More Tennesee Republican voter suppression: They pass a bill to prohibit non-citizens from voting in our elections.

by Rod Williams, April 8, 2022- The Tennessee General Assembly this week gave final approval to legislation that prohibits non-U.S.citizens from participating in federal, state, or local elections in Tennessee. The House of Representatives passed House Bill 2128 in March and the Senate companion version passed this week. 

House Bill 2128 ensures that no local government entity grants voting rights to any individual who is not a United States citizen for an election.

Information about House Bill 2128 can be found here.

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Rank Choice Voting faces Election Commisison discussion today. The Charter Revision Commssion voted against it. Status in doubt.

The Election Commission is today discussing Rank Choice Voting.  I am unsure if the Commission is voting on it or simply "discussion" it. Councilman Rosenberg is the sponsor of this proposal. I assume he has met with Election Commission staff and talked to election commissioners and explained the concept. I would assume he will be at today's meeting.  The position of the Election Commission will have an influence on the Metro Council. 

The Charter Revision Commission met on April 12th and vote 3 to 2 against recommendation. For something like this to pass, it has to have the buy-in from a lot of people.  In this particular case, not only does if have to jump a bunch of hurdles to be adopted but then the public must approve it in a public referendum. Government changes very slowly, which can be both bad and good.  It takes forever for government to kill a no longer needed program or adopt cost saving measures.  On the other hand, this cumbersome process and inertia keeps government from jumping on the latest fad or responding to the passions of the moment.  

On Tuesday April 16th the measure received exactly 27 votes on a resolution before the Council. That is the minimum required to be considered as part of a group of amendments the council will vote on to place on the ballot for the August 1 general election. Before it goes to the ballot however, this proposal, called Amendment A, would  have to be approved again, along with the other considered amendments, sand receive another 27 favorable vote minimum. This vote is scheduled for May 7. 

Even it this passes the Council and is approved in referendum by the public, that does not necessarily mean it becomes law. Tennessee Elections Coordinator Mark Goins has said state law doesn’t allow ranked-choice voting. I don't see much point in passing something inconsistent with State law. However, I approve of the concept.  If I was serving in the Council I would vote for this if I believed Goins opinion was in error, however if I was convinced that it did in fact violate state law I would vote against it. I do not think the Council should be putting before the public questions that would adopt policies contrary to law. If it does violate state law, then efforts should be made to change state law before advancing the policy at the local level.

The way rank choice voting would work is like this:  When you go to vote, if voting for mayor for instance, you would select your first choice, then select a second choice if the first choice is not elected, then a third choice. One could rank all of them if one wanted. If no one receives a majority, the candidate with the lowest votes would be eliminated and the second choice of those who voted for the candidate eliminated, would have their second choice votes distributed and added to the tally of the remaining candidates. If this gave a candidate a majority, that would be the winner.  If not, then again the candidate with the lowest vote total would be eliminated and the second choice of those voters would have their second choice votes allocated, until a candidate had a majority.  This would eliminate the need for a runoff election.

To read the resolution that contains Amendment one, follow this link. 

To read the legal analysis of the Council staff attorney, follow this link.

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Early voting dates, times and locations

Early voting began today Wednesday, October 17, 2018 and will continue through Thursday, November 1, 2018. Below are the dates and times for early voting

Date	Time
Wednesday, October 17	8 a.m.–4:30 p.m.
Thursday, October 18	8 a.m.–7 p.m.
Friday, October 19	8 a.m.–5:30 p.m.
Saturday, October 20	8 a.m.–4:30 p.m.
Monday, October 22	8 a.m.–5:30 p.m.
Tuesday, October 23	8 a.m.–7 p.m.
Wednesday, October 24	8 a.m.–4:30 p.m.
Thursday, October 25	8 a.m.–7 p.m.
Friday, October 26	8 a.m.–5:30 p.m.
Saturday, October 27	8 a.m.–4:30 p.m.
Monday, October 29	8 a.m.–5:30 p.m.
Tuesday, October 30	8 a.m.–7 p.m.
Wednesday, October 31	8 a.m.–4:30 p.m.
Thursday, November 1	8 a.m.–7 p.m.

Early Voting Locations

• Belle Meade City Hall, 4705 Harding Pike,Nashville, TN 37205
• Bellevue Library, 720 Baugh Road, Nashville, TN 37221
• Bordeaux Library, 4000 Clarksville Pike, Nashville, TN 37218
• Casa Azafrán Comm. Center, 2195 Nolensville Pike, Nashville, TN 37211
• Edmondson Pike Library, 5501 Edmondson Pike, Nashville, TN 37211
• Goodlettsville Comm. Center, 200 Memorial Dr, Goodlettsville, TN 37072
• Green Hills Library, 3701 Benham Ave, Nashville, TN 37215
• Hermitage Library, 3700 James Kay Lane, Hermitage, TN 37076
• Madison Station Fifty Forward, 301 Madison Street, Madison, TN 37115
• Howard Office Building, 700 2nd Ave S, Nashville, TN 37210
• Southeast Library, 5260 Hickory Hollow Pkwy, Antioch, TN 37013

To view a sample ballot follow this link.

Helpful Information: 

• Election Day is November 6th.
• Voting Hours on Election Day: the polls are open 7:00 am – 7:00 pm.
• Photo ID: Voters must present a photo ID issued by the Federal or Tennessee state government, unless exception applies. You do not have to present your Voter Registration Card to vote.
• Election Day Voting Location: On Election Day, you must vote at your assigned polling place. Use the Polling Place Finder at www.nashville.gov/voteto identify your assigned location .
• Change of Address: If you have moved within Davidson County and not updated your address, you may do so during Early Voting. If voting on Election Day, go to your new polling location where you can change your address and vote.

Visit the Election Commission Department web site for more information

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Why I did not vote for Lesser Evil. Why I did not vote for the crook or the jerk.

by Rod Williams, Nov. 6, 2016- I early-voted on Thursday and voted for Evan McMullin.  It is not that I expect him to win, but I do not view elections as a game of sport where you put your money on a winner. I know it feels good to vote for a winner; we all like to win, but surely elections are about more than feeling good because your team won.

There is no way, I could ever have voted for Hillary Clinton.  I don't need to list all of the reasons why. If you know anything about the issues, you know why a conservative could not support Hillary. You also know why a person who believes character and ethics are important could not vote for Hillary.  Despite all of the other reasons I could never vote for her, her endangering national security by the way in which she mishandled classified information disqualifies her, in my view.  The only way I could have voted for Hillary was if I thought that her opponent was so despicable that she was the lesser of two evils and if I had the deciding vote. There was a time or two when it might have been a close call as to who I thought was the greater evil, but on balance, I think it is Hillary.

So, while I could not vote for Hillary, I could not bring myself to vote for Donald Trump either.  His view on trade, growing the government, and increased spending were all factors, as was his crude comments and attitudes. His attitude toward women is almost as bad of that of Hillary Clinton who enabled her serial abuser husband and smeared and demeaned her husbands victims. It was not only women, however, who he demeaned but John McCain for getting captured, a disabled reporter, Hispanics and Muslims. Trump is a jerk. I do not want to vote for a person like that.  Also, his lack of self control, his view toward NATO and nuclear proliferation leads me to think he is unfit to be Commander-in-Chief.  (For more, see Why I cannot vote for Donald Trump)

I have been told that a vote for McMullin was a vote for Hillary or that I wasted my vote. That is not the way I see it. As far as my vote being a wasted vote, then unless you pick the winner, your vote is always a wasted vote.  There has never been any doubt that Tennessee's eleven votes were going to go to Trump. My not voting for Trump in no way affects the outcome of this election. We do not have a national election for president; we have 50 state elections for president.  Even if I did hold my nose and vote for Trump, it would not cancel out a Hillary vote cast in another state. The system simply does not work that way.

I can not vote for the crook or the jerk.  When neither candidate comes up to your minimal level of  standard of acceptability then I think you do not have an obligation to vote for the lesser evil. Voting for a third party candidate or writing in a name is an honorable and moral thing to do, rather than voting for evil. Not voting is also a moral option and is not an indication you do not care. Not voting may be a statement that you are not going to choose between evil choices. I would have felt slimy if I would have voted for either Hillary or Trump. I don't feel slimy.

For more on why you should not be pressured into choosing between Big Evil or Lesser Evil see these articles.

No, you don’t have to vote for Clinton or Trump, by Ramesh Ponnuru, American Enterprise Institute.

No, My Vote for a 3rd Party Candidate Is NOT a Vote for Your Opponent, by Brandon Morse, Red State

You Are Not Morally Obligated to Vote for the Lesser of Two Evils, by Robert Coleman, Foundation for Economic Education. 

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All Early Voting Locations Open

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If you are not sure who to vote for tomorrow, just don't vote. Don't be shamed into voting.

Tomorrow is election day and probably in tomorrows newspaper there will be an editorial that says you really ought to vote and that shame on you if you don't vote.  While I want to turn out the vote for my candidate David Fox, but if you don't give a damn who is the next mayor, if you don't normally pay attention to politics, then don't vote.

You will be told you have an obligation to vote. You do not. Just ask Barack Obama. Before becoming president, as a U. S. Senator, he abstained from voting on very many occasions and on very important issues. He simply voted “Present” time and time again. So, if Barack Obama did not bother to vote while serving in the US Senate, why should you?

A lot of people - important people, never bother to vote. Do you know who Bill Frist is? He is a famous Tennessean who was former Senate majority leader. Before he was elected to public office he didn't vote for 18 years when he could have voted. John Edwards? He was a former Senator from North Carolina who almost got the Democratic Party nomination for President a few years ago. He has since been disgraced in a sex scandal. Anyway, until he ran for office he hardly ever voted. My point is, that if famous politicians like Senator Bill Frist, and Senator John Edwards did not bother to vote until they decided to run for office, why don't you just wait until you decide to run for office and then start voting.

Remember some years ago when you voted for Obama and the people who wanted you to vote for him told you that if you did not, that any number of bad things might happen: homes would get foreclosed, unemployment would increase, a war would continue, and we would all die from global warming?

Well, you voted for Obama and all of those things happened anyway, except we did not all die from global warming, but his administration did nothing about global warming so you wouldn't have died from global warming anyway.

OK, a few years ago you wanted to vote because that was a historic election and the Nation elected its first Black president. I understand that. You did your part. You were part of history. That is not the case this time. This election is just boring. It is not a historical election. It is just an election for mayor of Nashville. Be honest. How excited can you get about Megan Barry or David Fox?

Some people will tell you that not voting is a sign of a weak democracy and a sign that you just don’t care. Well, I am here to tell you that not voting is not a sign of a weak democracy or not caring. You could interpret not voting as a sign that things must be going so well, that people see no reason to vote. When the actions of government are so unimportant that people don’t feel compelled to vote, that is a sign that people must be pretty content and pretty certain that those who do vote will make the right decision. Not voting is a vote of confidence.

You should not let anyone shame you into voting. You should not vote unless you are real informed and confident in your decision. Don't let anyone tell you it is your patriotic duty to vote. It is unpatriotic to cast an uninformed vote. What if you vote the wrong way and the person you vote for does something to really screw up the world? Do you want that responsibility?

Voting casually without being certain of your vote is wrong. Casting your vote should be a sober, thoughtful decision. Casting an unsure vote is sort of like driving drunk. So, if you don’t feel certain that you are qualified to vote or have adequately studied the issues; please don’t vote. If you haven't been paying attention, don't vote. If you get most of your news from Saturday Night Live and The Colbert Report, and don't know about Metro's debt obligation and what the property tax rate is, then please do not vote.

Some people will tell you that if you don’t vote you have no right to complain. I don't know who started that lie. It is just not true. By not voting, you are not giving up the right to complain.

I don’t want you to vote. You see, if you don’t vote, my vote carries more weight. If only 33% of the people vote, it is like I am voting for three people; if 50% of the people vote it is like I am voting for only two people. I don’t want you to dilute my vote. Let me vote for you. I have studied the issues. I am qualified to vote.
Voting is difficult. It is very complicated to figure out how to do it right. The new electronic machines are real difficult to figure out and anyway, with the electronic machines, how do your even know your vote is counted? Also, the lines are often real long and it can take a lot of your time. And, it might rain tomorrow.

You do know that if you vote, you will probably get called to jury duty? Also, I understand that this year immigration officials will be at the voting places looking for illegal immigrants. There are always a lot of police at the voting places too. A lot of outstanding warrants are served on Election Day. Voter registration records are public records so the police know who will be voting so it is easy pickings to serve warrants. I have heard that officials also stake out the voting place to look for people who are behind on their child support.

So, if I were you, I and I didn't feel well-informed on the issues and qualified to make a very important decision that will have an important impact on the lives of hundreds of thousands of people,  I just wouldn’t vote.

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Tuesday, July 7th is the last day to register to vote, in order to vote in the August 6th election

If you are not registered to vote, Tuesday, July 7th is the last day to do so, in order to vote in the August 6th election to vote for the next mayor, vice mayor, council members at-large, district council members and three proposed charter amendments.

While there are several places where one my pick up voter registration forms, since Tuesday is the last day to register, there is not time to register by mail. To register in person, go to the Davidson County Election Commission office at one of these two locations:

• Election Commission Main Office: 1417 Murfreesboro Pike, Nashville, TN 37217.
• Satellite Election Commission Office in the Howard School office complex,  800 2nd Avenue South,  4th Floor,  Nashville, TN 37210

The hours of operation for these facilities is 8:00am to 4:30pm.

Be sure and bring identification with you. Only U.S. citizens may register. Convicted felons may not register. Occasionally people not eligible to register get registered at the Division of Motor Vehicles when applying for or renewing auto tags or drivers license.  Even if someone mistakenly registered a person to vote, it is still a felony for that person to cast a vote if not eligible to vote.

If you were once registered to vote and have not voted in a while, it may be possible that your voter registration has been purged. To check the status of your voter registration, follow this link.

All voters must  present a Tennessee or federal ID containing the voter’s name and photograph when voting at the polls, whether voting early or on Election Day.

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DUMB PEOPLE SHOULDN'T VOTE

President Obama recently suggested that voting should be mandatory in the U.S. It's already mandatory in 26 countries, in bastions of democracy such as North Korea, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Egypt . Some agree with Obama and think everyone should vote. I actually think that is a terrible idea. Mandatory voting is a basic denial of freedom of expression. Sometimes one may not vote because their is not much choice and none of the candidates represent your point of view.  One may not vote because you know you are going to vote Republican and your wife is going to vote Democrat so if you both abstain you have the same impact as if you had both voted. One may not vote because one simply does not care and pays no attention to politics or current events and feels unqualified to choose their leaders.

Not only do I think mandatory voting is a terrible idea, but I think pressuring people to vote by making them think it is their patriotic duty and making them feel guilty is a bad idea.  The Tennessean ran an essay recently and lamented Tennessee's low voter turnout.  "Civic engagement and voter participation are essential to preserving and protecting our democracy," the author said.  I don't agree.  I don't think simply having a greater number of voters helps preserve and protect our democracy. I would prefer a smaller number of informed voters rather than a larger number of uninformed voters.

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Why I am not voting for Bill Haslam

I think Bill Haslam has made an excellent governor. He has governed with common sense conservative values. He and the Republican-controlled legislature have advanced education reform and cut taxes and increased government efficiency. I could hardly be more pleased with a governor that I am Governor Haslam.  So why am I not voting for Haslam in the upcoming election?  Because I am in favor of all four proposed constitutional amendments.

It is designed to be difficult to amend our State constitution. In order for an amendment to pass, it does not just have to have more people vote for it than vote against it. A proposed amendment must get one more vote than 50% of the number of people who vote in the Governor's race.

For sake of simplicity assume 100,000 people vote in the governor's race. Assume not everyone who votes will vote on the amendments.  There are some people who feel duty-bound to vote in every election but who may feel too uninformed about the amendments to cast a vote. Assume that 50,000 people vote for Amendment one and 45,000 vote against it. Does it pass? No. It would have required 50,001 votes to pass.

Now assume some people vote for Amendment one and do not vote in the governor's race. Assume only 95,000 vote in the governor's race and 50,000 vote for amendment one and 45,000 vote against it. Does it pass? Yes. One more than 50% of those voting for governor in this example is 47501. By not voting in the governor's race, you are lowering the threshold of the number required for an amendment to pass.

What is the risk of doing this?  Mark Rogers a local Republican Party activist whose opinion I value said there is considerable risk.  He spoke on this subject at a meeting of Caffeinated Conservatives yesterday. He said many of the vote-no-on-amendment-1 people will be driven to the polls by this issue alone. Despite that Charlie Brown is a clown and no one knows hardly anything about him and he has no credentials and experience, the no-on-one voters will vote for the Democratic nominee for Governor. Rogers says by failing to vote for Haslam, we could end up with Charlie Brown being our governor.

Is this likely? I seriously doubt it.  I just do not think that many people will vote for Charlie Brown.  If Haslam had a serious challenger I would not be advocating this strategy. While I respect Mark Roger's opinion, I think he is wrong.  Not that many people will understand the value of abstaining from voting in the governors race. So, I am going to risk it and vote for the amendments and vote in races down-ballot and abstain from voting for governor. To lower the threshold of the required number necessary for an amendment to pass, will not require that many people to abstain from voting in the governors race. A few people abstaining from voting in the governor's race could make the difference in the vote on the constitutional amendments.

If you understand what I have been explaining there no need to read further.  Some people cannot grasp that if more people vote for an amendment than vote against it, that is does not pass. Talking to them one-on-one and seeing their comments on Facebook, some people are just not convinced that that is correct. It is.

Here is the Wikipedia explanation:

Under the legislative method (which is a quite lengthy process), the Tennessee General Assembly must pass a resolution calling for an amendment and stating its wording, and must do so in three separate readings on three separate days, with an absolute majority on all readings. The resolution does not require the governor's approval.

The amendment must then be published at least six months before the next legislative election, but is not placed on the ballot at that time. Instead, once the legislative election is held, the proposed amendment must go another three readings, three day voting process. At this stage the amendment now requires approval of 2/3 of the legislature on each vote.

Finally, the amendment is placed on the ballot as a referendum coinciding with the next gubernatorial election. For the amendment to pass, the number of yes votes must be greater than one-half the number of votes cast for governor.

Here is the wording from the State constitution:

Article XI, Section 3 of the Tennessee State Constitution

Any amendment or amendments to this Constitution may be proposed in the Senate or House of Representatives, and if the same shall be agreed to by a majority of all the members elected to each of the two houses, such proposed amendment or amendments shall be entered on their journals with the yeas and nays thereon, and referred to the General Assembly then next to be chosen; and shall be published six months previous to the time of making such choice; and if in the General Assembly then next chosen as afore-said, such proposed amendment or amendments shall be agreed to by two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, then it shall be the duty of the General Assembly to submit such proposed amendment or amendments to the people at the next general election in which a governor is to be chosen. And if the people shall approve and ratify such amendment or amendments by a majority of all the citizens of the state voting for governor, voting in their favor, such amendment or amendments shall become a part of this Constitution. When any amendment or amendments to the Constitution shall be proposed in pursuance of the foregoing provisions the same shall at each of said sessions be read three times on three several days in each house.

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Could non-citizens decide the November election?

By Jesse Richman and David Earnest, Washington Post, October 24 - Could control of the Senate in 2014 be decided by illegal votes cast by non-citizens? Some argue that incidents of voting by non-citizens are so rare as to be inconsequential, with efforts to block fraud a screen for an agenda to prevent poor and minority voters from exercising the franchise, while others define such incidents as a threat to democracy itself. Both sides depend more heavily on anecdotes than data.
 
In a forthcoming article in the journal Electoral Studies, we bring real data from big social science survey datasets to bear on the question of whether, to what extent, and for whom non-citizens vote in U.S. elections. Most non-citizens do not register, let alone vote. But enough do that their participation can change the outcome of close races. (read more)

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Sample ballot for the Davidson County Nov. 4th election with recommendations

Below is a sample ballot for the Davidson County Nov. 4th election with my recommendations. I have not included the satellite city ballots.

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Monday ends statewide voter registration drive

Monday, October 8th ends statewide voter registration drive for Republicans and Independents. (Democrat voter registration drive ends Monday Oct.15th.) If you know anyone who should be registered, please register them by Monday.

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July 8th is registration deadline for the August 7th election.

Do you know a Republican in Davidson County 

who is not registered to vote?

The deadline for registering to vote for the August 7 election is only days away!  The last day to register to vote in person or by postmark with the Davidson County Election Commission is July 8, 2014.  Please don’t wait until the last day!

If you have voted or registered within the last 8 years, you are still registered and do not need to register again. For forms, requirements and other information, please visit the Davidson County Election Commission’s Register to Vote page by clicking here.  You can also confirm your registration status by visiting the “Am I Registered?”page on the election commission’s website. Early voting schedule HERE

In the August 7 election, every vote will count and our Republican candidates are counting on every vote—including yours!

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Rand Paul Diverges From His Party Over Voter ID

By JEREMY W. PETERS, The New York Times, MAY 9, 2014, MEMPHIS — Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky broke Friday with fellow Republicans who have pushed for stricter voting laws as a way to crack down on fraud at the polls, saying that the focus on such measures alienates and insults African-Americans and hurts the party.

“Everybody’s gone completely crazy on this voter ID thing,” Mr. Paul said in an interview. “I think it’s wrong for Republicans to go too crazy on this issue because it’s offending people.” (link)

 

My Comment: I think Rand Paul is trying too hard to find his niche. I do think we should remove the prohibition against convicted felons being allowed to vote. Once you have paid your debt to society, I think your voting rights should be restored. I know that would benefit Democrats more than Republicans since there are more Democrats who are felons than Republicans but it is the right thing to do.  However, I am absolutely in favor or the requirement that you must show an ID in order to vote. I am soon going to be 67 years old and I still have to show an ID to buy beer! I have to show an ID to board a plane or cash a check. We should not back off on requirements that one show an ID to vote.

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Update 2: Metro Council Agenda for Tuesday, September 18, 2012

You can get your own copy of the Metro council meeting agenda at this link:Metro Council Agenda. From the agenda you can link to the analysis.

Council meetings can be really, really boring if you don't know what the Council is voting on. With an agenda and analysis, they are just really boring.

I read the analysis and agenda for you so you don't have to. Below are the things that I think are worth being aware of that are on this agenda.

There are a lot of resolutions that simply accept grants in this agenda.

There are eight resolutions that propose amendments to the Metropolitan Charter for consideration on the November 6, 2012 ballot. All but two are innocuous housekeeping things. Below are the worth being aware of:

• RS2012-279 by Tygard, Proposal seeks to merge all elections: A proposal to save money by having Nashville’s mayoral, vice mayoral and Metro Council elections at the same time as other elections is raising concerns among council members who might not support it enough to give voters a say in the matter.(link to Tennessean story). 

I have reservations about extending the current term of the Mayor and Vice Mayor and Council without an election. Also, I fear that if the Council is on the same ballot as the federal and state elections, that very little attention would be paid to Council elections. Even more people may just vote for a name that sounds familiar rather than making informed decisions. However, by voting for this resolution, that simply allows the issue to be placed on the ballot, so I might would vote for it despite some reservations. I don't feel that strongly about it  and could be convinced it is a wise move. It would save money.

• RS2012-377 by Garrett, proposes an amendment to the Charter to clarify the duties of the sheriff’s office. Currently the Sheriff is the keeper of the jail and has no law enforcement functions. The Sheriff's office has been participating in the 287(g) program, which identifies and processes immigration offenders in our correctional facilities. There was an anticipated challenge to this program, claiming the charter did not permit the Sheriff to perform this law enforcement function. and this amendment would have removed the threat of that  potential challenge. However, the term of the 287(g) agreement expires in October 2012, and the sheriff has decided not to seek reauthorization.  While there may be a few other things the Sheriff does that constitute law enforcement, I am not sure this is needed if we are not going to do the 287(g). In any event the urgency is gone for doing it. I, at this point, do not have an opinion and want to see what the Public Safety committee recommended. The charter revision commission only recommended approval by a vote of 4 to 3.

RS2012-410 by Tygert appropriates $400,000 from the general fund reserve fund (4% fund) to the election commission to purchase 200 additional electronic poll books. This was confusing and controversial last Council meeting, when this expenditure was pulled out of a much larger expenditure resolution. To watch that exchange follow this link. The discussion starts at 1:28 in the video. I don't know what has happened since the last Council meeting, so I don't know if this will sail on through or if there will be continuous debate. The election commission is dominated by Republicans as required by State law. Last election there was some problems with the limited use of the new electronic poll books being used for the first time.  The election commission as already said they will not be using the new electronic poll books in the November election. Their is some legitimate concern about the new poll books and there is some politics at play and grandstanding. 

RS2012-412 by Matthews, approves an agreements between TVA, NES and Metro for the purchase, interconnection, and operation of electricity generated by solar units installed at two fire halls. These solar units were installed at a cost of $50,000 each and Metro will receive a credit of $0.12 per kilowatt hour generated and generate roughly 15% of the electricity needs of the two fire halls. I want to know, how many years will it be before the city breaks even?  Is this a wise investment or a politically correct feel-good measure?  I don't know, but would like to know. I hope someone does the math and ask the question. 

RS2012-413 by Matthews  approves an application for a $144,772 grant to the mayor’s office to implement a program designed to help families build assets and make the most of their financial resources. The program will involve partnering with the United Way to provide counseling services that will include various topics such as business ownership, improving credit, increasing employability, and increasing financial literacy. There would be a required in-kind local match of $105,311. Having spend a lot of my career working in programs that teach people better money management skills and  similar programs, I am supportive of programs like this. Some programs like this can really help people if they are well designed and well executed. I am in favor of programs that help lift people out of poverty  rather than programs that simply subsidize poverty.

ORDINANCE NO. BL2012-237 on second reading amends the Metro Code to implement a number of the recommendations of the study and formulating committee pertaining to employee and retiree benefits and pensions. This ordinance would basically curtail the benefits of employees going forward. This is a wise move. Many cities are going broke because of liberal defined benefit packages and retirement plans.

ORDINANCE NO. BL2012-241 by Dominy, on second reading amends the Metropolitan Code to require the annual contract for services between the Metropolitan Government and the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce for the Partnership 2020 economic development program to be approved by resolution of the council and would require 21 affirmative votes to be approved. This is a good bill. Metro pays much more of the government contribution to Partnership 2020 than the other nine governments, but it often appears we do not get the bulk of the benefit. The Council should look at the plan annually to determine if Metro's level of commitment is appropriate.

ORDINANCE NO. BL2012-228 would allow up to 20 hens to be kept on school property for educational purposes on lots of five or more acres in the GSD. There are other restrictions.
 
BILL NO. BL2012-195 by  Council Members Burkley Allen, Erica Gilmore, and Edith Taylor Langster is on third and final reading. This bill would rezone more than 1500 properties over a 450 acre area in Midtown (between Charlotte and West End from I-440 to downtown). (link to what the Tennessean has to say about this.)

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Obama’s NLRB Gets Smacked Down: District Court Rules Arizona’s Secret-Ballot Amendment Is Constitutional

You may recall back in 2010, when Barack Obama’s union-appointees at the National Labor Relations Board began showing their true union colors, voters in Arizona, South Carolina, South Dakota and Utah passed secret-ballot amendments to their state constitutions as a preemptive measure to thwart the Obama Administration’s (and unions’) efforts to pass legislation calling for unionization without elections. (link)

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Judge Barbara Haynes had no picture Id at the polls

Former Nashville judge Barbara Haynes voted provisionally after not having voter ID 

Former Metro judge Barbara Haynes, the wife of State Sen. Joe Haynes, was forced to vote provisionally in today’s election after not having a state or federally issued photo ID with her. (link)

Am I the only one that thinks this was a contrived occurrence to make a point and get her picture in the paper? She is a judge, for God's sake. She should know the law.  Maybe if she is that stupid she doesn't deserve to be a judge. I am just not accepting this at face value.  I'm not buying it.

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A final reminder to vote in today's election.

Republicans: If you haven't voted yet, you have until 7:00 PM tonight to vote in your neighborhood precinct.

Democrats:  If you haven't voted yet, you have until 7:00 PM tomorrow to vote in your neighborhood precinct.

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Today is election day. Please don't vote.

Today is election day. Please don't vote. Don't vote unless you already know who you are going to vote for and you know why. Don't vote unless it is an informed vote. Don't just go push a button because you saw a lot of that person's yard signs.

You have probably been told you have an obligation to vote. You do not; just ask Barack Obama. Before becoming president, as a U. S. Senator, he abstained from voting on very many occasions and on very important issues. He simply voted “Present” time and time again. So, if Barack Obama did not bother to vote while serving in the US Senate, why should you?

Do you know who Bill Frist is? He is a famous Tennessean who was former Republican Senate majority leader. Before he was elected to public office he didn't vote for 18 years when he could have voted. He was busy being a doctor he said.  Remember John Edwards? He was a former Senator from North Carolina who almost got the Democratic Party nomination for President. He has since been disgraced in a sex scandal. Anyway, until he ran for office he hardly ever voted. My point is, that if famous politicians like Bill Frist, and John Edwards did not bother to vote until they decided to run for office, why don't you just wait until you decide to run for office and then start voting.

Remember four years ago when you voted for Obama and the people who wanted you to vote for him told you that if you did not that any number of bad things might happen: homes would get foreclosed, unemployment would increase, a war would continue, and we would all die from global warming.

Well, you voted for Obama and all of those things happened anyway, except we did not all die from global warming, but his administration did nothing about global warming so you wouldn't have died from global warming anyway.

Some people will tell you that not voting is a sign of a weak democracy and a sign that you just don’t care. Well, I am here to tell you that not voting is not a sign of a weak democracy or not caring. You could interpret not voting as a sign that things must be going so well, that people see no reason to vote. When the actions of government are so unimportant that people don’t feel compelled to vote, that is a sign that people must be pretty content and pretty certain that those who do vote will make the right decision. Not voting is a vote of confidence.

You should not let anyone shame you into voting. You should not vote unless you are real informed and confident in your decision. Don't let anyone tell you it is your patriotic duty to vote. It is unpatriotic to cast an uninformed vote. What if you vote the wrong way and the person you vote for does something to really screw up the world? Do you want that responsibility?

Voting casually without being certain of your vote is wrong. Casting your vote should be a sober decision. Casting an unsure vote is sort of like driving drunk. So, if you don’t feel certain that you are qualified to vote or have adequately studied the issues; please don’t vote. If you haven't been paying attention, don't vote. If you get most of your news from Saturday Night Live and The Colbert Report, please do not vote.

Some people will tell you that if you don’t vote you have no right to complain. I don't know who started that lie. It is just not true. By not voting, you are not giving up the right to complain.

I don’t want you to vote. You see, if you don’t vote, my vote carries more weight. If only 33% of the people vote, it is like I am voting for three people; if 50% of the people vote it is like I am voting for only two people. I don’t want you to dilute my vote. Let me vote for you. I have studied the issues. I am qualified to vote.

Voting is difficult. It is very complicated to figure out how to do it right. The new electronic machines are real difficult to figure out and anyway, with the electronic machines, how do your even know your vote is counted? Also, the lines are often real long and it can take a lot of your time.

You do know that if you vote, you will probably get called to jury duty? Also, I understand that this year immigration officials will be at the voting places looking for illegal immigrants. There are always a lot of police at the voting places too. A lot of outstanding warrants are served on Election Day. Voter registration records are public records so the police know who will be voting so it is easy pickings to serve warrants. I have heard that officials also stake out the voting place to look for people who are behind on their child support.

So, if I were you, I wouldn’t vote.

If you still want to vote, then trust me. I have studied the issues. Go to the links below and follow my recommendations:

 My endorsements for the August 2nd election

My endorsements for School Board

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Please Don't Vote for Ben Griffin!

Tomorrow is Election Day. Please Don't Vote for Ben Griffin! If you were going to vote for Ben Griffin, please don't vote. Let me tell you why.

There is no Ben Griffin.  I mean, there is probably a Ben Griffin somewhere, but he is not a candidate running for Metro Council in the August 4th race tomorrow. Two political scientist at Vanderbilt University, Cindy Kam  and Elizabeth Zechmeister conducted a study a few weeks ago to test name recognition and voter preference. The following except from a Vandy press release explains it:

Kam and Zechmeister had the fictitious name “Ben Griffin” printed on political yard signs and placed on the lawn of a cooperating homeowner. The home was located on a street near a local elementary school. The researchers had previously determined that about half of all school traffic would pass by the location of the fictitious signs.

Three days after the signs were posted, the nearby school’s Parent Teacher Organization, which was cooperating with the professors, emailed the school’s parents a link to a short internet survey. Parents were asked to complete the survey in order to earn $5 per family for the school.

Survey respondents were asked to select their top three choices for the county’s at-large council seats. The seven options included the five actual incumbent candidates running for office along with two fictitious candidates, one of whom was Ben Griffin.

Kam and Zechmeister found that nearly a quarter of the respondents who had driven by the signs for the fictitious Ben Griffin placed him among their top three choices for the at-large council seats. Kam and Zechmeister found that nearly a quarter of the respondents who had driven by the signs for the fictitious Ben Griffin placed him among their top three choices for the at-large council seats. Meanwhile, only about 14 percent of the respondents in the control group (those who would not have driven by the fictitious candidate signs) placed Griffin among their top three choices.

“The 10 percent difference is sizable given the small number of days we carried out the experiment and how unobtrusive the yard signs were,” Zechmeister said.

Please, please, if you are going to vote based solely on name recognition, if you have not studied the candidates, if you don't know why you are going to vote the way you will vote, let me tell you who to vote for or do everyone else a favor and just don't vote!

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