Memphis Daily News: The Black campaign received a letter of praise from Pence – and a $4,000 check from his political action committee. (link)
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Thursday, December 14, 2017
Diane Black surges in Tennessee gubernatorial race, poll finds
The Tennessean: Diane Black surges in Tennessee gubernatorial race, poll finds
.... 59 percent of respondents recognized Black’s name, a 10 percent jump from a survey released in May. ... With 41 percent, former Nashville Mayor Karl Dean, a Democrat, came in second in terms of name recognition. .... House Speaker Beth Harwell of Nashville and Knoxville entrepreneur Randy Boyd, who had name recognition of 40 percent and 33 percent, respectively. ... Twenty-eight percent of respondents recognized former Republican state Sen. Mae Beavers’ name ... Just 14 percent of respondents recognized Lee’s name, while 10 percent knew Fitzhugh in the latest poll.
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Wednesday, December 13, 2017
Nashville's fees to Wall Street among highest in the nation
In an article by Mike Reicher appearing in The Tennessean it is reported that Nashville's pension fund pays some of the highest Wall Street investment fees of any city in America. The hidden cost associated with the pension fund was revealed for the first time as a result of a request for information from the Tennessean. Below are excepts from the article:
New city data shows that Nashville paid $39 million in investment fees in fiscal 2017 — more than 40 percent above the previous year’s reported fees — while the fund’s assets increased by 10 percent. As a share of its total assets, Nashville’s fees are among the highest in the nation, experts say.
The city pays nearly as much in investment fees as the state pension fund, which has more than 10 times the assets of Nashville and better investment returns during the past decade.
While other local governments have taken steps to control Wall Street fees, Nashville officials show no indication they’re concerned.
Metro paid fees equal to about 1.3 percent of its assets in fiscal 2017. Pew surveyed the largest state pensions and found the average external management fee was 0.34 percent. The Tennessee Consolidated Retirement System, the pool for local and state employees, spent $41 million on external management fees, or 0.08 percent of its assets.
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Monday, December 11, 2017
Republican Women Annual Christmas Luncheon and Toy Drive for the Children of Tennessee Soldiers
Wednesday, December 13th
Richland Country Club
One Club Drive (just off Granny White Pike)
10:30 a.m. - Registration and Coffee
11:30 a.m. - Program/Lunch
It's toy time for the Children of Tennessee Soldiers! Please
join the Nashville Republican Women for their Annual Christmas Luncheon
and Toy Drive, December 13th. Don't forget to bring an unwrapped toy!
Our
special guests will be Chrissy Haslam, the First Lady of Tennessee, and
Maj. Gen. "Max" Haston, the Adjutant General of the Tennessee National
Guard.
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Sunday, December 10, 2017
The Insufferable Become Sufferable: The Evolution of A Never-Trumper
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| Gene Wisdom |
When Trump entered the Presidential race (which I’m convinced he decided to do when President Obama ridiculed his “birther” position, shortly after Obama was elected, at a White House correspondents’ dinner) I was like most, I think, surprised at that move. Throughout the nomination process I remained a devoted Ted Cruz supporter. I still think he would have made a better President. Whether he would have beat Hillary, who knows?
As you might guess from my support of Cruz, I am a lifelong Reagan Republican. The postwar (WWII, I suppose I now should add for clarification) conservative intellectual movement consisted of three legs of a stool: traditionalism, represented by Russell Kirk and Robert Nisbet; libertarianism, best represented, at least early on by Murray Rothbard, Friedrich Hayek, and Milton Friedman; and the anti-Communists which included James Burnham, Whittaker Chambers. As the differences sharpened between these three groups, there was an effort to bring these strains of thought together, to fuse them. Hence, “fusionism”, propounded by Frank Meyers. The best-known examples of individuals who combined all three influences together were William F. Buckley, Jr., who was arguably the founder of the movement, and Ronald Reagan. I have spent my life reading, studying, and advancing the ideas of conservatism. I know what it is and I are one.
Donald Trump, I am convinced, is not. There is nothing in his biography that gives any hint that he has said or done anything to advance conservative principles. As is well-known, he contributed to Planned Parenthood and a list of Democratic (i.e., not conservative) candidates. His history as a successful businessman was often advanced as suggestive of someone who would make sound decisions but it says nothing of what he even believes. It certainly doesn’t make one a conservative unless one wants to put George Soros, Bill Gates, and Jeff Bezos on the Right side of the divide. Further, his record of ruthlessness and bankruptcies in business says nothing about principles except a readiness to sacrifice all, including his creditors, in pursuit of the dollar. Between God (or other principles) and mammon, his choices in favor of the latter have been clear.
Even while “God’s spokesmen” lined up to support and endorse him. Shamefully so, in my opinion.
Trump’s behavior on the campaign trail gave me no further reason for confidence. There is no doubt that he lacked polish; he also doesn’t have the judgement, character, or temperament to occupy the Oval Office. And there is much reason to have such doubts to this day. He plays fast and loose with the truth. His virtually daily outbursts on Twitter display the maturity of a stunted 12-year old. A pathological narcissist and adolescent.
We conservatives became well-known—and mocked by the media and Hollywood elites--in the 90’s for insisting that character still matters. Congress not only impeached Bill Clinton but we cast aside our own for sexual misconduct: Bob Packwood, Bob Bauman, Mark Foley, and Larry Craig. And it still matters as Republicans wrestle with the proper response to the candidacy of a very popular Senatorial candidate, Roy Moore, accused of sexually assaulting a minor.
But in Trump’s case, at what point do his negatives cancel out accomplishments of his Presidency? Do they require that the positive entries in the ledger never be considered or even entered? We know that the media rarely give even a passing glance at them. For myself, I have remained a continual critic of Trump while acknowledging those “few” things he got right.
It is time for me to take a second look. And there is much there for conservatives to celebrate. My friends, who often accused me, rather ridiculously I might add, of being a Hillary supporter during the campaign, often reminded me of Trump’s commitment to appoint solid conservatives to the Supreme Court and other federal courts. And then came Neil Gorsuch. A knock out of the park. Trump came through. Though Reagan’s legacy also included Antonin Scalia and Ed Meese, who arguably began the originalist debate and revolution, his appointments also included Anthony Kennedy whose proximity to the Right side is belied by his reputation as a “swing” voter on the U.S. Supreme Court. Judge Gorsuch’s legacy, I will be presumptuous to predict, will equal the intellectual heft, if not the wit, of Antonin Scalia, and the fidelity to text and history of Scalia and Clarence Thomas. And Trump’s appointments to the appeals courts will only deepen that legacy as we see with the appointments of Kyle Duncan and Davis Stras.
We soon saw President Trump’s much-maligned and miss-distorted travel ban. He campaigned on tightening immigration, both from south of the border and of Muslims. He sought to clamp down on immigration from nations that did not adequately vet those leaving. Those nations included Venezuela and North Korea. The Supreme Court recently validated this executive prerogative in a 7-2 decision.
On the national defense side, the pluses start with the appointment of General “Mad Dog” Mattis as Secretary of Defense. Need I say more? OK, I will. Among the military accomplishments was the elevation of Cyber Command to a “Unified Combatant Command”, raising their profile and priority. For a glance at how far that capability has come I suggest that you read Fred Kaplan’s Dark Territory: The Secret History of Cyber War. There was also the reversal, by President Trump, of President Obama’s decision to allow transgender individuals to serve in the military.
Diplomacy is again being used to advance U.S. interests. As a recent example, North Korea has again finally been re-designated as a “state sponsor of terrorism”. Long overdue. Just this week, Trump declared that the U.S. embassy will be moved to Jerusalem, the capital of Israel, by which policy will reflect reality. Again, long overdue. The Trump State Department is also cutting funds to some United Nations organizations, such as the UN Population Fund.
The Justice Department under Attorney General Jeff Sessions (a particular favorite, being formerly a strong conservative Senator from my home state of Alabama) is a particular bright spot for conservatives. While there is a significant negative in Sessions’ commitment to civil asset forfeiture, he has sought to restore the rule of law in cracking down on sanctuary cities. Toward restoring the integrity of the election process, he demonstrated commitment to election integrity with the DOJ’s recent stand with Texas on its voter ID law. Justice also recently ended the Obama-era Operation Chokepoint initiative which sought to block some businesses, including firearms dealers and payday lenders, from having access to bank loans.
The Obama Administration’s collaboration with the far Left in the “sue and settle” strategy was ended. With “sue and settle” an environmental group, for example, would sue the Environmental Protection Agency and then reach a settlement by which a consent decree would be entered effectively extending regulations without benefit of legislation or even the formal regulation process. Regulation by litigation. Over. For more on “sue and settle” read the Heritage Foundation study at http://www.heritage.org/crime-and-justice/report/regulation-through-sham-litigation-the-sue-and-settle-phenomenon.
President Trump promised to trim down the Leviathan of regulation, saying he would do away with two regulations for every new one implemented. In this case, he has over-accomplished. In a presentation I heard from a representative from Freedom Works this past weekend (which was the inspiration behind this essay) I learned that the ratio is actually SIXTEEN to one.
A list of Trump accomplishments would be incomplete without mentioning the absolute paroxysms of hate and rage his election and presence in the White House has elicited. Oh, the joy this gives me. Beginning with the feminist protests and their pussy hats immediately after the inauguration to snowflake college students who simultaneously require safe spaces on the hearing of Trump’s name while also violently protesting conservative speakers, much of the “resistance” has more ideological affinity—and sympathy--for Venezuela’s government and Jane Fonda than protecting American interests. CNN programming is a continual drumbeat of anti-Trump “news”. Positives? If mentioned at all, they are covered as negatives.
Am I now a Trump supporter? Don’t rush out and get me a MAGA hat. Trump is still Trump. But Trump’s accomplishments? Many would make Reagan proud.
Gene Wisdom, a retired naval officer, is a lifelong conservative Republican. He is a native Alabamian, and he and his wife have recently moved from Nashville, where they lived for ten years, to Knoxville. While in Nashville Gene was moderator of the Conservative Fusion Book Club.
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Friday, December 08, 2017
Sheila Butt retiring from House
Nashville Post - State Rep. Sheila Butt (R-Columbia) has announced she will not run for re-election. Butt (pictured) told the Columbia Daily Herald that she will work full-time for Christian women's organization Sisters, Servants and Soldiers after her term is up next year. (link)
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Eric Church to headline private fundraiser for gubernatorial candidate Bill Lee
Eric Church to headline private fundraiser for gubernatorial candidate Bill Lee
The invitation said tickets for the concert and barbecue cost $1,000 and
that an additional option for a private reception with Church sold out.
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Thursday, December 07, 2017
Former Gov Phil Bredesen set to announce US Senate run
Former Gov Phil Bredesen set to announce US Senate run
The Tennessean - ... Bredesen's candidacy is widely seen as a game-changer, perhaps turning Tennessee into a battleground. ... In October, political analyst Charlie Cook of The Cook Political Report
said Tennessee’s Senate race would become a tossup if Bredesen run. ...Bredesen has significant personal finances that could bolster his effort to turn a seat long held by Republicans. ... Bredesen, a former health care executive, served as Nashville mayor from 1991 to 1999.
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Wednesday, December 06, 2017
What happened at the 12-5-17 Council meeting: Rope Christmas lighting banned, more oversight of corporate welfare deferred, Law firm selected.
This meeting is one hour and 54 minutes long. If you are going to watch the meeting you may want to get a copy of the agenda and analysis. To access the agenda, staff analysis and my commentary on the agenda follow this link: What's on the 12-5-17 Council Agenda: Banning rope lighting, more oversight of corporate welfare, hiring a law firm, banning some Air B&B, ...
There are no special ceremonial presentations and no messages from the mayor. Below are bills and items of interest.
Appointments to Boards and Commissions
Normally all mayoral appointments
to boards and commissions get a unanimous recommendation from the Rules Committee and are approved without dissension by the Council. This time, Roy Dale and Ms. Anna Maddox who were both up for a confirmation for a reappointment to the the Stormwater Management Committee received a recommendation of a deferral by a committee vote of 5 to 3 and the Council voted to defer the confirmation of appointment. The Committee chairman says the recommendation was due to unanswered questions from constituents. It is very rare that an appointment is not just rubber stamped. If I had a staff of reporters working for me, I would seek an explanation. Roy Dale is a former member of the Council and a major developer in town. This is just a guess but I would bet some members of the public saw his roll on the Sormwater Management Committee as a conflict with his roll as a developer. However, both Dale and Maddox received a recommendation of deferral. If anyone has any insight as to why these two nomination for reappointment ran into opposition, please share it.
A General Session Court vacancy
The Vice Chairman announced that General Sessions Judge Angelita Blackshear Dalton was resigning her position to accept an appointment to a higher court. This creates a vacancy. Most often when such a vacancy occurs the Council fills it with one of their own. Nomination can be accepted until December 12. When such a vacancy occurs the Council is subject to intense lobbying to pick someone to fill the vacancy. The Council will fill the position at the meeting of January 2.
Public Hearing
There are 28 bills on Public hearing. The bills on public hearings are all rezoning bills or related to
planning and zoning policy.
None of the bills on Public Hearing encountered serious opposition and members of the public only spoke on only one of them. Below are the only bills on public hearing I find of
interest.
SUBSTITUTE BILL BL2017-937 addresses home sharing also known as Short Term Rental Properties or Air B&B. The Council has been working on this issue for over a year. This bill is deferred until January 2, 2018 in conjunction with BILL BL2017-981(Withers) and BILL BL2017-982 (Withers) which similarly addresses short term rental properties. All three ordinances would then be scheduled for third reading on January 16, 2018 in conjunction with BL2017-608 (Hagar and others) whose sponsor has likewise notified Council members of his intent to defer reading from January 2 to January 16, 2018. For those who want to know what is in the works, read the bill and the staff analysis.Resolutions
There are 11 resolutions all of which are on the consent agenda except one. Resolutions on the consent agenda are usually not controversial and tend to be routine matters, such as accepting grants from the Federal or State Government, entering into inter agency agreements over mundane things, appropriating money from the 4% fund, settling lawsuits, or approving signs overhanging public sidewalk. Resolutions on the consent agenda are lumped together and passed by a single vote of the Council rather than being considered individually. Below is the one resolution not on consent.
RESOLUTION RS2017-966 authorizes the Mayor to employ the law firm of Lieff Cabraser Heimann &Bernstein, LLP, as special counsel to pursue claims against manufacturers and distributors of prescription opioids that have "wrongfully caused drug addiction in Davidson County." In some cases the law firm could get up to 20% of any money awarded the city. This was deferred last council meeting primarily due to concern on the part of Black members of the Council that the firm did not have a sufficient number of Black lawyers in the firm. Those with concerns are not placated and move to defer the bill again.It is explained that there are only a few law firms capable of litigating a case like this and the firm must have deep pockets to front the expenses and that there is an urgency to proceed or Nashville could miss the boat. The motion to defer is defeated by a voice vote and the bill is approved by a machine vote of 30 in favor, 6 opposed and 4 abstentions. To see the discussion on the resolution see timestamp 43 to 1:13:40 in the video.Bills on First Reading. Normally all bills on First Reading are lumped together and pass by a single vote. Bill do not go to committee until after First Reading. In an unusual move some bills are taken out of the group of bills and considered separately. The bills pulled are all rezoning bills and are substituted for what appear to be minor technical corrections and all bills on First Reading are approved.
Bills on Second Reading. There are 22 bills on Second Reading. These are the ones of interest.
BILL BL2017-952 says that private consultants and contractors who offer services assessing the initial cost, feasibility or adoption of a public project would be prohibited from subsequently bidding on the actual project. It was on second reading last meeting and deferred to this meeting. This is a good bill. It passes without discussion.
BILL BL2017-953 imposes various regulations regarding commercial solicitation including restricting door-to-door commercial solicitation to daylight hours. As one who once sold cable TV door-to-door when Viacom was new to Nashville, this seems overly restrictive, especially in the winter when it is dark at 5:00PM. When I was selling cable, I often worked till 8PM. This was on the agenda on Second Reading last meeting and deferred to this meeting.It is deferred again.
BILL BL2017-983 would require certain information for the assessment of economic and community development incentives offered in the form of PILOT (payment in lieu of taxes) agreements and Council approval. PILOTS are a form of corporate welfare used most often to entice businesses to locate or expand in Nashville. It is often offered by the Industrial Development Board but has recently been offered by the Metro Development and Housing Agency in order to encourage the development of affordable housing. Under a PILOT agreement, the business is exempt from paying property taxes but instead pays a fee in lieu of those taxes which is considerably less than the company would pay in taxes. Currently companies getting incentive grants have to provide Metro with certain information such as how many jobs they will create and other things and then the Council has to approve the incentive grant. This bill would apply those same standards to those getting PILOT deals. This is a good bill. Currently the PILOTs are awarded without Council oversight.This is deferred one meeting.Bills on Third Reading. There are 17 bills on third reading. Most are zoning bills that have been approved by the Planning Commission or are approved subject to modification as recommended by the Planning Commission. Below are the ones of interest.
BILL BL2017-903 is the 'Grinch kills Christmas bill' which would ban decorative "rope lighting" on any building, sign, or property with non-residential zoning located adjacent to an arterial or collector street except those in the downtown area. A previous version of this would have banned it everywhere on all property. Rope lighting is that lighting that you have probably seen that outlines a tree or structure. It is often used as Christmas decorations but sometimes is used year-round. Why one would want to ban this I have no idea.. The sponsor says it is for the safety of the motoring public and to protect people with epilepsy. I am not buying that explanation for a minute. This is an overreach of government. This was on Third Reading last meeting and several members spoke against it and on a voice vote it was deferred to this meeting. There is no discussion It passes by a machine vote of 24 to 12 to 1.
BILL BL2017-949 codifies what is already a policy of metro and establishes a debt management policy for the city. Metro would be prohibited from issuing or incurring any debt in violation of this debt management policy unless approved in advance by Council resolution. To understand the policy, see the bill and the staff analysis. This is a good bill. It passes.
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Nashville Murder Rate Nearing All-Time High
Channel 5 - Statistics from Metro Police show 96 people have been murdered in Metro
Nashville this year. A total of 83 homicides were reported in 2016. The
city’s all-time homicide record was 112, back in 1997. (link)
My Comment: It seems that major media never ask the questions I want asked. I would like some context. Who killed who? How many of the murders were domestic violence? How many were victims of Black on Black crime? How many were drug related? Where the killer is known, how many were illegal aliens? I don't know, but inquiring minds would like to know. Just because the murder rate is up may be no reason for individuals to feel less safe, if the murders are acquaintance murders or within a demographic to which you do not belong.
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