Liberty on the Rocks meets Oct 15th

 

by Rod Williams, Oct. 11, 2024- Join me this coming Tuesday Oct 15 for Liberty on the Rocks. This is just a group of people sitting around drinking beer and talking about politics or culture or sometimes other topics. There is no speaker and no agenda. Recently about ten or so people have been in attendance. It is not always the same people but always some of the same.  People who attend this group are almost always well-read and well-mannered and can engage in civil discourse and can disagree without being disagreeable. Most of the group tend to be libertarian, but not exclusively. Anyone who support the concepts of individual rights and free markets would feel comfortable attending. 

Top Stories

Happy Columbus Day!

Columbus was Awesome 

Let's be honest, few would do what he did. 

Oh, and the indigenous peoples were guilty of the same stuff. 

by David Foley, reposted from Intellectual Takeout, Oct. 2022 - Yes, it’s in vogue to forsake our Western heritage, to see dead, white men as evil barbarians. But let’s be honest, the reason they’ve been celebrated is because what they did, despite their sins, was incredible. Columbus is certainly one of those men. 

In an age when many teenage Americans are too terrified to even state their opinion in a high school class for fear of getting a bad grade and not getting into college, Columbus was already sailing the ocean blue, with reports that he went as far as the coast of Guinea in West Africa – that’s several thousand nautical miles from his home port! 

Dirt poor and already denied twice, Columbus finally won over Queen Isabella of Spain who then infuenced her husband, King Ferdinand, to support the expedition across the Atlantic. And so it was on August 3, 1492, that Admiral Columbus set sail into the great unknown with a squadron of tiny ships, the Nina, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria. 

Now, put yourself into the expedition. In looking back, modern man seems tempted to harshly judge every sin of a man whom the current culture has chosen to be against, while failing to judge the whole man and what he accomplished. How many today would have the courage of not just Columbus, but of the other 120 men aboard those little ships (at most, 60 feet long) to sail into the unknown, likely to fail and even to die? 

Here’s the famous poem (forgotten by today’s educators) by Joaquin Miller that captures what it must have been like on that long voyage across the Atlantic: 

Columbus 

by Joaquin Miller 

Behind him lay the gray Azores, 

Behind the Gates of Hercules; 

Before him not the ghost of shores, 

Before him only shoreless seas.

The good mate said: “Now must we pray, 

For lo! The very stars are gone. 

Brave Adm’r’l, speak, what shall I say?” 

“Why, say: ‘Sail on! Sail on! And on!’” 

“My men grow mutinous day by day; 

My men grow ghastly wan and weak.” 

Be stout mate thought of home; a spray 

Of salt wave washed his swarthy cheek. 

“What shall I say, brave Adm’r’l, say, 

If we sight naught but seas at dawn?” 

“Why, you shall say, at break of day: 

‘Sail on! Sail on! Sail on! And on!’” 

They sailed and sailed, as winds might blow, 

Until at last the blanched mate said: 

“Why, now not even God would know 

Should I and all my men fall dead. 

These very winds forget their way, 

For God from these dread seas is gone. 

Now speak, brave Adm’r’l; speak and say” 

He said: “Sail on! Sail on! And on!” 

They sailed. They sailed. Then spake the mate: 

“This mad sea shows his teeth to-night; 

He curls his lips, he lies in wait, 

With lifted teeth, as if to bite: 

Brave Adm’r’l, say but one good word; 

What shall we do when hope is gone?” 

The words leapt like a leaping sword: 

“Sail on! Sail on! Sail on! And on!” 

Then pale and worn, he kept his deck, 

And peered through darkness. Ah, that night 

Of all dark nights! And then a speck-

A light! A Light! A light! A light! 

It grew, a starlit flag unfurled! 

It grew to be Time’s burst of dawn. 

He gained a world; he gave that world

Its grandest lesson: “On! Sail on!” 

And so it was on October 12 that Columbus and his men landed in what is now called the West Indies. Such a story should be remembered and celebrated. 

As for Columbus and the native populations, the story is mixed. It would appear from the historical record that Columbus was quite kind and protective of the Arawak tribe at the location of his first landing. On his second voyage, he came in contact with the Carib tribe, which had been attacking and plundering the Arawak tribe, driving it into isolation and stealing its women and children, as well as initiating acts of cannibalism. Columbus saw the Caribs as natural enemies. But it was the Arawaks and other tribes that massacred his men that he left behind. After that, the violence kicked up and there were certainly terrible abuses by both the native populations and the Europeans.

Without a doubt, Columbus did some horrible things, including sending natives back to Spain as slaves who ironically were not treated as such initially. Should he be celebrated for some of his later deeds? Probably not. And so the complexities of history and the imperfections of men reveal themselves to us. But that is also the case of the native populations. 

Today, any number of classrooms and cities celebrate “Indigenous People’s Day” or some such thing as a way to repent of Columbus’ and the West’s sins of conquest. And yet, when we look at the historical record of indigenous peoples, they were no less blood thirsty (often more so) than the Europeans. Indeed, they conquered and enslaved each other with great frequency. 

If it is the case that the Europeans and Columbus are to be reviled for conquering and enslaving, then should we not hold the indigenous peoples to the same standard? If it was fair for them to conquer each other, then what was wrong with the Europeans conquering and spreading their civilization? Since the Europeans and the indigenous peoples shared in their sins against their fellow men, on this day feel no guilt in celebrating Columbus and his intrepid voyage across the Atlantic. He wasn’t perfect, but he was a giant among men.

Devin Foley is the co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Charlemagne Institute, which operates Intellectual Takeout, Chronicles: A Magazine of American Culture, and the Alcuin Internship.

Top Stories

Sense And Nonsense About Taxes

by Rod Williams, Oct. 13, 2024- Liberals will never think the rich pay their fair share until they tax them out of existence and then will all be poorer. Transferring money from the rich to the federal government harms the economy. It is not as if the rich have the money stuffed in their mattresses. It is invested and builds houses and businesses and makes loans available making it possible for people who cannot pay cash to buy a home among other things, and it makes the economy grow. Economic growth lifts people out of poverty. 

The following article by John C. Goodman explains away some lies and myths about taxation. Goodman is an award-winning economist, author of seventeen books and a senior fellow at the Independent Institute. 

I have excerpted some major points of the article. To read the whole article, follow the link. The highlighting in the below excerpts is mine. 

Sense And Nonsense About Taxes

by John C. Goodman, Forbes, Oct 9, 2024- As we draw closer to the November elections, there is an inordinate amount of attention being paid to “disinformation,” and a great deal of fact-checking of candidates’ statements. So this seems to be an ideal time to fact-check some statements being made about “taxes.”

Who benefits from income tax cuts?

Consider these two statements

Most of the benefits of the 2017 (Trump) tax cuts went to the rich.

The tax code today is just as progressive (if not more so) than it was before the tax cuts went into effect.

Surprisingly, both these statements are true. The first statement is true but misleading. The second statement is simply true.

What is rarely said in policy debates is that for the most part, half the population isn’t paying income taxes at all. According to the Tax Foundation, the top one-half of taxpayers are paying 97.7% of all income taxes, while the bottom half pays a paltry 2.3%. So, it’s hard to think of a tax cut that wouldn’t confer most of the benefits on the top half of the income distribution.

Progressivity is a different matter. Suppose we cut everyone’s taxes by 1%. For someone with a million dollars in income, that would be $10,000. For a $30,000-a-year worker, that would be $300. That’s a big difference in raw numbers. But from an equality standpoint, everyone’s share of the country’s after-tax income would be the same both before and after the tax cut.

Do the rich pay their fair share?

When Joe Biden says “the rich aren’t paying their fair share,” what is he talking about? ... If we define the rich broadly (to refer to the upper half), their share is already approaching 100% and that is as high as it can go. But even if we are talking about the really rich, their share is quite high. 

The top 1% (people who earned more than $682,577 in 2021) paid 45% of all income taxes collected that year. The top 10% (earning more than $169,800) paid three-fourths of all income taxes.

This reflects the fact that the United States has the most progressive tax system in the world. We tax the rich proportionally more than any other country.

Why is our income tax system so progressive?

... Republicans are the main reason. Going all the way back to Ronald Reagan, every Republican tax bill threw more and more people off the income tax rolls. ... Republicans have been shifting the tax burden to the rich every time they have legislated on taxes, according to a study by the National Center for Policy Analysis.

What about corporate taxes?

... The Tax Policy Center (TPC) estimates that 20% of the corporate income tax is paid by labor in the form of lower wages and 80% is paid by capital (lower dividends and interest payments, for example). ... workers are also shareholders through their pension plans, 401(k) plans and IRA accounts. ... workers bear part of that burden as well.

Taxing capital gains

... gain does not reflect any increase in income .... It merely reflects a change in the market’s expectations. ...Taxing unrealized capital gains is ... like taxing the gambler —not at the end an evening of gaming, but after each time a roll of the dice produces a win, while ignoring each time there is a loss.

What is wrong with taxing investment to pay for consumption?

... almost all progressive ideas for new revenue involve confiscating funds that are now in the capital market and using those funds to pay for current consumption. But less investment means slower economic growth. And that means our children and grandchildren will have a lower standard of living. (read it all)

Top Stories

Council Member Bob Nash Explains Why He Supports the Mayor's Transit Plan

From Dist. 27 Council Member Bob Nash, Sept 30th Newsletter -

The Metropolitan Council voted unanimously to put Mayor O’Connell’s transportation plan on the November ballot. I did so because I believed, and still do, that improving our transportation infrastructure is a very important issue funded by an increase in the sales tax. District 27 voters deserve to have a voice. As I have seen the Choose How You Move referendum discussed on Facebook and Nextdoor, many are focusing solely on the issue of bus transportation. This transportation plan is multi-faceted. It has a lot of moving parts. (pun intended) I hope as you decide how you will vote you will also take into consideration all the other parts of this plan. To help you do a deeper dive, I share the following from the Mayor’s press release of April 19th,2024:

From The Mayor’s Office

Sidewalks

Choose How You Move will add 86 linear miles of sidewalk, which is about the same distance as Nashville is from Cookeville. One out of every three Nashville residents will have direct, walkable access to a transit stop. We’ll have a 50 percent increase in walkable neighborhoods. This is how we supercharge Nashville’s entire priority sidewalk network.

Signals

The transportation improvement plan will deliver smarter traffic signals that use technology to manage traffic flows and communicate wirelessly with our transit vehicles to keep them evenly spaced and moving quickly. There will be 592 new or upgraded traffic signals concentrated in some of our highest traffic areas. The signals tie into a new Traffic Management Center opening later this year. At that center, NDOT can see where traffic is heaviest and adjust our system in real-time to keep Nashvillians moving.  

Service

Nashvillians will benefit from the Choose How You Move plan, whether we take the bus or not. But we’re going to make riding the bus easy, reliable, safe, frequent, and an all-hours option – a good fit for a 24/7 workforce.  

This initiative will establish 54 miles of high-capacity All-Access Corridors, where the entire route is designed to move people faster and safer with transit vehicles arriving every 15 minutes for better round-the-clock service. These All-Access Corridors include 10 of Nashville’s most heavily used roadways, and they carry 80% of Nashville’s transit ridership (such as Murfreesboro Pike, Gallatin Pike, Nolensville Pike, Dickerson Road, West End, Charlotte Pike, Bordeaux/Clarksville Pike and more). They’ll have dedicated transit-only lanes in strategic locations. Nashvillians will be able to travel the length of Murfreesboro Pike 12 minutes faster than you can today.

Choose How You Move aims to build 12 modern transit centers at key locations in the city, so that riders can travel from neighborhood to neighborhood without having to go downtown.  

The plan calls for building 17 Park & Ride facilities located near high-capacity transit routes, so that more Nashvillians (My addition: and those of surrounding communities that add to the congestion on our main roads) can access transit even if they don’t live near a bus route.  

Choose How You Move is going to double the hours of our high-frequency daily service and increase total bus service by almost80%. That includes more express service and regional service while also expanding WeGo Star service and the WeGo Access program to 24/7 availability. The plan offers extended service hours for the local routes serving Nashville’s prime entertainment district and expands WeGo Link for curb-to-curb service.

If the referendum is approved by voters, low-income residents of Davidson County will qualify for fully subsidized transit passes. A Nashville couple earning $48,000 a year could qualify for unlimited rides on the WeGo Public Transit system.

About two-thirds of the new transit centers and bus stop improvements will be in historically underrepresented communities. This is how we bring the cost of living down for our residents and meet the needs of our 24/7 workforce.  

Safety

Choose How You Move upgrades 285 bus stops to improve lighting, weather cover, and real-time location tracking. Twenty-five intersections will be redesigned as Vision Zero intersections to reduce the risk of injury, a major improvement as 59 percent of Nashville’s fatal and serious injuries occur on six percent of the city’s roads. Thirty-nine miles of Complete Street projects along our high-injury network will make Nashvillians safer, and there will be 35 miles of new or upgraded bicycle facilities.

The program makes safety improvements on 78 miles of the Vision Zero High Injury Network, places where a high number of traffic deaths and serious injuries are occurring, creating safer streets for pedestrians, bicyclists, drivers, and transit users alike.  

Funding

In Tennessee, the IMPROVE Act allows local governments to levy a surcharge to generate new revenue specifically for public transportation. A sales tax surcharge of a half penny would make Davidson County’s sales tax rate equal to almost all of our neighboring counties. Nashville would be one of the last of its neighboring counties to choose to increase its local sales tax from 2.25% to the most common effective rate of 2.75%.

For every $50 you spend, you’ll see an extra 25 cents in sales tax on your receipt. For most Nashvillians, the cost will be at or under $70 per year. For comparison, the cost of owning a car is more than $1,000 per month for new vehicles according to AAA. That includes loan interest, depreciation, fuel, insurance, maintenance, and fees.

Nashville is one of only four cities in the top 50 U.S. Metros that does not have dedicated funding for transportation. Sales tax is the single most common local funding source used for public transportation nationally. Most of the top 50 cities (85%) use some form of dedicated sales tax to fund local transit.

The sales tax surcharge presents an opportunity to share the cost of transportation improvements between people who live here and those who don’t. Nashville is unique because about 60% of our sales tax is paid by people who live somewhere else. That means visitors to the city will pickup the biggest share of the costs of this new transportation improvement program.

On the federal level, Nashville has a finite and unprecedented opportunity to bring more federal tax dollars back to Music City if we act now. Dedicated funding would provide the matching funds needed to leverage over $1.4 billion in future federal dollars to invest in transportation and improve access over the next 15 years.

The financial elements of the plan are undergoing a third-party audit and will be reviewed by the Tennessee Comptroller and are subject to change.  (Added note: The Tennessee Comptroller’s audit approved Choose How You Move plan as submitted.)

Timeline

If the sales tax surcharge is approved by voters on November5, 2024, revenue collections could begin on February 1, 2025. The sales tax surcharge would end when all outstanding debt has been repaid.  

The program has been designed so residents see improvements starting right away. Early projects include a WeGo Link microtransit pilot program, WeGo service enhancements, safety and lighting improvements, initial sidewalk improvements, and the introduction of traffic and signal improvements.

Within two years residents will see substantial bus service improvements such as expanded hours and frequency, continued sidewalk and signal installations, and the development of the first Complete Street project.

Within five years: More than 150 signals upgraded and modernized, along with upgrades to the Traffic Management Center to support these changes, and the first All-Access Corridors will begin high frequency service on West End, Charlotte Pike, and in downtown between Elizabeth Duff Transit Center and SoBro via James Robertson Pkwy, Rosa L Parks Blvd, and Lafayette St.

Within 10 years: 60 miles of new and upgraded sidewalks will be built, above and beyond NDOT’s regular sidewalk program; more All-Access Corridors will begin high frequency service including Murfreesboro Pike, Gallatin Pike and Clarksville Pike, in downtown on James Robertson Parkway from Elizabeth Duff Transit Center to the East Bank, and service to the East Bank from SoBro via the Gateway Bridge.

At 15 years: Metro will have upgraded nearly all 600 traffic signals, will have secured 78 miles of the Vision Zero high-injury network with safety improvements, will have completed all 86 miles of new sidewalk, and will have implemented high-capacity transit on 10 of Nashville’s busiest corridors with Dickerson Pike and Nolensville Pike improvements coming online.”

How Will I Vote

Let me start off by saying that I have never ridden on a Nashville bus. (My wife did for a short time in the late 70’s when we were newly married and only had one vehicle.) We do not live on a transit route, but we do drive downtown occasionally. The new transportation plan provides for nearly 600 synchronized, smart traffic signals. This will reduce much of our stop and go traffic and lower fuel costs that can help offset the sales tax increase. For non-bus ridership, there will be some 17 Park and Ride locations that will offer commuters alternatives to driving downtown thereby decreasing traffic on our main corridors for those who choose to drive.

For these reasons, although I am not a bus rider, I will be voting for the plan. With the Nashville Metropolitan Statistical Area growing as fast as it is, I believe we must look to the future and start making improvements in our transportation infrastructure and how we get around.

Also, and maybe most importantly, I do represent a number of lower income constituents that do need to use public transportation to get to work, doctor’s appointments, shopping and other life needs. They deserve enhanced bus stops and transit centers that improve the efficiency of our transit system and protect riders from inclement weather.

Top Stories

Truth in Accounting ranks Tennessee fifth most Fiscally Responsible State

by Rod Williams, Oct. 11, 2024- While states must balance their budget, that does not mean they must be fiscally responsible. One can have debt and yet a balanced budget. Also, many states do not include legal financial obligations in their balance sheet. Most notably, many states fail to count the burden of state pension plan obligations in their debt category. Also, there are various mechanisms states can use to avoid a full and accurate accounting of their assets and liabilities. 

The State of Tennessee is more fiscally responsible than most other states. Recently Truth in Accounted released their annual Financial State of the States report and Tennessee earned a "B", was designated a "sunshine state," and ranked fifth best of the fifty states. 

Here is the segment that reported on Tennessee's finances.

 

Here is the list of the top five and worst five fiscally responsible states. 

To view the full report, follow this link. 

Top Stories

Do you Have the $100,000 Trump Gold Watch?

by Rod Williams, Oct. 13, 2024-Suckers Patriots, With all that is going on you may have missed the new Trump watch! You got the worthless Trump University diploma, the Trump vodka bearing the name of a man who does not drink, the steaks, the water, the gold sneakers, the silver coins, and the NFT's, and the digital trading cards, and the God Bless the USA Trump Bible, but you are not a true Super Trumpinista unless you have the Trump watch!

These watches are priced between $499 and $100,000. Yes, $100,000! The Bulwark has researched these watches carefully examining how custom watches are made and comparing the Trump watches to comparable products. They conclude that the $499 watch is comparable to a $60 watch. The Trump gold watch is comparable to a solid gold Rolex Submariner which retails for $40,600. To learn more, see Everything You Never Wanted to Know About the Trump Watch.

Value is a subjective thing and people often pay more for prestige labels. So, if the name "Trump" is worth a lot to you, paying $100,000 for a $40,600 watch may be a bargain for you. If you can afford it, buy it. Not all rich people are smart. Please buy this watch and wear it proudly so I can identify the stupid rich people. 

If the Trump watches are a little steep for you, don't worry more is on the way. Soon you can buy the official Trump bobble head doll, the Trump prayer cloths, and the Trump snake oil. 

Top Stories

Michael Patrick Leahy says, "Nobody Would Believe It" If Kamala Harris Was Elected President on November 5'

by Rod Williams, Oct. 11, 2024- Republicans have been laying the groundwork to steal the upcoming election for some time now. They have set the stage for fake electors and for local election commissions to be allowed to "audit" ballots instead of just counting ballots. None of this has much of a chance of success and I fully expect that whoever wins the upcoming election will in fact become the next president. These efforts will likely sow doubts about the fairness of the election and will slow the process of declaring the winner of the election, however.

I cannot help but wonder if the goal is not more about claiming the election was stolen, should Trump lose, than actually stealing the election. Trump is building a case that the election will not be fair and that Democrats if they win, stole the election. They falsely claim that illegal immigrant will vote in the election. They claim that disaster relief aid is being withheld from Republican areas in order to punish Republicans and suppress the Republican vote.  Some Trump sycophants are even claiming that the federal government can control the weather, and the Democrat-controlled government aimed the storm's path and intensity for partisan political purposes. 

What is the purpose for this? Out of office, Trump would have a very difficult time stealing the election. He can't pressure the Vice President to change the results.  Even a massive riot to "stop the steal" would have no chance of succeeding. It could be that Trump simply wants to juice the base and get ever possible Trump voter to actually go vote. I think Trump would have more success by sounding more reasonable and putting Nicki Haley on the campaign trail to woo disaffected Republican voters. She has offered but Trump has not called on her. Being the narcissistic person that he is, Trump is not interested in wooing anyone and broadening his base of supporters. It would hurt Trump's pride to admit that he needed Nicki Haley voters. I think Trump's strategy is wrong but wanting Trump to lose, I hope he keeps it up. 

If Trump loses by a very small margin, Trumpism will not just fade away. Trump will be too old to run again but the stage will be set for a Trump-like figure to emerge to continue the movement. I don't think it will be Don. Jr or J. D. Vance, but someone will fill Trump's shoes if the narrative that the election was rigged is believed by Trump voters. Everywhere you turn, there are Trump supporters saying that if Trump does not win it is because the election was rigged.

Yesterday, Michael Patrick Leahy host of The Michael Patrick Leahy Show and Tennessee Star reporter said that due to Vice President Kamala Harris’ blunders on the presidential campaign trail that “nobody would believe it” if she was elected president in the November 5 general election.  I would, but many Trump voters won't. They are being pounded with the message that the only way Trump loses is if the election was stolen and they are being fed lie after lie building a case that Democrats are stealing the election. 

I fully expect to see election violence between now and the inauguration of the next president and I don't think the 2024 election will spell the end of Trumpism. 

Top Stories

Report: Stadium, arena subsidies not worth it for taxpayers

By Jon Styf, The Center Square, Oct 7, 2024- Professional sports teams and government officials
promise tax revenue benefits when taxpayer subsidies are used to build new or renovation stadiums and arenas.

But those benefits consistently do not come to fruition, according to a report from the Tax Foundation.

The report is consistent with years of economic research showing the same.

"The empirical evidence shows repeatedly that stadium subsidies fail to generate new tax revenue and new jobs or attract new businesses," said Adam Hoffer, Director of Excise Tax Policy at the Tax Foundation. "While attending a sporting event or a concert in a new, publicly subsidized venue might benefit fans of the team or those who attend the event, those subsidies shift spending that would have occurred in other parts of the city or state in the absence of a new sports stadium or arena."

The report highlights 12 projects in cities across the U.S. that were proposed or approved in 2024, including a $2.4 billion subsidy for a new Tampa Rays stadium and development in St. Petersburg, Florida, and a $2.4 billion proposed subsidy for a new Chicago Bears stadium on the Chicago off Lake Michigan adjacent to the current Soldier Field.

More than $100 million in bonds remained when Giants Stadium was demolished in 2010 and Chicago owes more today on Soldier Field renovation bonds than it did when the project occurred in 2002.

In many cases, the projects are accompanied by neighboring developments. In the case of Philadelphia, a proposed new arena would be paid for by the team while the city reduces the property taxes to $6 million annually in PILOT payments and just $10 in rent for the 30-year term of the lease while transferring several parcels of land to the team for the arena and development.

While announcing the deal, Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker touted a debunked economic impact report related to the project.

“I don't know why the myth of stadiums as economic catalysts persists,” wrote economist J.C. Bradbury of Georgia’s Kennesaw State University. “I keep asking for examples of venues that worked, and no one can provide one. People just believe it because it kind of seems like it should make sense, but all the evidence suggests it isn't true.

“A list of cities that have lost major-league teams in the not-too-distant past: San Diego, Seattle, St. Louis, Montreal. These are all still fantastic cities. Remember, it's the city that makes the team not the team that makes the city.”

The report highlighted renovations for the Jacksonville Jaguars ($1.4 million) and Memphis Grizzlies ($350 million) while the Carolina Panthers ($600 million) also had a renovation approved in 2024 that was proposed in 2023.

The Kansas City Chiefs and Royals have proposals that have not been agreed upon, the Cleveland Browns have pushed several subsidy proposals for new stadium sites and the Washington Wizards and Capitals remained in D.C. after a proposal in Virginia died.

Top Stories

Election officials make adjustments for counties hit by Helene

By Kim Jarrett, The Center Square, Oct 9, 2024 – Residents in six East Tennessee counties affected by Hurricane Helene will be able to vote absentee or in person, but some of the polling places may be different, according to Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett.

Early voting begins next week for the Nov. 5 election.

Residents could request an absentee ballot 90 days before Election Day, according to the secretary of state's office. Voters who have lost ballots already mailed, or who need a ballot, should contact their local elections office.

“The devastation experienced in northeast Tennessee is heartbreaking and unimaginable,” Hargett said. “However, I continue to be amazed at the planning and resiliency of our local election officials. We have been working with our local elections administrators – Josh Blanchard, Sarah Fain, Tracy Harris, Dana Jones, Cheri Lipford, and Justin Reaves – throughout the entirety of this disaster, and their unwavering leadership and commitment will ensure this election proceeds as planned, so registered voters have the opportunity to vote.”

Hargett released a plan for the counties affected on Wednesday, which includes:

• The Cocke County Election Commission in Newport has moved to another location.

• The Trade Center polling place in Johnson County may have limited access.

• In Carter County, changes are being made to two polling places temporarily.

• Unicoi County will hold election day voting in the library of Temple Hill Elementary.

• Polling locations in Greene County will be open but should check road conditions.

Hargett's office created a link for anyone in the affected counties that needs information.

Also on Thursday, Gov. Bill Lee said a $2,500 tax credit is available to Tennesseans whose primary residence was damaged or destroyed. The credit is for the purchase of furniture or major appliances. It is only available to people who received financial assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, according to the Tennessee Department of Revenue.

Lee also extended the deadline for franchise and excise taxes to May 1.

The storm claimed the lives of 16 people, according to an update by the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is following up on leads of nine missing people.

Top Stories

Trump's "Best People" Say he is Unfit to Serve.

Top Stories

How do you prepare someone to be lied to?

By Nick Catoggio, The Dispatch, October 7, 2024 - How do you prepare someone to be lied to?

I spent an hour on Sunday warning two devout Fox News viewers that they won’t be able to trust what their favorite network tells them next month if Donald Trump loses the election. Especially the evening hosts: There might be some sobriety during the daylight hours when no one’s watching, but the highly rated Watters-Hannity-Ingraham bloc will be pure storytime.

Trying to convince Fox watchers that they’re being misled is like trying to convince fish that they’re wet, though. They’ve adapted to a media environment in which their political priors are relentlessly affirmed. Tell them that they’re more likely to find the truth about the election in the New York Times than on Fox and they’ll look at you cockeyed and say, “But the New York Times is biased!”

And they’re right. .... The Times is biased. But there’s a difference between bias and propaganda.

Bias is having a rooting interest in a dispute. Propaganda is allowing your rooting interest to define your understanding of reality. (read it all)

Rod's Comment: I share the frustration. The Trump cult believes anything Trump or his minions say. All of my life I thought Republicans were much more rational than Democrats and I thought Democrats were much more predisposed to believe untrue things. Now however, it is the reverse. I can't believe it. If I share a fact with a Trump cult member, they will dismiss it with "Fake News," or something equally dismissive. They proudly have the default position "my mind is made up, don't confuse me with facts." 

The evidence is overwhelming that the 2020 election was fair, and that Trump lost. There is mountain of evidence that Trump lost the election, but the true believers are "true believers." The more extreme members of the cult will believe Haitian refugees are eating cats and dogs and that FEMA withholds assistance to areas of the country who voted for Donald Trump, and that California wildfires are caused by Jewish space lasers (whatever that is) and will believe "they" manipulate the weather to harm Trump supporting areas of the country.

I consume a lot of new and sometimes sample the real weirdoes to see what the fringe of the fringe are thinking. The other day I came across a podcast in which two Trumpinista were seriously debating whether we were just being manipulated or if we were living in a simulation. Nothing is too bizarre for the true believer. It may start on the fringe edge and then become cult dogma. It is not far from a QAnon meme to the screen of Truth Social to Facebook friends sharing "the truth." 

One of the books that makes it onto my best insightful books of all times list is book called True Believers. It was written a self-educated social philosopher longshoreman called Erck Hoffer. I have not reread it in perhaps thirty years, but it made an impact. In the book Hoffer describes how people could become enamored of mass movements and support the cause regardless of facts. He says whether of the right or the left or a religious movement or a political movement, there is a commonality that causes people to be swept up in mass movement. I think it sheds light on the Trump phenomena and I recommend the book. 

Top Stories

Trump’s Plan Boosts Budget Deficits by $7.5 Trillion, Double Harris’s Proposal

by Richard Rubin, Wall Street Journal, Oct. 7, 2024- WASHINGTON—Donald Trump’s flurry of recent tax-cut promises pushed his fiscal plan deep into red ink, and he would increase budget deficits by more than twice as much as Democratic rival Kamala Harris would, according to a new study that is among the most comprehensive estimates to date of the candidates’ proposals.

Trump’s combination of tax cuts, tariff increases, military expansion and mass deportations would widen budget deficits by an estimated $7.5 trillion over the next decade, according to the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, or CRFB, a nonpartisan group that favors lower deficits. Meanwhile, Vice President Harris’s plans—social-policy spending, middle-class tax cuts and tax increases on corporations and high-income households—would increase deficits by $3.5 trillion. (read more)

Top Stories