What happened at the 8-15-16 Council meetng: Pot bill survives rare First Reading challenge, Affordable Housing bill advances, Google Fiber bill deferred.

For a link to the Council agenda and the Council staff analysis and my commentary on the agenda, follow this link.  If you are going to actually watch the meeting, you really need to follow along with the agenda.

If you are going to watch the meeting you may want to watch it in double speed. That is usually what I do with council meeting and most meetings and speeches. I can watch it in double time and not lose much content and I slow it if something is interesting. To watch it in double speed, hover your cursor over "YouTube" and click it. The video will then open in another screen. Then click "setting" which is indicated by a gear icon. When that opens change speed from normal to the desired speed.  If you are not given that option, then follow this link for instructions.

Below is a summary and the highlights of the meeting.

All of the resolutions pass except the resolution to approve purchasing land for the new Cain Ridge school and it is deferred one meeting, apparently to track with a zoning bill not because there is any opposition. To see which of the resolutions were of significance see my commentary.

Bills on First Reading. First reading is a formality that gets bills on the agenda. They are not evaluated by committee until they are on Second Reading. All bills on First Reading are lumped together and usually pass by a single vote. It does happens but is rare that anyone votes against a bill on First Reading. It is almost considered rude to vote against a bill on First Reading. All bills on first, pass lumped together with a single vote except for one that is with drawn and the bill that would  substantially decriminalized pot possession in Davidson County.

• The bill that is withdrawn is a bill that would have imposed a 120-day moratorium upon the issuance of building and grading permits for multi-family developments on property within Metropolitan County Council Districts 28, 29 and 32.  This was a bad bill and should have been withdrawn.  We can't function as a city if we have different rules for different council district.  There is concern that those districts are seeing so much rapid growth that infrastructure cannot keep up with it. The concern may be valid but a moratorium on new development is not the way to deal with it.

• BILL NO. BL2016-378 is the bill that would substantially decriminalized  possession or casual exchange of small quantities of marijuana in Davidson County. I favor this bill. To see my commentary follow this link.  The motion for a roll-call vote was made by Councilman Dour Pardue. In addition to Pardue others voting against the bill were council members Steve Glover, Holly Uezo and Bill Pridemore. Council member Karen Johnson abstained. It passes First Reading by a vote of 34 to 4. To see the discussion see timestamp 21:22 - 28:21.

Bills on Second Reading:

• BILL NO. BL2016-334 is an expansion of the PILOT program (payment in lieu of taxes) for use as a tool to develop more affordable housing. This will be a new use for this program.  It is normally used by the Industrial Development Board as a tool to incentivize companies to locate in Nashville. This would allow MDHA to use this tool to encourage development of affordable housing. This passes by voice vote.

• BILL NO. BL2016-342  is an Affordable Housing Grant program to encourage developers to develop affordable housing.  This is not the Council's version of the inclusionary zoning; this is the mayor's plan which really would be a voluntary plan. Before being amended it was to be a two year trial program capped at $2 million dollars. It is amended to make the cap $2.5 million. The sunset date is also extended. I do not have copies of the amendment and am not sure how long the trial period last, but it would not come up for review until the next council takes office. Both of these changes make the bill less desirable in my view.  Apparently the builders wanted the longer trail period and I can understand why they would, but it means a new council would be evaluating the bill rather then the council that passed it. While I was previously of the view that I would support this bill, if I were serving in the council, I am now less inclined to be supportive.  If this passes, however, then the much worse inclusionary zoning plan could still pass but this may lessen the likelihood of that bill passing. The only way I think I could support this bill as amended was if I believed that passing this bill would result in the inclusionary zoning bill not passing. This bill however would work with the other bill, if the other bill also should pass, so that those who are required to build affordable housing under the inclusionary zoning proposal could also get this grant and lessen the pain.

 Background and more information on this proposal is in the press release from the mayor's office which you can find at this link.  Both developers and housing advocates support this bill, for the most part, or at least they did before it was amended. The bill will still be amendable on third reading. For those who want a deeper understanding of this bill, you may want to watch the meeting of the Ad hoc Affordable Housing Committee found at this link and the Budget and Finance Committee meeting found at this link. The bill is amended as noted above and then passes by a voice vote. To view the discussion see timestamp 33:57 to 44:14.

• BILL NO. BL2016-343 would change the rules for how companies may use utilities poles to string cable. This may sound mundane but it is important. It is also not as simple as it sounds. As readers probably know, Google Fiber is coming to Nashville promising to bring cheaper and faster internet access.  This was announced in January 2015. What is taking so long?  What is taking so long is that it is a slow process to string cable. Before Google can string cable, Comcast must move their cable, but before Comcast can move their cable, ATT must move their cable, or who ever is below on the pole must wait for the provider with cable above to move their cable. The other providers and users of the utility poles are in no hurry to do what they must do so Google can do what they need to do.  This bill would apply a“One Touch Make Ready” (OTMR) approach for connections to utility pole. One company would be authorized to move all of the wires on the pole. The complexity of this is explained in  articles you can find at these links:

Google Fiber warns it could pull plug over Nashville impasse  
Council attorney raises legal issues with Google Fiber proposal  
"Google One Touch" plan: Solution in search of problem

The bill is deferred one meeting. 

 Bills on Third Reading 

• BILL NO. BL2016-298 in Councilman Scott Davis's district would rezone 46 acres now with various zonings including commercial zoning to a multi-family zoning.  I would like to know if this has the approval of the property owners.  I don't know.  To downzone property without the consent of the owner is a "taking" of property. This is deferred one meeting.  
• BILL NO. BL2016-309 changes some of the rules regarding signs in order to conform to a Supreme Court ruling regarding the First Amendment prohibition against regulating content of signs. It passes.
• BILL NO. BL2016-319  by Councilman Davis is subject to a last minute attempt to amend that generate some discussion and controversy. It is a rezoning that attempts to change properties that now has various zonings "to  permit all uses permitted by the MUL-A district except for alternative financial services uses." I am not even going to try to explain the nuances involved, but if you want to see the discussion see timestamp 1:01:55 to 1:17:09.  
• BILL NO. BL2016-329  which makes 60 "housekeeping" changes to the regs governing taxi cabs passes on a voice vote without discussion. 

The council passed the resolution and the bill that was necessary to facilitate "Marine week" in Nashville without any opposition.

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Liberty on the Rocks meets Thursday, August 18, 2016 starting at 5:30 PM

Liberty on the Rocks meets Thursday, August 18, 2016 starting at  5:30 PM at Smokin Thighs, 611 Wedgewood Ave, Nashville, TN.  This is a always an enjoyable event.  While the majority political persuasion of those who attend tends to be libertarian there are always a few of we mainstream conservatives in attendance to provide some balance.  Actually, I think we are making converts.

Stop by, have a beer and enjoy some good, stimulating conversation.  There is no formal program and attendance usually runs about twenty people and the big group just naturally breaks into several smaller groups and people often float from one group to the other. It starts winding down about 8:30 but sometimes last much longer and you can come and go whenever it suites you.  You don't have to RSVP but the organizers would like for you to, but you can just show up at the last minute if you would like to stop by. By attending, you are not "joining" anything and you will not get a lot of unwanted email or solicitations for political contributions. Liberty on the Rocks is just a bunch of liberty-loving people getting together to drink, talk, argue, and explore ideas. I hope to see you Thursday.

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Bill to substantially decriminalize possession of small amounts of pot, in a rare move is challenged on 1st reading. Passes 32-4.

While it is rare that a bill on First Reading is discussed or voted on separately, it happened last night with the bill that would substantially decriminalize possession of small amounts of marijuana in Nashville.  Usually all bills on first reading are considered together and pass by a single vote. It is almost considered bad manners to oppose a bill on First Reading.  Bills are not analyzed by staff, or discussed in committee until after First reading. First Reading is a formality that gets a bill on the agenda. The marijuana bill survived a roll-call First Reading vote in the Metro Council by a vote of  32-4, with one abstention.

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Vandy pays $1.2M to rename Confederate Hall

The Daughters of the Confederacy is going to get a windfall of $1.2 million from Vanderbilt University as payment for allowing Vandy to change the name of Confederate Hall. The Daughters of the Confederacy contributed the sum of $50,0000 in 1933 to build the building and there was a stipulation that it be named "Confederate Hall" and that name is in a stone mantel over the door. The $1.2M sum is today's equivalent of the $50,000 the  Daughters of the Confederacy paid back in1933.

$1.2 million will allow the Daughters of the Confederacy to do a lot to keep alive the memory and to honor the southern civil war dead.  Instead of paying off the Daughters of the Confederacy in order to scrub history, Vanderbilt could have used the $1.2million to provide scholarships to disadvantaged African-American students. $1.2 million is a lot of money to pay so students will not be traumatized by seeing the word "confederate."

The next time alumni get a solicitation from Vanderbilt to contribute to their alma marta, maybe they should ask themselves if Vanderbilt University is a good steward of their charitable giving.

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On the Council Agenda for August 16th: Pot, Affordable Housing, welcoming the Marines, and Google Fiber.

The Metro Council will meet Tuesday, August 16th at 6:30 PM. To watch the Council meeting, you can go to the courthouse and watch the meeting in person, if you are so inclined, but unless you are trying to influence a Council member and think your presence in the audience will exert an influence, I don't know why you would want to.

Meetings are broadcast live at Metro Nashville Network's Government TV on Nashville's Comcast Channel 3 and AT&T's U-verse 99 and are streamed live at the Metro Nashville Network's livestream site. You can catch them the next day on the Metro YouTube channel. If you will wait, I will watch it for you and post the video and point out the good parts so you can go to that point in the video and watch just that segment. Also, I will also tell you what I think about what happened.  Council meetings are really boring and I watch them so you don't have to.

If you are going to watch a council meeting, you really need the agenda and  the Council staff analysis or you won't even have a clue about what is going on. Here is my commentary and analysis of the agenda.

There are three appointments to boards and commission which are never opposed and they will be approved.  There is one resolution on public hearing to allow a business that already has a license to sell hard liquor, the right to sell beer.  I don't know why the Council just does not make this an automatic right rather having to have a hearing each time one of these situations come up.

There are eleven resolutions on the consent agenda. Resolutions on "consent" are passed by a single vote of the council instead of being voted on individually. If a resolution has any negative votes in committee it is taken off of consent.  Also any council member may ask to have an item taken off of consent or to have his abstention or dissenting vote recorded.  I don't find any of the resolutions to be controversial but these are several of interest.

• RESOLUTION NO. RS2016-339  extends a grant to provide financial education at various
  
  locations throughout the city.  Most of the money for this program comes from  Bloomberg Philanthropies. This is a great program. I have spend most of my career working with low-income people or people in crisis and it is amazing how little people know about money management.  People really do stupid stuff when it come to managing money.  Some of it is a question of values like never learning delayed gratification or simply being irresponsible and having the wrong priorities, but some of it is simply not understanding simple math and interest terms.  Values can be changed once people learn they do not have to live a life of poverty and money management skills can be taught. There are lots of resources for those who want to stop being broke and poor and running from bill collectors and who want to get control of their finances.  This program is one of the best and it is available to anyone in the county.  To learn more about The Financial Empowerment Center, follow the link.
• RESOLUTION NO. RS2016-340  moves forward with purchasing property for a Cain Ridge school.
• RESOLUTION NO. RS2016-341is an agreement to allow the United States Marines to use metro parks for an annual community outreach and recruiting event.  I am going to take this opportunity to commend Mayor Barry.  Some cities with a mayor and council as liberal as that of Nashville, also have an anti-military attitude and have rejected welcoming Marine recruitment. An anti military positions is often part of the progressive package. It could be worse. Nashville is not Berkeley yet. Here is an excerpt and link to the story of the upcoming Marine week activities:

More than 700 Marines are set to descend on Nashville in September.

Nashville Mayor Megan Barry, along with Marine Corps leadership, announced the details Wednesday for the service branch's annual showcase event outside the downtown courthouse.
Marine Week, running Sept. 7-11, will showcase 80 events open to the public to get familiar with the Corps and its technology, aircraft and other vehicles. The week will conclude Sept. 11 with a 9/11 remembrance ceremony and events at that Sunday's Tennessee Titans game. (link)

• RESOLUTION NO. RS2016-346  settles a claim of inverse condemnation suit.  Sometimes paying to settle claims proves controversial, but in any case I have ever looked at I think the city only settles when it is in the city's best interest to settle rather than litigate. 
• RESOLUTION NO. RS2016-348  honors Jane Eskind, the only woman elected to a statewide office in Tennessee.

Bills on First Reading. There are seven bills on First Reading and I usually don't review bills on BILL NO. BL2016-378,  may prove controversial. For my commentary on this bill follow this link.
First Reading. First reading is a formality that gets bills on the agenda. They are not evaluated by committee until they are on Second Reading. All bills on First Reading are lumped together and usually pass by a single vote. It does happens but is rare that anyone votes against a bill on First Reading. I don't think anyone would vote against it on First, but the bill to substantially lower the penalty for pot possession,

There are only nine bills on Second Reading. These are the ones of interest:

• BILL NO. BL2016-334 is an expansion of the PILOT program (payment in lieu of taxes) for use as a tool to develop more affordable housing. This will be a new use for this program.  It is normally used by the Industrial Development Board as a tool to incentivize companies to locate in Nashville. This would allow MDHA to use this tool to encourage development of affordable housing.
• BILL NO. BL2016-342  is an Affordable Housing Grant program to encourage developers to develop affordable housing.  This is not the Council's version of the inclusionary zoning; this is the mayor's plan which really would be a voluntary plan. It would be a two year trial program capped at $2 million dollars.  If this passes then the much worse inclusionary zoning plan will likely not pass. If I was in the Council, I would support this bill. Background and more information on this proposal is in the following press release from the mayor's office"

Mayor Barry Announces Affordable Housing Incentive Pilot Program

Program will focus on incentivizing developers to build or maintain affordable and workforce housing within mixed-income properties

NASHVILLE, TN, 7/12/2016 – Mayor Megan Barry is pleased to introduce a program that will incentivize developers to create more affordable and workforce housing within existing and new construction. The incentive pilot program has been developed after months of research and conversations with the stakeholders in the community by the Mayor’s Office.
“This will serve as another tool in the toolbox for the community and developers to help us achieve our shared goal of creating more high-quality affordable and workforce housing for Nashvillians,” said Mayor Barry. “We want to target this growth in urban core which has seen the greatest impact of soaring housing prices in recent years, as well as along our pikes and corridors which are targeted for mass transit options now and in the future.”
The announcement of the pilot incentive program comes on the heels of other efforts by Mayor Barry to increase Metro’s focus on affordable housing. In June, the Mayor signed into law a budget which includes an increase of $10,000,000 for the Barnes Housing Trust Fund, bringing the total to $16M for FY16-17. Additionally, the Metro Council approved on second reading a private-public partnership with Elmington Capital Group to create 138 units of affordable and workforce housing on a Metro-owned lot at 12th and Wedgewood. Metro has also worked with the Barnes Commission and local non-profit developers to re-use other city-owned infill lots around Nashville and Davidson County to build affordable housing properties.
Affordable housing, as defined in the proposed ordinance, is affordable for households making 60% of Median Household Income (MHI) or less, and workforce housing is designated at 61-120% of MHI. According to the latest U.S. Census figures from 2014, the MHI for Davidson County for a family of four is $60,074.
Under the proposal, developers wishing to take advantage of the incentive program would need to provide affordable or workforce housing at a rate that is equal to or less than 30% of household income. For example, utilizing the 2014 figures, the maximum monthly rental for a family of four making 60% of MHI would be $901, or $1,802 at the 120% workforce level.
Developers who meet these terms would then be able to seek a grant, subject to staff review by the Mayor’s Office of Economic Opportunity and Empowerment (OEOE) and Metro Council approval, capped at 50% of the increase in value of property taxes from the new development. The grant would cover the difference between the price of market-rate housing and the price of the affordable or workforce housing units. For example, a developer who has market-rate apartments at $1,500 a month and offers comparable workforce-level affordable units for $1,200 would get a grant for the difference of $300 per unit, total not to exceed the cap of 50% of the increase in property tax value.
“There is no silver bullet to the affordable housing crisis we face in Nashville and across America,” said Mayor Barry. “But this proposal is a great step forward in creating more affordable and workforce housing options so that teachers, construction workers, service employees, artists and hundreds of thousands of other Nashvillians can afford to live, work and play right here in Davidson County.”
The program will be launched with a 24 months sunset provision and FY17-18 cap of $2,000,000 in order to collect data and give developers and rental managers time to become acclimated with the new program.
In addition to incentives for new construction of rental properties, the pilot program also has options for owner-occupied units and existing rental. The incentive grants for owner-occupied units outside of the UZO will be capped at $10,000, and they will be capped at $20,000 for properties within the UZO or along a multimodal corridor. Owners of existing rental properties can also apply for grants in the event that increases in the market will displace current residents, subject to rules and limitations.
Representatives of the Mayor’s Office of Economic and Community Development and OEOE will be on hand at the Metro Council Ad Hoc Affordable Housing Committee meeting tomorrow, Wednesday July 13 at 5:00PM in the Jury Assembly Room of the Historic Metro Courthouse to discuss the details of the proposal and get feedback from members of the Council and the public.

• BILL NO. BL2016-343 would change the rules for how companies may use utilities poles to string cable. This may sound mundane but it is important. As readers probably know, Google Fiber is coming to Nashville promising to bring cheaper and faster internet access.  What is taking so long?  What is taking so long is that it is a slow process to string cable. Before Google can sting cable, Comcast must move their cable, but before Comcast can move their cable, NES must move their wires. Sometimes many other companies may also have wires hung on the same pole. The other providers and users of the utility poles are in no hurry to do what they must do so Google can do what they need to do.  This bill would apply a“One Touch Make Ready” (OTMR) approach for connections to utility pole. One company would be authorized to move all of the wires on the pole.  If this passes, we may finally get Google Fiber.   
• BILL NO. BL2016-344 is another piece of legislation to facilitate Marine week, allowing Navy aircraft to land and take off from The Green, the park in front of the courthouse.

There are 34 bills on Third Reading, most of them zoning bills. Be aware that I do not even attempt to form an opinion on every zoning bills. Unless you live nearby, zoning bills are pretty boring. These are the ones I am watching:

• BILL NO. BL2016-298 in Councilman Scott Davis's district would rezone 46 acres now with various zonings including commercial zoning to a multi-family zoning.  I want to know if this has the approval of the property owners.  I don't know.  To downzone property without the consent of the owner is a "taking" of property. 
• BILL NO. BL2016-309 changes some of the rules regarding signs in order to conform to a Supreme Court ruling regarding the First Amendment prohibition against regulating content of signs. Anytime the city messes with the sign ordinance it proves controversial but this really does not seem like that big of a deal. 
• BILL NO. BL2016-329  makes 60 changes to the regs governing taxi cabs. The staff analysis calls these changes "housekeeping," but anytime you make that many changes it causes concern. Last council meeting concern was expressed about this bill. 

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To stop Nashville from becoming "the San Francisco of the South," conservatives must engage and get organized.

The following is a report from an organization supporting inclusionary zoning urging their supporters to be ready to spring into action to advance the inclusionary zoning bill that is on tomorrow night's council agenda, should the bill appear to be in trouble.  I think it is worthwhile that those on the right, know what their adversaries on the left or up to, so that is why I am posting the below communications.  A VOICE is a progressive activist group and one of the leading agents responsible for Nashville's leftward tilt in the last few years.  

While the Chamber of Commerce and some others will work to oppose inclusionary zoning and while ad hoc groups spring up from time to time to do things like save the fairgrounds or stop the AMP, there is no consistent conservative activist group working day in and day out to stop the progressive agenda and advance a conservative agenda. 

When a mayor proposes a tax hike, conservatives will rally for one council meeting.  That is only about once every four or eight years. Conservatives contributed and worked for the election of David Fox, during the last mayoral election and some conservatives ran for council and worked in council campaigns, but liberals work day in and day out without ceasing, always campaigning for more government interference and more government spending. Every year at budget time, numerous advocates for greater government spending take to the podium and not a single conservative speaks for lower taxes and cutting government waste.

Notice that the communication below says "hundreds" of emails and phone calls were made to support inclusionary zoning.  That has an impact.  I doubt there were not half a dozen calls in opposition.  By our inactivity, we kind of get the type of government we deserve. 

Luckily conservatives hold the seats of power at the state legislature and some of what Metro Nashville might like to do can be thwarted at the state level.  Even if inclusionary zoning is passed locally, there is a chance it will be ruled to violate a state law.  The State can only protect Nashville from its leftward tilt so far, however.  If we really want to stop Nashville from becoming "the San Francisco of the South," conservatives must engage and get organized.

A VOICE Steering Committee …

 Sent this out tonight … hope you can do the same to your own professional/social lists … if not tonight early AM.

 A VOICE For the Reduction of Poverty

Affordable Housing Campaign Update

With so much happening on the Affordable Housing front, thought we would send this summary out just to circle the wagons a bit.  While there are several pieces of legislation A VOICE has called for and helped influence … what we are immediately concerned with is Inclusionary Zoning Bill 133 (which addresses where affordable and workforce housing will be placed) and Incentives Bill 342 (which legislates incentives to builders to create housing for working people in need).   Both bills address workforce housing, are now tracking simultaneously for adoption, and if adopted represent a significant first step to addressing our housing dilemma.  Soooo … here are some bits and pieces just to keep you up-to-date:

1.    First of all … applause/applause and much appreciation goes out to you, our membership, for responding so robustly to last week’s Call to Action.  Last week we asked you to contact members of City Council in support of Inclusionary Zoning Bill 133, as well as join us at its Second Reading and Public Hearing.  You response was significant and overwhelming … a good part of the reason the bill moved forward with unanimous affirmation from the Council floor.  Council members reported that they received literally hundreds of emails and phone calls in support of this measure and were impressed that 100+ were in attendance at the Hearing in support of this bill and 40 among us spoke in favor.  Registering your voice with ours most certainly sent a strong message.  Thank you!!!

2.    Inclusionary Zoning Bill 133 now heads to Council for a third and final reading on Tuesday, September 6^th.  The A VOICE Steering Committee will monitor any significant changes recommended between now and this final vote.  We remain concerned that forces opposed to this bill (primarily developers and the Nashville Regional Chamber of Commerce) will continue to petition Council to water it down, something we will continue to oppose.  Should we need you to share your voice again on this bill later this month we will let you know. 

3.    Inclusionary Zoning Bill 133 is now tracking on the same schedule as the Incentives Bill 342 – the incentives based bill Council asked the Mayor’s office to take a lead on.  The City Council Ad Hoc Affordable Housing Committee will be meeting tomorrow (Monday) to review and perhaps modify this bill before sending it to Council for a full vote on Tuesday.  If we find there are substantive changes we do not favor … we may be reaching out to you late on Monday evening to raise your voice regarding Bill 342 as you did for Bill 133.  We are hoping that doing so will be unnecessary but wanted to put you on hold “just in case” we need you again.  If we do … expect another email from us tomorrow night to immediately act on.

4.    There are a few other pieces of legislation you should be aware of that will hopefully move forward, as part of an Affordable and Workforce Housing package.  First of all, earlier this month Council passed a resolution calling for the Ad Hoc Task Force and the Mayor’s Office to prepare a Comprehensive Plan for Affordable and Workforce Housing.  A VOICE will continue to participate in this process as it unfolds.  Other legislation being considered by Council will allow for the creation of PILOT grants to encourage the development of affordable and workforce housing and modification of the rules that govern the Barnes Housing Trust Fund.

While the steps Council is considering are definitely movement in the right direction, much work lies ahead for us.  We need to continue to lobby for aggressive funding of the Barnes Trust Fund and assure that dedicated monies for affordable housing are devoted to that purpose.  We must continually keep the demand for housing for those with the least among us at the top of our city’s agenda.  We will keep you informed of these issues as well as other issues related to the reduction of poverty.  In the meantime … please be on the alert for other Calls for Action.  Please know how much we appreciate partnering with you. 

Thank you …

The A VOICE Steering Committee

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Corker says Trump went 'far too far' in Obama, ISIS statements

Tennessee Senator Bob Corker today said Trump went 'far too far' in his statements saying Obama founded ISIS and I most certainly agree. Corker said that what Trump probably meant was that the decision to remove troops from Iraq in 2011 and the unrest after Libyan President Muammar Gaddafi was deposed the same year allowed ISIS to flourish in the Middle East. I agree with that.  However, if that constitutes "founding" ISIS, one could with equal justification say George W. Bush founded ISIS by invading and destabilizing Iraq in the first place.

I think the criticism that our premature exit from Iraq created a vacuum that allowed ISIS to flourish is a valid criticism, but that does not equate to "founding" ISIS.  Anyone who knows my political opinions or has read this blog knows I am no fan of President Obama.  I think his administration has been a disaster and made the world a much less safe place but Trump went way over the line with his comment.

Following Trump's comment that Obama "founded ISIS," Trump was interviewed by a conservative talk show host and instead of clarifying that he meant that Obama created the opportune climate for ISIS to flourish, Trump doubled down and said, "No, I meant he's the founder of ISIS." "I do. He was the most valuable player. I give him the most valuable player award. I give her, too, by the way — Hillary Clinton."

Later the same day he blasted the media  for allegedly misunderstanding the sarcasm in his assertion that President Obama founded ISIS.  This is just too much!  Trump is not fit to be president. If anyone said George W. Bush "founded" ISIS I would also think they were unfit to be president.

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Metro Councilman Files a Bill to Greatly Reduce the Fine for Pot Possession

Metro Councilman Dave Rosenberg has introduced a bill, cosponsored by Councilmen Freddie O’Connell and and Russ Pulley, that would substantially decriminalize possession of small amounts of marijuana in Davidson County. The bill would reduce the penalty for possession or "casual exchange" of up to  a half-ounce of marijuana to a $50 civil penalty. In addition, the judge would have the leeway to sentence the offender to up to ten hours of community service instead of the $50 fine. The offender would not be arrested but would be issued a citation.  There would be no criminal record.

I applaud this effort and urge the Council to support it. If I were serving in the Council, I would vote for it and cosponsor it.  I wish the nation would end pot prohibition but since that is not happening, I hope the Metro Council passes this bill would make possession of up to half an ounce an offense on par with littering.

Marijuana is a harmless drug. It is absolutely ridiculous that society continues to ruin lives and waste millions of dollars arresting and jailing people for engaging in such a harmless activity. Marijuana is much less harmful than alcohol If we had more marijuana and less alcohol the world would be a better place. Maybe, if marijuana was legal, more people would choose to get high rather than drunk. The worst thing you can say about marijuana is that it makes people have a stupid grin on their face and think that Oreo cookies are the best thing they ever tasted. People stoned on marijuana are not prone to domestic violence or barroom brawls. Stoned people find life amusing and, by and large, are easygoing and peaceful. Marijuana may be a net plus for society.


Pot prohibition has ruined the lives of many people and wasted millions in resources. Pot prohibition has been as much of a failure as alcohol prohibition. The prohibition has disproportionately harmed the Black community. Studies show that white people use pot in about the same proportion as Black people but Blacks suffer more arrest and harsher penalties. When one is born with the disadvantages of being Black anyway, one arrest for pot possession can condemn one to a life of hopelessness. We have destroyed lives and wasted millions, for what?  For letting people use a substance that makes them happy and is relatively harmless.

Like William F. Buckley, Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, Sarah Palin and tens of millions of other Americans, I have "tried" marijuana. Unlike Bill Clinton, I did inhale. Unlike Sarah Palin, I did enjoy it. Pot prohibition is asinine. It is time to end the hypocrisy. Millions of Americans routinely engage in the harmless activity of smoking pot but yet have to lie about it. If they don't lie about it they may get arrested, or lose their job, or lose visitation rights or custody of their kids. I suspect that a lot of people who hold important jobs and are accomplished and responsible people routinely smoke a little dope. But, they cannot say, "yeah, I like to get stoned every once in a while." They may say that in their youth they "tried" the drug, but they do not admit to currently using it.

Making millions of people liars and hypocrites is the least of the things wrong with pot prohibition. People really do get a police record or go to jail or lose their jobs or lose child visitation rights because of using marijuana. Millions and millions of dollars are spend on law enforcement to prohibit people from engaging in a victim-less crime. Police resources are wasted on enforcing pot prohibition rather than concentrating on real crimes. I also suspect that the prohibition against marijuana weakens the ability to control other really harmful drugs. If you tell a young person that marijuana is harmful and then they discover you lied to them, why should they believe you when you tell them that crack or heroine is harmful?

While the Metro Council can not end the federal "war on drugs," we can do our part to have a rational policy that virtually decriminalizes possession of small amounts.  Apparently this law will not conflict with State law. State law considers possession of small amounts of marijuana a misdemeanor punishable by up to a fine of $2,500 and a year in jail. The law does not set a minimum punishment. The Council should pass this bill.

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Emails confirm Clinton pay-for-play racket. Clinton Traded Government Favors for Foundation Donors.

By Tom Hamburger, Washington Post,  August 10 at 9:42 PM -  Newly released State Department emails shed additional light on the relationships Hillary Clinton and her top aides maintained with her family’s foundation during the years she served as secretary of state.

The emails, obtained by the conservative group Judicial Watch as part of a public-records lawsuit, included one in which a longtime aide to Bill Clinton sought a State Department meeting on behalf of a major foundation donor.

The aide, Doug Band, who played a role in expanding the foundation’s reach, wrote to Hillary Clinton’s State Department staff requesting a meeting for a wealthy Ni­ger­ian businessman of Lebanese descent who has given the Clinton Foundation $1 million to $5 million in donations, according to disclosure reports. (link)

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Corker to speak at GOP luncheon in the 'boro, Aug. 18th

Press release - The Republican Party of Rutherford County is proud to announce that the Honorable U.S. Senator Bob Corker will be the featured speaker at our GOP Lunch meeting on Thursday, August 18, 2016 at noon.

In 2012, Tennesseans overwhelmingly elected Bob Corker to his second term in the U.S. Senate, where he serves as chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee and is an active member of the Banking Committee and the Budget Committee.

Bob was Tennessee’s commissioner of finance and mayor of Chattanooga before being elected to the Senate in 2006, but he spent most of his life in business. At the age of 25, Bob started his own construction company with $8,000 in savings and a pickup truck, eventually expanding operations to 18 states across the country.

“We are proud to have him be the featured speaker for our third luncheon in the GOP Speaker series,” said Donna Barrett, Rutherford County Republican Party Chairman. It’s his results-driven businessman’s perspective that allowed him to make a mark early in his Senate tenure and become a pragmatic thought leader on fiscal and financial issues.

Recognizing the important impact U.S. leadership and diplomacy abroad can have on our economy and national security, Bob also is an active leader on the Foreign Relations Committee. Since taking office in 2007, he has visited more than 70 countries to gain a deeper understanding of the strategic relationships between the U.S. and other nations, and in 2015, his colleagues elected him chairman. As the lead Republican on the committee, Corker works with his colleagues to set the committee agenda and help carry out legislative and oversight responsibilities.

The event will be held at the Doubletree Hotel at 1850 Old Fort Pkwy in Murfreesboro. The charge is $25 (including tax and gratuity) for the lunch meal. There is limited seating and those interested in attending please click here to order tickets. Tickets may also be purchased by contacting the County GOP at 615-893-7219 or email Annie Uselton at director@RutherfordGOP.org. You may also visit the Republican Party office at 111 East Main Street (next to the City Café) in Murfreesboro. The office is open Monday through Wednesday from 10 AM to 2 PM, Thursdays by appointment, Friday from Noon – 5 PM and Saturday 8 am to Noon.

Bob graduated from the University of Tennessee in 1974 with a degree in Industrial Management. He and his wife of 29 years, Elizabeth, live in Chattanooga. They have two daughters, Emily Corker, Julia and her husband Justin Spickard, and one grandchild.

Contact: Annie Uselton, GOP Office Director
Tel:  615-893-7219
Email: director@RutherfordGOP.org

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Corker disagrees with Trump on NATO importance, but still backs GOP nominee

Chattanooga Times Free - Bob Corker, R-Tenn., said today he doesn't agree with everything that ...(link)

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CONVICTED: Democrat Joe Armstrong Found Guilty of a Felony

Press release, NASHVILLE, Tenn.-August 8, 2016—With the news that Democratic Representative Joe Armstrong has been convicted of a felony for falsifying his tax returns, the Tennessee Republican Party released the following statement from the Executive Director of the Party, Brent Leatherwood, about the matter:

"Today's conviction of Representative Armstrong continues the unfortunate legacy of Tennessee Democrats serving in the jailhouse rather than the State House. Armstrong now joins the other infamous members of the Tennessee Democrat hall of shame like Ray Blanton and John Ford. Voters want to have confidence in their elected officials and the actions of Armstrong—and liberals like Knox County Democratic nominee Gloria Johnson who give their unflinching support to him—have shaken that sacred trust.”

Background

In previous statements, the TNGOP has referred to the Democratic Party as “corrupt to the core” citing Armstrong’s indictment as proof of that claim.

Online: http://tngop.org/convicted-democrat-joe-armstrong-found-guilty-of-a-felony/

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