Saturday, April 09, 2016

The link between marriage and poverty in Nashville acknowledged in NashvilleNext.

I have finally gotten around to reading NashvilleNext.  I found this gem in the Economic and Workforce Development section. Often the role of marriage as a factor in poverty is ignored. I am pleased to see it acknowledged in this report. This is from page 21 at this link


Unfortunately this acknowledgement does not lead to a recommendation of goals, policies or actions.  A policy prescription from this acknowledgement should be that Nashville will attempt to instill a respect for marriage and work to discourage young women from becoming pregnant. 

There is only so much government can and should do to promote social policies, however the same leadership Mayor Barry has shown to combating youth violence could be devoted to curtailing illegitimate births. United Way could make reducing illegitimate births one of their goals for which they award grant funding. Religious leaders, civic and charitable organizations, and schools could join in a united campaign to combat pregnancy among young girls. Surely, as much attention should be paid to reducing illegitimate births as there is to combating bullying, not texting and driving, wearing seat belts, and not littering.  

The term "single mother" is used everywhere as an inclusive term for divorced mothers, widowed mothers and never married mothers who gave birth out of wedlock.  I wish some researcher would dig deeper. I suspect that there is less poverty and societal ill effects from divorced mother and widowed mothers than from never married mothers. We should discontinue use of the term "single mothers" as an inclusive term that includes divorce, widowed, and women who had a child born out of wedlock. 

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Debunking the Big Myth about Sweden and the Democratic Socialist welfare state.

With Bernie Sander's advocacy of Democratic Socialism wining converts among much of America's youth, conservatives counter with pictures of Cuban boat people and empty grocery store shelves in Venezuela. Advocates of an expanded welfare state respond with, "well what about Sweden." Well, What about Sweden?







For more on debunking the myth of Socialist Sweden. see The Myth of Scandinavian Socialism and Sweden: A Supermodel for America?

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Thursday, April 07, 2016

What happened at the Council meeting of 4/5/2017: An attempt to violate property rights fails, Gun shows at the fairground bill is dead.



If you don't know what is under discussion, council meetings are really boring, if you have an agenda and staff analysis, they are still boring but not quite as boring. To see my commentary on the Council agenda and access a copy of the Council agenda and the Council agenda staff analysis follow this link.

I am only hitting the high points and I am ignoring most rezoning bills unless they are president setting or have an impact beyond one small area or are otherwise significant. About half of the meeting is taken up by public hearings on zoning bills.

BILL NO. BL2016-155 on public hearing which would provide a means for an applicant for a rezoning, which now requires a Traffic Impact Study, to get a waiver from that requirement is deferred indefinitely.  It would eliminate the requirement for a Traffic Impact Study for any property within the inner loop.  This seemed like a reasonable bill to reduce the burden on developers and still provide safeguards for the public.

BILL NO. BL2016-171  on public hearing is a bill that would rezone one very small corner of a lot zoned CL

rezoning for proposed digital sign deferred indefinitely
(Commercial Limited, intended for retail, consumer service, financial, restaurant, and office uses) and rezone it Specific Plan (SP) for the sole purpose of allowing a digital sign. The rezoned portion would only be .05 acres. There is a strong sentiment among some neighborhood activist to not allow the proliferation of digital signs. This was disapproved by the planning commission and the sponsor defers indefinitely. That does not mean it cannot be brought back up, but since the Councilman moved to defer before having a public hearing, it would have to have a public hearing if placed back on the agenda. I am pleased with this outcome. If one site gets a digital sign, then in order to compete for attention other businesses will seek them.

BILL NO. BL2016-173  on public hearing is a proposed rezoning from an industrial zoning to a mixed use zoning for property in East Nashville in Councilman Scott Davis' district.  The residential portion would be affordable housing.  This is adopted and then deferred to the second meeting in May. Those concerned with affordable housing may want to pay closer attention to this bill. See the video at time stamp 41:18 - 53:17.

RESOLUTION NO. RS2015-76 is the resolution by Councilman Glover requesting the Metropolitan Board of Fair Commissioners to reinstate and continue to allow gun shows at the fairgrounds.  At the last meeting, at the request of the sponsor, it was deferred to this meeting. At this meeting the committee had moved to defer the bill indefinitely so the bill was deferred "by rule."

RESOLUTION NO. RS2016-172  which appropriates $3,347,400 split between different departments to provide money to those departments that was not originally in their budget is deferred "by rule" for one meeting, having received a one meeting referral recommendation from Budget and Finance.  In B&F there were quite a few questions from frustrated members of that committee about the continuing financial problems with the Farmers Market.

BILL NO. BL2016-139  on third reading, which  rezones a piece of property in a residential area from residential zoning to SP in order to allow a nursing home to be build on that location, passes.  There was considerable opposition to this when it was on public hearing (link). I am pleased to see Councilman Swope do the right thing and pass this bill which was approved by the planning commission. Nursing homes do not generate excess traffic and old people in wheelchairs do not commit a lot of home burglaries. I think the code should be amended and nursing homes should be a permitted use by right in any residential area. People should be able to keep their parents in homes in their part of town. We should remove the zoning obstacle to building nursing homes in residential areas. Shame on those people who oppose a nursing home being built in their community.

BILL NO. BL2016-140  on third reading would amend a previously approved PUD to require the developer to make various road improvements. Metro legal has said this is not enforceable and the bill is disapproved by the Planning Commission. This bill and the one below concern the same piece of property. In my view it is simply wrong to come in after a person has vested rights to development and then change the rules. By the time a developer gets final site plan approval he may have hundreds of thousands of dollars invested before he ever turns the first piece of earth. This is a proposed taking away of property rights. Since the bill was disapproved it would have had to get 28 votes to pass. It fails by a vote of 24 in favor, 9 opposed and 2 abstentions.To see the discussion of this bill and the one below see time stamp 1:16:19 - 1:48:04

BILL NO. BL2016-141  on third reading would amend a previously approved Planned Unit Development (PUD) by reducing the number of units from  60 units to 30.  To take away from one what they could previously do with their property is "taking" their property. Expect when the owner is compensated and the taking is for a public purpose, I oppose these actions. This bill is disapproved by the Planing Commission, so would require 28 votes to pass. It fails by a vote 25 in favor, none opposed, 9 abstaining and 1 not voting.

BILL NO. BL2016-157  on third reading, which would make modest positive improvements to the Tax Increment Finance program passes. To learn more about this issue see this link.

BILL NO. BL2016-160 on third reading amends the distance requirements for a beer license. This is a reasonable bill. It says if a four lane road separates the establishment for which the permit is being sought and the entity which triggers a distance requirement, the distance requirement does not apply.  This passes.

BILL NO. BL2016-161   is on the agenda under Rule 24 to determine it the bill can be on the agenda next meeting to be acted upon.  The bill would mandates that the Fair Board keep dates available in their calendar to allow the gun shows to rent the facility at the fairground until such time as a court of law or the Tennessee Attorney General determines the Fair Board’s compliance with the Metropolitan Charter, state and/or federal legislation in regard to its actions banning gun shows.  Last council meeting there was a vote in committee to deffer this indefinitely so  "by rule" the bill was deferred last meeting. The sponsor can bring it back up but he is required to request in writing to the clerk that the bill be back on the agenda, then the bill is put on the agenda for a determination if it can be heard. That is what is before the council.This is the vote to determine if the Council will allow it to be on the agenda for consideration at the next meeting. This is not a vote on the merits of the bill, only if the Council will hear the bill. The vote to allow the bill to be on the agenda failed by a vote of 7 yes, 26 no, 2 abstention and 2 not voting To see the discussion see time stamp 1:55:0 -2:03:13.

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Perfectly Serviceable Sidewalks being Ripped up and Replaced with New Sidewalks!

If you have been waiting for years for sidewalks and can't get them, you should be outraged!

Driving home from work yesterday I saw sidewalk work being done on White Avenue.  Today I walked over to take a closer look. I live in this neighborhood just two blocks away.  I routinely walk these sidewalk.

THEY DO NOT NEED TO BE REPLACED! For long sections there are not any cracks at all. They are smooth and unbroken. Some sections might have small cracks, but they are smooth and perfectly serviceable.  This has been going on for years all over town, yet people without sidewalks can't get them.  I have seen it time and time again. Instead of expanding sidewalks, the city routinely replaces perfectly serviceable sidewalks with new sidewalks.

Building new sidewalks of course is much more expensive and difficult than replacing sidewalks, but that is not an excuse for ripping up good sidewalks and replacing them with brand new sidewalks.

New sidewalks on White Ave
This is the other side of White Ave  looking North.
As soon as they finish the east side, they will
rip up and replace these sidewalks

This is the other Side of White Ave looking South
in a few days this sidewalks will get
get ripped out and replaced with new sidewalks.



Come see it for your self.
If you want to see this waste of money in progress, this is in the Woodland-in -Waverly neighborhood south of Wedgewood and east of 8th Ave South. Here is a map.

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Wednesday, April 06, 2016

Tennessee Embraces Healthcare Freedom with Passage of Direct Primary Care

Press release, April 4, 2016, NASHVILLE – The Tennessee House of Representatives passed a landmark healthcare reform tonight. After passing the House by a vote of 82-5, the Health Care Empowerment Act now goes to the governor to be signed into law. It recently passed the Senate unanimously.

The bill preserves the practice of Direct Primary Care in Tennessee, and it represents one of the Beacon Center’s top policy priorities for this legislative session. Doctors across the nation have moved to the direct care model, whereby patients pay a small monthly fee in exchange for routine healthcare services, as well as discounts on specialty services.

While Direct Primary Care has become very popular among patients and doctors alike, some insurance regulators have tried to intervene and treat direct care agreements as insurance policies. This adds burdensome and expensive red tape, making it practically impossible for the Direct Primary Care model to succeed. The Health Care Empowerment Act prohibits the government from treating Direct Primary Care as insurance.

“The Beacon Center is proud to be on the side of doctors and patients across the state of Tennessee. We would like to applaud the legislature for embracing healthcare freedom with the passage of the Health Care Empowerment Act,” said Beacon Director of Policy Lindsay Boyd. “We especially thank Sen. Kerry Roberts and Rep. Sabi Kumar for their leadership to protect the rights of Tennessee patients to obtain quality access to affordable healthcare.”

Boyd concluded, “Top-down federal control of our healthcare decisions has become a disaster. We must change course, putting patients in charge of their own healthcare destiny. We believe Tennesseans deserve care, not just coverage, and Direct Primary Care is yet another example of that.”

Beacon has led the charge to promote meaningful reforms that expand healthcare options for Tennesseans, rather than mere insurance coverage. While it remains important for Tennesseans to obtain health insurance, many cannot afford insurance, and for those who can, they often still pay significant out of pocket costs. Direct Primary Care provides these patients with much greater access to care, often for as little as $30 per month.

To learn more about how Direct Primary Care is benefiting Tennesseans, watch Beacon’s video below.

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Dr. Ming Wang: Self-improvement, compassion can make America great

by Dr. Ming Wang, The Tennessean - During this presidential primary season, there has been much talk about how to make America strong again. ... America can truly regain strength and leadership in the world today by setting an example — not of narrow-mindedness, imposition and isolationism, but of self-improvement, compassion, understanding and collaboration. .... Though it is true that we have lost some low-end jobs, ....what we really should be focusing on instead are our high-end products, such as high tech, business and financial infrastructure and expertise, and art and entertainment products. We need to improve the skill level of our workforce, invest in new technologies, improve the quality of our products and services, and create innovative tax structures such as FAIR tax to lower the cost of our goods, thus making our products more competitive again. So let’s start doing the right thing now: stop blaming others for our problems, and instead focus on improving ourselves, the quality and competitiveness of our products, and on learning more about other nations, who they are and what they need. (link)

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Bill protecting religious liberty of professional counselors passes

David Fowler  of Family Action of Tennessee reports in an email blast: 
After more than an hour of rather rowdy debate, House Bill 1840 that protects the religious liberty of professional counselors and protects them from government-compelled speech passed the House overwhelmingly this morning.
Supporters of the bill, lead by Majority Leader McCormick and Majority Caucus Chairman Casada, killed several amendments offered by Rep. Clemmons (D-Nashville) to undermine the bill's purpose.
Rep. Dan Howell has done a great job over several weeks presenting the bill and defending it on the floor today.


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The Metro Council meeting of 4/5/2016



To see my commentary on the Council agenda and access of copy of the Council agenda and the agenda Council analysis follow this link.

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Tuesday, April 05, 2016

Update. What's on the Council Agenda for 4/5/16: Gun shows at the Fairground, more $ for Farmers Market, honoring Janis Sontany.

The Metro Council meets tomorrow night April 5th at 6:30PM.  Council meetings are televised live on Comcast Channel 3 if one has nothing better to do.  I normally do not watch it live.  The next day one can catch it on the Metro YouTube channel and I repost it  here. The reason I don't watch it live is because I usually do have something better to do. Also, watching it on YouTube I can watch it in double speed and not miss much context and can skip some what I know will be really, really boring stuff such as zoning public hearings in which people are going to say the same thing they always say over and over again.

Without a copy of the agenda, you don't know what the Council is voting on and the Council meeting is as about as boring as watching paint dry.  With a copy of the agenda and analysis it is less boring; still boring, but less boring.  With a copy of the analysis and agenda the Council meetings are more interesting than watching water boil. I watch the Council meetings so you don't have to. Here is a link to the agenda and the staff analysis.

I am only listing those items that I think are significant or are important to me.  I may miss something, so if you really care, you may want to read the agenda for yourself.  There are a lot of zoning bills on public hearing on this agenda and for the most part, those bore me, and I don't even attempt to gain an understanding of the pros and cons of every zoning bill.  I do not generally watch meetings of the Planning Commission either, so I am not the most informed person in Metro regarding zoning issues. Most zoning bills impact only nearby residence so while a particular zoning issue may be very important to a few people, I am only going to point out those that I know to have created a lot of controversy or have an impact beyond one neighborhood.

There are eleven appointments to Boards and Commissions on the agenda for Council confirmation.  Some of these positions are coveted and powerful.  If you are a real political nerd, you may want to see who is getting appointments in the new administration. The council routinely rubber stamps whomever the mayor appoints.

Resolutions and Bills on Public Hearing:
BILL NO. BL2016-155 would provide a means for an applicant for a rezoning, which now requires a Traffic Impact Study, to get a waiver from that requirement.  It would eliminate the requirement for a Traffic Impact Study for any property within the inner loop.  This seems like a reasonable bill to reduce the burden on developers and still provide safeguards for the public.

Resolutions:

RESOLUTION NO. RS2015-76 is the resolution by Councilman Glover requesting the Metropolitan Board of Fair Commissioners to reinstate and continue to allow gun shows at the fairgrounds.  At the last meeting, at the request of the sponsor, it was deferred to this meeting. To support this resolution and Bill No. BL2016-161 which also deals with the issue, the Friends of the Fairground had put out a "call to action" last meeting asking fairground supporters to attend the meeting wearing their red tee shirts. The chamber was not packed with fairground supporters. I have seen no "call to action" for this meeting.
RESOLUTION NO. RS2016-172  appropriates $3,347,400 split between different departments to provide money to those departments that was not originally in their budget. This happens every year and some of this is understandable. When drawing up a budget the State Trail Courts, as an example, will not know how many trials they will have so they will not know how much to budget for jury pay so all they can do is estimate. At the end of the year, their expenditure and income must balance, so if they come up short this is where they get the money to make the accounts balance. On the other hand, some of this is just unjustified subsidy to a department. I like Farmers Market, but it has never been able to break even. When I say "break even," that does not include capital cost; they cannot cover their operating cost.  This resolution contains an additional $837,900 for Farmers Market. Maybe it is time to privatize Farmers Market or turn it over to the Parks Department or change their mission or change management.  Farmers Market is a money pit. I am not opposed to a modest subsidy, but they should not have an open unlimited line of credit.  I do not know the full financial picture of Farmers Market, but it seems they are always needing more money.  I hope someone on Budget and Finance is making them answer hard questions.
RESOLUTION NO. RS2016-189   would authorize the Department of Law to settle a lawsuit against the city in the amount of $45,000.00. The only reason I mention this is that in committee, if not on the Council floor, there is always discussions about settlements. Council members want to know what happened, and if an employee was at fault if the employee was punished. I really don't find these settlements of much interest. The only issue should be, is it in the city's best interest to litigate or settle. I don't think that I have ever thought we should litigate when Legal recommended settling out of court. I defer to the judgement of the legal department in these cases.

RESOLUTION NO. RS2016-192  would urge the State legislature to pass a bill naming the stables "within the horse barn on the campus of the Ellington Agricultural Center the “Janis Sontany Stables.” I don't guess I have too much of a problem with this but Janis Sontany once said something really nasty about Republican women, something to the effect that you had to look under their skirts to determine if they were women.  Maybe we should name the waste water retention pond near the horse barn on the campus of the Ellington Agricultural Center the “Janis Sontany horse waste water retention pond."  Actually, I don't think we ought to name thing after people who are still living except in rare circumstances.

There are a bunch of bills on First Reading, but I don't read them until they get to second reading. First Reading is a formality to get them on the agenda.

There is only one bill on Second reading. BILL NO. BL2016-176  would  authorize the Metro Clerk’s office to assist the Charter Revision Commission with administrative functions, removing the provision authorizing the Commission to employ such personnel . The Clerk would also be required to serve as the custodian of the minutes and records of the Commission. This seems like a good change.

Bills on Third Reading:
BILL NO. BL2016-141  would amend a previously approved Planned Unit Development (PUD) by reducing the number of units from  60 units to 30.  To take away from one what they could previously do with their property is "taking" their property. Expect when the owner is compensated and the taking is for a public purpose, I oppose these actions. This bill is disapproved by the Planing Commission, so will require 28 votes to pass. Supporters of private property rights should vote against this bill. An abstention will have the same effect as a "no" vote.
BILL NO. BL2016-157  would make modest positive improvements to the Tax Increment Finance program. To learn more about this issue see this link.
BILL NO. BL2016-160 on second reading amends the distance requirements for a beer license. This is a reasonable bill. It says if a four lane road separates the establishment for which the permit is being sought and the entity which triggers a distance requirement, the distance requirement does not apply.

INDEFINITELY DEFERRED ITEM : RULE 24
BILL NO. BL2016-161   mandates that the Fair Board keep dates available in their calendar to allow the gun shows to rent the facility at the fairground until such time as a court of law or the Tennessee Attorney General determines the Fair Board’s compliance with the Metropolitan Charter, state and/or federal legislation in regard to its actions banning gun shows.  There was a vote in committee to deffer this indefinitely so  "by rule" the bill was deferred last meeting. The sponsor can bring it back up but he is required to request in writing to the clerk that the bill be back on the agenda, then the bill is put on the agenda for a determination if it can be heard. If the bill gets a majority of those voting, then it would be on the next agenda following that meeting. This is the vote to determine if the Council will allow it to be on the agenda for consideration at the next meeting. This is not a vote on the merits of the bill, only if the Council will hear the bill.

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Budget and Finance Committee meeting of 4/5/2016. The Farmers Market money pit is discussed. Move Farmers to Fairground?



I don't watch every B&F meeting, but I watch them when I think there is an item on  the agenda that will generate conversation.  Often the B&F committee meetings are much more interesting and enlightening than the actual Council meetings.

The first item under discussion, at the start of the video, is RESOLUTION NO. RS2016-172. This  appropriates $3,347,400 split between different departments to provide money to those departments that was not originally in their budget. Council members Sherri Weiner, Bob Mendes, Steve Glover, Jacobia Dowell, and others ask good questions of Farmers Market. I thought the explanation of why the Farmers Market continues to lose money was pretty lame and apparently so did several of the council members. One of the best suggestions I have heard is from Jacobia Dowell who voices it from the chamber in this video and I that I also heard from a couple of council members I met with today, and that is, that the farmers market be relocated to the Fair Grounds. One problem with the location of the farmers market is that it only has a little over a hundred parking spaces.  On a weekend, people can't find parking now, so their is not much way to increase traffic if people can't find a place to park.  Council members are in a tough spot on this bill. The money has already been spend and it the Council doesn't approve it, they can't get that money back.  I don't know the consequences and having an account that does not balance. If some one is reading this who know what happens if he money is not appropriated could enlighten me, I would appreciate it.




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The winning, losing bills from the Tennessee legislature

The below is from an Associated Press new story published in The Tennessean. This is just a small edited portion of the list. To see it all, follow this link

WINNERS:
GUNS IN PARKS: Stripping local governments of power to ban people with handgun carry permits from being armed in parks. HB0995.
COMMON CORE: Rebranding Common Core education standards and establishing a review mechanism. HB1035.
ABORTION CLINICS: Requires facilities or physician offices to be licensed as ambulatory surgical treatment centers.
ABORTION-INFORMED CONSENT: Requires informed consent and a 48-hour waiting period before an abortion.
CITIZENSHIP TEST: Making it a requirement to pass a U.S. citizenship test to gain high school diploma. HB0010.
LIFETIME CARRY PERMITS: Creating $500 lifetime handgun carry permit. SB0700.
TEACHER POLITICS: Barring teachers from engaging in political campaigning during work hours. TRAFFIC CAMERAS: Banning most speed cameras after current contracts expire. SB1128.

LOSERS:
INSURE TENNESSEE:

SCHOOL VOUCHERS: Creating a limited school voucher program in Tennessee.
TUITION EQUALITY: Offering in-state tuition to non-citizens who are lawfully present in the United States.
ABORTION ULTRASOUNDS: Requiring clinics to either display or describe ultrasounds to women seeking abortions.
PARENT TRIGGER: Making it easier for parents to convert struggling public schools into charter schools.
PHYSICAL EDUCATION: Requiring schools to offer physical education classes to K-5 students.

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Sunday, April 03, 2016

Trump backer says, "There will be war," and other news and opinion on TNGOP delegate fight.


by Jamie McGee and Joel Ebert, The Tennessean, April 2, 2016 - Death threats, protests and allegations of vote-stealing didn't stop Tennessee Republican Party leaders on Saturday from finalizing a list of delegates to the GOP's national presidential nominating convention over fierce objections from backers of Donald Trump.

The raucous meeting in Nashville underscores a growing rift among Republicans and adds to party angst over a possible floor fight at the GOP convention in July.

The measure, approved by a tally of 40-25, comes a day after the Trump campaign accused the party of trying to "steal" delegates, even after he handily won the state's primary last month. On Saturday Trump's backers flocked to the party's executive committee meeting in Nashville, doubling down on allegations that officials are trying to stack Tennessee's delegation with members likely to vote for another candidate if given the chance.

.... Brent Leatherwood, executive director of the Tennessee Republican Party, said the party didn’t have any agreement and accused the Trump campaign of rabble-rousing. "There was never an agreement, especially after the Trump campaign spoke dismissively about the party process and one of our female members,” Leatherwood said, ...(link)

From Bobby Patray, Executive Director of Tennessee Eagle Forum on a Facebook post: No Secret Meeting
I am seeing lots of posts this morning about the 'secret' meeting that the TNGOP held yesterday and I want to set the record straight.
I am on the Administrative Committee of the TNGO and I just wanted folks to know that our regular meeting was neither secret or closed. The dates of our meetings are published and the members of the public are usually there and welcomed. At this one, because of the alerts that went out, entrance to the room was limited and when the room when w...as beyond standing room only, it was closed. A private business has been kind enough to let us use their facilities for our meetings. The room simply is not designed for huge crowds. Just the SEC members (66 of them plus some spouses), National Committeeman and woman, Admin Committee members (some spouses), TNGOP staff, delegates who attended, representatives of the presidential campaigns, LOTS OF MEDIA, and some other guests quickly filled the small room and the walls all around the room. I understand that the media was constantly tweeting during the meeting. If some are not happy with the delegates selected, (see list posted below) that is another story. I hope this helps clarify the situation.

Below is an example of what has Trump supporters really upset.  Of the Trump delegates appointed to their position by the TNGOP, who will have to vote for Trump on the first two ballots but then be free to vote their conscience if there is a brokered convention, many are not real supporters of Trump.  This explains it.

From Lou Ann Zelenik's, well known political activist,  leader in effort to stop the Murfreesboro Mosque, former candidate for office:

This is a FB post of Melissa Gay, newly "appointed" state wide delegate for Trump. A close ally of Diane Black (who went to the exclusive private meeting at the resort to raise millions to stop Trump.); Ms. Gay also ran as a committed Rubio delegate. Her name showed up on the list yesterday. SEC members were not provided the names until minutes before the meeting this morning. When one member asked for a break to discuss, it was shot down by the Chairman. When another asked to separate out the elected and the appointed, that was shot down as well. When another asked to discuss some of the problems with Chairman Haynes appointments, that was shot down too. Ask Ms. Gay to step aside and allow a Trump supporter to represent the voters of this wonderful state as a statewide delegate. Surly Ms. Gay did not mean Trump and his supporters do not pass the "decency test".

From Rebecca Ann Burke, Member of the TNGOP SEC commenting on the above post, on Facebook:
THIS is an example of what my colleagues and I on the Tennessee Republican Party's State Executive Committee were opposing today. Chairman Ryan Haynes picked a slate of delegates for Donald Trump which included "anti Trump" individuals, like Melissa Gay. I would implore Ms. Gay to do the decent thing and step down with integrity, allowing a true Trump supporter to fill her delegate slot. This is dishonest and this undermines the Trump campaign. She does not belong on the slate. The majority of the State Executive Committee voted to accept the altered slate as presented by the Chairman. "Melissa Gay, relinquish your seat, do the right thing!" PLEASE SHARE

From Former State Rep. Stacy Campfield on Facebook: STACKING THE DECK TO STEAL TN TRUMP DELEGATES.
I just got a very interesting email from the Donald Trump campaign. It seems the Tennessee GOP is trying to stack the Trump delegates with their own hand-picked people that are not supported by the Trump campaign. The campaign is supposed to get 14 delegates. 7 that were direct vote and 7 more that were picked by the party in conjunction with the Trump campaign. The campaign said that they had agreed with Ryan Haynes on Wednesday to go with the Trump delegates who were on the ballot but not the top 7. Suddenly after Wednesday night that changed and now the party wants to pick different delegates (at Saturdays SEC meeting at 10) that are not people that Trump campaign wants. I figured something like this would happen.
Feel free to share this.
From CNN YouTube:
 

From CNN Politics: Tennessee approves final delegates over Trump supporters' objections.

From NBC News: Trump Campaign Alleges 'Theft' as Tenn. GOP Picks Delegates.

Breitbart News: GOP Establishment Grabs Delegates in Tennessee. Of the 13 delegates allocated to Cruz and Trump today in the State Executive Committee’s vote, eight are clearly loyal to the Republican establishment and not supporters of the candidate to whom they are legally bound (Trump or Cruz) on the first two ballots. .....In any potential third ballot, all eight of these delegates are certain to vote for a candidate other than Trump or Cruz.....These “Trojan Horse” delegates, while expected to honor their legal obligation when casting their votes during the first two ballots for the presidential nominee, are expected to side with the anti-Trump and anti-Cruz establishment forces in the all-important procedural and rule votes....The 75 Trump supporters outside the room who were prohibited entry by private security were clearly outraged by the process, which they called “unfair” and “un-American.”

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