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Sammy Winner: Ben Cunningham

Best Local Blogger Award

Ben Cunningham—the winner of the Best Local Blogger Sammy Award—said that, for him, starting a blog was inevitable.

His technological background made him a natural for spreading the word about issues through the Internet—he owned an Internet Service Provider business in Nashville in the 1990s, and when he became involved with the Tennessee Tax Revolt organization, e-mail and the Internet were used extensively in their State Income Tax Protests in 2001 and 2002.

Next came choosing a topic to focus on, which, he said, was easy.

“I am very passionate about open and accountable government and inspiring taxpayers to raise their voice so our elected representatives can hear us as well as they hear the lobbyists and bureaucrats,” Cunningham said.

And so, TaxingTennessee was born in 2006, with the purpose of sharing “thoughts about taxes, freedom, and the most powerful and important unit of government:  the individual, sovereign citizen.”

It all started, however, with his involvement with the State Income Tax Protests, led by Nashville talk radio hosts Phil Valentine and Steve Gill.

“They inspired us to get involved and it was a life-changing event,” Cunningham said. “Many of us wanted a way to continue our activism, so we formed the Tennessee Tax Revolt.”

He describes the organization as an all-volunteer, non-profit, non-partisan statewide taxpayer advocacy group working to protect the family budget from excessive taxation, and working for open, accountable government.

This is exactly what they’ve been doing—last year, they led a petition drive to get an amendment requiring a voter referendum to raise property taxes on the ballot, and it passed with 77 percent of the vote.

The group also offers a web-based Taxpayer Information Center, which boasts the most complete listing of taxpayer resources in the state.

Cunningham continues his involvement with the Tennessee Tax Revolt while maintaining his site—because overall, his goal is to help his fellow citizens get involved.

“Every bit of the power and authority that government exercises and every cent of the money that government spends is granted to it by the citizens,” he said. “And citizens must hold government accountable for the extraordinary amount of power that government has over our lives.”

Cunningham helps make this possible by using TaxingTennessee to spread information that is vital to taxpayers, which he says is the most rewarding part of blogging.

“It’s just a great way for an individual citizen to participate in the making of public policy,” he said.

His favorite stories to post on are the ones that involve editing the videos taken of all Tennessee General Assembly floor sessions and committee meetings.

“Citizens get a glimpse of what happens inside the General Assembly,” he said. “It’s a great way to demystify the process.”

Thanks to Ben Cunningham, Tennessee citizens will know what’s going on with their government—and armed with this knowledge, they’ll be equipped to hold their government accountable.

Congratulations to Ben Cunningham—the Sam Adams Alliance & Foundation is thrilled to reward you for your efforts to defend liberty. Keep up the good work!