette; Rep. Pete Phillips, D-Shelbyville; Sen. Curtis Person, R-Memphis, Rep. Mae Beavers, R-Mt. Juliet and Sen. Mark Norris, R-Collierville.
It’s one thing to have differing opinions. That’s always going to be the case in politics. It’s another to disagree with every plan on the table and not offer a legitimate solution in return.
If anyone should be criticized, it is these do-nothing lawmakers who deserve it. They are the ones who pose the biggest threat to Tennessee’s future.
But they, along with the rest of our elected officials, should never be threatened or cursed. That has no place in a decent society. The people making the harassing phone calls should be treated like criminals and prosecuted appropriately.