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Thursday, June 15, 2023
TEA files lawsuit over new Tennessee law blocking automatic dues withdrawals
By Jon Styf, The Center Square, Jun 13, 2023 - The Tennessee Education Association has filed a lawsuit over a law that eliminates the option for automatic payroll dues deductions for its public employee members.
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee signed the bill in May to end the collection of dues for professional employee organizations as an automatic payroll withdrawal, effective July 1.
The bill also included a minimum teacher pay increase incrementally from the current $40,000 to $50,000 for the 2026-27 school year by bumping the minimum to $42,000 in the fall, $44,500 the next year and continuing to rise.
“Sliding a payroll dues deduction ban in a bill to raise the minimum pay was a cynical attack on Tennessee teachers. The ban was mean-spirited, and the way it passed was unconstitutional,” said TEA President Tanya Coats. “We filed this suit to protect the rights of our members and highlight the missteps made by the administration when they pushed this attack on teachers. We look forward to our day in court.”
The Lee Administration and the Tennessee Department of Education are defendants in the lawsuit, which claims the bill violates a single-subject requirement for bills, the details weren’t included in the bill’s caption and doesn’t disclose the bill repeals the Professional Educators Collaborative Conferencing Act, the state’s negotiation law.
The group said thousands of members utilize the automatic withdrawals.
“The law is unconstitutional, and we filed suit to protect the rights of our membership to have their voluntary dues deducted from their paychecks, something they have been able to do for many decades as a matter of convenience and at no cost to school districts,” said Steve McCloud, TEA’s chief attorney. “Singling out public school educators, who are mostly female, and treating them differently than other public servants is just wrong and serves no public purpose. Tennessee’s public school teachers deserve the same respect our laws give to state employees, firefighters, and law enforcement.”
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A Look at Some of the Most Competitive Metro Council Races
at-large Council contest and nine of the most competitive district races. For each district they featured, a map of the Council district and a picture of the candidates and an article on the race. Read it this link.
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Don’t let knee-jerk partisan tribalism prevent you from reading the Trump boxes indictment critically.
By DAN MCLAUGHLIN, National Review, June 15, 2023 - ... the facts matter, the law matters, and the spirit and practice of due process matter in distinguishing what is true from what is not. A thing as consequential as the first-ever federal indictment of a former president demands that we scrutinize it with real seriousness. ... An indictment is not evidence ... No president before Trump has ever been indicted. ... The political incentive for the Biden DOJ to damage Trump politically is powerful. ... federal law enforcement in particular, have severely damaged their credibility ...
Despite all the flaws of the DOJ and the FBI, they remain professional organizations. ... there is the stuff in the indictment that comes from documentary, photographic, or recorded evidence. It is always possible, but highly unlikely, that this is fabricated. ... Nearly all of the testimony that would support the factual allegations in this case, however, would come from Donald Trump’s own employees, mainly his lawyers. ... Trump undoubtedly knew that he had the documents in his possession and that they contained things that were not supposed to be shown to anyone without security clearance. He’s allegedly on tape saying so. (Read it all at this link)
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Tuesday, June 13, 2023
The Trevecca Mayoral Forum was underwhelming. I did not hear what I wanted to hear.
by Rod Williams, June 13, 2023- I missed last Wednesday's mayoral forum that took place at Trevecca Nazarene University. This one was sponsored by Civic Design Center, Neighbor 2 Neighbor, Transit Alliance of Mid TN, Urban Housing Solutions, and Walk Bike Nashville. Having had a long-time interest in the topic of transportation and having spent a career in the affordable housing field, I was especially interested in the topic of this forum. I had my ticket but missed it- I got a better offer. An unexpected opportunity arose to go to Santa Rosa Beach, Florida with my daughter and grandson for a few days and I took it. I had a great time.
Fortunately, the forum was recorded and posted to Facebook, and I got to see it. I must say I am underwhelmed.
First of all, with ten candidates on stage there simply is not sufficient time for candidates to lay out a policy position or articulate a vision. Also, missing from the forum was the candidate that I am leaning toward supporting, Alice Rollie. I know a candidate can't attend every event and I assume she had a good reason, but I wanted to see what she had to say on the topic of this forum.
The program had a couple questions where each candidate had 60 seconds to answer the question and maybe a couple more questions where candidates had 10 seconds. In total each candidate had about 3 minutes of speaking time. By the time the program was over I could not recall which candidate said what. No one stood out. No one distinguished himself from the other candidates in any significant way.
Secondly, the questions were soft-ball questions. One question asked of each of the candidates, when was the last time you used an alternative form of transportation. So, we learned that some of the candidates walk. Another question was about how to make people feel like they have a voice in Metro government. Time could have been better spent by asking more probing, hard policy questions.
Another disappointment with the forum is that I don't think any of the candidates have a vision. I heard much of what I have heard before. Candidates repeated the same refrain of more of the same. They advocated things like more bus lines, building affordable housing on bus lines, a dedicated source of transit funding, public-private partnerships to build affordable housing, syncing of traffic lights, better planning for sidewalks, and filling potholes, and cutting the permitting process time for new construction. We have done all of this before or it has been at least advocated it before. Different day- same song.
Of all of the candidates the one that seemed like he had given more thought to the issues and seemed like he had some passion and insight on the topic of this fourm was Freddie O'Connell. This is by no means an endorsement. I probably agree with O'Connell on very little, but if anyone came out ahead from his performance at this forum, it was O'Connell.
What I wanted was a bold statement that showed passion and thinking outside the box. I wanted a candidate to say that is ridiculous to build only 3.8 miles of sidewalk in a year and then brag about it as if it is an accomplishment. I wanted someone to say that under his administration we will stop ripping up barely worn serviceable sidewalks and replacing them with new sidewalks but instead with build sidewalks where there are not now sidewalks. I wanted someone to say that when we allocate $60 million for sidewalks and only get 3.5 miles of new sidewalks that something is wrong. I wanted a candidate to say he would do more for less and build, baby build.
On affordable housing I wanted a candidate to say that under his administration, we would recognize that a lot of the problem with the absence of affordable housing is the result of Metro policies. When you downzone great swaths of the County to single-family-only on large lots that that leads to housing scarcity and less affordable housing. I wanted a candidate to recognize that property tax increases diminish the supply of affordable housing. I didn't hear from any of the candidates what I wanted to here.
If you want to watch the video, at the start of the program each candidate gives an opening video statement just about who they are. That is worth watching if you do not know who's who. The actual forum does not start until timestamp 22:07. Also, you can cut the viewing time by watching it at a faster speed and not lose any content.
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Monday, June 12, 2023
Candidate forum for District 25
From District 25 Council Member Russ Pulley, June 12, 2023- On June 27, 2023 at 7pm, I will host a forum for the community to become better acquainted with the candidates running for the District 25 seat on the Metro Council in the upcoming election. That forum will be held at Stowe Hall in the Swang Business Center on the Lipscomb University campus.
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Nashville YR June Meeting, w/Riley Gaines Barker, June 14, 5:45 pm, Bold Patriot Brewery, 410 39th Ave N, Nashville.
Riley Gaines is an American former competitive swimmer from Gallatin, Tennessee, who competed for the University of Kentucky NCAA swim team. She was the 2022 Southeastern Conference Women's Swimming and Diving Scholar-Athlete of the Year. Gaines has campaigned against the inclusion of trans women in the women's division of sports.
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The Public Has a Right To See the Nashville Shooter's Writings
"In the collective writings by Hale found in her vehicle in the school parking lot, and others later found in the bedroom of her home, she documented, in journals, her planning over a period of months to commit mass murder at The Covenant School," Metropolitan Nashville police announced April 3. "The writings remain under careful review by the MNPD and the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit based in Quantico, Virginia. The motive for Hale's actions has not been established and remains under investigation by the Homicide Unit in consultation with the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit. It is known that Hale considered the actions of other mass murderers." ...
... Was Hale motivated by anti-Christian bias? By childhood experiences as an alumnus of the school? By earlier school shooters? Did the debate over trans identity play a role? What about self-defense rights and access to firearms? Did Hale take common security measures into account and plan around them? There's plenty of reason for researchers, reporters, activists, and people in general to want to see what Hale left behind. ...
Anti-gun activists have already tried to build a case for restrictive laws on the crime. Others insist the murderer was motivated by anger over the treatment of trans people. People deserve to know what they contain. Suppressing the documents just makes everybody suspect the worst about their contents.
Whatever is in the writings, the public has the right to see them. And government officials have neither the right nor the credibility to stand in the way. (read it all)
Rod's Comment: The public has a right to know. Also, why is this not routinely being referred to as a "hate crime?" If a straight person had committed a mass shooting at a gay night club, it would be called such by everyone. Also, was she taking hormone drugs and would such drugs cause suicidal thoughts or irrational thoughts of violence? Did she kill because the school was a Christian school? Was she motivated by transexual ideology?
Release the manifesto!
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Middle Tennessee zoning policies contributing to unaffordable housing
Local and state policies have contributed to an environment where housing prices have outpaced the median income.
"Tennesseans, whether renting an apartment or trying to buy their first house, are dealing with record rising home costs, particularly in Middle Tennessee,” said Beacon Policy Director Ron Shultis. “And while most point to record growth and people moving into our community to explain higher costs, one cause has escaped criticism: zoning. Through lines drawn on a map, local governments arbitrarily limit the supply of housing, especially more affordable options like accessory dwelling units (such as in-law suites), duplexes, and multi-family housing."
The report, which includes a full housing atlas, shows that multi-family housing like apartments are banned on 94% of Middle Tennessee land and duplexes are banned on 59% of land. Only 11% of Nashville allows apartments while Maury County allows affordable housing on 96% of land while Forest Hills, Brentwood, and Sumner County effectively ban them.
"Both state and local policymakers should enact pro-housing reforms to make Tennessee cities a more welcoming and affordable place for low and middle-income residents,” Shultis said. “By passing pro-housing reforms such as reducing the restrictions on ADUs and allowing more mixed-use and multi-family development, policymakers can increase the supply of homes and drive down costs."
Accessible dwelling units, such as mother-in-law suites, are allowed on 57.8% of Middle Tennessee land while ADUs can be rented to non-family members on just 34% of land.
“With Tennessee, and Middle Tennessee specifically, experiencing large in-migration as people flee high-tax states, zoning exacerbates the problems that have led to record housing cost increases,” the report says. “While there is understandably a concern over affordable housing in Middle Tennessee, the cause of this affordable housing crisis is often misplaced. Only through reforming the arbitrary red tape of zoning codes can we solve this government-created crisis.”
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Sunday, June 11, 2023
Wilson County Schools has a library Mature Reading List. Parents must give permission before their child may read books from this list.
by Rod Williams, June 11, 2023- The Tennessee Conservative reports that the Wilson County School Board removed two more books from Wilson County School libraries last week despite the county’s Book Review Committee recommending keeping them on the Mature Reading List. I am not familiar with the two books that were removed and do not know if they should have been removed or not. However, unless there is a strong reason to override the committee set up for the purpose of making such recommendations, I would tend to defer to the Committee. You can read more about this issue at this link.
I did not even know schools had mature reading list. I approve. I think parents should be the ultimate authority on what their child may watch or read. Schools should not undermine the values of parents. There is a public interest in protecting children, but there must be a balance between what is in the public interest and what is within a parent's purview as to how they want to raise their child. This is just one of conflicting values that we must grapple with in a free self-governing republic with both majority rule and individual liberties. I would defer in most cases to parents, but at the same time I would not let the most narrow-minded set the ceiling on what is permissible for other children to see or read or hear. Also, I would be much more tolerant of "mature" books being available as opposed to being required reading.
In deferring to parental wishes as to how they wish to raise their child, this applies to more than just what books they may read. Take nudity or drag show entertainment. If a parent wants to take their child to a nudist colony or a drag show, the State should not be in the business of overruling the wishes of the parent and determining that drag shows or a naturalist lifestyle is inappropriate for minors. Sex abuse or child labor protections or child physical abuse are within the realm of public interest but for the most part the state should defer to the parent.
When I think about restricting what may be taught or made available in School and how that is determined, I think about my father. My dad was a good man. He had a stick moral code and was very much opposed to alcoholic beverages of any kind. When growing up he would not allow us to watch any TV shows that had drinking. I would be in the midst of watching a western, like Bonanza and Hoss would walk in a bar and order a whiskey and my dad would say, "Turn that off. We are not having that in our house."
I would seethe with anger and maybe I am still a little mad about it when I think about it. My dad also opposed dancing, cards, dice, immodest clothes and mixed swimming. He also thought the teaching of evolution should be banned. I would not have wanted my father to decide what books were in the school library.
In the case of the mature reading list for books in the school library in Wilson County, the books on the list can only be viewed by a child whose parents have given permission for their child to have access. Currently, the School Board is grappling with the wording of that permission statement parents must sign in order for children to see books on that list.
The list is available at this link. In looking at the list, I have read these books: The Kite Runner, The Handmaid's Tale, Slaughterhouse Five, and Where the Crawdad's Sing. If I had a child I would not be opposed to him or her reading any of these books. I would be glad they are reading rather than watching Tic Tok. I would sign the permission slip.
The mature reading list is interesting. It has a link that reviews each book and applies a rating to the book.
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AIER's Bastiat Society of Nashville guest speaker Grant Starrett, on "How the dollar once limited government," July 13th.
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AIER's Bastiat Society of Nashville invites you to join us on Tuesday, July 13th for an event with Grant Starrett, Vice President of Acquisitions at Lion Real Estate Group, and on Tuesday, August 15th for an event with Peter T. Calcagno, Professor of Economics and Director of the Center for Public Choice & Market Process at the College of Charleston.
Registration for these events is required on the Nashville Chapter website. To register, click here.
July 13th discussion with Grant Starrett:
Amidst the highest inflation in decades, Grant Starrett revisits the Founders' views on sound money, how they gave those views power in the Constitution with the explicit intent to limit the size of government and how we abandoned the original meaning (as we have with so many other clauses). If you're wondering how the federal government got so big, there really are two answers: that we abandoned the original meaning of the Constitution and the federal government rearranged its own financing. As Grant reveals, the two are intricately related.
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August 15th discussion with Peter T. Calcagno:
August 15th discussion with Peter T. Calcagno:
Why has the United States experienced steadily rising deficits in the modern budget era, despite nearly five decades of legislative attempts to achieve fiscal discipline? Much of what the economics profession has written about U.S. public debt misses the central problem. Traditional approaches argue that rising deficits and accumulating debt pose risks of financial, fiscal, and economic crises or that rising deficits and the accumulated debt are not major problems but are instead the preferred solution to economic instability and slow growth.
None of these approaches can explain the Modern Budget Era Problem, which consists of two contrasting facts. On the one hand, U.S. fiscal policy has experienced a half century of business-as-usual deficits and mounting debt, even during non-emergency periods. On the other hand, business-as-usual deficits have unfolded despite 50 years of Congressional attempts to legislate fiscal discipline.
We trace the roots of today's fiscal policy problems to changes in informal institutions, or fiscal norms, during the 1880-1930 period. During this period, the prevailing informal institution changed from what has been called the Balanced Budget Norm (BBN) to what we call the Deficit-as-Policy Norm (DAP). In short, "informal norms trump formal constraints".
Eventbrite Ticket Required. Registration link coming soon.
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