The Conversation (Episode 1): Getting to the basics of the school choice debate.

At the core of Tennessee Stands is a mission to get our fellow Tennesseans to see beyond the headlines on every issue that we face politically. Fancy taglines and the bits and pieces we might get from quick news hits and social media posts almost never give us a complete picture of what is really going in our government. It is easy to get caught up in the noise.

If you follow us, then you have come to expect near-weekly written commentary or video content from Gary diving into current issues and legislative initiatives happening at the state level. Also, you can find us weekly on The Freedom Matters Podcast where Gary Humble and Kevin Kookogey continue the public discourse with expanded conservation with guests like Andy Roth, Catherine Austin Fitts, Steve Friend, Ken Cuccinelli, Daniel Horowitz, Steve Deace, and many others including our elected officials.

We are excited to present this brand new format and introduce you to, The Conversation. The plan is to create monthly episodes where Gary Humble and John Pfaender (and maybe others) dive a little bit deeper into the fundamentals on what makes us grassroots conservatives tick. It is no longer enough to simply say to someone that you are a “conservative.” In fact, it seems that many people do not even recognize what that word is supposed to mean anymore.

In this episode, we are digging in a bit deeper into the school choice discussion. Beyond the billboards telling you that you are getting $7,000 for your child’s education, how does the program really function? What are the fundamental distinctions between public and private schools? Is this truly a tax rebate or is this wealth redistribution? Could private schools face greater government constraints in the future?

If this conversation has been a bit confusing for you, we hope this helps to clear it up. Our goal is to continue these conversations regularly and work to cut through the noise to bring clarity and hopefully, get us back to the basics. And like any good conversation, you just never know exactly where it will end up. So, stay tuned!