Drew Johnson is the editor of the Free Press opinion page at the Chattanooga Times Free Press.
Prior to joining the Times Free Press, Drew founded and served as president of the Tennessee Center for Policy Research (now the Beacon Center to Tennessee). Under Drew’s leadership, the organization became one of the most innovative and effective state-based free market think tanks in the country, saving taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars and ushering in a new era of increased government transparency in the Volunteer State.
A frequent guest on television and radio programs, Drew’s television appearances include CNN, Fox News, Showtime and the BBC. His columns and articles have been featured in scores of newspapers, magazines and scholarly journals.
Before founding TCPR, the Johnson City native worked as policy analyst at the National Taxpayers Union. He earned an undergraduate degree in Political Science from Belmont University and a Masters in Public Policy from
Pepperdine University. Currently, Drew serves on the Tennessee Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights and previously served three terms on the Tennessee Commission on Children and Youth.
Drew also serves as a Senior Fellow at the Taxpayers Protection Alliance, a nonprofit organization dedicated to exposing wasteful government spending and reducing the size and scope of government.
Most importantly, Drew’s dog, Nola Mae, was named the Nashville Predator’s Dog of the Month in January 2012, and featured prominently in an advertisement in the arena.
Recent Stories »
Addictions are an easy way out when you think about it.
By Drew Johnson Staff Writer Barbecue restaurants that take a little work to find either stay in business because they are great or because they're the only thing around. Bailey's BBQ, on Highway 41 between East Ridge and Ringgold, isn't the most convenie
Sunday marks the beginning of Sunshine Week, an annual effort to raise awareness of the importance of open government and freedom of information.
On Tuesday, the United Nations gave Americans yet another reason not to trust their tax dollars, policy decisions or military forces with the increasingly outlandish international organization.
The Corn Palace is one of South Dakota's most famous tourist attractions, and easily the corniest waste of tax dollars anywhere in America.
This week, the Wyoming State Fair celebrates its 100th anniversary. The fair’s centennial celebration features a swine show, a weight-gaining competition for hogs and even a “pig ‘n’ mud” wrestling championship.
Hold on to your wallet. Earmarks, the most corruptible and wasteful type of government spending, will be making a comeback if a handful of House Republicans have their way. These pigs in elephants’ clothing want to end a three-year moratorium on earmarks and start trading pork projects for votes in order to pass legislation.
Criticizing stimulus spending is so 2009. Still, as American taxpayers consider how few new jobs and little meaningful economic recovery came as a result of the $800 billion spent on the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act -- a price tag which is actually closer to $1.2 trillion when the interest is figured in -- it's hard not to think about where some of those dollars went.
When most people think of Canton, Ohio, the Pro Football Hall of Fame comes to mind. However, the wilting rustbelt town has another, lesser-known, tourist trap: the National Park Service-managed First Ladies National Historic Site.
Hours after the Continental Congress voted to proclaim the American colonies independent from England, John Adams penned a letter to his wife Abigail. In it, he declared that succeeding generations should celebrate Independence Day "by pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forever."
