A rule in the Middle Tennessee’s federal district court that prevented public speech from lawyers on their cases was lifted on May 15.
The rule was central to a lawsuit filed by local attorney Daniel Horwitz in 2024 after he was barred from speaking publicly about his cases against CoreCivic, the private prison company.
by Rod Williams, May 20, 2025- To read the full Tennessean story follow this link.
Daniel Horwitz is a local attorney who has been involved in several civil liberties cases in Nashville over the years, taking on big government's trampling of free speech rights and the imposition of bureaucratic policies that curtail liberties.
I became acquainted with Horwitz back in about 2012 when he advocated for the right of a company to provide ridesharing service. This was before Uber was a thing, and the city was committed to protecting taxi companies from competition. For more on that effort read The indefensible public policy of shielding big taxi companies from competition, by Horwitz. I reported on developments in that fight extensively on this blog
In this current victory overturning a rule that curtailed the free speech rights of attorneys, Horwitz was represented by the Institute for Justice. The Institute for Justice is a non-profit civil liberties organization. They have been involved in several high-profile cases here in Nashville over the years. They were involved in the ridesharing case mentioned above.
You may be familiar with the case Joy Ford. Joy Ford owned a small recording studio in the Music Row area and the city tried for years to take her property by imminent domain and sell the property to her bigger neighbor. Eventually Ford won. She was represented by The Institute for Justice.
Institute for Justice is one of the organizations I support with my charitable giving. To learn more about the organization, follow this link. Daniel Horwitz blogs Supreme Court of Tennessee Blog.
A big congratulations to Daniel Horwitz and The Institute for Justice.
by Rod Williams - President Trump gave the best speech of his presidency! At a time when cultural Marxist would blast Mt. Rushmore to smithereens it they had their way, when leftist anarchist are tearing down our country and toppling our country's monuments, President Trump chose Mt. Rushmore as the backdrop to give his 4th of July speech. This speech may go down in history as one of the best Presidential speeches ever delivered, unless it is those who want to destroy America end up being the ones who write that history.
This speech, at times brought a lump to my throat and made me want to stand and cheer. This is the speech that needed to be given during these troubling times when America's culture, history, and institutions are under attack like very few times in our history.
Here is the full text of President Donald Trump's speech at South Dakota's 2020 Mount Rushmore Fireworks Celebration in Keystone, South Dakota:
Well, thank you very much. And Gov. Noem, Secretary Bernhardt — very much appreciate it — members of Congress, distinguished guests, and a very special hello to South Dakota. As we begin this Fourth of July weekend, the first lady and I wish each and every one of you a very, very Happy Independence Day. Thank you. Let us show our appreciation to the South Dakota Army and Air National Guard, and the U.S. Air Force for inspiring us with that magnificent display of American air power – and of course, our gratitude, as always, to the legendary and very talented Blue Angels. Thank you very much. Let us also send our deepest thanks to our wonderful veterans, law enforcement, first responders, and the doctors, nurses, and scientists working tirelessly to kill the virus. They're working hard. I want to thank them very, very much. We're grateful as well to your state's Congressional delegation: Sens. John Thune — John, thank you very much — Sen. Mike Rounds — thank you, Mike — and Dusty Johnson, Congressman. Hi, Dusty. Thank you. And all others with us tonight from Congress, thank you very much for coming. We appreciate it. There could be no better place to celebrate America’s independence than beneath this magnificent, incredible, majestic mountain and monument to the greatest Americans who have ever lived. Today, we pay tribute to the exceptional lives and extraordinary legacies of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and Teddy Roosevelt. I am here as your president to proclaim before the country and before the world: This monument will never be desecrated — these heroes will never be defaced, their legacy will never, ever be destroyed, their achievements will never be forgotten, and Mount Rushmore will stand forever as an eternal tribute to our forefathers and to our freedom. We gather tonight to herald the most important day in the history of nations: July 4th, 1776. At those words, every American heart should swell with pride. Every American family should cheer with delight. And every American patriot should be filled with joy, because each of you lives in the most magnificent country in the history of the world, and it will soon be greater than ever before. Our Founders launched not only a revolution in government, but a revolution in the pursuit of justice, equality, liberty, and prosperity. No nation has done more to advance the human condition than the United States of America. And no people have done more to promote human progress than the citizens of our great nation. It was all made possible by the courage of 56 patriots who gathered in Philadelphia 244 years ago and signed the Declaration of Independence. They enshrined a divine truth that changed the world forever when they said: "All men are created equal." These immortal words set in motion the unstoppable march of freedom. Our Founders boldly declared that we are all endowed with the same divine rights — given [to] us by our Creator in Heaven. And that which God has given us, we will allow no one, ever, to take away — ever. Seventeen seventy-six represented the culmination of thousands of years of western civilization and the triumph not only of spirit, but of wisdom, philosophy, and reason. And yet, as we meet here tonight, there is a growing danger that threatens every blessing our ancestors fought so hard for, struggled, they bled to secure. Our nation is witnessing a merciless campaign to wipe out our history, defame our heroes, erase our values, and indoctrinate our children. Angry mobs are trying to tear down statues of our Founders, deface our most sacred memorials, and unleash a wave of violent crime in our cities. Many of these people have no idea why they are doing this, but some know exactly what they are doing. They think the American people are weak and soft and submissive. But no, the American people are strong and proud, and they will not allow our country, and all of its values, history, and culture, to be taken from them. One of their political weapons is "Cancel Culture" — driving people from their jobs, shaming dissenters, and demanding total submission from anyone who disagrees. This is the very definition of totalitarianism, and it is completely alien to our culture and our values, and it has absolutely no place in the United States of America. This attack on our liberty, our magnificent liberty, must be stopped, and it will be stopped very quickly. We will expose this dangerous movement, protect our nation’s children, end this radical assault, and preserve our beloved American way of life. In our schools, our newsrooms, even our corporate boardrooms, there is a new far-left fascism that demands absolute allegiance. If you do not speak its language, perform its rituals, recite its mantras, and follow its commandments, then you will be censored, banished, blacklisted, persecuted, and punished. It’s not going to happen to us.
Make no mistake: this left-wing cultural revolution is designed to overthrow the American Revolution. In so doing, they would destroy the very civilization that rescued billions from poverty, disease, violence, and hunger, and that lifted humanity to new heights of achievement, discovery, and progress.
To make this possible, they are determined to tear down every statue, symbol, and memory of our national heritage.
[Man in the crowd shouts: Not on my watch!] True. That's very true, actually. That is why I am deploying federal law enforcement to protect our monuments, arrest the rioters, and prosecute offenders to the fullest extent of the law. I am pleased to report that yesterday, federal agents arrested the suspected ringleader of the attack on the statue of Andrew Jackson in Washington, D.C. — — and, in addition, hundreds more have been arrested. Under the executive order I signed last week — pertaining to the Veterans' Memorial Preservation and Recognition Act and other laws — people who damage or deface federal statues or monuments will get a minimum of 10 years in prison. And obviously, that includes our beautiful Mount Rushmore. Our people have a great memory. They will never forget the destruction of statues and monuments to George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant, abolitionists, and many others.
The violent mayhem we have seen in the streets of cities that are run by liberal Democrats, in every case, is the predictable result of years of extreme indoctrination and bias in education, journalism, and other cultural institutions. Against every law of society and nature, our children are taught in school to hate their own country, and to believe that the men and women who built it were not heroes, but that were villains. The radical view of American history is a web of lies — all perspective is removed, every virtue is obscured, every motive is twisted, every fact is distorted, and every flaw is magnified until the history is purged and the record is disfigured beyond all recognition. This movement is openly attacking the legacies of every person on Mount Rushmore. They defile the memory of Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, and Roosevelt. Today, we will set history and history's record straight. Before these figures were immortalized in stone, they were American giants in full flesh and blood, gallant men whose intrepid deeds unleashed the greatest leap of human advancement the world has ever known. Tonight, I will tell you and, most importantly, the youth of our nation, the true stories of these great, great men.
From head to toe, George Washington represented the strength, grace, and dignity of the American people. From a small volunteer force of citizen farmers, he created the Continental Army out of nothing and rallied them to stand against the most powerful military on Earth. Through eight long years, through the brutal winter at Valley Forge, through setback after setback on the field of battle, he led those patriots to ultimate triumph. When the Army had dwindled to a few thousand men at Christmas of 1776, when defeat seemed absolutely certain, he took what remained of his forces on a daring nighttime crossing of the Delaware River. They marched through nine miles of frigid darkness, many without boots on their feet, leaving a trail of blood in the snow. In the morning, they seized victory at Trenton. After forcing the surrender of the most powerful empire on the planet at Yorktown, General Washington did not claim power, but simply returned to Mount Vernon as a private citizen. When called upon again, he presided over the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, and was unanimously elected our first President. When he stepped down after two terms, his former adversary King George called him "the greatest man of the age." He remains first in our hearts to this day. For as long as Americans love this land, we will honor and cherish the father of our country, George Washington. He will never be removed, abolished, and most of all, he will never be forgotten. Thomas Jefferson — the great Thomas Jefferson — was 33 years old when he traveled north to Pennsylvania and brilliantly authored one of the greatest treasures of human history, the Declaration of Independence. He also drafted Virginia's constitution, and conceived and wrote the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom, a model for our cherished First Amendment. After serving as the first Secretary of State, and then Vice President, he was elected to the Presidency. He ordered American warriors to crush the Barbary pirates, he doubled the size of our nation with the Louisiana Purchase, and he sent the famous explorers Lewis and Clark into the west on a daring expedition to the Pacific Ocean. He was an architect, an inventor, a diplomat, a scholar, the founder of one of the world’s great universities, and an ardent defender of liberty. Americans will forever admire the author of American freedom, Thomas Jefferson. And he, too, will never, ever be abandoned by us. Abraham Lincoln, the savior of our union, was a self-taught country lawyer who grew up in a log cabin on the American frontier. The first Republican President, he rose to high office from obscurity, based on a force and clarity of his anti-slavery convictions. Very, very strong convictions. He signed the law that built the Transcontinental Railroad; he signed the Homestead Act, given to some incredible scholars — as simply defined, ordinary citizens free land to settle anywhere in the American West; and he led the country through the darkest hours of American history, giving every ounce of strength that he had to ensure that government of the people, by the people, and for the people did not perish from this Earth. He served as Commander-in-Chief of the U.S. Armed Forces during our bloodiest war, the struggle that saved our union and extinguished the evil of slavery. Over 600,000 died in that war; more than 20,000 were killed or wounded in a single day at Antietam. At Gettysburg, 157 years ago, the Union bravely withstood an assault of nearly 15,000 men and threw back Pickett’s charge. Lincoln won the Civil War; he issued the Emancipation Proclamation; he led the passage of the 13th Amendment, abolishing slavery for all time — and ultimately, his determination to preserve our nation and our union cost him his life. For as long as we live, Americans will uphold and revere the immortal memory of President Abraham Lincoln.
Theodore Roosevelt exemplified the unbridled confidence of our national culture and identity. He saw the towering grandeur of America’s mission in the world and he pursued it with overwhelming energy and zeal. As a Lieutenant Colonel during the Spanish-American War, he led the famous Rough Riders to defeat the enemy at San Juan Hill. He cleaned up corruption as Police Commissioner of New York City, then served as the Governor of New York, Vice President, and at 42 years old, became the youngest-ever President of the United States. He sent our great new naval fleet around the globe to announce America’s arrival as a world power. He gave us many of our national parks, including the Grand Canyon; he oversaw the construction of the awe-inspiring Panama Canal; and he is the only person ever awarded both the Nobel Peace Prize and the Congressional Medal of Honor. He was — American freedom personified in full. The American people will never relinquish the bold, beautiful, and untamed spirit of Theodore Roosevelt. No movement that seeks to dismantle these treasured American legacies can possibly have a love of America at its heart. Can't have it. No person who remains quiet at the destruction of this resplendent heritage can possibly lead us to a better future.
The radical ideology attacking our country advances under the banner of social justice. But in truth, it would demolish both justice and society. It would transform justice into an instrument of division and vengeance, and it would turn our free and inclusive society into a place of repression, domination, and exclusion. They want to silence us, but we will not be silenced. [Crowd member: We love you!]
Thank you. Thank you very much. Thank you very much. We will state the truth in full, without apology: We declare that the United States of America is the most just and exceptional nation ever to exist on Earth.
We are proud of the fact — that our country was founded on Judeo-Christian principles, and we understand — that these values have dramatically advanced the cause of peace and justice throughout the world. We know that the American family is the bedrock of American life. We recognize the solemn right and moral duty of every nation to secure its borders. And we are building the wall. We remember that governments exist to protect the safety and happiness of their own people. A nation must care for its own citizens first. We must take care of America first. It's time. We believe in equal opportunity, equal justice, and equal treatment for citizens of every race, background, religion, and creed. Every child, of every color — born and unborn — is made in the holy image of God. We want free and open debate, not speech codes and cancel culture. We embrace tolerance, not prejudice. We support the courageous men and women of law enforcement. We will never abolish our police or our great Second Amendment, which gives us the right to keep and bear arms. We believe that our children should be taught to love their country, honor our history, and respect our great American flag. We stand tall, we stand proud, and we only kneel to Almighty God. This is who we are. This is what we believe. And these are the values that will guide us as we strive to build an even better and greater future.
Those who seek to erase our heritage want Americans to forget our pride and our great dignity, so that we can no longer understand ourselves or America's destiny. In toppling the heroes of 1776, they seek to dissolve the bonds of love and loyalty that we feel for our country, and that we feel for each other. Their goal is not a better America, their goal is the end of America. In its place, they want power for themselves. But just as patriots did in centuries past, the American people will stand in their way — and we will win, and win quickly and with great dignity. We will never let them rip America's heroes from our monuments, or from our hearts. By tearing down Washington and Jefferson, these radicals would tear down the very heritage for which men gave their lives to win the Civil War; they would erase the memory that inspired those soldiers to go to their deaths, singing these words of the Battle Hymn of the Republic: "As He died to make men Holy, let us die to make men free, while God is marching on." They would tear down the principles that propelled the abolition of slavery in America and, ultimately, around the world, ending an evil institution that had plagued humanity for thousands and thousands of years. Our opponents would tear apart the very documents that Martin Luther King used to express his dream, and the ideas that were the foundation of the righteous movement for Civil Rights. They would tear down the beliefs, culture, and identity that have made America the most vibrant and tolerant society in the history of the Earth. My fellow Americans, it is time to speak up loudly and strongly and powerfully and defend the integrity of our country. It is time for our politicians to summon the bravery and determination of our American ancestors. It is time. It is time to plant our flag and protect the greatest of this nation, for citizens of every race, in every city, and every part of this glorious land. For the sake of our honor, for the sake of our children, for the sake of our union, we must protect and preserve our history, our heritage, and our great heroes. Here tonight, before the eyes of our forefathers, Americans declare again, as we did 244 years ago: that we will not be tyrannized, we will not be demeaned, and we will not be intimidated by bad, evil people. It will not happen. We will proclaim the ideals of the Declaration of Independence, and we will never surrender the spirit and the courage and the cause of July 4th, 1776.
Upon this ground, we will stand firm and unwavering. In the face of lies meant to divide us, demoralize us, and diminish us, we will show that the story of America unites us, inspires us, includes us all, and makes everyone free.
We must demand that our children are taught once again to see America as did Reverend Martin Luther King, when he said that the Founders had signed "a promissory note" to every future generation. Dr. King saw that the mission of justice required us to fully embrace our founding ideals. Those ideals are so important to us — the founding ideals. He called on his fellow citizens not to rip down their heritage, but to live up to their heritage. Above all, our children, from every community, must be taught that to be American is to inherit the spirit of the most adventurous and confident people ever to walk the face of the Earth.
Americans are the people who pursued our Manifest Destiny across the ocean, into the uncharted wilderness, over the tallest mountains, and then into the skies and even into the stars. We are the country of Andrew Jackson, Ulysses S. Grant, and Frederick Douglass. We are the land of Wild Bill Hickock and Buffalo Bill Cody. We are the nation that gave rise to the Wright Brothers, the Tuskegee Airmen — Harriet Tubman, Clara Barton, Jesse Owens, George Patton — Gen. George Patton — the great Louie Armstrong, Alan Shepard, Elvis Presley, and Mohammad Ali. And only America could have produced them all. No other place.
We are the culture that put up the Hoover Dam, laid down the highways, and sculpted the skyline of Manhattan. We are the people who dreamed a spectacular dream — it was called: Las Vegas, in the Nevada desert; who built up Miami from the Florida marsh; and who carved our heroes into the face of Mount Rushmore.
Americans harnessed electricity, split the atom, and gave the world the telephone and the Internet. We settled the Wild West, won two World Wars, landed American astronauts on the Moon — and one day very soon, we will plant our flag on Mars.
We gave the world the poetry of Walt Whitman, the stories of Mark Twain, the songs of Irving Berlin, the voice of Ella Fitzgerald, the style of Frank Sinatra — the comedy of Bob Hope, the power of the Saturn V rocket, the toughness of the Ford F-150 — and the awesome might of the American aircraft carriers.
Americans must never lose sight of this miraculous story. You should never lose sight of it, because nobody has ever done it like we have done it. So today, under the authority vested in me as President of the United States — I am announcing the creation of a new monument to the giants of our past. I am signing an executive order to establish the National Garden of American Heroes, a vast outdoor park that will feature the statues of the greatest Americans to ever live.
From this night and from this magnificent place, let us go forward united in our purpose and re-dedicated in our resolve. We will raise the next generation of American patriots. We will write the next thrilling chapter of the American adventure. And we will teach our children to know that they live in a land of legends, that nothing can stop them, and that no one can hold them down. They will know that in America, you can do anything, you can be anything, and together, we can achieve anything.
Uplifted by the titans of Mount Rushmore, we will find unity that no one expected; we will make strides that no one thought possible. This country will be everything that our citizens have hoped for, for so many years, and that our enemies fear — because we will never forget that American freedom exists for American greatness. And that's what we have: American greatness.
Centuries from now, our legacy will be the cities we built, the champions we forged, the good we did, and the monuments we created to inspire us all.
My fellow citizens: America's destiny is in our sights. America's heroes are embedded in our hearts. America's future is in our hands. And ladies and gentlemen: the best is yet to come. This has been a great honor for the first lady and myself to be with you. I love your state. I love this country. I'd like to wish everybody a very happy Fourth of July. To all, God bless you, God bless your families, God bless our great military, and God bless America. Thank you very much.
by Rod Williams - Below I have listed the outcomes of each of theraces on the August 1 ballot and have provided some commentary. Where you see links, if you will follow that link your will get more detailed election data on that race and more commentary.
The election was a mixed result. It was not a disaster. I am very pleased that John Cooper came out on top in the race for mayor and will go into the runoff with momentum. I am pleased that Steve Glover made the runoff. He faced some talented and popular competition. Now, if conservatives will give him the money to compete and if they will vote and will "one-shot" vote for Glover, he can win this thing. I was worried about Robert Swope.When I saw he won, I let out a whoop of joy. He is one of the very best councilmen serving and was being targeted for defeat. Some other good councilmen were also elected.
I was disappointed that Tony Tenpenny did not win outright and defeat the very liberal Ginny Welsch, but that race is not over. He can beat her in a runoff. I was disappointed that Tim Garrett did not win. Overall however, if we can win the Tony Tenpenny race and the Thom Druffell race and if Steve Glove can win at-large we will have a better council than we now have. Most importantly, is the mayor's race. With the structure of Metro government, big decisions come from the top. If Cooper can win, Metro's direction can be changed, a financial disaster avoided and services can improve. I am hopeful and encouraged. Here is the run down on each of the races:
District 1: Jonathan B. Hall easily beat back his challengers taking 83% of the vote. I was supporting Hall.
District 2: DeCosta Hastings and challenger Kyonzté Toombs will be in a runoff.
District 3: Jennifer Gamble wins without a runoff, beating two other candidates.
District 4: Robert Swope wins! Wins big! Beating back a concerted effort by the Davidson County Democrat Party
and the liberal establishment to defeat him, Robert Swope won an
overwhelming victory for reelectiion against a better funded opponent.
District 5: Sean Parker squeaks out a win without a runoff beating Pam Murray, the former council member seeking to regain a seat and Charles Flowers who had the endorsement of the liberal Nashville Business Alliance. I did not have a favorite in this race and don't know Mr. Parker, but am pleased Pam Murray was not elected. Based on limited knowledge, the best person may have won this seat.
District 6: Brett A. Withers wins reelection running unopposed.
District 7: Emily Benedict wins in a crowed field with 40.28% of the vote. She will face a runoff. Her closest rival is Clint Camp with 11.99% of the vote. This is only three votes more than third place winner Cole D. Rogers. My favorite in this race was Daniel Fitzpatrick who came in, in fourth place with 10.84% of the vote. With this kind of lead, Benedict would be hard to beat in the runoff. Unfortunately, it looks like the worst candidate won. She had the endorsement of the LGBTQ Victory Fund and WTF (Women for Tennessee's Future.)
District 8: Nancy VanReece easily won election with 73% of the vote beating challenger Danny Williams.
District 9: Tonya Hancock avoided a runoff wining 59% of the vote. I don't have any insight into this race, nor a favorite.
District 10: Zack Young beat Tim Garrett with 54% of the vote to 46%. This was a surprise and disappointment. I do not know much about Zach Young but was pulling for Tim Garrett because I know Tim. I served with him in the Council in the late 80's and I followed his career when he went on to become a state legislator. He was a fiscally conservative, pragmatic councilman and state legislator and one of the nicest people you would ever want to meet. He is part of that fading breed of conservative Democrats. He may have been the last. Tim also has deep, deep roots in the Goodlettsville community. I don't know what was taking place on the ground in the tenth district but just assumed that Tim could easily be reelected to public office. Zach Young's website does not take any particularly liberal issues but he did receive contributions from labor and "Friends of Bo Mitchell" and the endorsement of the liberal Nashville Business Alliance.
District 11: Larry Hagar won reelection running unopposed.
District 12: Erin Evans with 53% of the vote beating Geric Smith with 43% of the vote. This is a disappointment. I was supporting Smith. Evans received contributions from the California super liberal organization Code Blue PAC, and she received the endorsement of the liberal Nashville Business Alliance.
District 13: Russ Bradford with 44% of the vote will face Andrew Dixon with 41% of the vote in a runoff. I was supporting candidate Dan Meridith who unfortunately only got 15% of the vote. At this point, I know very little about the two leading vote getters except that Brandford has received money from organized labor and Code Blue PAC. The Code Blue support is reason enough to make me support his opponent.
District 14: Kevin Rhoten won reelection unopposed.
District 15: Jeff Syracuse won reelection unopposed.
District 16: Ginny Welsch and former councilman Tony Tenpenny will face each other in a September runoff. Welsch received 41% of the vote to Tenpenny's 37%. I am supporting Tenpenny. He is a conservative and has been a leader in the effort to save the fairgrounds. Welsch is extremely liberal and if elected will be the most liberal person to ever serve in the Metro Council. She was a founder of the low-power, left-wing radio station, Radio Free Nashville. She is often seen at left wing protest gatherings advocating the liberal
cause of the moment. She has advocated for singled-payer universal
health care, a minimum "living wage," and various other liberal causes.
Her contributors included LiUNA (Laborers’ International Union of North America) and WTF (Women for Tennessee's Future). She received the endorsement of The Nashville Justice League.
Please support Tony Tenpenny in his runoff election!
District 17: Colby Sledge won reelection unopposed.
District 18: Tom Cash won with 50.62% of the vote to John Green's 49.05%. I did not follow this race nor have a preferred candidate.
District 19: Freddie O'Connell won reelection running unopposed.
District 20: Mary Carolyn Roberts won reelection winning 73% of the vote to Tori Goddard's 26%. While I did not pay close attention to this race but I am pleased with the outcome and think the better candidate won.
District 21: Councilman Edward T. Kindall will face Brandon Taylor in a runoff. Kindall got 36% of the vote to Taylor's 32%.
District 22: Gloria Hausser won this seat with 50.56% of the vote.
District 23: Thom Druffel makes the runoff in District 23! He and incumbent council member Mina Johnson will face off in a September runoff. Johnson won 47% of the vote to Druffel's 43%.
Please support Thom Druffel in the runoff election!
District 24: Kathleen Murphy won reelection unopposed.
District 25: Russ Pulley won reelection unopposed.
District 27: Robert Nash won this open seat running unopposed. This is a good win.
District 28: Tanaka Vercher, incumbent council member, easily was reelected.
District 29: Delishia Porterfield, the current council member was reelected, beating her opponent Constance Smith-Burwell, by winning 76% of the vote compared to 26% of the vote.
District 30: Sandra Sepulveda and former Council member Sherry Jones will face each other in a runoff in the September 12th election. My preferred candidate in this race was Lydia Hubbell. I knew she had some disadvantages but I thought she was the best candidate running. She had health issues that kept her from doing an adequate amount of door-to-door campaigning and she was hampered by legal problems involving visitation rights with her daughter. It is hard to run a campaign with those kind of distractions and limitation. While I am disappointed that Lydia did not do better, she at least offered conservatives a choice. I am pleased that Sherry Jones did not win this vote outright. I do not want to see Jones again serve public office.
With the choice now down to Sepulveda and Jones, I will have to look at this race carefully do see which is the least bad candidate. At this point I am inclined to take a chance on Sepulveda.
The vote shares were Samdra Sepulveda 41%, Sherry Jones 38%, Lydia Hubbell 13% and Rueben Ford 8%.
District 31:John Rutherford won this open seat without opposition. I don't know anything about this person.
District 32:Joy Styles with 53% of the vote beat Cheryl D. Mayes with 46% of the vote. I did not have a preference in this race but I think the better candidate won.
District 33:Antoinette W. Lee, the incumbent, won with 64% of the vote, beating her challenger Martez Coleman who got 35% of the vote.
District 35: Councilman Dave Rosenberg wins over challenger Michelle Foreman with 61% to
39% of the vote. This is disappointing. I was supporting Michelle Foreman. I hope she stays engaged and tries again in four years when the seat will be an open seat.
At over three hours long, this is a long meeting. If you are going to watch it, it helps to know what is going on. To access an agenda, the staff agenda analysis and my commentary on the agenda follow this link.
Since this is a long meeting, I am breaking this report into two parts. This first part primarily concerns the public hearing on the Donelson Transit-Oriented Redevelopment Plan. While this plan may not be of interest to everyone, this is a big deal.
All mayoral appointees to Boards and Commissions are approved without dissent. There were several appointees to the Human Relations Commission on the agenda.
A new authority has been given to cities by the State to plan, facilitate and guide
develop around
transit stops to encourage a certain kind of development
around those stops and to give cities the authority to issue Tax
Increment Financing bonds for improvements in the designated area. This
would be the first time this authority has been used. The Donelson plan will likely be the template for when this is tool is used again, so it is important that the Council get it right.
This designation as a transit-oriented redevelopment district
would apply to the area around the Donelson stop on The Nashville Star line. This plan sits development guidelines and does a lot of different things. There is a
lot of detail in the staff analysis for those who want to know more.
The plan sits aside $10 million in TIF funding for affordable housing. TIF stand for Tax Increment Financing and is the type of financing that has funded much of the gulch development and downtown. Under TIF, instead of the tax income generated by a development flowing into the city coffers it is used to fund development in the redevelopment area. The logic for this is that without the use of this tool the development would not have occurred in first place. At one time this made scene and was a tool for redeveloping blighted area. In my view it is being abused.
I believe this new transit-oriented redevelopment authority can be a good planning tool and approve of it. However, I do have concerns. A major concern is that this may give to MDHA the authority to condemn property and take it for redevelopment without that action going back before the Metro Council. MDHA has a long history of misusing eminent domain. You may recall the case of Joy Ford, who some years ago had to fight MDHA which wanted to take her small music business office to make the property available for a larger development. That is only one of many instances where MDHA has taken property which was not in any real sence "blighted" and and simply took the property so a larger concern could develop property that would bring in more tax revenue. I could not support any bill that gives MDHA condemnation authority. In my view, all use of eminent domain should require council action. I am trying to get clarification of this point.
A whole bunch of people speak in favor of this bill and against it. Most of those speaking against say they are not really against it they just want it improved. One of those speaking against is former Councilman John Summers speaking on behalf of The Coalition of Nashville Neighborhoods. I often disagree with Summers but this time he raises several good points, one of which is that TIF money is not MHDA
money and TIF financing diverts money away from the general fund and
robs the city of the funds to support general services and instead gives
that money to support specific developments. He says instead of giving MDHA control of the TIF money and letting them decide how it is spend, he says that each project seeking TIF funding should have to come back before the Council. I agree. (see timestamp 1:04:20 for his remarks)
Several people speak against the bill saying that while it will result in the development of some units of affordable housing that it will tend to destroy more units of affordable housing than it creates. Often people oppose the development of affordable housing in their neighborhood but no one argues against the bill on those grounds. Some speak against the bill, because the bill would prohibit the establishment of twenty-some types of businesses in the overlay district. The bill is criticized because development decision making would be shifted from the democratic process of a councilmen sponsoring bills to decisions being made by MDHA. Action on the bill is deferred until June 5th. To view the public hearing and council discussion of this bill see timestamp 34 - 1:28:35.
This is the time of the year when I look at my giving for the year and make end of year gifts to organizations and causes I support. I do not belong to a church so I do not tithe or regularly support a church like many people do. Throughout the year I give to various causes but at the end of the year I take stock of my giving and make most of my donations.
My giving includes support for political causes in which I believe and to good candidates running for office. Some may think that political contribution are a separate category of giving than charitable causes but I do not agree. I fear for our country and want to preserve liberty, promote limited government, promote good government, promote justice, protect private property and promote a free market economy. I want America to remain a unique country. I do not want our nation to become a "normal" European-type social welfare state. America has been the arsenal of Democracy and the leader of the free world. We are the essential country both in power to do good and as an example of what can be.
There are evil forces in the world. It is easy to forget how the whole world was on the bring of a nuclear Armageddon at the end of the cold war and how half of the world's population was under communist domination and it is easy to forget the 100 million victims of communism. While Communism is no longer the primary threat freedom faces at this time, the views that made communism so seductive are alive and well. People are often ready to follow an ideology that promises to fix everything and they are willing to sacrifice their freedom for an idealistic utopian promise of a better tomorrow.
In my view, resisting tyranny and promoting freedom are every bit as important as finding a cure for a disease or feeding the hungry. We also, however, have a moral obligation, I believe, to help those in need. I do not think this is a collective obligation. I don't think one gains any merits when the government robs you of your earnings and gives it to someone else. The fact that you are taxed does not satisfy the obligation to be charitable.
If you examine your life and have been blessed and do not give, please consider doing so. It is so easy to simply not care and not share. I find that I am blessed when I give. Also, giving makes one more sensitive to the cause to which they give and more vested in results. One has to follow their own heart and where I choose to give, may not be the same place you choose to give but below are some of the organizations I find to be worthy of my support. If you are looking for a place to give where your money will be put to good use, I urge you to consider contributing to the following organizations.
Nashville Rescue Mission is an organization with which we are all familiar. They are the primary
agency serving Nashville's homeless. They feed them, provide shelter, and provide case management attempting to get people employed and off the street. They are a faith-based organization and do not receive government funding. The Nashville Rescue Mission saves lives and helps the most unfortunate of our city.
The Beacon Center of Tennessee is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, and independent
organization dedicated to providing expert empirical research and timely
free market solutions to public policy issues in Tennessee. They have fought for elimination of barriers to the right to earn a living. In the days before Uber and Lyft, when Nashville tried to harass and regulate out of existence a ride-sharing company, Beacon came to the defense of the company. Beacon has successfully pushed for bold reforms in education,
healthcare, economic regulation, and tax policy, among many others. They also investigate and expose government waste.
Institute for Justice fights for economic liberty including opposing unreasonable licensing laws that serve to protect certain service industries from competition. They were active in Nashville in the past when they opposed the city's efforts to shut down an early pioneer in alternative transportation. The city tried to force all providers of ride-sharing services similar to Uber or Lyft to charge a minimum fee of $40 per trip among other measure designed to stamp out alternative transportation and to protect the taxi interest. IJ also was active in Nashville in protecting the rights of a small business owner by the name of Joy Ford when the city wanted to take her music business office and sell the property to a big developer. Currently, IJ is working with The Beacon Center to challenge the city's prohibition against home-based businesses. Metro's ban makes illegal home recording studios and music teachers giving piano lessens in their home and even a one-chair hair salon. The enforcement of the ban is arbitrary. IJ has also been active in fighting civil forfeiture in which the government may seize one's property and to regain the property the owner must prove he is not engaged in criminal activity.
Judicial Watch uses the open records or freedom of information laws to investigate and uncover misconduct by government officials and litigates to hold politicians and public officials accountable who engage in corrupt activities. They also fight for fair and honest elections and defend voter ID laws and fight illegal sanctuary policies.
and
conserving Tennessee’s natural treasures. It is the
oldest accredited, statewide land trust in Tennessee.
Through collaboration with members, private landowners, local
municipalities, and state and federal agencies, they work to create parks,
establish wildlife corridors, expand existing protected public lands,
and enhance public recreation opportunities. Some of the most endangered and beautiful spots in Tennessee have been saved and made publicly accessible due to the work of this organization.
Tennessee Eagle Forum. The mission of TEF is "to enable conservative and pro-family men and women to
participate in the process of self-government and public-policy making
so that America will continue to be a land of individual liberty,
respect for family integrity, public and private virtue, and private
enterprise." The organization is highly effective and has a tireless leader in Bobbie Patray.
hundred years after the
Bolshevik Revolution, one fifth of the world’s population still lives
under single-party communist regimes in China, Cuba, Laos, North Korea,
and Vietnam. Communist regimes commit the worst and widest-scale human
rights abuses on the planet. Communism promises to make everyone equal, but delivers radical
inequality. Every time it’s tried, it ends in economic collapse or a
police state. From the famines, purges, and gulags of Soviet Russia to Mao’s Great
Leap Forward and the Killing Fields of the Khmer Rouge—from the 1989
Tiananmen Square Massacre to the Castro regime’s 2012 murder of Oswaldo
Payá—communists have killed more than 100 million people. Countless more
suffered and suffer still. Unfortunately, many are unaware of the record of communism and an entire generation of Americans is open to collectivist ideas because they don’t know the truth. This foundations tries to keep the memory of the evils of communism alive.
care for those living with the disease. I support this organization because my wife has been living with dementia for at least 16 years. Misdiagnosed as having Alzheimer's in 2003 it was not until sometime in 2015 that she was correctly diagnosed as having a different condition. By the time the she was properly diagnosed and treated, the brain damage was advanced and not reversible. Advances in diagnosing and treating dementia would have made a big difference in Louella's life and in my life as her caregiver.
Ruling Empowers Thousands of Low-Income Families to Choose the Best Education for their Children
Institute for Justice press release- Today, the North Carolina Supreme Court ruled that the state’s
Opportunity Scholarship Program is constitutional. The program, which
was enacted in 2013, helps low-income parents to afford private school
for their children whose needs aren’t being met by public schools.
Today’s decision reverses a ruling by the Wake County Superior Court,
and settles any doubts about the constitutionality of the program going
forward. “When it enacted this scholarship program, the North Carolina
legislature joined nearly 20 other states that have seen the wisdom of
giving parents additional educational opportunities for their children,”
said Institute for Justice Senior Attorney Dick Komer, who is lead
counsel for two families who intervened in the case. “The great thing
about school choice programs like North Carolina’s is that school
districts can no longer take low-income students’ continued attendance
for granted. Today’s decision means that families using scholarships not
only get access to schools better able to meet their children’s unique
needs, but the districts now have an incentive to better serve their
students. School choice benefits all students.” The Opportunity Scholarship Program provides scholarships of up to
$4,200 to low-income families to send their children to a private school
of their choice. A cloud has hung over the program since February 2014,
when Judge Robert Hobgood put the program on hold and then ruled the
program unconstitutional in August 2014. The families represented by the
Institute for Justice brought their appeal of Judge Hobgood’s decision
to the Court of Appeals, which allowed the program to continue while the
court considered the cases. In a surprise move, the Supreme Court took
the cases before they were heard before the Court of Appeals. The Supreme Court held that the North Carolina constitution
“specifically envisions that children in our state may be educated by
means outside of the public school system.” Indeed, the Court recognized
that not only do the North Carolina families receiving these
scholarships benefit from them, but that the “ultimate beneficiary” is
the citizens of North Carolina. Now, eligible families will be able to send their children to private
schools that serve their needs, and the entire state will benefit from
this new program. “The battle to save the Opportunity Scholarship Program was
hard-fought for over a year,” said IJ Attorney Renée Flaherty. “This
fledgling program can now serve North Carolina citizens for years to
come by ensuring that parents have the freedom to choose educational
options that meet their needs.” IJ client Cynthia Perry will be sending her daughter, Faith, to a private school with an Opportunity Scholarship. “This program has made it possible for Faith to leave the public
schools and to attend a school that is right for her, and we could not
be happier that the Court recognized parents’ right to choose the best
school for their child,” said Perry. “Faith’s future is now brighter
because of the Court’s decision.”
More information on the case is available at: http://www.ij.org/ncchoice. Institute for Justice is one of those organization that I support with my advocacy dollars. IJ has been active in Nashville, defending Metro Livery against price-fixing by our Metro Council that attempted to protect existing limo companies from competition and defending Joy Ford from the abuse of MDHA's use of eminent domain. There are members of our school board and other forces in Nashville and in Tennessee that are adamantly opposed to school choice. When the political process fails to support free enterprise, property rights, and parental choice it is good to know that there is an organization like IJ that can take the fight to the courts to protect basic freedoms. A victory in North Carolina may mean we do not have to refight the same battle in Tennessee. Rod
Bill Freeman just lost another point with me today with a Facebook post in which he says he would use eminent domain to take PSC Metals property for redevelopment.
Eminent domain is the government taking of ones property for a public use. Traditionally "public use" meant taking a property to build a road or a school or some such use. Starting in the 50's with urban development government began taking property to clear blight. Now "public use" means we don't like what you are doing with your property and we will take it away form you and give it to someone else who will do something better with it.
One of the most egregious examples of abuse of eminent domain in Nashville is the city taking hundreds of acres west of Vanderbilt University sometime in the 60's and giving it to Vanderbilt. Hundreds of people were forced out of their homes and much of the land still sits vacant or used for surface parking. A heroine of the decade-long fight against that condemnation was Fannie Mae Dees who the city named a park after. Many people call that park "the dragon park," but the name of the park is "Fannie Mae Dees."
Another high profile fight over condemnation, in which the city lost, was downtown on Church St. It was sometime in the 80's and I was serving in the council at the time.
The city wanted to take the property across from the downtown Presbyterian Church for Third National Bank to build a large bank office building. One of the owner's of a piece of property did not want to sell. This lingered for months in the council and the council was almost evenly split as I recall. The developer redrew their plans as to be able to build their building without taking that particular piece of property and also they offered a much higher price than was originally offered for the property and the owner voluntarily sold. I think that is one of the nicest large building downtown and it was one of the first tall buildings build downtown. The architecture pics up some Egyptian design elements inspired by the historic church across the street and the gabled top of the building reflects the Ryman auditorium design. I would prefer however that the building never be build than to abuse eminent domain to build it.
Another high profile local eminent domain case occurred across from Farmers Market when MDHA took Eaton Auto Village property to build some low-income housing. These low-income units are now selling for around $250,000 each. Eaton lost that battle as I recall, but he fought long and hard against MHDA instead of just rolling over. He ended up getting considerably more for his property than what the city offered him by holding condemnation over his head. Kenneth Eaton is a candidate for Mayor.
Another local case, this one getting national attention, was the case of Joy Ford. Ms Ford was a long time music business entrepreneur. The city wanted to take part of her property and transfer it to a big developer to build on. She would not sell. The city retaliated by closing an alley which denied tour busses access to her parking lot. The Institute for Justice came to her aid and fought on her behalf and Gail Kerr, now deceased Tennessean newspaper columnist, exposed the injustice and took up her cause. Eventually MDHA and Ms Ford worked out an arrangement where she swapped a part of a parking lot on one side of her building for a parking lot on the other side of her building and she was allowed to stay. (For more about Joy Ford)
Stories like that of Fannie Mae Dees or Joy Ford may hit a responsive cord with the public because they have a David vs Goliath feature of the little person standing up to powerful abusive government, but to take someone's land against their wishes in order to transfer it to a developer to build upon it just as wrong if we are talking about Joy Ford or PSC metals.
PSC Metals is that ugly pile of scape metal on the east side of downtown, inside the I-24/I-65 loop just on the south side of Korean Veterans Blvd, south of the Titan's stadium. It sits on 55 acres of prime real estate. I admit it is an eyesore. It provides a valuable function however in recycling middle Tennessee's junk cars and appliances and is one of PSC's most profitable sites. To relocate, PSC would have to have a comparable site with rail, interstate and barge access. That might not be easy to find. Other mayors have tried to get PSC to relocate for decades but without success and without resorting to eminent domain.
The advocacy of using eminent domain to take a piece of property to turn it over to developers has made Bill Freeman, almost out of the running for someone I could support for mayor. The reason I say "almost" is because it seems like when one candidate takes a position all the others line up and say "me too." From continuing to subsidize General Hospital, to advocating home price-fixing called "inclusionary zoning," to eagerly wanted to be the first mayor to perform a gay wedding in the court house, all the major candidates have the same position. Megan Barry and Howard Gentry are already out of the running as far as getting my vote. Megan Barry because of her progressive voting record in the Metro Council and Howard Gentry because he thinks the Music City Star is a model of how we ought to pursue developing mass transit.
If the other candidates step forward and say they also would use eminent domain to take PSC metals, then they will have follow to the level of Bill Freeman and Freeman will again be in the running to get my vote. I am waiting and I am hoping a candidate will disagree with Freeman and say it is wrong to take a person's property just because it is ugly and someone else can develop it to a higher use and a use that will generate more tax revenue. If a candidate said that, that would likely be the candidate I would support for mayor.
From time to time I make modest financial contributions to organizations and candidates I believe in. One of those organizations I support is the Institute for Justice. They litigate for the cause of liberty in four primary areas: economic liberty, property rights, political and commercial speech, and school choice.
Cases they have taken on range from defending homeschoolers to hair braiders. I know of two occasions were they have been active in Nashville defending the little guy against local government tyranny.
One, is the case of Joy Ford from 2008. Ms Ford who had a long career in the music business owned a small piece of land on music row. The neat but simple
brick building housing County International Records was located in the
middle of a redevelopment district. MDHA sought to acquire the
Ford’s property on behalf of the developer who planed a $70 million
office tower on the adjacent property. Ms Ford did not want to sell, so
the city closed an alley behind her property so tour buses could not
access her property. She still did not break, so MDHA deemed her property “blighted” and tried to
take the property by eminent domain condemnation. The Tennessean's Gail Kerr brought attention to this case as well as radio personality Phil Valentine. The Institute for Justice stepped in and represented Joy Ford in Court and slowed the condemnation process. MDHA then offered a land swap. Ms Ford got to keep her building and swapped part of her parking lot for parking on the other side of the building. Had it not been for IJ, MDHA would have taken her land by eminent domain. For more on this story, follow this link.
The other Nashville case in which IJ was involved was that of Metro Livery. In 2009, a new service which has since come to be called "Black
Cars" made there appearance in Nashville. This new type service was
introduced to our city by a Pakistani immigrant named Ali Bokhari. For
as little as $25 his company offered luxury rides from the Air Port to
downtown. These plain large vehicles such as Crown Ford Victoria's or other large luxury cars were much nicer than a taxi but not ostentatious like a stretch limousine and they were driven by driver wearing suits. The established limo companies made an all out effort to drive him out of business. The city's Transportation Licensing Commission had inspectors exercising police power illegally. The inspectors for the Metro Transposition Incensing Commission harassed drivers for Metro livery. Eventually the police chief intervened and forced the MTLC to cease illegally acting as law enforcement agents.
In June 2010, the council passed a limousine price-fixing bill that protected the big
limo companies from competition. The ordinance imposed a minimum $45
fee for limo services, it
prohibited the use of leased vehicles, and imposed vehicle age and mileage
restrictions. And while customers of Metro Livery called for a Black Car by calling the driver's on his cell phone, this new ordinance required vehicles be dispatched from a central location. They also prohibited drivers from serving more than one car an hour and mandated a minimum of a 15 wait for a vehicle. Metro Livery fought back. This fight went on and on for years. Institute for Justice joined in the case and litigated on behalf of Metro Livery and other Black Car drivers who had started providing the same service. Eventually IJ lost in court, but Metro failed in an effort to get the case thrown out and it went to trail.
The delay in allowing Metro to force Metro Livery out of business eventually resulted in publicity for Metro Livery and victory. The case was picked up nationally by John Stossell and George Will and others and as more people began using the service, the city realized it would be difficult to kill this service and then with the appearance of services like Uber and Lyft making a Nashville appearance, the council rewrote the law that they had passed which was designed to force Metro Livery out of business. Most likely if not for IJ's intervention, Metro would have succeeded in driving this company out of business and keeping Uber and Lyft from entering the Nashville market. I have blogged about this case numerous time, if interested in learning more, follow this link.
These are two examples were the Institute for Justice fought for the little guy against the city of Nashville and justice was served. They are doing this all across the country when cities want to ban alternative transportation or food trucks or hair braiding or unjustly take property by eminent domain or only want caskets to be permitted to be sold by funeral homes or restrict home schooling and various other infringements on economic liberty and free speech.
If you are in the giving mood this Christmas season, I know of no organization more deserving of support than the Institute for Justice. You can donate at this secure link.
Below is IJ' solicitation to me:
Dear Mr. Williams.
As 2014 draws to a close, I hope you will consider renewing your
support of the Institute for Justice. With 51 active cases in 26
different states and the District of Columbia, IJ is The National Law
Firm for Liberty. Please renew your support now to help us make even greater gains for liberty in 2015.
Generous donors like you enable IJ to fight for everyday heroes who
choose to stand up to government bullies and oppression rather than take
the easy way out. Here are just a few of the victories your past
support has made possible this year:
Tens
of thousands of mom-and-pop tax preparers can continue to run their
small businesses without fear of unconstitutional licensing requirements
from the IRS.
More
than 1,800 children in North Carolina are able to attend the school
that best meets their needs, despite multiple attempts of the teachers’
unions to revoke their scholarships.
People in Arizona can now speak freely about important political issues without first having to register with the government.
Transportation entrepreneurs in Milwaukee are now free to start their own taxi companies and pursue their American Dream.
The
stakes for liberty are high and impact the lives of all Americans. In
the coming year, we must, and will, bring our best efforts to bear as we
defend the Constitution. If your check is already in the mail, please
pardon the reminder. If not, then please visit www.ij.org/donate to renew your support today.
Thank you for making our work possible. I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Chip
While for the last few years, Nashville has captured the top spot or at least been among the top ten in all kinds of list, everything from best place for live music, best place to visit, foodie towns, best place for corporate reallocations, most people employed in the arts, most compassionate, to best place for a bachelorette party, Nashville is not among the top ten places to start a small business. We score a respectable 29th position out of the top 101 but we lag behind Los Angeles, New York City, Atlanta, and Washington D.C. While 29th out of 101 is not bad, I have come to expect Nashville to be in the top rank of everything and am disappointed when we are not. (link)
While number 29 may be respectable, it does not give us bragging rights, yet we are ahead of Knoxville at 79, Chattanooga at 96, and Memphis dead last at 101.
There were six factors that went into compiling the rating for a city. They are:
Concentration of small businesses, expressed as a ratio per 1,000 residents
One-year change in concentration, expressed as a percentage
One-year change in the total of small businesses
Two-year change in population
One-year change in private-sector employment
Five-year change in private-sector employment
In number one spot and having been in number one for five years is Austin, Texas. I have never been to Austin, but many people compare Nashville to Austin. Both are state capitals, both have a lot of young people, both are towns with a vibrant live music scene, both are hilly with lots of lakes and both are in states without a state income tax, and both are relatively liberal cities in conservative states. There are probably other similarities that cause the cities to often be compared that I am just not aware of. Austin does have a base of technology companies that Nashville does not have. Nashville has more universities than Austin and a lower cost of living.
I don't know Austin, but maybe one reason Nashville scores lower is because of our crony capitalism and price-fixing environment. The way we tried to stamp out an innovative livery service to protect existing luxury limo companies is not an environment that is welcoming to innovation and start-ups. The way the city tried to take Joy Ford's property and destroy a small player in the music business in order to benefit a large corporation is not conducive to a climate that favors small business. We have made strides in streamlining the process for developers to start construction projects but maybe we need to look at the obstacles to new small businesses and see if we are putting unnecessary obstacles in the way.
Maybe one thing inhibiting the growth of small business in Nashville is Tennessee's over regulation of business. I don't know what the requirements are in Texas, but in Tennessee anyone who wants to give manicures or engage in natural hair styling or give shampoos must be licensed. To become a beautician requires completion of 1,500 hours in practice and theory at a school of cosmetology. To just be "shampoo tech" requires 300 hours in the practice and theory of shampooing at a school of cosmetology. This is ridiculous! The practice and theory of shampooing? What do they do that requires 300 hours of training before you can wash someone's hair?
Since the State governors office and legislature has been taken over by Republicans we have made strides in improving education and cutting taxes and getting wine in grocery stores. The next thing I wish Republicans would tackle would be regulations. I think all regulations should have a sunset provision and be reexamined for reasonableness and cost effectiveness every so often. In my view one should not have to be licensed just to wash hair.
When I was first elected to the Council back in 1980, one of the issues we had to gabble with early in my first term was passing a bill to remove the requirement that movie theaters have licensed projectionist operate the equipment that plays the movies. This seemed like common sense to me. At one time in the early days of cinema apparently there were fire hazards associated with showing movies and government wanted trained licensed projectionist. I don't know when that hazard went away, but by 1980 most movies were the automated equivalents of a DVDs, yet there were still laws on the books requiring that only licensed projectionist could run movies and I think there was supposed to be a projectionist in the booth at all times. The Council changed the law but the unions fought it. They wanted to preserve the job of licensed projectionist.
The City and the State should look at regulations that prohibit growth and innovation and fix those that need fixing and that no longer serve a useful purpose and we should stop practicing price controls and crony capitalism and unionist favoritism and eminent domain abuse. I don't know if this would make us competitive with Austin Texas, but it sure wouldn't hurt and it would be the right thing to do.
As the author of A Disgruntled Republican I often post items which I think may be of interest to the conservative, Republican, libertarian or the greater community. Posting of a press release or an announcement of an event does not necessarily indicate an endorsement. Rod
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