Again, more encouraging news…..BUT, nothing definitive.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Revenue collections are showing continued improvement in Tennessee's finances, but the state panel responsible for setting projections for the next budget year has punted that task for another month.

 

 

The State Funding Board was supposed to release its projections for the upcoming spending year in December, but blamed a water leak in a state office building for delaying until January.

But at Thursday's meeting, the panel agreed to put off the estimates until next month so it can incorporate holiday shopping activity in December and give the administration of Republican Gov.-elect Bill Haslam a say in the projections after he takes office.

General fund collections were $34 million above projections in December, which reflects economic activity in the previous month. Revenue collections for the year to date stand at $78 million above estimates.

 

I guess we can look forward to the numbers when they are actually released. Just my footnote, but it seems that if they were that encouraging, a water leak would not be cause for delay. But, hey, that is just me….

 

Robertson County-Springfield Learning Center “Walk-Thru / Construction Progress Update”

Yesterday, you may have seen my updates regarding the "Walk-Thru / Construction Update" at the Robertson County-Springfield Learning Center. If you did not have that opportunity, here are some of the photographs I was able to take yesterday afternoon.

Construction will be imminently completed with regard to the exterior portions of the project, and what that means is that workers will be able to concentrate on the interior. Particularly important since we have entered the winter months. This should keep the project on track with completion and readiness for Fall 2011.

I do not know if the pictures accurately portray, but what struck me is the magnitude of this project. I drive by this structure each and every day on my way to and from work, and I have been steadily keeping track of the progress. From Batson Boulevard, it is impressive. I am sure many of you have done the same, or have heard of the same. Yet, when you drive up to, and walk up to, the magnitude of the project is fully appreciated. We truly have something to be proud of here in Robertson County.

Transportation Alliance of Middle Tennessee: Revisited & Discussed

The other day I shared with you a RC Commission topic for discussion at our last Monthly Meeting regarding the Transportation Alliance of Middle Tennessee.

Jim Bellis with The Robertson County Times has since published an article regarding the same topic. Recall that I opined that this is a topic that likely will be brought back to discussion before the RC Commission ("RCC") sometime in January. The topic will be whether to allocate funds for support of the effort.

Here are several items that stuck out in the article, and some of the key factors the RCC must consider in January:

#1 – The Need

"We've got at least 14,600 people commuting to Nashville every day from Robertson County," said Bradley. "We need to address transportation needs both current and future. Mass transit is part of the answer."

Though I do not know exactly where those numbers come from, they would not come as surprise to you, me or any of our neighbors. It seems in my walk that amongst those that I go to church with, sit on boards with or socialize with outside of my professional responsibilities…folks commute to and from Nashville. With the growth that is coming (whether we like it or not! - And, I know that this comment is initially harsh sounding, but the conversation has to be moving towards managing the growth that is coming. The conversation has to center around what we will do, and not if…) to our County, we must keep it in mind, and we must plan for the best way to ensure that Springfield and Robertson County stay in front of ideas and means to manage this growth.

This is an effort that does just that. Whether it is successful or not should not be the focus, it is forward thinking and a way in which we may gauge the needs of our County, and what direction those needs may take the County.

#2 – The Route

Beginning in January, the Regional Transport Authority will initiate a two-month sample of services from the Relaxing Ride program. Consisting of two 55 passenger busses, the service will offer transportation to and from Nashville, originating in Springfield.

….

Bradley went on to explain that the route will leave Springfield on Highway 49 W. and make a stop in the Coopertown/Pleasant View area before continuing on to Nashville. He said there are options to increase the number of busses serving the county if the need exists.

This should give those a sample size of just what is involved with the project. Something that I did not entirely know was that the route would pass through the Coopertown and Pleasant View areas.

I can immediately hear those in the White House area clamoring for their own or wondering why they are left out of the effort. Yet, this is just what I would like to hear, a discussion about what need may be out there for what and whom. This effort could be just a start, and a sign of what we could put together.

#3 – The Costs

"People who work for Vandy or the state ride free. The rest of us, it's $3.50 each way."

    ….

If implemented on a permanent basis, the cost to the county and the city of Springfield would be about $24,000 annually. The state and federal governments would pick up the remainder expenses.

The bottom lines saved for the bottom point.

I would almost say that they speak for themselves, BUT…

…I could not leave it at that for in the community in which we live, mass transit may not be seen as a "need" or a fruitful endeavor.

I probably would have fallen in the category several years ago, but the more I have thought about this topic, the more I have liked the idea. During law school (in Birmingham, AL), Jillian and I lived in a community 20-25 miles (Alabaster, AL) outside of where we both worked and went to school. Traffic was terrible, and the commute was horrible, but we were absolutely happy with where we worked and went to school while simultaneously being happy with the community in which we lived. What was terrible: the means to get to and from both places. We tried each and every way to avoid the troubles with that commute, from waking up and timing, to alternative routes, etc. Nothing worked, and it effected decisions for where we would reside and what we would do if given the chance to stay in Birmingham. Now, I do not want to paint a picture that I think that the commute into Nashville is anywhere near that of what it was for Jillian and I in Birmingham. Anecdotally, my law practice takes me into Nashville several times a month.

Look at what is cited in the article:

Davidson County and the surrounding counties are expected to expand by one-million people within the next 15 years, according to the Metropolitan Planning Organization's (MPO) projections. MPO also says that now is the time to be planning in order to avoid a crippling gridlock then.

This could be something that folks consider when they consider where they would reside, and that "could be" is why exploring these options, and opening up to new ideas is imperative.

In moving forward, I would be curious to hear your thoughts on the issue, and where we must go, and what we should consider for this topic. (Routes? Needs? Costs?) I know that we are in the initial stages of discussing this, but what do you not know that you need to know?

 

 

The Verdict

Well, as you have probably heard by now, the resolution of floating $2,000,000.00 in bonds (debt) for the Library Expansion Project failed this evening at the Robertson County Commission Meeting.

I must say that I am not happy in the outcome.

Yet, I am happy that the leaders of Robertson County are forging forward in a new direction. A direction in which debt and taxation are NOT the first and second options for funding projects.

I do not want to belabor the point that I have made in prior posts, but there is a third option here, and it must be found.

It will be found:

I was already encouraged by the discussion held immediately after the vote wherein the process of coming back to the table to find a way to make this project work is already taking form. The discussion is not over, and it should not be.

As I said to Robertson County, I look forward to these challenges. These are the same challenges that you and I face each and every week, each and every month when we take a look at our family budgets. Our first option is not to immediately mortgage our future, or look for other income, it is finding a way to make what we need work within our means….

If this project is worthwhile, and it is…then there is another way in which to make it work.

Nominations: Robertson County Industrial Development & Tourism Board

The Robertson County Industrial Development & Tourism Board. Do you know what it is? Honestly.

Well, surprisingly, the name of it is a pretty good definition of what it is responsible for….you do not have that much too often in government.

Why am I writing about the RCIDTB? The County Commission voted to approve the nominations of four new members to the RCIDTB:

Ann Schneider

Ralph Illges

Whitfield Hamilton

Ted Jamison

I am happy and proud to have voted for each of one of these folks, and even more pleased that they would give their time to serve Robertson County.

Principle

It is good to see that principles are still found outside the beltway:

"The last few days have made Nebraskans so angry that now it's a matter of principle," Gov. David Heineman told POLITICO. "The federal government can keep that money."

Teflon Mixed with Clay

Apparently our Nobel Laureate is adored everywhere but here.

And, in all fairness, 45% of the American people still adore our laureate, while 55% "disapprove."

What is downright startling is that in spite of all of the fanfare, and lauding he receives, just what is he doing to still have ratings like this?

Then & Now: What has Changed?

In Afghanistan, what has changed since July? To Secretary Clinton, apparently a great deal has changed.

I believe her political mantra is being transposed into her cabinet post: If you can't beat 'em, join 'em.

Understandably so by taking the post with Barry, but oh so dangerous in the modern world of diplomacy.

July '08 –

"Our goal is to disrupt, dismantle, defeat Al Qaeda and its extremist allies," she said. "But not every Taliban is an extremist ally."

October '09 –

So that in order to really go after al-Qaeda, to uproot it and destroy it, we had to take on those who were giving the al-Qaeda leadership safe haven.

(Hat Tip – The Campaign Spot)

Presumptions Lead to the Same as Assumptions

This statement caught my eye for it encapsulates the essence of my own personal aggravation with the entire controversy:

On what basis do they make such preposterous statements? Purely and simply for the reason that Rush is an unabashed conservative and unabashed conservatives are presumptively racist.

Anecdotally, I have not yet come across any individual who can point towards the racism that apparently emanates Rush Limbaugh's being….nothing. Most, if not all, point towards the statements made by Rush during his short stint on ESPN, but lest anyone forget, this was not a "racist" statement, it was a "racial" statement.

For you see, Rush Limbaugh has the courage to speak about the issues, and analyze those issues whereas others seek the path of least resistance when it comes to race. An accepted orthodox of the left has been thrust on America, but this orthodox is merely the opinion of the left, and their ilk, it does not represent fact.

And, therein lies my own personal aggravation. I am Rush. I am Rush for I am a conservative, and therefore I am presumptively racist. I am not.

Condescending Capitulation

Anecdotal? I doubt it.

But, there seems to be a steady stream of stories such as these in the news. It was my understanding that the election of PBO meant an end to the aggressive nature of Russia since we would engage them in a civil discourse.

Anecdotal? I hope so.

The Acknowledgement of What is to Come

If you can't beat them, join them…?

Really, in the short time it takes for Barry to win the Nobel Peace Prize, we are already capitulating in Afghanistan.

President Obama is prepared to accept some Taleban involvement in Afghanistan's political future and is unlikely to favour a large influx of new American troops being demanded by his ground commander, a senior official said last night.

Mr Obama appears to have been swayed in recent days by arguments from some advisers, led by Vice-President Joe Biden, that the Taleban do not pose a direct threat to the US and that there should be greater focus on tackling al-Qaeda inside Pakistan.

What Happens Here….

On its face, this story is amusing.

Yet, when one considers what these diplomats represent, and what their countrymen must endure back home, it is sickening.

Prospective of the Perspective

What concerns your humble pundit has to do not so much with what the current discussion means, but where the discussion will inevitably lead in its natural progression.

As someone with a legal background, I tend to agree with Mr. Krauthammer's analysis regarding his perspective:

My own living will, which I have always considered more a literary than a legal document, basically says: "I've had some good innings, thank you. If I have anything so much as a hangnail, pull the plug." I've never taken it terribly seriously because unless I'm comatose or demented, they're going to ask me at the time whether or not I want to be resuscitated if I go into cardiac arrest. The paper I signed years ago will mean nothing.

And if I'm totally out of it, my family will decide, with little or no reference to my living will. Why? I'll give you an example. When my father was dying, my mother and brother and I had to decide how much treatment to pursue. What was a better way to ascertain my father's wishes: What he checked off on a form one fine summer's day years before being stricken; or what we, who had known him intimately for decades, thought he would want? The answer is obvious.

But, where does the discussion naturally tend, and where will it end up in its natural progression:

What do you think such a chat would be like? Do you think the doctor will go on and on about the fantastic new million-dollar high-tech gizmo that can prolong the patient's otherwise hopeless condition for another six months? Or do you think he's going to talk about -- as the bill specifically spells out -- hospice care and palliative care and other ways of letting go of life?

My concern correlates with that what President Obama has participated with in the past, and how that will move forward with its natural progression. Meaning, precisely, that the lack of sanctity of life has as much to do with where that conversation will follow as anything else. It is document. It is not innocuous, and its applicability will be nothing more than poignant.

I think this is what is lost in the pro-life debate as much as anything. Abortionists consistently aargue that the correlation of advocacy of the death penalty should weigh in a pro-lifers….shouldn't the same be said here?

Full Term?

I tend to agree with Allah.

It has been odd, and is odd that Barry insists that the Republicans, and the Blue Dogs come on board, and toe the line on this issue. Blue Dogs, he made them, or at least he made need some of them, but why the insistence on Republicans on this.

If this no-brainer for the American People, and everyone opposing is un-American, and the zombie-like-notions of the vast Right Wing Conspiracy are coming forth….why does he want everyone on board?

Evil has a Face

Mere words do not add much to the impact that this story has. This paragraph alone could pose as everything in its entirety, as I did not have much more to process and comprehend after reading this:

But among the accounts they carried with them is one of the most shocking yet to emerge -- namely the use of humans, specifically mentally or physically handicapped children, to test North Korea's biological and chemical weapons.

"If you are born mentally or physically deficient, says Im, the government says your best contribution to society... is as a guinea pig for biological and chemical weapons testing."

What is a “right?”

I concur with Ann:

Isn't food important? Why not "universal food coverage"? If politicians and employers had guaranteed us "free" food 50 years ago, today Democrats would be wailing about the "food crisis" in America, and you'd be on the phone with your food care provider arguing about whether or not a Reuben sandwich with fries was covered under your plan.

But, in all seriousness, what separate healthcare from food? From oxygen?

Tempted by the Indulgence

In times far gone, one could petition the church for an indulgence, for the opportunity to absolve themselves of the sin committed. In consideration of sounding hyperbolic, I am not discussing sin as much as a misguided way of promulgating your point-of-view. Nevertheless, the concept is one in the same for the Teamsters:

The FAA reauthorization, as passed by the House of Representatives on May 21, contains a 230-word amendment that would apply only to FedEx Express, and that would put the company under onerous labor policies that it never has faced in its 38 years in business. The Senate ought to leave the provision out of its version of the bill.

Power By/Through/Because of….Abortion.

Justice Ginsburg opined:

"There will never be a woman of means without choice anymore. That just seems to me so obvious. The states that changed their abortion laws before Roe (to make abortion legal) are not going to change back. So we have a policy that only affects poor women, and it can never be otherwise, and I don't know why this hasn't been said more often."

From the outset, I deplore the framing of the argument. Abortion connotes and fosters some liberty for women.

(With my tongue firmly imbedded in my cheek, I must agree….most tyrants consolidate in much the same way.)

But, in all candor, is it not just abject admission of women who share the same ideals that they must have some tool, some device to consolidate power? Are we not equal without aggrandizing one sex above the other without false means?

What if this was GWB? (#1)

Could you get away with a gaffe such as this with your own Wife/GF?

"I don't know if anybody else will meet their future wife or husband in class like I did, but I'm sure that you're all going to have wonderful careers," he said as he warmed up the audience before delivering a commencement speech at an economics school in Moscow Tuesday.

Sappy diplomatic-speak, but innocuous….

Obama seemed to be playing off an introduction that referred to him meeting his future wife, Michelle Robinson, while he was a student. But the truth is that the couple met not "in class" but at a law firm in Chicago, Sidley Austin, in 1989. Obama was a summer associate (essentially a legal intern) there and Robinson was an attorney completing her first year at the firm.