Joe Carr was guest of Bellevue Breakfast Club

I was not there, but this morning (Sat. Aug 2) Joe Carr was the guest speaker at the Bellevue Republican Breakfast Club. Below are some pic's and Facebook chatter about the event:

From Due Smith: U.S. Senate candidate Joe Carr now hold a magical silver bullet in his arsenal as he guns for the seat of Tennessee icon Lamar Alexander. Metro Council Candidate Lonnie Spivak gave Carr the legendary weapon said to dispatch werewolves. Carr spoke at the Bellevue Republican breakfast activist Betty Hood chairs. About 25 avowed conservatives attended, several of whom were also running for offices on the Aug. 7 election ballot.

From Lonnie Spivak: One correction Dru. I did not give him the bullet to slay werewolves, however that comment was made. I expect Joe Carr to be Tennessee's Lone Ranger in the US senate.

Bellevue Republican Breakfast Club is the granddaddy of Republican breakfast groups.  It has been going on for years and years. Betty Hood does a great job.

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Do Your Part: Get a Conservative Supreme Court

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Early Voting Ends Tomorrow, Saturday, August 2. Locations and times.

There is both a primary and a general election taking place at the same time. Many people, even those involved in elections, don’t understand that there is both a primary election and a general election, and when one votes in the general election, it does not matter which primary the person voted in (or that the person chose not to vote in a primary election at all).

Thus, voters can vote in the Democrat primary and vote for a Republican in the general election or vote in the Republican primary and vote for a Democrat in the general election.

Voters need to listen closely in the polling place for poll officials who might say or imply that if people vote in the Democrat primary, they have to vote Democrat in the general election, as if the two elections are linked. If you hear that being said, please complain to the senior person at the polling place and document what you hear and complain to the election commission. Don't let that go unchallenged.

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Alexander Cosponsors Bill to Repeal Davis-Bacon Act, Save Taxpayers Billions Each Year

Alexander told Congress in 1995 that Davis-Bacon was “a big favor for the unions” but “no favor at all…for efficiency or economy”

“Enough is enough: For 83 years, this handout to labor unions has meant that, rather than getting the job done for the lowest cost, taxpayers get charged extra on everything from building roads to painting buildings.” –Lamar Alexander

Washington, D.C., July 17– U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), the senior Republican on the Senate labor committee, today cosponsored a bill introduced by Senator Mike Lee (R-Utah) to repeal the Davis-Bacon Act, a law mandating a wage subsidy on nearly all federally funded construction projects.

“Enough is enough: For 83 years, this handout to labor unions has meant that, rather than getting the job done for the lowest cost, taxpayers get charged extra on everything from building roads to painting buildings,” Alexander said.

In 1995, Alexander testified before Congress urging the repeal of legislation that extended Davis-Bacon provisions to school construction and renovation, saying: “That means a principal in Moline who wants to hire a contractor to rewire his school for new computers must pay the prevailing union wage rather than getting the job done for the lowest cost. It's a big favor for the unions, but no favor at all for schools, efficiency or economy.”

The Davis-Bacon Repeal Act would repeal the federal legislation that requires all contractors and subcontractors working on federally funded or assisted contracts worth more than $2,000 for the construction, alteration and repair of public buildings or public works to pay the local “prevailing wage,” as determined by the Department of Labor.

The bill was also cosponsored by Senators Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Tim Scott (R-S.C.), Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.), Tom Coburn (R-Okla.), Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and David Vitter (R-La.).

The Congressional Budget Office reports that Davis-Bacon requirements increase construction costs by raising wages on federal projects, by requiring labor to be used in a costly fashion, and by imposing reporting and paperwork requirement on contractors. CBO estimates that a repeal would save $12.7 billion over ten years.

A 2008 Suffolk University study found that Davis-Bacon requirements cost U.S. taxpayers an additional $8.6 billion annually and add 9.9 percent to construction costs.

The Department of Labor’s data on prevailing wages is expensive to collect and is subject to error, bias and fraud. The department’s Inspector General has found these problems to be pervasive, despite millions invested to improve data collection.

Comment: Davis-Bacon inflates the price of every construction contract that involves federal funds. If we do construction at the air port or build the AMP or build roads or build a school or do any construction that involves any federal spending, we have to pay 'prevailing wage,' which really is not prevailing wage but is union scale wage which can drastically inflate the cost of the projects.  Davis-Bacon needs to be repealed! Lamar Alexander is the author of an article that appears in today's National Review Online that calls for repeal of Davis-Bacon.

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'Joe Carr pays 2 daughters to be Senate campaign workers' story being reported in mainstream press

Joe Carr pays 2 daughters to be Senate campaign workers is the headline in a story in yesterday's Murfreesboro Daily News Journal. The story is also being reported in some other newspapers around the state. I wondered if I was the only one who thought this was news worthy.  I first reported it in this blog on July 7th in this post:Why are Carr's girls on the Campaign payroll? 

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Video: Lamar Alexander: 'I Voted Against Amnesty,' recorded at Lamar's Nashville bus tour rally.

From Britbart News:

During his bus tour through Tennessee, Sen. Lamar Alexander was approached by
someone asking him why he voted to support amnesty.

“I voted against amnesty,” Alexander replied.

The video was provided to Breitbart News by the “Beat Lamar” effort by the Real Conservatives National Committee Super PAC opposing Alexander’s re-election.
Alexander’s answer is consistent with his claim that by voting for the Senate "Gang of Eight" immigration reform bill, he voted to end amnesty.(Read more and watch the video)

My Comment: The video is hardly worth watching because, "I voted against amnesty" is all Alexander is caught on camera saying in the poor quality video probably recorded with someone's cell phone yesterday.

How can Lamar claim he voted against amnesty?  Doesn't everyone know he voted for amnesty?  Some of his opponents are even taking to calling Alexander, "Amnesty Alexander." That Alexander supports amnesty is the major campaign theme of Joe Carr's campaign. The anti-Lamar counter protest yesterday was advertised as an anti-illegal immigration rally.

Lamar's reasoning for saying he voted against amnesty is this: In supporting the "gang of eight" bi-partisan comprehensive immigration reform bill he was voting to end the de facto amnesty that now exist which allows 11 to 20 million illegal immigrants to stay in this country without penalty. According to this line of reasoning, that is amnesty.

 The comprehensive immigration bill Alexander supported provided greater funding for border security, doubling the number of border agents and building 350 more miles of fence on the southern border.

After the border was deemed secure, then it would have allowed those illegally here prior to 2012, to apply for provisional legal status and then, if they met the provisions of the bill, they could become citizens after 13 years. Citizenship would not have been automatic.  The alien would have had to learn English and pass the citizenship test just like all other applicants. Each alien would have had to pay a $1,000 "penalty" and $2,000 in fees for the temporary Z visa, pass a background check, and submit proof of employment and fingerprints. Then after getting the initial Z visa, in four years the applicant would have had to pay another fee for an extension of the visa. For a family of four, the total cost would have been about $15,000 and they would have had to pay any back taxes owed.

That, to me does not sound like amnesty.  After the end of the Vietnam war, Jimmy Carter let US citizens who fled to Canada in order to dodge the draft come back home. They did not have to serve time or do community service are pay a fee.  That was amnesty.

So, is Lamar correct in saying his vote for comprehensive immigration reform was a vote against amnesty? I don't think so. I understand his logic but de facto amnesty is not the same as wiping the slate clean as if the offence had never occurred. "De facto amnesty" is the current status quo and that is not amnesty.  Letting people ignore the law is not amnesty, because they are always under the threat that the law could be enforced.

Was it a vote for amnesty, as Carr and his supporters claim?  I don't think so. Waiting 13 years and paying $15,000 for a family of four is not amnesty. The logic of many conservatives is that any thing that does not round them all up and deport them is amnesty. If they had to pay $30,000 or $60,000 and wait 25 years, they would still call that "amnesty."

Alexander saying his vote for comprehensive immigration reform was a vote against amnesty is just as inaccurate as Joe Carr's claim that Alexander's vote for comprehensive immigration reform was a vote for amnesty. Both are using twisted logic and exaggeration to make their claim.

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Tea Party Express podcast features Joe Carr.

From Tea Party Express:

This Candidate Is Endorsed By Palin and Ingraham
Hear what Joe Carr, the U.S. Senate candidate from Tennessee, had to say

In this week's "On the Campaign Trail" podcast, we are joined by Joe Carr. Joe discusses his campaign for U.S. Senate where he hopes to replace incumbent Republican Senator Lamar Alexander. (To read more and hear the podcast follow this link.)

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Lamar Alexander's Nashville rally.

Video deleted because I hate video that start automatically. If you want to see it follow the link. Rod

I attended the Lamar Alexander bus tour rally yesterday in front of the Alexander headquarters on Music Row. Kix Brooks of Brooks and Dunn introduced Alexander. Former Governor Winfield Dunn was present and was praised by Alexander for what he has done for the State of Tennessee. Alexander focused his remarks on repealing Obamacare and stopping federal involvement in education. About 150 people attended the Alexander event and about 40 anti-Alexander counter demonstrators marched up and down the sidewalk on the opposite side of the street. This video and story in the Tennessean captures the flavor of the event. (Unfortunately before you can watch the Tennessean video, you have to watch a commercial.)

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What's on the Council Agenda for Tuesday, August 5th?

The Metro Council Agenda and Council staff analysis for the August 5th meeting is now available. Council meetings are really boring if you don't know what is happening. With an agenda and an analysis they are still boring but not quit as boring.

I am only hitting the high points so if you want more knowledge, read the agenda for yourself. There are seven appointments to boards and commission on the agenda for confirmation which routinely happens without dissent or discussion. None of these appointees are to the controversial or troubled agencies. There are two bills on public hearing granting waivers to the distance requirements for beer permits.  There are ten rezoning bills on public hearing. While neighbors may be very opinionated about a proposal for rezoning in their neighborhood, usually these bill or of little general interest.  I don't see any rezoning bills worthy of mentioning.

Other Resolutions:
RESOLUTION NO. RS2014-1168 approves MDHA building a 1183 car parking garage downtown. I think more parking is needed downtown and parking revenue should pay for the project. It is interesting how this is being funded. MDHA is leasing the garage to a private firm which then leases it back to MDHA. This lease-back arrangement allows the city to build the garage without having the money to do it.  There would be a liability on the city to pay the bill if parking revenues do not cover the cost but this seems like a good way to finance the project and a safe investment. The effective interest rate of this funding mechanism is about 4.8%.

Most of the other resolution are simply settling legal claims against the city or accepting grants from the State or non-profit organizations. Most of these are routine. It is hard to turn down free money but that is often what causes government to become bloated. An organization may provide the funding for a position for the first year, then if they do not continue to provide funding, the city must fund the position or cut the position and function.  I hope someone is looking at all of these grants with an eye toward future obligation of the city. Sometimes free money is costly.

One resolution that raises a red flag is RESOLUTION NO. RS2014-1181 which is accepting a grant in the amount of $100,000 from Smart Growth America.  I actually favor what is considered "smart growth," which generally means growth that is pedestrian friendly, in fill developments and greater density. What concerns me about this bill is that the funds are to be used "to establish a framework to establish and measure progress towards metrics to improve public health, reduce social inequities, protect the environment, and enhance public involvement in transportation decision-making. I am all for reducing social inequities, but I would want to know what that means exactly and what we are buying by accepting this money.  Also, I am for protecting the environment, but I would want to know if that had any specific meaning. I hope someone in the Council actually reads the grant.

There are 14 bills on First Reading. I have not read them. First Reading is a formality that allows bills to be on the agenda. They are generally not discussed on First Reading, they have not yet been to committee and they almost always all pass by a single vote of the Council.

Bills on Second Reading:
BILL NO. BL2014-771  creates a new zoning called a "contextual overlay district." This designation would establish a requirement for neighborhood compatibility for in-fill development where adopted. It would establish set back requirements, height limits and lot coverage limits so in- fill is not terribly out of character of the surrounding neighborhood.  Already the same thing can be accomplished with an Urban Design Overlay, but this would make it easier. I have mixed views of this, but tend to oppose it. There are some neighborhoods that have been transformed from neighborhoods with homes in the $75,000 to $100,000 range to neighborhood were the homes are worth up to $650,000. If this had been in place those transformation would not have occurred. These transformations do destroy “affordable” housing but they also respond to market demand which results in a higher tax base. Do we want upper middle class people to all move to Williamson County or do we want to let market forces make room for them to live in Davidson County? Also, why should existing property owners who want to sell and move, not be permitted to get the highest dollar for their home? If allowed to be torn down, the lots are more valuable than the home on the lot. This bill has been approved by the Planning Commission.

BILL NO. BL2014-840 prohibit beer permits from being issued for establishments located within a shopping mall containing a community center and/or public library. In my view this is ridiculous. So there is a library at the other end of mall, what is it going to hurt to allow someone to have a beer with their meal?

BILL NO. BL2014-841 would establish a minimum size enclosure for an outside dog pen. I think people ought to treat their animals humanely, but should we micromanage everything?

I see no bills on third reading of interest.

Memorializing Resolutions do not  carry the force of law but they express the will of the council. They will probably be lumped with resolutions on the consent agenda and be passes along with those by a single vote.
RESOLUTION NO. RS2014-1186  by Council members Tygard and Dominy recognizes Mr. Ken

Ken Jakes

Jakes for his service to our community. This is a well deserved honor. Ken Jakes is being honored for his charitable work, but Ken Jakes does much more than that. He is a citizen activist who has exposed corruption and waste in Metro Government time and time again, including exposures of the mismanagement at Farmers Market and corruption at NES. Ken Jakes has ran for Council in the past and came close to getting in a run-off in 2010 but with all incumbents reelected on the first round, he failed to make the run-off but was close. Next Council election, Ken Jakes, if he choses to run, will stand a good chance of being elected given that all incumbent Council Member at Large are term limited. I hope he runs and is elected. He would make a great council member.

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Eagle Forum endorces Joe Carr

Press release, Washington, D.C. — Eagle Forum PAC, a conservative public policy organization founded by pro-family leader Phyllis Schlafly, is proud to endorse Tennessee State Rep. Joe Carr in the Republican primary for the United States Senate.

“Joe Carr will stand up for families in the U.S. Senate,” said Schlafly. “He is a strong voice for limited government and traditional values. When President Obama and his allies in the Senate attack our constitutional liberties, Joe will always defend them.”

“Joe spoke out against the amnesty that Democrats and establishment Republicans wanted to give to millions of illegal immigrants, and the crisis on our southern border has proved him right,” said Schlafly. “He recognizes the damage that illegal immigration inflicts on Tennessee’s working families. He will fight for a conservative solution that makes border security a priority and restores the rule of law.”

“Every day, the President and liberals in the Senate are working to undermine our most fundamental liberties,” added Schlafly. “Joe understands that our rights don’t belong to the government. He has been a tireless advocate for the unborn, traditional marriage, and the Second Amendment, and he will be the same in the U.S. Senate.”

“President Obama has drawn a line in the sand,” concluded Schlafly, “and he will not back away unless we have strong conservative leaders like Joe Carr standing up and fighting back.  Now more than ever, we need to rally behind true conservatives like Joe Carr.”

Eagle Forum PAC supports candidates who are committed to a conservative philosophy of limited government, national sovereignty and traditional values.

My Comment: My posting of a press release does not imply agreement. I am strongly  supporting Lamar Alexander.  The press release does not say how much money, if any, will be accompany the endorsement. With the election just eleven days away, I suspect any funding to Carr will be too late to help and most people who could be swayed by an Eagle Forum endorsement were probably for Joe Carr anyway. Rod

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Lamar Alexander's Standing up for Tennessee Tour in Nashville tonight! Kix Brooks and other to welcome Alexander.

Join country star Kix Brooks, former Governor Winfield Dunn and other special guests tonight to welcome Lamar Alexander's Standing up for Tennessee Tour to Nashville's Music Row! 

Please join us at 5:30 PM at the Alexander Campaign Offices
1222 16th Ave. South, Nashville 37212 

Bring the whole family!

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Andy Miller's Pac spend $250K in Alexander attack ads last week + $31k pro Carr ads

Knoxville (Tenn.) News Sentinel: “A political action committee founded by Andrew Miller, an arch conservative Nashville millionaire, spent more than $250,000 last week on media advertising that attacks U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander and another $31,000 supporting Joe Carr, according to reports filed with the Federal Election Commission. …The filings show Miller and his brother, Tracy Miller, have put $240,000 into the ‘Super PAC’ since April — $120,000 each. The bulk of the $250,910 spent attacking Alexander went to Jamestown Associated, a Princeton, N.J., political media firm known for handling ads against incumbent Republican congressmen. Copies of the ad had not been made available to media on Sunday.”

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