Truman's Take

Stimulus Success Story....Williamson-to-Nashville's $200,000 Bus Driver Jobs Created

2009-11-23T05:38:00.004-06:00

The routes, which are being covered through American Recovery and Reinvestment Act money, will run from Nashville to the Franklin/Brentwood and Thompson's Station/ Spring Hill areas and will operate during rush hour. The project's cost is about $400,000.

Will see if this very time restrictive $400,000 "Reinvestment" bus experiment pays-off. How does this stimulus money create jobs?

Correction... It does provide 2 bus driver jobs @ $200,000 each!

Williamson-to-Nashville bus routes start next week
The cost is $3.50 per ride or $60 for a 20-ride pass.
• Route 91X Franklin/ Brentwood Express runs from Franklin to downtown Nashville with two trips to downtown in the morning and two trips in the afternoon.
One bus will depart from the Williamson Square Kroger at 6:30 a.m., with a second bus leaving at 7 a.m. Buses will stop at the Cool Springs Lowe's at 6:40 and 7:10 a.m. and Brentwood Baptist Church at 6:52 and 7:22 a.m. before arriving downtown at 7:20 and 7:50 a.m.
Afternoon buses depart from Nashville MTA's Music City Central Bay 11 at 4:20 and 4:45 p.m. Riders will arrive at Brentwood Baptist Church at 4:44 and 5:09 p.m., at the Lowe's at 4:57 and 5:22 p.m. and at the Williamson Square Kroger at 5:07 and 5:32 p.m.
• Route 95X Spring Hill runs from Spring Hill to downtown Nashville. A bus will depart from the Kroger on Port Royal at 6:25 a.m., stop at Thompson Station Baptist Church at 6:36 a.m. and arrive downtown at 7:20 a.m. The return trip in the afternoon departs MCC at 4:10 p.m., arrives at Thompson Station Baptist Church at 4:57 p.m. and the Spring Hill Kroger at 5:13 p.m.

HEALTH CARE: Blackburn Discusses Breast Cancer On ABC's "This Week"

2009-11-23T05:26:00.001-06:00

Blackburn discusses mammography and rationing on ABC's This Week.

The Best Way to Influence your Senator's Vote on Healthcare

2009-11-20T06:35:00.006-06:00

How do you encourage a Democratic Senator to actually vote their often pronounced "centrist" agenda?

Have a well-financed viable contender getting bigger in their rear-view mirror of coarse!

AR Sen Poll: Lincoln Barely Ahead, HC Vote Pivotal

A new Zogby poll for the League of American Voters, a group which opposes the health care legislation, shows Democratic Senator Blanche Lincoln leading her most likely general election opponent, Republican Gilbert Baker, by just two points, 41 to 39, with 18 percent undecided.

The poll then proceded to probe voter opinions on health care. Fifty-four percent were opposed to "the healthcare bill proposed by President Obama and now making its way through Congress." Thirty-eight percent said they would be "much less likely" to vote for Blanche Lincoln if they knew she supported the legislation.

Zogby then re-asked the general election question this way:
Knowing that Lincoln supports the healthcare bill, if elections for U.S. Senate were held today, and the candidates were Democrat Blanche Lincoln and Republican Gilbert Baker, who would you vote for?

The result is Lincoln drops to 37 percent while Baker surges to 49 percent, and 11.5 percent remain undecided.

That's a 14-point swing based on Lincoln's vote on health care. Again, this poll should be taken with a grain of salt given the sponsor, but even if the effect of Lincoln's vote is only half of what this poll suggests, it could be the deciding factor in her race for reelection.

FoxNews almost 4 to 1 over MSNBC and CNN in Ratings Race

2009-11-20T06:21:00.002-06:00

CABLE NEWS RACE
NOV. 18, 2009

FOXNEWS HANNITY/PALIN 4,200,000
FOXNEWS O'REILLY 3,868,000
FOXNEWS BECK 2,512,000
FOXNEWS GRETA 2,383,000
FOXNEWS BAIER 2,235,000
FOXNEWS SHEP 1,980,000
MSNBC OLBERMANN 1,041,000
CNNHN GRACE 1,036,000
MSNBC MADDOW 957,000
CNN KING 835,000
MSNBC HARDBALL 625,000
CNN COOPER 611,000

Is Metro's use of eminent domain before final Metro Approval, putting the cart before the horse ?

2009-11-19T06:46:00.005-06:00

Filing Claims It’s Too Soon for Eminent Domain of Convention Center Land
Wednesday, November 18th, 2009, by Nina Cardona

The fight over land marked for a new Nashville convention center continued Wednesday as a key property owner filed court papers protesting the city’s efforts to use eminent domain.The five acres owned by Tower Properties were condemned after the company balked at the sale price Metro offered.

The filing argues that the city didn’t have the right to exercise eminent domain, because Metro Council hasn’t given final approval to the convention center project, and because the company had development plans for the land that it says wouldn’t get in the way of the convention center.

Metro’s Development and Housing Agency contends the price they offered was fair, because it was roughly the same amount Tower paid for the land three years ago, in a stronger real estate market.

Interview with Robert Spencer, Islam and Sharia Law in America

2009-11-19T06:30:00.004-06:00

http://www.answeringmuslims...Interview with Robert Spencer at the Rally for Rifqa
Columbus, OH
November 16th, 2009

Graham Presses Holder On Reading Osama Bin Laden Miranda Rights

2009-11-19T06:17:00.001-06:00

State Sovereignty Fire Spreading and Organizing

2009-11-19T06:05:00.004-06:00

Press Release on State Sovereignty Committee
Press Release
Contact: Cyndie Todd 615-741-7462
November 18, 2009
Special Committee on State Sovereignty Approves Letter to the States
Letter to National Legislator Organizations
The Special Committee on State Sovereignty met yesterday as per the requirements of HJR 108; a resolution to the US Congress from the Tennessee General Assembly in support of the Tenth Amendment. The resolution created a committee of Conference and Correspondence to communicate the resolution to the legislatures of the 49 other states, and to call for a joint working group between the states to enumerate the abuses of authority by the federal government and to seek repeal of the assumption of powers and the imposed mandates.
At the last meeting the committee decided to ask the three national organizations for state legislators to help with this endeavor by asking each to form independent working groups, task forces or committees. The idea is the have the organizations independently examine the words of our founding documents and the founders’ intent, legal history, the infringements of the federal government, the effect on the people and the states, develop a plan to seek repeal of the assumption of powers and the imposed mandates and conduct all other matters appropriate for the committee.
Also on the committee agenda was the approval of the Letter to the States authored by the committee’s chairman, Rep. Susan Lynn, at last month’s meeting. The letter was amended to include a statement that the committee is “not in favor at this time of any solution that would include a Constitutional Convention; risking that our beloved Constitution could by opened up and perhaps gravely altered.”
A third item on the agenda was a request from Rep. Karen Camper to include the NCBSL - The National Caucus of Black State Legislators in the organizations that will be asked to form committees, working groups or task forces.
The three other organizations that will be asked to create committees, working groups or task forces are theAmerican Legislative Exchange Council, the Council of State Governments and the National Conference of State Legislatures.
State Representative Susan Lynn (R - Lebanon) Chairman of the committee stated “I am happy that the committee unanimously approved all three agenda items and that Tennessee is a leader in this effort.”
##

Chinese Advice for Obama's Fortune

2009-11-18T06:59:00.003-06:00

Congressman Marsha Blackburn applauds the Stimulus Job & Electorial Growth in Tennessee

2009-11-18T06:40:00.004-06:00

Nov 17 2009
Really?
The Memphis Commercial Appeal has a tongue in cheek article about the latest misinformation from the Obama Administration regarding jobs created or saved by the stimulus package.
The article quotes Congressman Marsha Blackburn as saying "Not only can we track how many jobs were created in each of Tennessee's congressional districts, but in the process we have found dozens of districts we didn’t even know we had. "Once we get all these seats filled, Tennessee will have a larger delegation and more clout than Texas. At nearly $400,000 per job, we also know that Tennesseans are the most valuable workers in the nation."
Read more here.

Has the Cap temporarily been put on Cap & Trade?

2009-11-18T05:45:00.002-06:00

Washington Post: Reid 'optimistic' about getting 60 votes on health bill
By IAN TALLEY
Senate Democratic leaders said Tuesday they would put off debate on a big climate-change bill until spring, in a sign of weakening political will to tackle a long-term environmental issue at a time of high unemployment and economic uncertainty.

Legislation on health care, overhauling financial markets and job creation will be considered before the Senate takes up a measure to cap emissions of carbon dioxide and other gases linked to climate change, Senate Democratic leaders said Tuesday.

Climate legislation will be taken up "some time in the spring," Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada said Tuesday after a Democratic caucus meeting.

The delay was "just a matter of reality, they can't get anything done at this time," said Sen. John McCain (R., Ariz.), who has previously supported climate legislation. He has said he wouldn't support the current Senate proposal because of disagreements over its handling of nuclear energy.

The climate-bill delay sidetracks one of President Barack Obama's top domestic priorities. Mr. Obama has said action to curb greenhouse gases would unleash investment in clean-energy technology and create jobs.

FOX's Bill O'Reilly Interviews Former CNN Anchor Lou Dobbs

2009-11-18T05:32:00.001-06:00

FOX's Bill O'Reilly Interviews Former CNN Anchor Lou Dobbs

How tight is the Tennessee State Budget this Year?

2009-11-17T06:39:00.001-06:00

Via......Taxing Tennessee

Governor Bredesen talks to Education Commissioner Webb about the need for teachers to help in this budget year. From the Budget Hearings on Monday November 16,2009.

Sarah Palin is to Tea Partiers AS Andrew Jackson was to the Backwoodsmen

2009-11-17T06:28:00.002-06:00

The Palin Persuasion

A case for the new populism.

by Matthew Continetti 11/16/2009, Volume 015, Issue 09

The similarities between Jackson, Bryan, Reagan, and Sarah Palin are striking. This is not to say that they are alike in every respect. Nor is it to say that Palin's achievements to date rank with the others'. And, of course, American populism is a deep and complex tradition. But it's nonetheless true that a couple of traits span the centuries and unify these four political figures. The first is the reaction they provoke among the elites of their age--what one might call the "Coonskin Cap Critique." The second is their advocacy of dispersed power, open markets, and American individualism.

Elites regard challenges to their authority with condescension and contempt. They routinely underestimate the capacities of populist leaders. They mock their enemies as uneducated provincials who lack expert knowledge and therefore have no place interfering in politics. They contemptuously refer to the supporters of populist politicians as an ill-kempt and dangerous mob.

When Andrew Jackson's supporters flooded the capital to celebrate their hero's ascent to the presidency, elite opinion was aghast. In his Andrew Jackson, H.W. Brands quotes a D.C. resident writing,

To us, who had witnessed the quiet and orderly period of the Adams administration, it seemed as if half the nation had rushed at once into the capital. It was like the inundation of the northern barbarians into Rome, save that the tumultuous tide came in from a different point of the compass. The West and the South seemed to have precipitated themselves upon the North and overwhelmed it.

Supreme Court justice Joseph Story was equally shocked: "The reign of King 'Mob,' seemed triumphant," he lamented.

DAVID LIPSCOMB AT GILES CO....Mustangs go in as the Underdogs!

2009-11-13T09:03:00.004-06:00

The Mustangs are traveling south into a very motivated and talented hornet's nest. A team that is going to be both well prepared and fired up to beat their rivals from up north.

I would definitely think that the Mustangs are the underdogs in this contest!

MUSTANG FanPage 2009 Football Game Notes

David Lipscomb Mustangs
at
Giles County Bobcats

TSSAA Class 4A Playoffs – Second Round
November 13, 2009 7:00 p.m.

Radio: Lipscomb Sports Network
WAMB AM 900

Internet: www.mustangfanpage.com

Records: Lipscomb 8-3 5-1 District 10-AA
Giles County 10-1 7-0 District 12-AA

Last Meeting: Lipscomb 17 Giles County 16 (2008)

Series: Lipscomb leads 6-0
Streak: Lipscomb has won 6 in a row

Former Region Mates Meet Again
For the third time in the last four post-seasons, and the seventh time overall since 2005, Lipscomb and Giles County will meet on the football field. The Mustangs lead the overall series 6-0, but it is far from a one-sided affair. Both games last year were decided by a total of four points. The regular season game was won by Lipscomb on a Kyle Lehning 27 yard field goal as time expired with the quarterfinal playoff game being won by the Mustangs on a Lehning touchdown pass reception with 28 seconds remaining in the game.

Turning the page into 2009, Lipscomb and Giles County joined separate districts but once again find themselves destined for a playoff match-up. Two changes though from both the 2008 and 2006 post-season. This time the game is in the second round of the playoffs and the game is being played in Pulaski.

Lipscomb enters the game on a six-game winning streak while Giles County has won 10 straight games. The Bobcats have not lost since a Week 0 game at Cookeville (25-24). The Mustangs are averaging 23.6 points per game while allowing opponents only 15.1 points per outing. Giles County’s potent offense is averaging 39.5 points per game and have scored 40 or more points in seven games including three games over 50 points. The Bobcats defense is giving up only 10.2 points per game and have shut-out three opponents this season.

The winner of the game will advance to host the winner of the Page - Lexington contest in the quarterfinals next week.

High school playoff
Chip Cirillo and Maurice Patton pick the winners of 10 of tonight's games.

DAVID LIPSCOMB AT GILES CO.
Cirillo: Giles Co. Patton: Giles Co.

Venue change brings hope to Giles Co.

By Maurice Patton and Chip Cirillo
THE TENNESSEAN

The David Lipscomb-Giles County rivalry changes venues tonight, and Coach David O'Connor couldn't be happier.

The last three meetings took place in Nashville, with Lipscomb sweeping. Tonight in the second round of the Class 4A playoffs, Giles County stays at home.

"We play really well at home," O'Connor said of his squad, which has won 12 straight in Pulaski, including six in a new stadium this season. "We'll have a really good atmosphere. Hopefully the 12th man can help us out."

Lipscomb won 21-14 in the 2006 3A quarterfinals, 31-28 in the 2008 regular season and 17-16 in the 2008 quarterfinals.

"Both times, they drove down and scored to beat us at the end," O'Connor said of the '08 matchups.

Lipscomb Coach Glenn McCadams picked up his 300th career victory vs. East Literature to close the regular season, then added to the total in last week's playoff win over Jackson Southside.

Politico Puts Bart Gordon on Notice...Lou Ann Zelenik Challenges!

2009-11-13T08:53:00.002-06:00

Rep. Bart Gordon (D-Tenn.) (Via Post Politics)

Gordon’s one of a growing list of Democratic lawmakers who are likely to have a serious challenge for the first time in a long time in 2010. Though Sen. John McCain won his district with 62 percent of the vote in the 2008 presidential race, Gordon, the chairman of the House Science and Technology Committee, voted with Democrats on “party unity” votes 90 percent of the time in the previous Congress, according to CQ.

Lou Ann Zelenik, who just resigned her post as a county party chairwoman, is vying for the right to face Gordon next November. Gordon told POLITICO that the results in Virginia and New Jersey could have a chilling effect on Democratic politics, including the health care legislation working its way through Congress.

“It definitely slows down the Democratic momentum,” Gordon said.

TCPR; "Bredesen’s Monument to Government Waste Unveiled"

2009-11-13T08:32:00.003-06:00

For Immediate Release: November 12, 2009

For Further Information, Contact:

Drew Johnson, (615) 383-6431

drew@tennesseepolicy.org

Bredesen’s Monument to Government Waste Unveiled Today

Governor’s Underground “Party Bunker” His Lasting Legacy

NASHVILLE – Governor Phil Bredesen and First Lady Andrea Conte will officially dedicate “Conservation Hall” this afternoon, marking an end to a facelift to the Tennessee Governor’s Mansion that turned into a disastrous boondoggle for taxpayers.

Repairs to the Governor’s Mansion began in 2005 with the worthy goal of making the residence more accessible for Tennesseans with disabilities. Unfortunately for taxpayers, Bredesen and Conte expanded the project to include a complete renovation of the home, featuring a $321,393 kitchen overhaul, $14,436 dimmer switches, nearly $11,000 for an upstairs wet bar and the addition of an entertainment venue – which became Conservation Hall. In total, the renovations cost an estimated $25 million, with tax dollars funding the bulk of the expense.

“The Tennessee Center for Policy Research (TCPR) pleaded with the Governor and state officials to build a new governor’s residence rather than paying millions more to renovate the mansion than it was worth,” said TCPR President Drew Johnson. “The extravagant mansion renovation was a monumental error in judgment by the Governor and an insult to hardworking taxpayers.”

Johnson noted that the Governor’s Mansion was appraised in 2005 at a value of only $900,100 and the home holds no particular architectural or historical importance, serving as the governor’s residence for less than 60 years.

Unfortunately, despite budget shortfalls resulting in the layoffs of hundreds of state employees and a reduction of government services to Tennesseans, renovation of the mansion and construction of the Conservation Hall continued.

Conservation Hall, referred to widely as “Bredesen’s Bunker” for its underground design and hidden entrances, has already been criticized as a possible place for governors to shake down donors. It appears that Gov. Bredesen may have gotten a head start by using the bunker to engage in potential quid pro quo before ground was ever broken.

Archimania, the Memphis-based architecture firm heading up the bunker project, was selected to design it shortly after the company’s owner, Barry Alan Yoakum, gave a sizable donation to Gov. Bredesen’s reelection campaign. Even worse, just weeks before the Bredesen Administration awarded a $197 million incentive package to Nissan, the automaker contributed $100,000 to the renovation project.

“As the Governor dedicates Conservation Hall this evening, I hope he takes a moment to dedicate it to struggling single mothers whose tax dollars went to subsidize the lavish renovations, the former state employees whose jobs could’ve been saved if not for the cost of the bunker and the millions of taxpayers who will never be invited inside the mansion to see what they helped to fund,” Johnson said.

###

The Tennessee Center for Policy Research is an independent, nonprofit and nonpartisan research organization committed to achieving a freer, more prosperous Tennessee through the ideas of liberty. Visit TCPR online at: www.tennesseepolicy.org.

Lou Dobbs Announces He Is Leaving CNN - 11/11/09

2009-11-12T05:44:00.001-06:00

Lou Dobbs Announces He Is Leaving CNN - 11/11/09

Capitol Hill staffers to talk politics, health care at Lipscomb forum on Nov. 16th

2009-11-12T05:29:00.002-06:00

Capitol Hill staffers to talk politics, health care at Lipscomb forum
Nashville Business Journal
Four Capitol Hill staffers will talk health care, bipartisanship and other key issues at a free forum on Monday, Nov. 16.

As part of Lipscomb University’s Pizza and Politics series, four veteran Congressional staffers will discuss policy making in Washington. The panel includes:
Tom Ingram, former chief of staff to Sen. Lamar Alexander (D-TN) and the Senate Republican Policy Committee.
Beecher Frasier, chief of staff to Rep. Lincoln Davis (D-TN).
Lisa Quigley, former Congressional candidate, now chief of staff to Rep. Jim Cooper (D-TN).
Linda Peek Schacht, veteran White House and Capitol Hill communication official, former communications director for the U.S. Senate Majority Leader and a Lipscomb associate professor of communication and political science.

The forum, open to the public, is at 6:30 p.m. in Lipscomb's Shamblin Theater.

Veteran's Day Tribute 2009

2009-11-11T05:57:00.001-06:00

Remember our Veterans, and those who continue to serve our country every day. This is the true meaning of Veteran's Day.

A Zoning Change for Lealand & Battery Lanes...."For a Funeral Home?"

2009-11-11T05:31:00.007-06:00

The Oak Hill Gazette points to a very odd rezoning request for the intersection of Lealand Lane and Battery Lane. How can a one acre property anywhere accommodate the parking requirements needed for any funeral service, not to mention having a commercial enterprise right smack in the middle of a seasoned residential neighborhood.

Proposed zoning change at intersection of Lealand Lane and Battery Lane

Editor's Note: This post was taken from Vice Mayor Austin McMullen's blog. Please click http://www.austinmcmullen.com/blog to read more of his excellent writings.

Nashville Councilman Sean McGuire (District 25 - Green Hills) recently wrote a letter to get feedback concerning a proposed zoning change. The subject property, 1002 Battery Lane, is located at the intersection of Lealand Lane and Battery Lane. (see map below)

The property is currently vacant, and the zoning change would be to allow for the building of a funeral home at the location. This property is located outside the City of Oak Hill, though it is just across the street from Oak Hill.

If you are concerned or have questions about this potential development, I would encourage you to do the following:

*Attend a neighborhood meeting Monday, November 16, at 6:00 p.m. in the fellowship room of Glendale Baptist Church, 1021 Glendale Lane. The property owner and his architect will be on-hand to discuss the proposal.

*Contact Councilman McGuire at 260-2634 or Sean.McGuire@Nashville.gov.

The introduction of commercial development in this area is unacceptable. Traffic on the two-lane streets of Battery (Harding) and Lealand is already heavy. Traffic would certainly increase with this development. Also, the subject property is approximately one acre, meaning that the funeral home would have to be built right up to the edge of the adjoining residential properties. A funeral home in this area is out of character for the neighborhood, and I hope you will join me in expressing your opinion to Councilman McGuire and attending the neighborhood meeting.

SNL Fox News

2009-11-10T06:29:00.002-06:00

Very funny.....And I Love Fox!

Rep. Debbie Wasserman Shultz admits that the Stupak Amendment will come out!

2009-11-10T06:23:00.001-06:00

Rep. Debbie Wasserman Shultz admits that the Stupak Amendment will most likely not be in the final health care bill.

Janet Napolitano's P.C. Profiling Handbook

2009-11-10T06:13:00.002-06:00

Stephen Cantrell; Local Surgeon Developed Cure for His Own Cancer

2009-11-10T06:05:00.003-06:00

Local Surgeon Developed Cure for His Own Cancer

In 2000, after battling melanoma for several years, Dr. Stephen Cantrell was told by his physicians that he had six weeks to live.

For Cantrell, dying was not an option.

“I wouldn’t accept it,” he said. “I wasn’t convinced there was nothing I could do.”

Cantrell, who at the time was a craniofacial surgeon, decided to oversee his own care. He read medical journals and started taking two drugs, lovastatin and interferon.

“Work done by researchers showed lovastatin, which is often prescribed to lower cholesterol, could also kill cancer cells,” Cantrell said, adding he knew the drug had potential.

He said interferon, often prescribed to treat melanoma, has side effects similar to chemotherapy when taken in a high dosage and it often doesn’t work.

Cantrell combined a low dose of interferon and the lovastatin.

“It was a shot in the dark but I knew it was safe to combine the two,” he said.

After four weeks, his radiologist found no signs of cancer anywhere in his body.
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