I Spoke too Soon. The Democrats Still Don't Get it.

May 2, 2025

by Rod Williams, May 3, 2025- Back in March, I posted Could it be that the Democratic Party is Becoming Normal Again. I observed that the Davidson County Democrat Party had stopped tagging the signature line of letters with the writers preferred pronoun. This made me think that maybe there were scaling back the identity politics and culture war stuff and going to be more normal. 

I spoke too soon. I received a communication from the DCDP yesterday and the chair of the Party again tagged himself as a "he, him, his." This is too bad. With Trumpism a threat to our Democracy, one would think the Democrat Party would want to be a serious responsible center-left party. No, they would prefer to be the silly party.

There are a lot of reasons Trump won the election, but I contend that a major reason is because the Democrats cannot be taken seriously. With a demagogue like Trump, who had already once attempted a coup, heading the ticket it seems like a Democrat victory should have been a slam dunk.  However, people don't like Democrats. They engage in too much virtue signaling and look down their elitist noses at normal people. They are not relatable. While we did not have to view a lot of campaign commercials here in Tennessee, in the battleground states one of the commercials considered the most influential was a Republican commercial that said, "She is for 'they-them'; he is for you."

Many Democrats just don't get it. They think they lost the recent election because America is a misogynist racist county, and they don't need to make any changes. They think identity politics and self-righteous virtue signaling is still a winning formula. Fortunately, Democrats are doing a lot of soul searching and there are a lot of sane voices within the Party and liberal-leaning pundits who are recognizing that the Party has been captured by the cultural left-wing fringe and that Dems have a problem. I have seen people like Fareed Zacaria and James Carvel and a bunch of others say the party should step back from fringe identity politics and make a more centrist appeal. 

It could go either way. I think we need a center-right party in America and a center-left party. What we have are two parties captured by the irrational and most extreme elements of the fringe. 

Top Stories

If Other Governments Do It, Why Shouldn’t We?

by Lawrence W. Reed, Foundation for Economic Education, April 29, 2025- “If tariffs are so bad for an economy,” asks a popular meme making the rounds these days, “then why do 170 countries have tariffs on American goods?”

Implicit in the question is a dubious assumption, namely, that the governments of those 170 countries would never do anything that didn’t make good sense for their people.

Are you kidding me?

Sometimes, government officials consult the best and most objective experts, carefully weigh the evidence in the scales of justice, and then thoughtfully and magnanimously do the right thing for everybody. They may even ask the Almighty for guidance along the way. I just can’t remember the last time they conducted their business in this fashion.

Government officials usually slop some grease on the squeaky wheel and accept a little campaign grease in return. Bismarck warned us more than a century ago, “To retain respect for sausages and laws, one must not watch them in the making.”

Who do you suppose lobbied those 170 governments for tariffs against American goods? I can assure you that it wasn’t “the masses.”

Public choice economists explain this in terms of “regulatory capture,” when politically connected industries steer policy to serve themselves. The costs are spread thin across millions of people, while the benefits land on the few who lobbied for them. As the late Murray Rothbard put it, if you want to know who pushed for something, just ask, Cui bono?

In a recent year, the European Union as a bloc tariffed US wine at about twice the rate per bottle than the US taxed imports of European wines. This means consumers on both sides of the Atlantic are paying more for wine than they would if there were no tariffs at all.

As an average wine drinker, I bristle at the thought, but I don’t imbibe enough to make it worth my time to write my congressman a letter, let alone buy a plane ticket to Washington to accost him in person.

Likewise in Europe, who do you think hires the lobbyists in Brussels? The winemakers, not the consumers.

So stop with the “lots of governments do it, so it must be good” nonsense. When the politicians in those 170 countries deprive their people of products from America or force them to pay more for them through tariffs, they’re doing them no favors.

They’re doing the bidding of the politically well-connected at the expense of everybody else. The same is likely true when we in America slap tariffs on foreigners. It’s as if producers in both regions (the real beneficiaries of tariffs) are shooting at their competition, and customers are caught in the crossfire.

Most governments of the world tax and spend too much and waste a lot of money. That’s no reason to copy them. Most are up to their collective necks in debt too, which is nothing to envy. Most governments also run lousy public schools when they could get twice the education at half the price if they relied instead on the private sector.

Few things that governments do are models of excellence, efficiency, or plain common sense. If other governments are doing it, that might be a good argument for us not to.

Top Stories

Higher Property Taxes Increase the COST of housing for Everyone

 

Top Stories

Donald Trump must be the first president in history to say that his policies will deprive American children of toys.

 We Need Cheap Stuff, and Lots of It

By Rich Lowry, National Review, May 2, 2025 - He said of goods from China that might go missing: “Much of it we don’t need.”

Then, he elaborated the point: “Well, maybe the children will have two dolls instead of 30 dolls, you know? And maybe the two dolls will cost a couple of bucks more than they would normally.”

At that moment, Trump surely made history. He must be the first president in history to say that his policies will deprive American children of toys. The American Girl Disney Princess Cinderella Doll may be collateral damage in a trade war that is supposed to reduce our strategic dependence on China.

What Trump was ultimately dismissing is abundance, which is one of the marvels of our system. Fewer choices at a greater cost — whether of dolls or other goods — simply means a lower standard of living. (read more)

Top Stories

Don't Freakout Over the Recent Property Reappraisal. It Does Not Raise Your Taxes. However, It is an Opportunity for the Politicians to Raise Your Taxes.

by Rod Williams, May 1, 2025- Property owners in Nashville have received their property reappraisal notices and many are freaking out. Nashville property values skyrocketed 45% in the latest assessment. That, however, does not necessarily mean your property taxes will go up. 

When there is a mass reappraisal, because of Tennessee’s “revenue neutral” property tax requirement, the new reappraisal cannot bring in more revenue than the county received before the reappraisal. Nashville’s total tax revenue must remain the same. So, following the reappraisal, the Metro Council must adopt a new tax rate, called the "certified tax rate." This rate can bring in no more tax revenue than the rate prior to the reappraisal. 

So, if your reappraised value is no more than 45% above the old appraisal, your tax bill should not increase. Some parts of town would realize a tax decrease because some areas increased in value less than the average increase of 45%. If your individual piece of property ends up being taxed more, it could be due to your property appreciating in value more than the average increase in value. That is equalization.

The purpose of a reappraisal is not to bring in more revenue. The purpose is equalization. If someone's property doubled in value and someone else's went up by only 25%, then the reappraisal is to ensure that both property owners pay a property tax reflective of the value of their property. 

What to be aware of is that politicians often use the reappraisal as an opportunity to slip in a tax increase. Often in the year of the reappraisal, the Council will pass the mandated certified tax rate, then the very next item on the agenda is to raise that rate.  So, while the new rate is lower than the rate in effect prior to the reappraisal, it is higher than the certified rate. 

It appears that O'Connell does intend to do what I have described above; proposed a rate lower than the current tax rate, but higher than the certified tax rate. If we end up with a property tax increase it is not the result of the reappraisal but the result of Mayor O'Connell and the Metro Council. 

Top Stories

Trying to be Self-sufficient in Agricultural Products is a Dumb Idea. It will not Help Our Farmers.

by Rod Williams, April 6, 2025- It is amazing the amount of false information one sees on social media these days. It has always been bad, but it seems to me to be getting worse. 

In addition to the information that is simply false, there is a lot as opinions that are uninformed opinions or based on faulty logic. One is the meme to the right, that has been in my Facebook feed a lot recently.

First of all, the U.S. exports a wide range of agricultural products, with soybeans, corn, beef, pork, poultry, and dairy products being among the top exports. We also export a significant amount of wheat, fruits, tree nuts, cotton, and various processed food items. Does the poster of this meme, also want foreign nations to stop buying U. S. exports?

If the U. S. prohibits the sale of food grown in other countries; other counties will prohibit the sale of American products in their countries. This would be a big deal. The U.S exports a lot of agricultural products. If each nations tries to be self-sufficient our farmers will be worse off, not better.

Secondly, I will miss bananas of avocadoes and a lot of other foods. I will miss fresh vegetables in winter. I guess the posters of this meme enjoys a bland diet.

Thirdly, I wonder if the poster of such meme's has ever heard of the law of comparative advantage. In simply terms, the law of comparative advantage says even if we can produce something cheaper than another country, it would still be in our best interest to specialize in the things we are best at and not try to do everything. 

 

Top Stories

Did J. D. Vance Kill the Pope?

by Rod Williams, April 26, 2025- Now, I'm not alleging J. D Vance killed the pope. As Tucker Carlson would say, I'm simply asking questions. 

While on a trip to Italy last week with his family, Vice President Vance visited with Pope Francis. In fact, he was one of the last officials to meet with Pope Francis prior to his death. 

I am not Catholic and don't spend a lot of time following what happens in the Catholic church but as a casual observer it seems to me that Pope Francis was a pretty liberal pope. The last two popes prior to Pope Francis had turned away from and denounced "liberation theology." While not exactly embracing it, Pope Francis was much more friendly to it. 

Pope Francis also often criticized the Trump policy toward immigration but without mentioning Trump by name. He was also tolerant of homosexuality.  

J. D. Vance was raised as an evangelical and converted to Catholicism in 2019 when he was 35-year-old. He was drawn to the church teachings on family and social order and its desire to instill virtue in modern society. Could J. D. Vance have held resentment toward the pope for moving the Church away from these core values that led to Vance's conversion. Could he have been angry at the Pope for attempted to derail the Trump agenda? Just asking. 

While I am not endorsing a theory that suggest J. D. Vance killed the pope, if one did advance such a theory it would seem to be as plausible as other popular conspiracy theories.  Surely this theory has as much to recommend it as Chemtrails, as 9-11-was-an-inside-job, as the moon landing was faked, as the CIA killed Kennedy, as the government bombed the levees and caused the flooding or New Orleans, or that the 2020 election was stolen. 

If anyone can make a case that the 2020 election was stolen, surely, they can make the case that J.D. Vance killed the pope.

Top Stories

Densification On the Ropes in Woodbine

by MEGAN PODSIEDLIK, The Pamphleteer, April 28, 2025 -Last Thursday, the Metro Planning Commission rejected Councilmember Ginny Welsch’s blanket rezoning bills, including all substitute amendments. In spite of the backlash Welsch has received from constituents over her robust upzoning proposals, she told the Metro Planning Commission that this plan is actually a scaled-back version of what she originally intended to introduce.

The bills have been presented as an affordable housing solution focused on increasing density, an offshoot of proposals suggested by NEST supporters last year. As before, the pushback against such initiatives has taken on a life of its own, and the Commission’s decision to vote down Welsch’s legislation received applause from those in attendance at last week’s meeting.

Before the public comment period, Councilmember Welsch shared that she spent a year researching Woodbine’s zoning history, and made the decision to introduce the legislation after recognizing that “the entire district was down-zoned from R zoning to RS zoning in 2003”—something she claims has hindered growth in the area. She also said that her proposed Urban Design Overlay “encourages middle class housing by allowing more units on a lot, decreasing the building height, and limiting the square footage of multi-family units,” but would withdraw her UDO if Planning releases new bulk standards for RM-20 and RM-40 zoning “that encourage context-sensitive, middle-scale housing” in June. 

Those in support of the legislation were invited to speak first. Recognizing she was among the minority in the room, McKenzie Beaver of Woodbine stepped up to the mic. She stated that she believes the changes would encourage positive development in the areas where there are “a large number of vacant homes, which are often occupied by squatters,” and informed the Commission of “sketchy stores,” safety issues, and used needles discarded in the streets.

“Woodbine consists of small homes on relatively large lots, which is something that cannot be sustained long-term in a city like Nashville,” continued Beaver. “I would rather have more input into how our neighborhood evolves, rather than fight it and regret the inevitable changes that will eventually come regardless, or be left out of Nashville's growth altogether.”

Residents in opposition to the legislation showed up in full force. While many agreed that the area needs thoughtful change, the majority were turned off by Welsch's one-size-fits-all plan. Instead of feeling as though they’ve been presented with a reasonable solution, several speakers felt disrespected by the proposal and the process.

​​”I received a Planning Commission notice…five days before the first community meeting happened,” said Mitch Miller of Glencliff. “The community meeting was held on a holiday, had standing-room only flowing out the back door, there was no parking available—I had to park illegally to attend—[and] residents were told they were not allowed to ask questions on site. A week later, I'm here.” Miller went on to categorize the zoning proposals as “too sweeping of a change to delve out in one blow.”

Councilmember Welsch followed up the public hearing by assuring everyone her plan “doesn't force change.” Instead, “it gives long-time homeowners options to add a small unit for family, to downsize and stay in the neighborhood, or to use their land in new ways that reflect the community values, or to do nothing.” She emphasized that “you can keep your backyard,” and stated multiple times that her proposal—“modeled, basically, on Portland”—isn’t radical.

Planning Commission Vice Chair Jessica Farr, who has personal ties to Woodbine having helped with homeowner education and free tax assistance in the area, supported Councilmember Welsch’s intentions, but disagreed with her approach.

“I don't see protections here that work, that would address the concerns of gentrification,” she said. “I know the UDO will have some impact on design, but it's not going to keep housing affordable and it's not going to keep opportunities there for people who are currently living in that neighborhood.” Farr also stated that, in her 11 years on the Commission, she has never seen a room so full of people opposed to a proposal.

During the Commission meeting, Councilmember Welsch informed the body that another community event was scheduled for this week, though the Metro Calendar reflects that her May 1 meeting has been canceled. 

Top Stories

Property Tax Protest, May 1, 2025

 From The Davidson County Republican Party:

We are going to show up at the 62nd Annual State of Metro address, to be given by Mayor Freddie O'Connell, and be a visible opposition for his plan to increase property taxes. We need people to help create signs that say "NO NEW TAXES" and help distribute them to volunteers. If you can help with transportation, organizing carpools from a nearby parking lot, anything helps.

Everything we do to put pressure on the Mayor will encourage him to keep the property tax increase lower than expected is a win for us. Help us get organized! (link)

Top Stories

Dave Chappelle : Stop giving us Chinese jobs, I want to wear Nikes … not make them!

Top Stories

Do Most Americans Really Want to Work in a Factory or Aspire for their Kid to Work in a Factory?

 

by Scott Lincicome, The Dispatch, April 30, 2025-  A longstanding goal of American politicians on the left and the right—including and especially the last two U.S. presidents—is to boost not just American manufacturing but American manufacturing jobs. Just yesterday, in fact, President Donald Trump celebrated his first 100 days at a Michigan community college, where he praised his tariffs and claimed to be “taking back our jobs and protecting our great American auto workers.” And almost every time the president or anyone else in his orbit defends current U.S. trade policy in the media, they’ll cite factory jobs—particularly those for high-school educated Americans—as a primary and clearly necessary aim.

The Trump folks certainly aren’t alone. Central to most economic nationalists’ support for blanket tariffs, industrial subsidies, and related government policies is that a dramatic increase in the number of Americans working in manufacturing—a return to days when industrial workers were 20 or even 30 percent of the workforce as opposed to the roughly 8 percent today—would be both feasible and desirable for both the workers and the nation. Implement a giant tariff wall, so these theories go, and you’ll have millions of Americans lined up for shifts at now-busy U.S. factories across the country, and the country will prosper as a result.

In reality, however, there are many reasons to doubt that many millions of Americans—you’d need to add roughly 20 million new factory workers to our current 13 million to get to 20 percent of the US workforce in manufacturing—are itching to work in a factory, that the jobs they filled would necessarily be good ones, or that such an increase would even be possible today, especially via trade policy. 

... In general, U.S. manufacturing is a sector in need of more workers, not one in need of more jobs. ... Then there are wages, where American manufacturing jobs’ premium over services jobs disappeared years ago. In 2023 and 2024, in fact, hourly earnings for blue collar (aka “production and nonsupervisory”) workers in manufacturing paid significantly less on average than the same workers got paid in the services sector: ...Many “worked really hard to send their kids to school so that they wouldn’t have to work in the factories anymore,” ... High-enough tariffs might be able to reshore labor intensive industries like textiles (at a massive cost, of course), but—because there’s no vast surplus of available, eager labor—doing so would inevitably come from shifting finite resources away from the higher-value activities in which our workforce specializes today.  (read more)

Top Stories

Did Amazon Fold? Will Not Show Tariffs Contribution to Prices

by Rod Williams, April 30, 2025- It sure didn't take Amazon long to fold. After an initial report that Amazon was going to post the amount that tariffs contribute to the cost of an item on things they sell, the White House lashed out at Amazon and said if they did, it would be considered a "hostile and political act." That was day before yesterday. 

Yesterday according to a report by CNN, Trump called Amazon founder Jeff Bezos to complain about the rumored plan. Amazon put out a statement that same day saying "The team that runs our ultra low-cost Amazon Haul store considered the idea of listing import charges on certain products. This was never approved and is not going to happen."

So, did Amazon fold or was it all a big misunderstanding? I don't know but it looks like folding to me. I hope others will take Amazon's plan and run with it. 

If people who know better were not such cowards, Trump could not get away with what it does. Republican politician, Universities, Law firms, and the media are all bending to Trumps will. When the government is so powerful that it can cause you severe pain, if you do not bend and when we have a ruthless strong man intend on making people bend to his will, it takes courage to resist. 

If we do not resist, then our country will slide further and further into authoritarianism. In ways big and small, we all need to resist. Admittedly, this is difficult. I will not march under the banner of left-wingers like Bernie Sanders and AOC. I will speak out however, contribute funds to reasonable responsible organizations pushing back against Trump, and subscribe to journals, and podcast that oppose Trump's authoritarianism.  I may march against Trump when it is not assumed to be a march for wokeness and socialism. 

The one thing that gives me hope is Trump's slipping poll numbers. If his popularity hits about 35% or maybe as low as 42% or so, I suspect Republican politicians will grow a pair. I suspect CBS will support journalistic integrity for 60 minuets. I suspect Amazon will not be afraid to post the amount of the price of an item is attributable to tariffs. 

We need to do more than hope that Trump's approval numbers continue to drop, we need to help make it happen. Amazon posting the portion of the price of an item attributable to tariffs would have helped make it happen. 

Top Stories