USA Today published a piece three days ago that reported that two-thirds of all community college faculty are part-time or adjunct. According to the report, almost all of the part-timers are underpaid and under-supported, making as little as $2,000 per 3-unit course. This situation that makes it hard for college students to get the attention they need from college teachers.

At Chattanooga State Technical College, the adjunct situation is in line with the national trend but worse when it comes to pay. Adjunct pay at Chatt State is at about $1,000 per 3-unit course, an amount that has been the same for over 15 years and one of the lowest pay rates in the nation. Adjuncts at Chatt State have no computers, phones, or offices. And they receive no benefits packages or retirement packages. These exploitative conditions are immoral, especially in a community that espouses Christian values of justice.

For these reasons, I am forming an coalition of community leaders and teachers to focus on solving this problem. If you would like to help, let me know. Call me at 313-0869 or email me by clicking here: Coalition of Contingent Academic Labor.

1. Volunteer~Please email me. We need canvassers and letter writers, "meet & greet" hosts and event assistants, phone callers and "personal note" writers. We need volunteers to recruit new volunteers. We are about one year out from the August 2006 general election, but there is a primary election first, which awaits us in May 2006. So we have two elections ahead of us--a primary and then the general. Right now, I am running uncontested in the primary. But before deciding to run myself, I was ready to support a strong and qualified candidate in this district. And so I sought out qualified candidates in District 8, people I could support and help put in office. For whatever reason, no one stepped forward. What I discovered was that I am that strong and qualified candidate. Many people began to encourage me to run, calling me the "right man for this race." More than a hundred people locally approached me personally within a few months, asking me to run. That is the major reason I am running--because I others have asked me to. Another reason is to show Hamilton County that we can bring citizens together to solve problems, and that's where you come in. So volunteer. Please. You should send me contact information (phone number, etc.). And do one more thing. Email a list of five other people you know who would help us get me elected.

2. Contribute~This is one of the most important actions you can take in this campaign. Money pays for printed material, advertising, equipment, supplies, staff needs, and so much more. So give. Whether it is one dollar or a thousand dollars, please give (state law caps individual donations at $1,000 per candidate per election). Make personal checks payable to "John Bailes for County Commissioner." Send your checks to: Friends of John Bailes - P.O. Box 91355 - East Ridge, TN 37412.

3. Vote~The most important action anyone can take is to vote. And no matter where you live, you must vote to make a change. But if you live in District 8, as some of you do, I need you to vote for me. When it comes down to it, it is the vote that counts more than anything else in this campaign. So if you can't volunteer and can't contribute, you still need to vote.

Your Candidate for District 8 County Commission,

John Bailes
423.493.0266

John Bailes and Bill Lusk signed an "Appointment of Political Treasurer" form at the Hamilton County Election Commission yesterday, 13 July 2005. Mr. Lusk will serve as treasurer for Mr. Bailes' political campaign. A Hamilton County resident, Mr. Lusk was formerly the president of U.S. Xpress Global.

Signing this form allows Mr. Bailes' campaign to start raising funds. Currently Mr. Bailes teaches writing and reading at Chattanooga State Technical Community College. He has two decades of teaching experience in the classrooms of middle schools, high schools, colleges, and universities. Mr. Bailes publishes the Daily Bailout, a website devoted to political discussions. John Bailes is a candidate for Hamilton County Commissioner in District 8.

*
By way of finishing, I am going to adopt
an old Chattanooga Times (nineteenth-century) motto:
"He that bloweth not his own horn will not have it blown."
And so let me announce here and now
that I plan on running for and winning
the office of Hamilton County Commissioner
in District 8."
*

How do I say goodbye to all that I love? Let me brag a bit first about the Pulse.

Let me start with what most readers never see: The blood, sweat, and tears. Put another way: You cannot imagine the relentless days of work and hours of dedication Pulse publishers, editors, writers, and staff put in. You have to picture it.

CLICK TO READ ON

Marcia Ball has soul. Watching her nimble but hard driving fingers attack the keyboard and listening to her razza-matazz renditions of original and arranged numbers, one can come to no other conclusion than this: Marcia’s combination of blues, R&B, ballads, and soul music has taken the honky-tonk milieu of her hometown of Benton (Louisiana) to a deep level of feeling about life itself. She’s a soul woman.

Max stands alone as the godfather of talk radio in Chattanooga. I did not know him back then when he was on the cutting edge of a new form of radio programming – the local talk show host. But even his present-day detractors speak not begrudgingly--but glowingly--about what he did in those early days of talk radio.

CLICK TO FIND THE SOUL OF TALK RADIO

The GOOD News

If you're a business person, as I have been off and on over the years as a marketing consultant to small businesses, you have to be excited by the news that Chattanooga was picked by fDi (ForeignDirectInvestment) as the Most Cost Effective city in the United States (fDi article is here). And why?

Obviously, the city is a remade paradise for recreation seekers with the Waterfront, the Riverwalk, and the North Shore--much of it available all day for residents and visitors. Not bad for public property. But fDi was thinking of some other indicators, namely that Chattanooga office and industrial space is cheap to lease. And for a tri-state metro area of almost a half-million people, property prices have to be some of the best in the Southeast. The salaries are lower than national averages, good if you're an employer. And, yes, our cost-of-living is lower too (see my Boom & Bust Economies piece). We receive high marks because of our low labor turnover as well as good marks for providing employers with "dedicated" workers.

Still, we have to stop and ask: Are we capturing new businesses and industries? And if not, why? And what can be done about it?

CLICK TO READ ABOUT THE BAD NEWS & THE NEW NEWS

Along with 6,000 plus people in Northern California, my wife Dinah and I entered Mount Shasta's 4th of July Fun Run & Walk, the "largest small town walk in America." While some ran a 5-mile run, we joined the majority of participants and walked the 2-mile loop (I had been put in the Clydesdale category, after all, a category aptly named for men over 200 pounds). So as we strode along at the base of the majestic Mt. Shasta, bands and musicians playing at every turn, we took in the clear blue day. And the cool, thin mountain air felt good.

Along the last half mile of the loop, local gourmet restaurants offered sample nibblets for us. We indulged. As we nibbled, we were met by Dinah's uncle and aunt. My wife grew up in the Mount Shasta/Weed area and much of her family still lives here. This is an area settled by loggers and Italians. Dinah's mother, for whom we now care in our home in Chattanooga, grew up in Weed also. And Dinah's grandmother, straight from Italy to New York City, came to California around the turn of the twentieth century. This stock of people were strong Catholics, unlike the Baptists with which I grew up.

After the race, winners were announced, followed by a parade down Main Street. I sat with Italian in-laws and listened to the gab about the inflated real estate market in California. We were interrupted now and then by my son, Jackson, who was excited by the parade and the mountain and wondered how his mother could have ever left this "piece of heaven." I smiled and then listened to my wife's family talk about the median price of a home in the state being anywhere between $300,000 and $450,000. Property had obviously become overpriced, and Californians were talking about when to sell to avoid a coming "bubble burst."

KEEP READING BY CLICKING HERE

What could the Roman philosopher Seneca, American president Abraham Lincoln, and the Cheshire Cat from Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland possibly have in common, and how could that commonality relate to the subject of democracy?

Proverbs 29:18 states the answer succinctly. “Without vision the people perish."

CLICK TO READ ON & LEARN HOW TO DEVELOP VISION

URGENT!
We need every voice to protest the corporate removal of Max Hackett from WGOW; he was Chattanooga's only progressive voice in local talk radio and is being replaced with an afternoon of RUSH LINBAUGH!

Max's show aired on WGOW 102.3 FM, Monday through Friday from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Max has been our only local talk radio host who routinely featured voices and opinions that are rarely heard - or often silenced - in our community.

TO CONTINUE READING CLICK HERE

Also in the audience was a young mother who is worried about her children's education. There was pain in her eyes as she spoke. Although I cannot say I deserved it, she begged me to "Please RUN." What could I say?

I mention these two people among the fifty who were there last night to tell you that the results are in and the running will soon be upon us. The time to declare draweth nigh. So let's all take a breath and move forward without fear. And we will keep you posted about the "when."

Please feel free to contact me if you are interested in supporting me and my team. Email me at info@dailybailout.com.

FOR MEDIA INFORMATION

Contact: John Bailes

Telephone: 423-493-0266

E-mail: info@dailybailout.com

Date: June 23, 2005

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

John Bailes rallies support at Eidson's Restaurant for District 8 Hamilton County Commission race

EAST RIDGE - John Bailes, a longtime resident of East Ridge, is meeting with supporters Thursday evening, June 23rd, at 7 pm at Eidson’s Restaurant in East Ridge to gauge community support for a potential bid as the Democratic candidate for the District 8 seat on the Hamilton County Commission in 2006. Mr. Bailes has lived and worked in District 8 much of his life. He is a college professor, a professional writer, and a small businessman.

He has been married to his wife Dinah Means-Bailes for 21 years and has an eleven-year-old son who attends school in East Ridge. Mr. Bailes' parents also live in East Ridge. They are Dr. John F. Bailes and Sandra Bailes, who are missionaries with Baptist International Missions, Inc. Dr. Bailes is the BIMI's Director of Missions to the United States. Dinah Means-Bailes' mother, Pauline Means, also lives in East Ridge with her daughter and family.

All residents of District 8 and Hamilton County who are interested in a new generation of leadership on the Hamilton County Commission are cordially invited to attend.

For more info on John at the Daily Bailout, click here.

Dear Roger . . . I'm so weary of hearing conservatives speak about the "liberal media." Some media is politically spun, but I don't think it's going up against President Bush all that much. It's obvious to me a large amount of the broadcasters lean in Bush's favor! The powerhouse of Fox News is informative and entertaining but no one can deny that the talking personalities fight for President Bush in their commentary. Anchoring the straight facts takes a second seat to their political scripted examination. Most people that supported the war in Iraq truly believed Saddam had a connection to the September 11th attacks, a continuing opinion held by most Fox News personalities. There's a large majority of Americans that are politically ignorant and just let the news soak in their mind as the absolute truth. Most people believe the spin. But do you really believe that it's a liberal spin? It's apparent to me that the Bush administration has a whole network that leans their way and CNN doesn't stand for the "Clinton News Network."

CLICK HERE 'CAUSE YOU GOTTA KEEP READIN'