Democrats see Lamar as vulnerable. Plan to mount serious challenge with unknown candidate.

I just got this email. Notice that it is signed by all the Tennessee Democrat big wigs.  The Democrats think they can beat Lamar Alexander.  I seriously doubt it. Alexander is not vulnerable because he is too conservative, but because he is perceived as too liberal.  I doubt tea party Republican will vote for a Democrat.  What could happen however is, if Carr should somehow pull an upset and take the nomination away from Alexander, we had all better get used to the sound of "Senator Terry Adams."

Tennessee Democrats for A New U.S. Senator

To Rodwilliams47@yahoo.com

Today at 3:18 PM

Dear friends,

The world has changed!

We are writing because last week two separate polls revealed how vulnerable Lamar Alexander has become. Tennesseans are disgusted with Washington politicians and instinctively realize that you can’t fix the disaster in Washington by sending the same people back there that made the mess to begin with.  As a long-time Washington politician, Alexander’s favorable rating statewide was a horrendous 37%.

43% of all voters dislike him. Even half the Republicans in Tennessee rate him as unfavorable. That’s amazing – but that explains why he has a very slim 6-point lead over a Tea Party challenger with very low name I.D. In fact it looks like there is a strong “anybody but Alexander” movement among Tennessee Republicans.

If this sounds familiar, remember that the “Tea Party” upset no fewer than eight establishment Republicans in the last two election cycles. They won surprising victories in Texas, Florida, Delaware, Indiana, Utah, Missouri, Nevada and Colorado.

That seems promising, but the polling is even more encouraging. If Alexander survives the coming Tea Party onslaught, he is extremely vulnerable to a candidate like Terry Adams who is a veteran, a small businessman and not a politician. That profile wins 67 – 13%!

After giving voters only a short description, Terry beats Alexander 41% - 37%. We have never seen poll numbers this encouraging against an “icon” like Lamar Alexander. Clearly, opportunity is knocking. We absolutely must answer the door and usher in a new day in Tennessee.

That’s why we’re supporting Terry Adams for the U.S. Senate. We invite you to talk with Terry or ask any one of us about the race.

We have all made contributions to Terry’s campaign and we are asking you to do the same. The federal maximum for this election cycle is $5,200.  The time is now – if Terry comes out of the gate with a strong FEC report, his campaign could transform into an unstoppable steamroller.

Just click here  to give.

Please give generously - then forward this email to your friends and associates. You might also post to Facebook and send a Tweet.    

 

Thanks for your friendship and your support.

 

Chris Anderson, Chattanooga City Council	Roy Herron, Democratic Party Chair
Justin Bailey	Doug Horne, Former Dem. Party Chair
D'Army Bailey	Gloria Johnson, TN State Representative
Charles Bone	Clark Jones
Charles Robert Bone	J. W. Luna
David Briley	Olan Mills
Brian Capps, Past Pres., TAJ	Sally Sparks, KBR President-Elect
Will Cheek, Former Dem. Party Chair	Mike Stevens, Past President, TN Homebuilders
Chip Forrester, Former Dem. Party Chair	Mike Turner, TN House Dem. Caucus Chair
	Bob Tuke, Former Dem. Party Chair

Top Stories

Beth Harwell: Pre-K likely won't expand across Tennessee

Beth Harwell: Pre-K likely won't expand across TennesseeThe Tennessean

House Republicans won't be looking to expand access to prekindergarten across the state in the upcoming legislative session, Speaker Beth Harwell ...

Top Stories

Council meeting of Dec. 17th with commentary, analysis, and time stamp notation.

Council partially legalizes transportation competition!

This Council meeting is chaired by Councilman Chris Harmon, President pro tem of the Council.

To follow along with the agenda, the staff analysis and my analysis and commentary follow this link.

The proposed rule change which would have changed rule 47 of the council's rules of procedure and was sponsored by Councilman Robert Duvall is withdrawn without explanation. Rule 47 concerns use of the Council chamber and the placing of items on Council member's desk. The staff analysis did not explain this proposed rule change, so I don't know what that was all about. It was withdrawn without explanation.

All of those bills on the consent agenda pass without any being pulled.

The following bills were not on the consent agenda:

• RESOLUTION NO. RS2013-904 provides compensation for special judges presiding in Davidson County General Sessions Court. Ronnie Stein is the sponsor and explains the bill. Council member Duvall takes to the floor and expresses a concern. (See time stamp 0:16:04) The bill passes 34-0 with no abstentions. Six members are absent. 
• RESOLUTION NO. RS2013-931 appropriates over $9 million to various departments. Charlie Tygard takes to the floor with a concern. Good for Charlie! He is one of the few financial watchdogs in the Council. (see time stamp 0:20:22)

All bills on first reading pass without objection, as is customary.

Bills on Second Reading:

• BILL NO. BL2013-580 sponsored by Charlie Tygard, which would establish the policy that storm water fee bills showing a zero balance or a credit would not have to be billed, which would save the city a lot of money, is deferred indefinitely. To see the explanation go to 0:23:34. 
•   BILL NO. BL2013-603 by Councilman Mitchell which would regulate small outdoor music events on commercial property is deferred one meeting. To see the explanation of the bill see 0:25:00. 
• BILL NO. BL2013-605 which would change the minimum fee that vehicles for hire are allowed to charge passes. To see the discussion go to 0:28:30. (This bill was also discussed at length in Budget and Finance Committee. To see that discussion follow this link and go to time stamp 0:43:54.)
  
  This is a great development! Hopefully it ends an embarrassing chapter in Nashville's history. I would be more pleased it this bill established no minimum. A minimum is designed to not help consumers, but to protect providers of a service. I also would be more pleased if this bill removed the other onerous regulation of black sedans. This is however, a big step in the right direction. To learn a lot more about this issue, see my previous post on this issue by following this link.
  
  It is unbelievable that this bills passed all committees of the council unanimously. It is surprising that a bill which imposed a minimum fees in 2010 passed unanimously and now a bill to lower the minimum so low that it will essentially have no effect also passes unanimously. Our Council apparently has no one with core values and they all bend with whichever way the wind blows. I am disappointed that no one took to the floor and made a principled argument in favor of free enterprise. The bill passes on a voice vote.

On Third Reading a couple bills concerning LED signs are discussed. I am not terrible interested in this topic so if it interest you, see 0:57:07 for the discussion. There is a particular concern as to whether or not the bill would apply to churches in certain zoned districts.

Top Stories

Jim Tracy gets big endorsement over Scott DesJarlais ...

Jim Tracy gets big endorsement over Scott DesJarlais ...

NASHVILLE _ Citizens United Political Victory Fund endorsed state Sen. Jim Tracy in his GOP primary challenge to 4th Congressional District ...

Top Stories

Wind turbines chop up bald and golden eagles, and other endangered species, like a Cuisinart

TVA's wind power site on Buffalo Mountain near Oak Ridge

If the Department of Energy were to meet its 2030 goal of having 20 percent of the nation’s electricity generated from wind, they project: “a mean annual mortality estimate of roughly 1.4 million birds.”

.... the Obama Administration announced an extension of the existing five-year eagle take permit. Effective immediately, the new rule issued by the Department of Interior (DOI) will grant 30-year permits allowing wind farms to “accidently kill federally protected eagles.” The “rule” is in direct violation of the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act passed by Congress in 1940. Once again, executive action trumps the law.(link)

Top Stories

Senator Alexander calls for end to Wind Tax Credits: They waste money and distort energy markets.

Washington, Dec. 17 - U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and a bipartisan group of senators today sent a letter to Senate Finance Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) and Ranking Member Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), calling on them to let wind power “stand on its own” in the marketplace by allowing the wind production tax credit to expire as required under current law.

The bipartisan letter, led by Alexander and Senator Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), states that after more than 20 years and eight extensions, a 1992 tax credit originally intended to boost a fledgling technology is now subsidizing a “mature technology,” wasting taxpayer money and distorting energy markets by “picking winners and losers.” It requests that the Finance Committee exclude the wind production tax credit – which under current law will have provided $22 billion to wind producers between 1992 and 2022 – from any legislation the committee may consider.

The letter was signed by several members of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Signatories include Senators Alexander, Manchin, Tom Coburn (R-Okla.), Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), Mike Lee (R-Utah), Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), Tim Scott (R-S.C.), Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.), Jim Risch (R-Ida.) and John McCain (R-Ariz.)

“Congress is struggling to find $63 billion to spend in the budget agreement, when all we have to do is get rid of the wasteful wind production tax credit,” Alexander said. “For the next 10 years, extending the tax credit one year at a time could cost $60 billion or more. Using the wind production tax credit to pay for all or part of the budget agreement would do this country more good than extending this subsidy for expensive, low-quality wind electricity ever could.”

The senators write, “Our nation’s energy policy must make economic sense for taxpayers and not manipulate markets. Continuation of the wind PTC not only picks winners and losers, it is distorting our energy markets and it's past time to end a temporary tax credit that was put into law in 1992. After more than 20 years, and tens of billions of tax-payer dollars, it’s time to let the wind PTC expire and continue to invest in new technologies.”

In the letter, the senators call for the Finance Committee to let the wind production tax credit expire as scheduled at the end of 2013 and not consider any kind of extension, pointing out that wind producers will continue to qualify for subsidies if the wind facility is placed in service before Jan. 1, 2016. As it stands now, the wind production tax credit will have given $22 billion to wind producers by 2022, according to the most recent estimate from the Congressional Research Service. That doesn’t include additional subsidies to wind as part of President Obama’s federal stimulus bill, which total another $12.9 billion, according to the U.S. Treasury.

The letter also describes how the wind production tax credit is wasting taxpayer money on what the Obama administration has called a “mature technology” while distorting energy markets, putting cheaper and more reliable forms of energy, such as coal and nuclear, at a competitive disadvantage.

Top Stories

Bill to reduce limo fees moves ahead! Passes second reading

Last night the council passed a bill that cut the minimum fee for limo's or black cars from $45 to $9. 75. This will make it possible for app-based services like Uber, Sidecar, and Lyft to enter the Nashville market. It also means that the long-term effort to stamp out "black sedans" is over.

 In 2010, Nashville passed the $45 minimum to protect luxury limousine companies from the new competition of "Black Sedans."  Black sedans is a service that is something between a taxi and a limousine.  Black Sedans are much cleaner and nicer than the average taxi but they are not as ostentatious as a limo.  When this new type service entered the Nashville market, the city went all out to put them out of business, forcing them to operate like a limo company. Not only did the city impose a $45 minimum fare when black sedans had been charging only $25, they restricted there fares to only one an hour, required central dispatching, restricted the age of vehicles in service and engaged in a policy of harassment and intimidation of black sedan operators. Our shameful effort to protect the limo companies from competition became a national scandal.

With the new convention center, Nashville now needs more transportation and transportation options. Those in the tourist industry realize this and advocated a change in course to remove barriers to entry in the Nashville market. I would prefer that there be no minimum fee. However, a $10 fee is so low, that it will have little effect. I doubt a service like Lyft or a black sedan would provide a fare of less than $10 in any event. I don't think those in the Council who previously supported price-fixing have had a philosophical change of heart, but they are bowing to the practical reality that crony capitalism and price-fixing protectionism can not meet the needs of our booming tourist industry. Whatever their motivation for doing so, they are doing the right thing.

Below is the Tennessean's report on this story:

Bill to reduce limo fees in Nashville moves ahead

A proposal to dramatically reduce the minimum fee to hire limousines and black-car services in Nashville moved closer to approval Tuesday, meaning a national company that uses a smartphone application to connect riders with vehicles could enter the market soon. 

The Metro Council supported the legislation on the second of three required readings. It could win final approval as early as Jan. 7.

Top Stories

Law enforcement agencies receive a lump of coal for abusive practices

“Policing for profit” draws Tennesseans’ ire in Beacon Center’s annual poll 

NASHVILLE – The Beacon Center of Tennessee today announced that Tennesseans have overwhelmingly chosen the 23rd Judicial District, and Cheatham, Dickson, and Humphreys Counties as the recipients of the 2013 Lump of Coal Award.

The Beacon Center awards this dubious distinction annually to the person or group in Tennessee who, more than any other during the past year, acted as a Grinch to Tennesseans by bah-humbugging the principles of liberty and limited government.

The judicial district and three counties have become infamous for their use of a controversial tactic known as “policing for profit.” Abusing the state’s civil forfeiture laws, the agencies have begun seizing cash, vehicles, and other personal items in traffic stops, forcing the property owner to prove that the cash or property was not related to criminal activity. Innocent victims often spend months attempting to recoup seized property, sometimes to no avail.

An in-depth documentary by Nashville’s NewsChannel 5 revealed troubling facts about the practice, such as substantially more traffic stops on westbound Interstate lanes—where cash proceeds from drug sales frequently flow—while drugs traveling in the eastbound lanes were reportedly allowed to pass unfettered. Officers were also caught on camera admitting that they had little evidence that property was associated with a crime before seizing it anyway.

After the Beacon Center narrowed the list of offenders down to four finalists, the recipient of the Lump of Coal Award was chosen directly by Tennesseans in an online poll. The four law enforcement agencies received the most votes for the not-so-coveted prize, beating out Metro Nashville Public Schools, the Department of Labor & Workforce Development, and Hemlock Semiconductor with 40 percent of the vote.

"Tennesseans have sent a clear message that ‘policing for profit’ will not be tolerated," said Beacon CEO Justin Owen. "This practice turns the Constitution on its head, and it’s time for lawmakers to heed the outcry of law-abiding citizens who want their property rights protected from this abuse, while still preserving the authority of law enforcement to target criminals."

State legislators have indicated that they will study this issue and offer possible reforms to the state’s civil forfeiture laws when they reconvene next month. Earlier this year, the Beacon Center published a policy brief on the practice, which can be found at http://www.beacontn.org/2013/03/the-perils-of-policing-for-profit/.

The Beacon Center of Tennessee’s mission is to change lives through public policy by advancing the principles of free markets, individual liberty, and limited government.

Top Stories

The Metro Council Budget and Finance Committee meeting of Dec. 16th

Top Stories

Jim Gotto Fund Raiser tonight.

Jim Gotto

Fund raiser for Jim Gotto on Tuesday December 17th, 2013.

Sponsors: Speaker of the House of Representatives Beth Harwell, Senator Steve Dickerson, Senator Ferrel Haile, Representative Gerald McCormick, and Representative Glen Casada.
When: Tuesday December 17th, 4PM to 6PM
Where: The Cumberland, 555 Chruch St., Nashville
Minimum Contribution: $500

Top Stories

Alexander, Corker to vote against bipartisan budget deal

Alexander, Corker to vote against bipartisan budget deal Nashville Business Journal (blog)

Lamar Alexander today said he will vote against the bipartisan budget deal that was recently approved by the U.S. House of Representatives.

Top Stories

Governor Bill Haslam and other dignitaries dedicate Virgin Falls.

To get an idea of the size of this natural wonder, look in the upper left corner of
this picture. There is a person standing there.

I hate I missed it, but last Wednesday Governor Bill Haslam and other dignitaries gathered and endured chilly temperatures to dedicate Virgin Falls.

I have hiked a lot of beautiful places in Tennessee but have never hiked to Virgin Falls.  My sister is planning to lead a hike to Virgin Falls and some other nearby sites some warm day in January. I look forward to the hike. My sister, Kathleen Williams, is Executive Director of the Tennessee Parks and Greenways Foundation and her organization was instrumental in saving this site.

My family has  a deep connection to this area. Both sets of  grandparents on my mothers side, the Carters and the Welches, have ties to this part of the country. The nearby area called "Big Bottom" was once farmed by an ancestor of mine and I have a relative who is buried in a cemetery in the area.

The stream that makes Virgin Falls, runs out of cave then falls 110 feet into the mouth of another cave. The area is also home to several endangered and rare plant species.

Below is a link to news coverage of the Dedication.

Geologic wonder dedicated as Virgin Falls State Natural 

Gov. Bill Haslam, Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation Commissioner Bob Martineau, Deputy Commissioner for Parks and Conservation Brock Hill and representatives from the community endured chilly temperatures Wednesday to celebrate the protection of 1,157 acres through the Virgin Falls State Natural Area, which is adjacent to the Bridgestone/Firestone Centennial Wilderness.

Community celebrates preservation of Virgin Falls  

SPARTA — Bundled up nature-lovers gathered at Welch’s Point in Sparta yesterday morning to celebrate the formal dedication of the Virgin Falls State Natural Area.

“We are celebrating getting Virgin Falls into public land, which many of us thought it was already,” said Mary Lynn Dobson, vice president of the Tennessee Parks and Greenways Foundation.

Top Stories