Dr. Bryan Terry is running for State
House Representative for District 48 (the seat soon to be vacated by Joe Carr).
I have known Dr. Terry for several months and he has been kind enough to talk
with me about his political positions and world view. I reached out to the other
candidates in this race, asking them to take part in my questionnaire. They
ignored me. Dr. Terry on the other hand, took the time to give detailed answers
and explanations to my questions. I would like to share those answers with you
and broaden the scope of this article to dive more into his views and the
method he uses to come to his conclusions.
A Quick Bio
Dr. Terry was born in
Oklahoma and is a member of the Choctaw Nation.
His family has been in the farming and auto-salvage for generations and Dr.
Terry spent much of his youth working for his family business. He began to
study medicine and as a medical intern in 1995, he was actually working in the
local ER during the horrific Oklahoma City Bombing, which killed 168 and
injured nearly 700, and helped to treat many of the casualties.
He has been married to
his wife, Cheryl, for 21 years and has two children, Brayden and Breeley. Dr.
Terry has lived in the area for 16 years and is a license anesthesiologists
working at MTMC; as such, he would be the only doctor serving
in the State House if elected.
Dr. Terry takes great
pains to think about problems and to find the best solutions to apply. He is
required to be methodical in his profession (lives really are on the line), but
beyond that, the way he thinks is truly a part who he is, not just something he
learned. He takes the time to study an issue and to arrive at a solution based
on evidence and reality. While you may or may not agree with his ideas, there
can be no doubt that his conclusions are sound, and not merely the product of
knee-jerk reactions or towing a particular line just to get elected.
Two questions I asked
him relating to why he decided to and his background were:
Why run for office?
I know that my parents
worked long and hard in the auto salvage business to see that I would have
better opportunities than them, and I did. However, over the years,
I have seen the political establishment from both parties make things worse all
in the name of helping.
For me, my passion is
my children and their generation. I go to work every day with my
children on my mind looking to give them a better life. I will
continue working as a physician to do just that, but if I don’t work just as
hard for the values, liberties and ideals that we value, then I am not doing
all that I can.
What sets you apart
from other candidates?
I have a very unique
background compared to a lot of people either in office or running for
office. My grandparents, parents and I all worked in our auto
salvage. Because of my severe asthma and allergies, I took personal
responsibility to heart, and worked to become a physician.
Additionally, having
been involved with patient care following the domestic terrorist bombing of the
Murrah Building (Oklahoma City) and having a family farm destroyed by a tornado
are two heartbreaking, yet spiritually growing opportunities that, to my
knowledge, are unique to me. I think that these experiences, as well
as my background, provide me with a real world foundation that when combined
with my principles, process, and passion will allow me to reach out in a manner
that speaks to the constituents, as well as, be able to carry a message for the
district.
His Process
Before I get into
specific issues, I want to explain the principles and process he uses when
determining a solution or position. For me, if you can't explain why you came
to a conclusion, or you can't defend your ideas with anything more than
"because", then you're just an ideologue (basically, towing the party
line without question).
Dr. Terry's three main
principles are 1) Do no harm; 2) Is it Constitutional; and 3) Is it right?
He believes it is very
important to not just legislate because you "think" something is
right, but because you truly believe it is right, based on the Constitution,
and doesn't harm the inherent rights of other people.
To come up with the
best course of action, his process involves the need to answer these four
questions:
1. What is the problem?
2. What goal are we
trying to accomplish?
3. What options do we
have to achieve that goal?
4. How feasible are
each of the options?
According to Dr. Terry,
"I believe that my principles and my logical process for dealing with
issues combined with my passion will not only lead me to the correct decisions,
but provide me with the tools to work with legislators and constituents in
order to find solutions that work best for Tennesseans."
The Issues
Here are his views on
some issues that few other candidates are addressing (based on my questionnaire). For other issues like gun rights and taxes, please visit his website.
TCA-5-8-301 allows for
local governments to invest surplus revenue. In the case of Rutherford County,
this money amounts to well over $10 million and earns fractions of a percent in
interest. All the while, the County pays multiple percentage points in interest
payments on the debt. Moreover the maturity date for the investments don't
coincide with the budgeting process, effectively making this ever growing pile
of money impossible to use. Statewide, similar examples can be found and the
total amount of invested money is in excess of $1 billion. Governments should
not tax us only to perpetually invest the money while raising taxes. I asked
Dr. Terry his thoughts on changing the law to make it easier for local
governments to withdraw these funds in lieu of raising taxes.
- The premise of the question is that
Rutherford County invests funds in low interest vehicles that could or
should be used in the budgeting process; yet barriers exist in accessing
these funds. Thus, local governments are raising taxes as opposed to
using the invested funds. As with any bill, I would have to sit down
and look at it through a process that determines possible consequences of
any action or inaction. On the surface, though, the analogy is one
of an individual investing in a low yield CD for a year. Then
that same individual uses a high interest credit card to purchase certain
items instead of accessing the money tied up in the CD. Assuming
that is the case, I would definitely think that we should look at
solutions that would rectify that situation.
His views on the role
of Federal & State governments:
- I believe that Tennessee is one of
fifty sovereign states as opposed to one of fifty federal districts.
As the Tenth Amendment reads, “The powers not delegated to the United
States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are
reserved to the States, respectively, or to the people.” I
believe in the individual, in personal responsibility and in the
creativity and productivity that goes along with competition. The
further you get away from that, the more group think you get and the less
individuality and creative spirit you achieve.
- I like to draw the simple analogy
of the relationship of the states and federal government to that of
schools. Within schools, you have cliques, clubs and
individuals. The school should protect the individual rights and
clubs, and encourage innovation; yet, provide for a safe environment. However,
the school shouldn't be in the business of requiring
everyone to conform to one club or clique.
How does Obamacare
affect local doctors and what are some steps, if any, Tennessee could take to
mitigate those problems?
- I refer to Obamacare and other
regulatory burdens placed on the medical field as the “Headache to Health
Care Imbalance”. As the government intrudes more and more in
the patient-physician relationship, there are more speed bumps to health
care. Doctors are spending more time and money dealing with
issues that are not direct patient care. So, doctors have more
headaches to deal with in order to deliver health care. Patients,
on the other side, are going to have less access and less time face to
face with a physician. Patients will see their headaches to
health care ratio rise.
- The first step for Tennesseans is
understanding that the patient-physician relationship is the cornerstone
of health care and we must work to remove barriers to that
relationship. Another step would be to help elect candidates at
the local, state and federal level that will work to mend our broken
system. On a local level, St. Thomas Rutherford Hospital will
be starting residency programs in Family Medicine and Emergency
Medicine. This is a huge step in helping patients in Rutherford
county deal with health care access issues.
If you could pick one
single and specific issue that you would most want to accomplish, what would it
be?
- For me, there are several issues or
causes that I would like to address, but the goal I most hope to
accomplish is self governance. I see and hear the frustration
from voters with the political process and with politicians. People
are sick and tired of good old boy politics. People are tired
of elected officials abusing their power. There is a lot of
disappointment with elected officials and it leads to apathy and a sense
of helplessness on the part of voters.
The 48th district
has a population of over 75,000. If elected, how do you plan on staying in
touch with your constituents?
- With the advent of social media, I
think that it is getting easier and easier to reach constituents. I
get weekly and sometimes daily updates from Diane
Black, Marsha Blackburn and Joe Carr. Congressman Justin Amash
of Michigan does a fantastic job of reaching constituents using social
media including providing updates and reasons for how he voted. There
is software that will allow elected officials interact with their
constituents. I would explore the option of using that kind of
software to interact with constituents.
- To my knowledge, I am the only
candidate that has given out my personal cell phone number. I
am available to talk right now. As well as holding an open
house, I have frequently held “Tuesday’s with Dr. Terry” at a local
restaurant and talked to many constituents. If elected, I would
plan to either attend or hold many events for constituents to come and
talk to me.
Campaign contact info:
Campaign website: www.TerryFor48.com
Contact E-mail: TerryFor48@gmail.com
Phone number:
615-801-2999
Facebook page: Dr. Bryan Terry
Twitter: @TerryFor48
