Author

Justin Owen

Justin Owen

Justin Owen is the President and CEO of the Beacon Center.

COMMENTARY
Tennessee State Capitol. (Photo: Ray Di Pietro)

Commentary: Right to work is a Tennessee tradition

By: , and - February 11, 2021

Just like delicious barbeque and great music, right-to-work is a Tennessee tradition. Quite simply, this law is about all Tennesseans’ ability to get and keep a job regardless of whether they join a union and pay dues or not. This has been the policy of our state for so long we have taken it for […]

COMMENTARY
(Photo: South Agency/Getty Images)

Commentary: Pandemic shows it’s time to repeal certificate of need laws

By: - January 21, 2021

Asher Gross is one of the happiest little girls you will ever meet, despite the daily struggles she faces. A hypoxic brain injury has left her with developmental disabilities, and she suffers from congestive heart failure and a cleft palate. She cannot speak, she has to be fed through a tube, and she has limited […]

COMMENTARY
Nashville Rescue Mission (Photo from website)

We should celebrate one more type of frontline worker

By: and - May 20, 2020

There’s one type of frontline worker that isn’t getting enough attention these days. The nonprofit service worker. Even as stay-at-home orders are being lifted, the economic impacts of coronavirus have hit Tennesseans hard. In fact, 12 percent of our workforce – nearly 400,000 Tennesseans – are unemployed due to coronavirus. We’re also still dealing with […]