Saturday, March 16, 2019
Williamson County Schools requiring teachers to take Southern Poverty Law Center White Privaledge training.
From Williamson County GOP - All teachers in all schools are attending a four part inservice training based on the work of Dr. Peggy McIntosh and a book she wrote over 30 years ago titled, White Privilege UnPacking the Invisible Knapsack. Dr. McIntosh coined the phase just 16 years after the 1964 civil rights movement and years before a black man raised in a single parent home became President twice.
The Tennessean recently reported on a WCS slavery homework assignment which resulted in two teachers resigning. The Tennessean went on to document two racist incidents occurring in our schools on Friday. Today we learn that these incidents were grossly exaggerated when a parent stepped forward to talk to a reporter at the TN Star.
WCS is moving forward with Dr. Looney's agenda and has planned a "Tolerance Teacher Workshop" taught by the radical left leaning, Southern Poverty Law Center. The SPLC has gained notoriety for both their lawsuits and for their list of hate groups which includes national Christian organizations and extremist like Senator Marsha Blackburn. The Southern Poverty Law Center recently established the, "SPLC Action Fund" which is a PAC designed to allow them to fund their legislative agenda and elect like minded candidates to office. Conservatives, like Senator Blackburn and Congressman Green can expect to be targeted by the SPLC.
The Southern Poverty Law Center's goal is to create the next generation of voters. They are not concerned about educating your children.
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Metro budget "discussions" begin March 28th.
by Rod Williams - Metro will
start the formal budget "discussions" March 28th. They were always called
budget "hearings" prior to Mayor Megan Barry rebranding them as
"discussions." "Discussions" sounds so much more "collaborative" and all
touchy-freely. I prefer "hearings." I hope the next mayor goes back to having budget "hearings."
What happens at these "discussions" is
that each department appears before the mayor and presents their budget request. What really happens is that prior to the discussions the mayor's office has already told each department head that there is not going to be a tax increase this year so most department heads will present a budget request that only calls for a modest increase. In years in which the mayor is going to ask for a tax increase, Department heads say houses will burn, police will not be able to stop a crime wave and libraries will close if they do not get a big budget increase. It is somewhat a sham. Some department heads really will plead for more money but they will not go overboard, they kind of already know what to expect. Never does a department head say they need less money than previously.
At the conclusion of the budget discussions, the Mayor and the Finance Director draw up a budget. On May 1, the Mayor and/or the Finance Director present the Recommended Budget
to the Metro Council. The Chairman of the Budget and Finance Committee
files the budget and tax levy ordinances. The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) then prepares the Recommended
Budget Book for Council's review. This is known as the "mayor's budget."
During April to June, the Council and the Budget and Finance Committee conduct public
hearings as well as hearings with each individual department. The budget
is approved on three readings, and may be amended or substituted on the
third reading. OMB prepares a substitute budget ordinances for the Budget
and Finance Committee as required. This is called the "substitute budget," or the "council's budget." Even if taxes are not going to be increased, the Council always shifts some money around and changes the mayors budget.
On June 30, the Council passes the budget ordinances, and the Mayor signs the
budget ordinances into law. If the Council fails to pass a balanced
budget by June 30, the Recommended Budget and tax rates take effect by
default. In other words, if the Council does not pass their substitute budget the mayor's budget become the budget even if Council does not vote on it.
As anyone who had read my blog for any time knows, I am a conservative. I would like to see Metro cut non-essential services and not raise taxes. I would like for the city to stop the massive fraud and waste and corporate welfare. I would like to see the city close General Hospital and abolish the Human Relations Commission and make other cuts. Unfortunately, that is not going to happen. Without Metro being willing to make cuts to services we need a tax increase. We probably should have had a tax increase last year. I could support a modest tax increase. This being an election year Mayor Briley is not going to propose a tax increase. The cooperative press is not going to write stories about how we are on the brink of disaster. We are not, but be sure that that is what we would be reading if the mayor was proposing a tax increase. While we are not facing a disaster, employees deserve a pay increase and fire and police are under staffed. Also, we need to budget more money to debt service to pay down Metro's debt.
Look out next year! If Briley is reelected, in 2020 he will propose a whopping tax increase. No matter who is elected, I expect a proposal for a substantial tax increase in 2020.
The budget "discussion" will be on line for viewing if anyone is interested. They each only last a few minutes and are pretty shallow affairs. They are also open to the public if one wants to go and observe in person.
Below is the City's press release and budget discussion schedule.
Metro Nashville press release - Mayor David Briley and Metro Finance Director Talia Lomax-O’dneal have released the schedule for upcoming meetings related to the 2019-20 budget.
The Mayor's Budget Discussions will be aired live on Metro Nashville Network and Nashville.gov. All budget discussion videos will be archived and available on YouTube and shown throughout the following weeks on Metro Nashville Network.
Schedule for Thursday, March 28, 2019
Conservation and Historical
- 9:30 a.m. – Codes
- 10:00 a.m. – Planning Commission
- 10:15 a.m. – Beer Permit Board
- 10:30 a.m. – Historical Commission
Health and Social Services
- 10:45 a.m. – Community Education Commission
- 11:00 a.m. – Human Relations Commission
- 1:45 p.m. – Social Services
- 2:00 p.m. – Health Department
- 2:30 p.m. – Hospital Authority
- 3:00 p.m. – Metro Action Commission
- 3:15 p.m. – Justice Integration Services
Location
Historic Metro Courthouse1 Public Square
Mayor's Media Room
Nashville, TN 37201
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David French to speak on "Polarization: The True Threat to the First Amendment," at The Federalist Society
511 Union Street
#Suite 2700
Nashville, TN 37219
David French, an attorney and senior writer for National Review, will
discuss polarization and its threat to the First Amendment. His
background includes time as a senior fellow at the National Review
Institute, President of the Foundation for Individual Rights in
Education, as well as being a veteran of the Iraq War and a former major
in the United States Army Reserve.Space is limited so please RSVP by Monday, March 18.
Share this event:
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Please vote for Nick Lamattina in District 29. Election day is Tuesday March 19th.
“We hope there is strong turnout on Tuesday,” said Jeff Roberts, Davidson County administrator of elections. “Every election is significant, so we encourage all registered voters in District 29 to cast a ballot for the person who will best represent them.”
Nick LaMattina and Delishia Porterfield led the field of candidates in the February special election, but since neither received a majority of the votes cast, Tuesday’s runoff is required.
On Election Day, March 19, residents must vote at their assigned polling location, printed on their voter registration card or found via the Polling Place Finder at www.nashville.gov/vote. Polls will be open from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
| District | Location |
|---|---|
| 29-1 | Priest Lake Presbyterian Church 2787 Smith Springs Road |
| 29-2 | Lakeview Elementary School 455 Rural Hill Road |
| 29-3 | Hamilton United Methodist Church 3105 Hamilton Church Road |
| 29-4 | Smith Springs Community Center 2801 Smith Springs Road |
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Friday, March 15, 2019
I applaud Lamar Alexander, Mike Lee, Marco Rubio, Rand Paul and other Republicans who took a principled stand for constitutional governance.
Most of the Senators who were outraged at President Obama's abuse of power and who wrapped themselves tightly in the Constitution were deafeningly silent when it came to Trump's abuse of power. There was not a louder critic of Obama's abuse of power than Senator Ted Cruz but he apparently developed a bad case of laryngitis. During the 2016 Republican campaign for the Republican nomination for president, I was tempted to support Senator Cruz and was torn between Cruz and Rubio. I ended up supporting Rubio. I am pleased to see Rubio was one of the twelve who voted for the bill to terminate President Trump's national emergency. I supported the better man. Curz is a strong advocate of the Constitution when it would frustrate a Democrat objective but not so much when constitutionalism would frustrate a Republican agenda. Rubio is principled.
There is an argument to be made that technically President Trump's use of calling a national emergency to get his funding for the wall is legal. It may withstand a constitutional challenge, but I hope it doesn't. It is time we returned to constitutional governance. The Congress have given too much power to the executive branch. The Executive branch has power never envisioned by the founders. Congress has passed vague bills and let the bureaucracy make rules and have given the bureaucracy the right to also adjudicate those rules. Presidents have gradually assumed more power and Congress has let them. President Obama famously ruled by a "phone and a pen." He unilaterally changed laws and got by with it. He greatly expanded the power of the executive. I had hoped that a Republican president would reverse the trend toward the imperial presidency but President Trump is accelerating it. When a future Democrat president declares a national emergency to take money from the military to build wind mills because of the crisis of global warming, Republicans will have no right to complain. That president will be doing the same thing President Trump is doing.
Significant legislative powers were given to the executive branch by the National Emergencies Act of 1976. It gave the President the power to call a national emergency and provided Congress the option of terminating the President's emergency declaration. In the past the power of the president to call a national emergency has been used occasionally, but never as a tool for the president to get by means of declaring a national emergency what he could not get legislatively. It has usually been used to respond to a crisis that could not wait for Congressional action.
Senator Mike Lee proposed a bill to take back from the executive the power to rule by declaring national emergencies. His bill would have said that a national declaration would automatically end after 30 days unless Congress voted affirmatively to extend the emergency. This would still have given a President the power to call a national emergency but would have restored some balance to the balance of powers. His bill did not get any Democrat support. Democrats are no more concerned about constitutional governance than Republicans. Like most Republicans, they are in favor of the Constitution when it advances their agenda and not so much when it would hinder their agenda. I applaud the twelve Republicans who took a principled stand for constitutional governance. Below is a statement from several of the senators explaining their vote.
Senator Mike Lee:
Congress is supposed to be the first among the federal government’s three co-equal branches.For decades, Congress has been giving far too much legislative power to the executive branch. While there was attention on the issue I had hoped the ARTICLE ONE Act could begin to take that power back. Unfortunately, it appears the bill does not have an immediate path forward, so I will be voting to terminate the latest emergency declaration. I hope this legislation will serve as a starting point for future work on this very important issue.Senator Rand Paul:
I stand with President Trump on the need for a border wall and stronger border security, but the Constitution clearly states that money cannot be spent unless Congress has passed a law to do so.Senator Marco Rubio:
We have an emergency at our border, which is why I support the president’s use of forfeiture funds and counter-drug money to build a wall. However, I cannot support moving funds that Congress explicitly appropriated for construction and upgrades of our military bases. This would create a precedent a future president may abuse to jumpstart programs like the Green New Deal, especially given the embrace of socialism we are seeing on the political leftSenator Lamar Alexander:
I support the president on border security. I have urged him to build the 234 miles of border wall he has asked for in the fastest possible way by using $5.7 billion already approved by Congress. But his declaration to take an additional $3.6 billion that Congress has appropriated for military hospitals, barracks and schools is inconsistent with the U.S. Constitution that I swore an oath to support and defend.
Never before has a president asked for funding, Congress has not provided it, and the president then has used the National Emergencies Act of 1976 to spend the money anyway. The problem with this is that after a Revolutionary War against a king, our nation’s founders gave to Congress the power to approve all spending so that the president would not have too much power. This check on the executive is a crucial source of our freedom.
This declaration is a dangerous precedent. Already, Democrat presidential candidates are saying they would declare emergencies to tear down the existing border wall, take away guns, stop oil exports, shut down offshore drilling and other leftwing enterprises—all without the approval of Congress.
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Wednesday, March 13, 2019
Southeast Conservatives Breakfast Meeting
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Which Councilmen are not reading their email?
The Tennessean filed a public records request for the email records of all 40 council members and
I served in the council before the days of email so did not have the challenge of dealing with it. I remember, however, occasions when faced when a particularly hot issues, that my phone answering machine would quickly fill up with messages and that my phone would ring almost non-stop for hours. With the ease with which one may send email, I understand that it can be challenging to read them all and very difficult to respond to all. If I served in the Council today, I would probably not actually read every email. I would mostly likely look at the subject line and delete those of no particular interest to me and not from my own constituents. Others I would likely skim. I would pay a lot more attention to those from my constituents than those from people living in other districts.
When a particularly hot issue, such as a vote on the fairgrounds or a proposed tax increase is before the Council, the Council can get hundreds of emails in a single day. Some members are better at handling email than others. Below is the list of Council members least likely to open an email and the percentage of emails unread by that councilman in the last six months.
- District 30 Councilman Jason Potts: 94 percent.
- District 27 Davette Blalock: 86.7 percent.
- District 21 Councilman Ed Kindall: 84.7 percent.
- District 5 Councilman Scott Davis: 83.75 percent.
- District 2 Councilman DeCosta Hastings: 83.5 percent.
To read The Tennessean story, follow this link.
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Tuesday, March 12, 2019
Former Metro Council member Durward Hall dies at age 79
Sunday, March 10, Tennessean - Rod's Comment. I served in the Council with Durwood Hall. He was one of the good councilmen. RIP
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Davidson County Parolee/Probationer Job Fair
Offenders currently serving on probation or parole are encouraged to attend the event.
WHAT: Davidson County Parolee/Probationer Job Fair
WHEN: Wednesday, March 13, 2019, 8:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
WHERE: TDOC Probation and Parole Office, 220 Blanton Avenue, Nashville, TN 37210
Rod's Comment: This is short notice, but please repost if you have the opportunity. We need to make a greater effort to help those who have been incarcerated reenter society. I support sentencing reform and educating prisoners who want to get an education. What we have been doing is not working. I believe in punishment but I also believe in rehabilitation and second chances.
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Will Pinkston makes the Washington Post for trashing Bill Lee's Ed reform proposal.
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| Will Pinkston |
The article reports on Governor Lee's education proposal which calls for a modest voucher program to help students in the lowest performing schools take the amount of money it takes to educate them in public schools and use that money in private schools. A unique feature of this programs is that the local school system would not lose money that they would normally get for educating the student when they lost the student.
Another part of Governor Lee's proposal is a plan to permit charter schools directly from the State rather than requiring them to seek approval of the local school board. Charter Schools can only operated as an alternative for failing schools but many school boards oppose any competition to their failing schools.
The Washington Post story quotes Will Pinkston in calling charter schools "taxpayer-funded private schools." They are not, of course. They are public schools that operated independent of the local school board, giving principles more autonomy to manage their school. While not all charter schools outperform traditional public schools, some have shown phenomenal success in educating children that were being failed by local schools.
In his critique of charter schools, Will Pinkston gives some examples of problems encountered with charter schools such as New Vision Academy which recently closed. One of the good things about charter schools is that they can have their charter pulled if they fail to deliver. They can cease to exist if they fail. A failing public school goes on and on forever failing the students they are supposed to serve year after year.
Pinkston also brings out the same tired old argument that charters take money away from the regular public school. That is true only if you think it should cost as much to operated the school system if you had no children to educate as it does with children to educate. Under charter schools the funding to educated the child follows the child. When the local school system not longer educates the child they no longer get the money to educate that child. That sounds reasonable to most people exccept Will Pinkston and those who want to maintain a monopoly on education.
In almost all sectors of the economy, competitive markets outperform state monopolies and people generally like consumer choice. No child should be condemned to being uneducated because of the zip code in which he lives. I support Governor Lee's effort to improve education in Tennessee. Local school board members are often indebted to the local teachers union who helped elect them and they also become protective of their school system's bureaucracy. In Nashville our education system is failing our children. The number of failing schools in increasing. Our local schools are getting worse, not better. Consumer choice will show local school boards the failure of the system they manage and they don't want that. Will Pinkston has been an opponent of choice and reform since serving on the school board. Educating children is a state responsibility, those who advocate reform should not let people like Will Pinkston stand in the way of delivering an education to our children.
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Bill Freeman is not running for mayor.
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| Bill Freeman |
I have chosen not to run in the election for Mayor of Nashville, and it has been the hardest decision I’ve ever had to make. In many ways, I feel that this time in Nashville’s history is the singular point where I could have made a positive impact on the direction of our city. I’ve arrived at this difficult decision for personal reasons, and I am so grateful to the many people who encouraged me to consider running for this office.
So many people have told me that they felt I was the right person at the right time, and I will forever appreciate their encouragement and their insight. There can be no greater compliment than being asked to run for an elected position and being told that you would make an excellent candidate to represent the will of the people.
Nashville is indeed at a critical point in our growth. Our finances are making it challenging to ensure that we plan properly for a successful and productive future while at the same time taking care of the practical problems facing us today. We need to make sure that we treat our Metro employees like we would like to be treated. Those of us who take on the difficult work that we ask of them—our law enforcement officers, our teachers, our emergency responders, our fire fighters—deserve to be appreciated with compensation fitting for their service.
We need to plan accordingly for our growth but also make sure that we do not leave behind those who need our help the most—our minority communities, our residents who work hard but still struggle to provide for themselves and their families and those of us who must work harder just to overcome the disadvantages that life has put before them. We can’t allow Nashville’s growth and vigor to push everyone but our most successful residents to the side. I hope and pray that our next Mayor and those who he or she trusts to conduct our city’s business keeps these needs at the forefront of the work they do every day. We are putting our trust in their hands, and it will be their responsibility to shepherd Nashville to the future we all will enjoy.
While my decision is to refrain from entering this race, it is still important that we all continue to support our elected officials with their decisions. We should also volunteer our expertise, our concerns and our time to serve our city in those areas we each consider that need the most help, be it homelessness, youth outreach, education, hunger or any other segment of our community that could benefit from our efforts. I thank those who are closest to me for their wise counsel and for so many of you who have encouraged me to enter the race. It would have been my greatest honor to serve as mayor of Nashville, and I will always appreciate the encouragement I’ve received.
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Sunday, March 10, 2019
Governor Lee presents conservative budget proposal highlighting job growth, public safety and education improvements
by Senator Jack Johnson, NASHVILLE, Tenn., March 7,
2019 – Governor Bill Lee presented
his first State of the State / Budget Address to the General Assembly Monday
evening outlining his proposals for the 2019-2020 budget year. The proposed budget continues Tennessee’s
strong fiscal stewardship which has earned the state triple-A bond ratings with
the nation’s top credit rating agencies and recognition as one of the best
financially managed states in the U.S.
It also makes key investments to promote job growth, improve education,
expand rural opportunities, and enhance public safety.
In addition, the
Governor offered initiatives to modernize healthcare and make it more
affordable.
Lawmakers went
straight to work Tuesday morning examining budget details. The Senate Finance, Ways and Means Committee
heard testimony from administration officials who gave a budget overview and
answered numerous questions about the spending plan. Committee members expressed strong support
for the Governor’s plan to add a record-breaking deposit to the Rainy Day Fund
that will lift the state’s savings account to a historic high of $1.1
billion. The fund is critical in times
of emergency or a downturn in the economy.
The $38.6 billion budget
represents a 1.1 percent growth and cuts $42.2 million in costs without
compromising services. It also does not
take on any long-term debt. On tax
relief, the proposal provides $10 million to fund legislation repealing the
amusement tax on gym memberships which has disproportionately impacted small
business owners. The tax relief legislation
advanced through the Senate Revenue Subcommittee this week. The tax, which is exempted for gyms over
15,000 square feet, serves as a disincentive for physical fitness centers at a
time when Tennessee is ranked 40th in the nation for physical
activity and 35th for adult obesity. Illnesses related to diabetes,
hypertension, and cardiovascular disease costs Tennessee directly and
indirectly more than $5.3 billion annually.
The Senate’s nine
standing committees have scheduled a combined 59 hearings to review individual
budgets of all departments and agencies of state government over the next five
weeks.
The full speech
is available on Governor Lee’s
website
and the proposed budget is available on the Department of Finance &
Administration website.
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"Rainbow Stew," is a better theme song for The Green New Deal than "Big Rock Candy Mountain."
All the cops have wooden legsAnd the bulldogs all have rubber teeth/And the hens lay soft-boiled eggs
The farmers' trees are full of fruit
And the barns are full of hay
Oh I'm bound to go
Where there ain't no snow
Where the rain don't fall
The wind don't blow
In the Big Rock Candy Mountains
I woke up this morning and it came to me! The lines I were thinking about were not in Big Rock Candy Mountain, but in a Merle Haggard song, Rainbow Stew. No wonder I was confused, the songs have a similar theme. Both talk about free bubble-up and rainbow stew. Rainbow Stew had to be influenced by Big Rock. Here are the lines that make Rainbow Stew a better theme song for The Green New Deal than Big Rock Candy Mountain.
Also, Merle Haggard's song is more catchy than the Big Rock song. Here it is:When they find out how to burn water
And the gasoline car is gone
When an airplane flies without any fuel
And the satellite heats our homeBut one of these days when the air clears up
And the sun comes shinin' through
We'll all be drinkin' that free bubble-ubb
And eatin' that rainbow stew
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