Lamar Alexander - Inexplicable Enrichment

Lamar Alexander: Inexplicable Enrichment

Few politicians are as accomplished as Lamar Alexander, currently Tennessee’s Senior Republican Senator. Lamar Alexander presents himself as Tennessee’s working man, political outsider. For years, he has worn a plaid shirt during campaigns to show his working class status. This ideal Tennessean has even played piano at the Grand Ol’ Opry (Holznagel). While his political concerns may or may not be valid, there is no question that Lamar has used his influence to create vast wealth for himself. This “working man” has been involved in politics since the young age of 27, and is heavily connected with some of Tennessee wealthiest families.

Andrew Lamar Alexander was born July 3rd, 1940 in Maryville, Tennessee, the town he grew up in. The Alexander family has been in Tennessee for 7 generations. Lamar received a B.A. from Vanderbilt in 1962 and a J.D. from the New York University School of Law in 1965. He worked for Tennessee Senator Howard Baker after graduating. He met his wife, Honey, during this time, the where married by 1969. In the late 1970’s Lamar would walk nearly 1000 miles across the state of Tennessee while campaigning for governor. This is where Lamar introduced his “working man’s” red and black plaid shirt, which he wore during the entire walk to symbolize he was no better than anyone else. The stunt worked, as Lamar became the states Governor for

two terms (1979-1987). After his Governorship, Lamar and his family went to Australia for six months. During that time Lamar wrote the book Six Months Off. Lamar would then go onto be the President of the University of Tennessee-Knoxville. He was chairman of President Reagan's Commission on Americans Outdoors and the National Governor's Association and the Secretary of Education from 1991-1993 under President George H.W. Bush. In 1996 and 2000 Lamar got out the flannel and ran for president. This time the plaid was not nearly as effective; as republican Bob Dole won the parties’ nomination in 1996 and George W. Bush won the nod in 2000. In 2002, Lamar Alexander became the first Tennessean to be elected Governor and Senator. Senator Alexander in a member of several committees’s including the budget committee, the committee of energy and natural resources, the foreign relations committee, the committee of health, education, labor, and pensions, and the committee for the aging(alexander.senate.gov).

Lamar would have you believe that he’s a working man fighting off the evils of the world in his lumber jack shirt. On further research, Lamar’s presidency of the University of Tennessee was conceived under questionable circumstances. The trustees that elected him where mainly people he appointed to their posts when he was Governor(realchange.org). While he is University president, the University spends $64,626 entertaining people at Blackberry Farms, a resort in which the Alexander’s own a one-third interest (realchange.org). On Alexander’s official web page (and in several interviews) he boasts of helping create Corporate Child Care, Inc, the nation’s largest workplace child care provider. Upon examining Corporate Child Care, Inc.’s records tell

a different story, Alexander invested $5,000 into the young company while Jack Massey, a founder of the first for-profit hospital chain: Hospital

Corporation of America (which he founded with Bill Frist’s father), invested 2 millions dollars into the company. Jack Massey and Lamar Alexander have a very interesting relationship. In 1988, Massey paid Alexander $44,000 in consulting fees, The Jack Massey School of Business (at Belmont University) paid Lamar $100,000 in 1988, and an undisclosed sum in 1987, to create a "leadership institute" there (realchange.org), and Lamar’s $5,000 investment in Corporate Child Care ballooned to a value of $800,000 in four short years(Ireland 517). In 1991, Whittle Communications, a company that sells a cable news program to schools, purchased the Alexander’s home for $977,500. Lamar had purchased the home only a year before for $400,000. It should be noted that Lamar was the Secretary of Education at this time. Whittle Communications also “sold" Alexander stock for $10,000 but didn't cash his check until years later, when they made a deal to sell part of the company for $185 million. Whittle Communications then purchased the stock back for $330,000. Whittle Communications has also paid Lamar $125,000 for being a consultant (realchange.org).

Governor Alexander also had questionable motives for privatizing Tennessee prisons in 1985. Lamar’s wife, Honey, invests $8,900 in the company: Corrections Corporation of America. To avoid a conflict of interest, she then trades the stock to a friend for shares of South Life Corporation, which is later sold for $133,000(Ireland 517). While Honey may have made a shrewd trade, this looks a lot like a way to hide bribes.

Alexander is a member of the Committee of Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (and several of its subcommittees). There are several Healthcare companies that make major contributions to his campaign. Healthcare related PAC’s also make heavy

contributions to him. Many statements can be found about Lamar supporting cheaper healthcare, however, he typical votes down any plans to improve healthcare outside of the existing (he typical votes no on anything in the realm of socialized healthcare). Lamar is the chairman of the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA). He receives major contributions from agriculture and historical votes on things to aid that industry (votesmart.org). Take a look at Lamar’s main financers:

2006 elections cycle

LAMAR ALEXANDER (R-TN)

Top Contributors

1 National HealthCare Corp $50,000

2 American Healthways $41,500

3 Guardsmark Inc $38,850

4 Pilot Corp $36,100

5 State of Tennessee $33,850

6 HCA Inc $33,500

7 Ruby Tuesday $32,000

8 Corrections Corp of America $27,500

9 Vanderbilt University Medical Center $26,300