This is not my first column to draw from the insight that “history does not repeat itself — but it rhymes.” Curiously my repeated reflections on this quote that is popularly attributed to Mark Twain might appear to negate the first half of that assertion. But, if we consider how Twain’s pers…

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Tensions between the leaders of Israel and the US have boiled over, with President Joe Biden accusing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of doing more to harm than help his own country. These are harsh words to hear from your most important ally, and Biden went further still. He described the…

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In his State of the Union address, President Joe Biden referred to an American dilemma — the shrinking Snicker’s bar. He pointed out that his Snicker’s bar purchase had less or fewer Snickers. I’m not exactly sure what a Snickers is, nuts, chocolate, sugar, the content of the bar. Size matte…

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Both leading presidential candidates recently underwent physical examinations. These were immediately followed by gushing press releases, assuring us that these two codgers are in peak form, seemingly ready to compete in the Summer Olympics.

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From whence do you get your news? Excuse that awkward, archaic phrasing. But, had I posed that question in more common, conversational verbiage ending with the preposition “from,” my late, English-teacher mother would surely have haunted me. Either way, it is an important question for anyone…

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Gentle Reader: Today’s topic is Country Music, which was brought to mind when I saw that Ken Burns’ history of country music was being re-run on PBS. I did not watch the re-run yet, but as I remember, I enjoyed the original presentation, although I am not a particular fan of Burns’ other wor…

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The seventh week of the 113th General Assembly is now complete. Some highlights of the week include a new office hire, passage of a bill to help marinas across the state out of committee, passage of a resolution to support caregivers within the family, and a preview of legislation to be hear…

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The IRS estimates that wealthy individuals and large businesses evade over $150 billion in taxes yearly. New funding from Congress has enabled the IRS to crack down on wealthy individuals, partnerships, and large corporations. The IRS says that for every extra dollar spent on audits, $6 in r…

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I’m voting for the Presidential candidate who will promise to keep Social Security solvent. I’ve hit the age where I’m finally on the receiving end of some of this government money and I want to keep it going. Never fear, I’m still paying plenty of taxes. I’m still holding down a job so Uncl…

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I asked for it, and you delivered. Last week, I asked you to complete this sentence: “I never thought I’d see the day that ______________. As promised, here are your responses with my comments in parentheses.

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The United States Supreme Court is now the primary battleground for the Trump Cases. By the time you read these words, the Court will likely rule whether the 14th Amendment allows states to deny the 45th president a place on primary ballots, and in April they will address the explosive issue…

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Gentle Reader, The current state of confusion and chaos within which the U.S. House of Representatives presently operates, caused us to meditate and cogitate on our own Roane County status, and our good fortune to be in the 3rd Congressional District, and not in the 2nd District, in which we…

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Two East Tennessee lawmakers may have just saved Tennessee history, as far as being a subject in public schools is concerned.

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Nikki Haley is overall respected for her political service. She did a good job as Governor of South Carolina for two terms and as an ambassador for our country. Personally, I can see her as doing a fine job as President of the United States, but it won’t be this time around.

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Watching TV in the classic sitcom days, rarely a week would go by without some befuddled Dad (like Archie Bunker, Howard Cunningham, or Al Bundy) ending a scene by saying, “Well, now I’ve seen EVERYTHING!”

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For the second time in less than a month, I will pay tribute to a dear, recently-departed friend. Like Vyetta Moore, the African-American whose kindness and love assured dignity to my grandparents’ final days on this earth, Mulugeta Haile Selassie profoundly influenced me and my lifelong int…

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Gentle Reader: As you no doubt know, the Sunday TV talk shows all had large segments devoted to reporting on, and commenting about, the South Carolina Republican Primary Election held the day before, on Saturday. They, of course, reported that former president, Donald John Trump, had won wit…

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Last week, I offered historical perspectives on the ongoing brouhaha between the NCAA and University of Tennessee over NIL rights. At issue is the right of collegiate athletes to secure monetary compensation for use of their ‘Name, Image, and Likeness.” The murky role of collectives that ide…

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Gentle Readers: Those of you who are regular readers will no doubt recall that in the middle of November (the 17th) issue, I devoted a bit over half of that column to the matter of President Biden’s age and the refrain from some quarters about his being “too old,” and a special report publis…

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On May 18, 1933 the TVA Act by Congress gave authority for flood control, improved navigation, and cheap electricity production. Nowhere in that act did Congress authorize the agency to become a news or social media influencer outlet. Perhaps the person or persons who generate social media s…

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Ever notice how people refer to the bathroom as “the John?” Not me. I call mine “the Jim.” It just sounds more impressive when I tell someone, “First thing I do when I get out of bed in the morning, is go to the Jim.”

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The IRS is reminding everyone that carefully choosing a tax professional is vital to ensuring that your personal and financial information is safe and secure.

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At a time when issues that may impact the 2024 presidential election are tied up in our courts, many East Tennesseans are preoccupied with other legal matters. For two weeks, the Knoxville News Sentinel and social media sites have offered incessant coverage of a showdown between UT and the N…

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Gentle Reader, the old curmudgeon is not easily shocked or surprised, but he must confess that he was sent into both states by Damon Lawrence’s front-page article in the last Friday (2 February) edition of this paper, headed “Miller says he won’t seek re-election to BOE”.

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“Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.”

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Note from David Carroll: This week marks the 10th anniversary of my newspaper column. It all started with one paper, the North Jackson Progress in Stevenson, Alabama, and now, here I am: the slowest rising columnist in America! To mark this momentous occasion, here is the first column I ever…

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Here in East Tennessee — where some consider “anyone who believes in life after birth a liberal” — many of my views are downright heretical. Some friends attribute them to my undergraduate alma mater that attracted me in 1969 with the claim that it was “international, intercultural, and inte…

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Gentle Reader, in giving thought to this column initiating the new schedule for publication of this “View from Lick Skillet,” I find myself confronted with a conundrum. This particular conundrum concerns the status of President Donald John Trump, so we feel it is certainly timely. As you no …

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Gentle Reader, here we are, already into the second month of this year of 2024, and we have not yet published one word about politics, government, or public affairs, so it would seem to behoove us to get started on writing a bit on these matters, otherwise some of our readers will think we h…

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As many know, the Biden administration has moved veterans out of facilities and given them to illegal migrants — treating them far better than our veterans or American citizens! Biden has opened our country to the greatest invasion in American history! Many have entered our country illegally…

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The IRS recently announced that the Simple Notice Initiative work is underway. The new Initiative is a major plan to simplify and clarify about 170 million letters sent annually to taxpayers.

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As an Alabama native, I’ve cheered for the Crimson Tide football team since the first time I heard Bear Bryant growl. I had no idea what he was saying, but that did not matter. I was raised in Bryant, Alabama, and I figured if the coach’s name was Bryant, and the team was called Alabama, tha…

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From Washington’s incessant quarrels to never-ending local debates over Roane County’s public schools, government and politics leave many of us dismayed. When politicians accuse one another of “playing politics,” they compound the confusion. “It’s just politics,” we often declare.

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“Facts are to the mind what food is to the body. On the due digestion of the former depend the strength and wisdom of the one, just as vigor and health depend on the other. The wisest in counsel, the ablest in debate, and the most agreeable companion in the commerce of human life, is the man…

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Faithful Reader: The following column would have been published last Friday had not Mother Nature intervened and confined the writer to his abode on the banks of the mighty Tennessee, surrounded by more ice and snow than Lick Skillet Flats have been blessed with since the mid 1990s. But sinc…

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The Treasury Department and IRS released an announcement informing businesses that they do not have to report the receipt of digital assets the same way as they must report the receipt of cash until Treasury and IRS issue regulations.

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According to the news, Americans just aren’t happy right now. Oh sure, the restaurants are packed, folks are munching on popcorn in the movie theaters, filling up football stadiums, and taking vacations, but the polls don’t lie. People are in a bad mood.

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My most recent columns hinted that I would next address the 14th Amendment. When last week’s snow, frigid temperatures, and impassable roads interrupted my regular routine, I managed to delve deeper into that considerably misunderstood topic. I was particularly interested in its never enforc…

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Dear Rusty: How do I find the actual breakdown of the Medicare insurance that I have auto deducted and my actual Social Security payment? I was just looking at a video which explained the 3% Cost of Living Adjustment we will be receiving this year, and it compared the current payout to the n…