This is a cute presentation of the argument that the minimum wage is a bad idea.
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Sunday, February 24, 2013
Saturday, February 23, 2013
The Davidson County Republican Party Caucus and Convention
The
Davidson County Republican Party
Caucus
and Convention
Caucus:
Saturday, March 2, 2013
Ed Jones Auditorium
Ellington Agricultural Center
440 Hogan Road
Registration:
8:15 AM, Meeting: Promptly 9:00 AM
Please bring your
voter’s registration card to speed up the process.
At the Caucus, you will have an opportunity
to be elected as a delegate
from your Metro Council District.
You must be a delegate to vote on March 23rd
To find your council
district http://findwhereivote.nashville.gov
Convention:
Saturday, March 23, 2013
Ed Jones Auditorium
Ellington Agricultural Center
440 Hogan Road
Registration: 8:15
AM, Meeting Promptly 9:00 AM
You must be a delegate to attend this
Convention
At the Convention you will vote for the
Executive Officers.
If you cannot attend the Caucus March 2nd
but are available to attend the convention March 23, you may scan or fax a copy
of your voter’s registration card to be elected as a delegate
Send questions and scan to:
Fax: to 615-883-3444
YOU MUST PRESENT A GOVERNMENT ISSUED PHOTO ID FOR
IDENTIFICATION
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Marsha Blackburn named 3rd most conservative
The National Journal has released its ratings of “most conservative” and
“most liberal” members of the House of Representatives and Marsha Blackburn is rated as the third most conservative member of the House. To see the full report follow this link then on the right see click "raw data."
Diane Black is in a three-way tie ranked at 26. Jim Cooper is ranked 258, making him the 20th most conservative Democrat congressman.
Other Tennessee Representative hold these ranks:
Steve Cohen 370
Scott DesJarlais 59
Stephen Fincher 63
Chuck Fleisman 86
Phil Roe 115
John Duncan 219
In the Senate, Bob Corker is ranked the 35th most conservative senator and Alexander is ranked 39th. By way of comparison, The National Journal ranks Lindsey Gram as more conservative with a ranking of 33 and John McCain more conservative with a ranking of 28.
One interesting observation from looking at the data is that the most liberal Republican is more conservative than the most conservative Democrat in both the House and the Senate. That was not always the case.
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Germany and Spain Move to Curb Green-Energy Supports
Advocates of green energy often site Germany and Spain as examples of what America should be doing. Many environmentalist oppose clean nuclear energy and clean natural gas, because they are convinced that we can get all the energy we need from solar panels and wind mills despite the fact that the sun doesn't always shine and the wind doesn't always blow. The fact is that energy from wind and solar is just not dependable and is very, very expensive. In Germany, rising energy prices are causing companies to flee and move to countries with more affordable energy. Spain and Germany are reversing course on green energy.
By William Boston and James Angelos in Berlin and Ilan Brat in Madrid
More than a decade ago, Germany and Spain created similar laws to aggressively promote the adoption of renewable energy. The two countries were again marching in step on Thursday—this time to fix a web of subsidies and compensations they created for green energy that had the unintended effect of driving up household electricity bills.
With Spain in the grips of recession, the government wants to lower consumers' light bills. In Germany, Chancellor Angela Merkel faces an election in September and hopes to win points with voters by putting a stop to rising electricity bills. The independent steps have been welcomed by German consumer groups, but have been slammed by businesses as German and Spanish politicians move to finance cuts for consumers by passing on the costs to companies. Get full story here from the Wall Street Journal.
Consumers Bear Brunt of German Switch to Renewable Energies ...
Rising Energy Prices: Germans Grow Wary of Switch to Renewables. Germany's switch to renewable energies is driving up electricity bills ...
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second bidder has made an offer to run the fair this year
There was an interesting story in this morning's Tennessean.
As was rumored was going to occur, a second bidder has made an offer to
run the fair this year. With a different operator, the fair could not
be called the "state fair" but since our state fair is just a mediocre
fair anyway, does it really matter if it is called the "state fair?"
The new bidder was going to give the Fair Board a much better deal than
the Tennessee State Fair Association. The deal the Tennessee State Fair
Association finally agreed to would probably not be as good as it is,
if not for an alternative fair operator waiting in the wings. Below is
the link to the Tennessean article.
Feb 22, 2013 | ... financial offer to operate what it calls a "Middle Tennessee State Fair" at Nashville's fairgrounds, but the proposal might have arrived too late to beat out the state's ...
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The Council hears from the Consultants on the Fairground options, Part 1
Below is a video of a joint meeting of the Metro Council's Budget & Finance and Codes, Fair & Farmers' Market Committees on February 22, 2013. This is the presentation to the Council of the consultants phase
1 study of the fairgrounds. The phase 1 study is the study of the site if it is
kept as a fairground and exhibition space.
Next Tuesday, the committees will get the presentation of the Phase 2
study, which looks at what the fairgrounds site could be if redeveloped as a
mixed use development.
This presentation looks at market demand and what the
community could support and how that relates to the existing fairground site
and looks at the option of developing a fairgrounds site at a new location. One
thing the study makes clear is that our fairgrounds needs an equestrian
feature. We are missing the opportunity to host rodeos and horse shows. If the site is maintained as a fairgrounds,
the study looks at options for redesigning the site. Options of keeping a race
track and an option of redesigning the site without a race track are presented.
I feel that this study undervalues the race track. The race track should be considered an underused
asset. I myself am not a big racing fan, however the Nashville Speedway is a
historical treasure. If a developer with a long-term lease would build a race
track museum and show off the memorabilia and maybe the race cars of some the famous race car drivers who got their start at the Nashville raceway, I believe the
raceway could be a tourist attraction. If
one is not familiar with the history of
the racetrack, you should look into it.
If we tear it down, it will be gone forever.
Left out of this discussion is that there is an option of
giving a private entity a long term
lease to operate the site and continue current uses. There is a entity that
wants to do that. With a long-term lease
they would be willing to make improvements to the site. By leasing the site to a private concern to
continue operating it as a fairgrounds and exhibition space, the city could
actually make money rather than the fairgrounds costing the city money.
I fear that if the council only hears the two options
presented by the consultant, the option of redeveloping the fairground site as mixed use will be more
appealing than the option of keeping the fairgrounds at the current location. I
fear the deck is being stacked to redevelop the fairgrounds as mixed use. To consider all of the options, the Council needs to hear from the
group that would like a long-term lease.
This meeting is an hour and thirty-nine minutes long, with
the presentation consuming the first hour and nine minutes. Only three councilmen ask questions. Robert
Duvall ask some good questions, but I am surprised that there is not more participation from other members of the Council.
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Council meeting of 2/19/13 with commentary and notations
This council meeting is only 42 minutes long. It is boring and there is no controversy and no need to watch it. A couple presentations take up the first thirteen minutes of the meeting.
There are no bills on public hearing.
There are ten resolutions, all of which are on the consent agenda. None are controversial and none are pulled off of the consent agenda.
There are nine bills on first reading and they all pass. First reading is a formality that allows the bill to be considered. Bills are not assigned to committee or analyzed by council staff until after they have passed first reading.
There are thirteen bills on Second Reading. It is on Second reading, after bills have been to committee, that discussion usually takes place. All of the bills pass without discussion or recorded votes.
ORDINANCE NO. BL2013-359 was an important bill that modifies an agreement the city has with the Renaissance Hotel. Since Metro has built the new Music City Center it is necessary to modify the terms of an arrangement the city has with the Renaissance. To read how the Tennessean explains this bill see follow this link.
There are eight bills on Third Reading and they all pass except for BILL NO. BL2013-353 which is a bill that was disapproved by the Planning Commission. The sponsor, Councilman Tenpenny moves to defer the bill indefinitely. This was for the rezoning of a piece of property on Tanksley Ave. to benefit Tire Recappers. There was considerable community opposition to the bill. An indefinite deferral is not the same as withdrawing a bill. A deferred bill may be put back on the agenda at a future meeting.
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Friday, February 22, 2013
Robert Duvall works to overturn Metro's limo price-fixing bill
 |
| Robert Duvall |
If what Robert Duvall is doing is a conflict of interest then there have been many other instances of such conflict. Other council members have served as lobbyist. When I served in the Council, I served with a council member whose full-time employment was actually serving as the executive director of a trade group and his primary job was to lobby the legislature on behalf of the organization he served. We have had several council members who served as both a member of the State legislature and the Metro Council at the same time. While both positions are serving the public, the interest of the State and Metro may often be at odds.
The Tennessean piece includes explanations that what Duvall is doing is certainly legal and as long as he abstains from voting, should this same issue come before the Council, there is no legal conflict. The article does however question the appropriateness of his serving as a lobbyist. The article does not question the appropriateness of Metro government telling a company what minimum fee they may charge or the appropriateness of the well-connected getting laws passed to protect themselves from competition.
Metro Nashville is one of only seven cities in the United State that sets a minimum fare for a limo or taxi ride. Many have a maximum allowable fares however. I can understand that a maximum fare is a protection for the consumer, but why have a minimum fare? The logical reason is that it is to protect providers of transportation services from competition. A minimum fare keeps companies from seeking innovate ways to lower prices or offer alternative products. A minimum fare harms the consumer.
Metro did not have a minimum fee until ...(To be continued. To learn more about this issue follow this link.)
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Guns-in-trunks, all bark, no bite.
His biggest complaint is that the latest version of guns-in-trunks does not include a provision letting workers bring wrongful termination lawsuits if they are fired for bringing a gun to work. Another complaint is that it limits the right to bring a gun to work only to people with carry permits — potentially leaving out many hunters and other gun owners. (link)Basically, it does almost nothing. I am not complaining. I was not in favor of the original proposal thinking it went way too far in restricting the right of property owners to control their property primarily, but also concerned that it went too far in bestowing rights on employees and expanding the roll of government as a party in employer-employee relations. I have no concern with the bill as it exists now. Hopefully this will pass quickly and we can put guns on the back burner for a while.
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Thursday, February 21, 2013
Is this what guns-in-trunks means? If so, it is much to do about nothing.
I have carefully followed the Safe Commute Act, generally refereed to as the "guns in trunks bill," and I thought I understood it to force an employer to allow an employee with a hand gun carry permit to leave a gun locked in his car at his place of employment. I have editorialized on the bill based on that assumption. (See Thoughts about guns-in-trunks and property rights)
I was surprised to read the following in today's Tennessean.
...a staff attorney told committee members that, just as employers can bar drinking-age workers from consuming alcohol on the job, they will be able to fire workers who flout no-gun policies.
The bill, however, would change state law so that those workers could no longer be arrested. (link)If that is all it does, then it is really no big deal. This bill is a very minor change. If this is all it does it does not infringe on the property rights of employers at all. It this is all it does it is pretty much meaningless. The controversy over this bill is much to do about nothing.
Read it. It looks like the way the Tennessean reported it is correct. The bill says the gun permit holder may store his gun in his vehicle at his place of employment. It does not say the employer can not prohibit the employee from doing so.
Below is the text of the bill:
SENATE BILL 142 By Ramsey
HOUSE BILL 118 By Faison
AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 39, Chapter 17, Part 13, relative to handgun carry permits.
WHEREAS, in 1996, Tennesseans were first given the opportunity to apply for and, if
meeting the qualifications, be issued a permit to carry a handgun in public; and
WHEREAS, to apply for a permit a person must be at least twenty-one (21) years of age,
a resident of Tennessee and a U.S. citizen or permanent lawful resident; and
WHEREAS, the applicant must, under oath in the application, affirm that he or she has
not been convicted of a criminal offense or otherwise occupy a status that would make
possession of a firearm prohibited by federal law; and
WHEREAS, in addition to the application, the applicant must provide two (2) full sets of
the applicant’s fingerprints for the purpose of permitting both the Tennessee bureau of
investigation and federal bureau of investigation to conduct a criminal history record check on the applicant; and
WHEREAS, the applicant is also required to submit proof of the successful completion of a department approved handgun safety course, which is required to include both classroom hours and firing range hours, to ensure the applicant knows how to safely handle a firearm and basic Tennessee law with respect to where firearms can and cannot be carried; and
WHEREAS, upon completion of the application, the applicant is required to present
photo identification and a nonrefundable one hundred fifteen dollar ($115) application fee to the department; and
WHEREAS, an applicant meeting all the requirements stated above is entitled to be
issued a Tennessee handgun permit within ninety (90) days of the department receiving the application; and
WHEREAS, even though obtaining a handgun carry permit is neither quick nor easy in
Tennessee, over 40,600 law-abiding citizens successfully completed the requirements and received a permit during 1997, the first full year of operation; and
WHEREAS, the number of handgun carry permits issued to concerned citizens who
want to responsibly and legally protect themselves and their family, both at home and on their way to and from work, has risen each of the fifteen years the permit has been available in this state to the more than 371,800 Tennesseans who hold handgun carry permits in 2012; now, therefore,
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 39, Chapter 17, Part 13, is amended by
adding the following as a new section thereto:
39-17-1313.
(a) Notwithstanding §§ 39-17-1309, 39-17-1311, or § 39-17-1359, unless
expressly prohibited by federal law, the holder of a valid handgun carry permit
recognized in Tennessee may transport and store a firearm or firearm
ammunition in the permit holder’s privately-owned motor vehicle, as defined in §
55-1-103, while on or utilizing any public or private parking area if:
(1) The permit holder’s vehicle is parked in a location where it is
permitted to be; and
(2) The firearm or ammunition being transported or stored in the
vehicle:
(A) Is kept from ordinary observation if the permit holder is
in the motor vehicle; or
(B) Is kept from ordinary observation and locked within the
trunk, glove box, or interior of the person’s privately owned motor
vehicle or a container securely affixed to such vehicle if the permit
holder is not in the vehicle.
(b) No business entity, public or private employer, or the owner,
manager, or legal possessor of the property shall be held liable in any civil action
for damages, injuries or death resulting from or arising out of another’s actions
involving a firearm or ammunition transported or stored in accordance with
subsection (a) unless the business entity, public or private employer, or the
owner, manager, or legal possessor of the property commits an offense involving
the use of the stored firearm or ammunition or intentionally solicits or procures
the conduct resulting in the damage, injury or death. Nor shall a business entity,
public or private employer, or the owner, manager, or legal possessor of the
property be responsible for the theft of a firearm or ammunition stored in
accordance with subsection (a).
(c) For purposes of this section:
(1) “Parking area” means any property provided by a business
entity, public or private employer, or the owner, manager, or legal
possessor of the property for the purpose of permitting its invitees,
customers, clients or employees to park privately-owned motor vehicles;
and
(2) “Parking area” does not include the grounds or property of a
owner-occupied, single-family detached residence, or a tenant-occupied
single-family detached residence.
SECTION 2. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 39-17-1359 is amended by deleting
from the first sentence of subsection (a) the language, “An individual, corporation” and
substituting instead the language “Except as provided in § 39-17-1313, an individual,
corporation”.
SECTION 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2013, the public welfare requiring it
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Bill Haslam: The GOP star you've never heard of
A Great profile from Politico:
But while attracting scant national attention and eschewing the camera-friendly approach of most up-and-coming Republican governors, Bill Haslam has amassed one of the most extensive conservative governing records in the country.
He is, in short, the most important Republican governor you’ve never heard of. And as the National Governors Association gathers in Washington this week for its winter meeting, the national GOP may have something to learn from Tennessee.
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Men and Marriage, by George Gilder
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
7:00 PM to 9:00 PM
Gene & Vicki Wisdom's home
From Amazon: Men and Marriage is a critical commentary that asks the burning question, How can society survive the pervasive disintegration of the family? A profound crisis faces modern social order as traditional family relationships become almost unrecognizable. George Gilder's Men and Marriage is a revised and expanded edition of his 1973 landmark work, Sexual Suicide . He examines the deterioration of the family, the well-defined sex roles it offered, and how this change has shifted the focus of our society. Poverty, for instance, stems from the destruction of the family when unmarried parents are abandoned by their lovers or older women are divorced because society approves of their husbands' younger girlfriends. Gilder claims that men will only fulfill their paternal obligations when women lead them to do so, and that this civilizing influence, balanced with proper economic support, is the most important part of maintaining a productive, healthy, loving society. He offers a concrete plan for rebuilding the family in America. His solutions challenge readers to return to these roles and reestablish the family values that were once so crucial in staving off the ills that plague our country. Gilder insists that it is time to reexamine what "liberation" has wrought and at what cost. Only a return to traditional family values, he contends, can stem the tide of disaster. George Gilder is the author of Wealth and Poverty , the best-selling critique of Reaganomics.
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