Beacon Tells the Stories of Farmers Harmed by Tennessee's Death Tax

NASHVILLE – The Beacon Center of Tennessee today released a publication telling the stories of two Tennessee farmers who could be harmed by the state’s onerous death tax. The publication, titled Splitting the Farm, shows how the death tax damages the state’s economy and could put many family farms out of business.

Roger Blackwood’s mother deserted him when he was just 10, and three years later he ran away from his abusive, alcoholic father. For months, he was homeless on the streets of Nashville until he was taken in and taught to read. He went on to start dozens of businesses despite suffering from dyslexia, and 48 years ago, he purchased a farm in Robertson County. While Roger loves to farm, he is afraid that when he passes away, his children will have to sell of major portions of the land just to pay the state death tax.

David Mitchell has spent his entire life working on the farm his grandfather purchased. Due to the hard work of David and his family, they have grown the farm from 125 acres to over 500 today. Despite spending significant sums of money to hire attorneys and estate planners, David is still concerned about his ability to keep the farm in the family once his elderly father passes away. Had it not been for David’s sweat equity, the farm would not even be large enough to be subject to the tax.

This shows that Tennessee’s death tax truly is unjust. The state legislature is considering repealing or reducing the tax, which brings in less than one percent of state revenues. The death tax severely weakens Tennessee’s economy because it drives investments to other states that do not impose the tax. Those that remain in Tennessee and wind up paying the tax are those that can least afford it.

As Splitting the Farm exposes, many farmers like Roger and David are faced with selling off all or some of their land just to pay the death tax bill. In many cases, the farms have been in the family for generations, yet the state’s tax policy will lead to sprawling acres being chopped up and developed.

The Beacon Center released the publication as part of its “Faces of Freedom” series, which aims to highlight the personal stories of Tennesseans to show the consequences of bad law and bad policy. A copy of the publication will be provided to each member of the General Assembly as they debate whether to end the state death tax during this legislative session.

An electronic version of Splitting the Farm is available online at: http://www.beacontn.org/wp-content/uploads/Splitting-the-Farm.pdf. 

The Beacon Center of Tennessee’s mission is to change lives through public policy by advancing the principles of free markets, individual liberty, and limited government. The Center is an independent, nonprofit, and nonpartisan organization dedicated to providing policymakers and concerned citizens with timely solutions to public policy issues in Tennessee. Visit the Center’s website at www.beacontn.org.

Top Stories

Agenda 21 in today's news

For those of you who may not subscribe to the Tennessean, there were three separate articles in today's newspaper regarding Agenda 21. 

This is in the news because there is legislation pending in the State legislature that addresses Agenda 21. One resolution, HJR0587 will most likely be voted on next week. It says of Agenda 21 that "Agenda 21's plan of radical so-called 'sustainable development' views the American way of life of private property ownership, single family homes, private car ownership, and individual travel choices and privately owned farms as destructive to the environment." This resolution also says that according to Agenda 21, "national sovereignty is deemed a social injustice." 

All HJR0587 does is state that Agenda 21 was never ratified as a treaty by the Senate and that everyone should be aware of the destructive strategies of 'sustainable development' and goes on record as rejecting the "radical policies of Agenda 21" and reject any grant monies that may be attached to Agenda 21. There are also several other bills dealing with Agenda 21 and the conflict between land use planning and private property rights.


I don't know what to make of all of this. Some people who I admire and respect keep telling me that I need to become educated about Agenda 21 and they assure me that it is a real danger. If Agenda 21 does what HJR0587 says it does, then to pass a harmless resolution that doesn't do much more than say Agenda 21 is a bad thing, is of little consequence and should pass. Still, it sounds a little like tin-foil hat stuff to me. The fact that the John Birch Society is one of the forces behind the opposition to Agenda 21 doesn't lend credibility to the cause. The JBS believe in an elaborate theory that says the Illuminati have been pulling the strings of world affairs for about the last 250 years. The JBS are sometimes right on their policy prescriptions and I am sure many fine people belong to JBS and don't really know the full scope of the grand conspiracy theory, nevertheless, to my way of thinking anything the JBS is associated with needs to be examined independently of JBS. 


Also, if you are going to tell me that bikeways, and greenways and efforts to get farmers to voluntarily give up development rights on their property and adopt policies that keep farm run-off out of streams and that land trust and efforts to combat water and air pollution are bad things, you will have a hard time convincing me. I don't know that I think "smart growth" and "sustainable" are scary terms. 

I know many environmentalist do believe we must give up our consumer lifestyle to " save the planet." I do believe that many environmentalist are at heart socialist and view capitalism as the enemy. Because I disagree with the more radical environmentalist, that does not make dirty air and dirty water good things or greenways and landtrust bad things. 

I like "the American way of life of private property ownership, single family homes, private car ownership, and individual travel choices and privately owned farms." I believe that markets and free enterprise and private property are compatible with a better environment. Some of the worst polluters the world has ever know have been socialist countries. Even in America, some of the worst polluters are governments. Government landfills have a worse record than private landfills. A better standard of living, I believe, leads to a cleaner, better world. If the world is facing overpopulation, it is due to poverty not prosperity. As countries become more prosperous, the people of that country choose to have fewer children. Much of our environmental problems are a result of too little private property and too little wealth, not too much. If Agenda 21 takes the opposite view and is an attempt to bring about the destruction of private property and our way of life, then I am very much against it.

I doubt I am going to read and become an expert on Agenda 21. Section one alone has 8 chapters. It is big document. I am willing to be convinced Agenda 21 is something that should concern me. If there is an expert on Agenda 21 who does not sound like a nut, who is not associated with the JBS, and who likes clean air and water, I would like to invite you to use this blog space to educate me and the public, I will welcome you to write a guest column. (If you are a lover of the great outdoors that would also add some credibility.)

Below are the three articles that appeared in today's Tennessean. 

 TN lawmaker says green policies are part of secret U.N. plot

A resolution in the state legislature opposes what is depicted as an insidious United Nations scheme to take away citizens’ property rights through radical environmentalism.
The legislation, which refers to “Agenda 21,” is pending as planners and property rights advocates spar over a series of bills related to how development should be regulated.

 Local communities can plan better than legislature

Americans have a natural sentiment against other folks telling us what we can do with what we own. So, we wish to thank Tennessee legislators for alerting us to the impending danger of a United Nations conspiracy that originated in 1992 (called Agenda 21) to deprive us of our rights; though we find ourselves insulted that legislators think their attempt to deprive local communities of the ability to propose, discuss, and implement their own zoning regulations is any less of a conspiracy.

Resolution twists facts to hinder sustainability

by Mary Pat Williams Silveira

Tennessee House Joint Resolution 587 is concerned with “the destructive and insidious nature of United Nations Agenda 21.” This is an alarming statement, principally because it is based on distortions and factual errors. Let us look at the facts.

Top Stories

Only one lone occupy Nashville tent remains Friday

A lone tent remained at the Occupy Nashville camp on War Memorial Plaza on Friday morning.
  Lone Occupy Nashville Tent Remains Friday:

Top Stories

Cab commission director's comments on drivers 'offend and shock' council members | Nashville City Paper

Brian McQuistion, head of Metro’s Transportation Licensing Commission offended Council Members and Ethiopian cab drivers seeking to start their own cab company.when he made prejudicial comments about cab drivers as reported in a piece by Joey Garrison in today's City Paper. Below are excerpts from the article. 

Multiple caucus members claim McQuistion said cab drivers, who tend to be minorities, would resort to crime, prostitution or drug-dealing if the cap on the number of cab permits in Nashville were increased and business among all cab drivers were stretched out.

He didn’t say they would become rogue. He didn’t say they would begin to do things like give rides without the meter being on. He said they would respond by going into prostitution and drug dealing. And we were shocked. We were shocked by his statement,” Maynard said.(Cab commission director's comments on drivers 'offend and shock' council members)

The Council Members and cab drivers have a right to be offended. The bigger offense coming from the Transportation Licensing Commission however is the believe that the commission knows what the price of a cab ride or limo ride should be and that they know how many vehicles for hire should be allowed to exist in the city.  While the prejudice against minorities is offensive, so is the prejudice against free enterprise and markets and the use of the Commission to fix prices and protect existing companies from competition.

Top Stories

Residents exploring Banks recall option | The Tennessean | tennessean.com

Brady Banks

A Metro councilman might have to face voters again much sooner than he was expecting just a week ago. A group of residents in Nashville's District 4 is exploring the possibility of recalling Councilman Brady Banks after his Feb. 16 arrest on a misdemeanor charge of patronizing prostitution, a leader of the group said Wednesday.(Residents exploring Banks recall option | The Tennessean)

I recently had a conversations with some of the members of this group who are exploring a recall of Brady Banks. One told me that they had been hoping Banks would do the honorable thing and resign his post. They are very disappointed he has chosen to not resign.  "Ronnie Stein resigned," one person told me, "and all he did was shoplift. He (Banks) knowingly, premeditately, committed an illegal act. He should have resigned."

Another member expressed her disgust saying, "I doubt this is his first rodeo.  He had to seek out the offer of prostitution, make the call, drive to the location and negotiate the transaction. This was not a spontaneous act committed in a moment of weakness."

No one has yet started the recall petition drive but the group is organizing and still discussing the option.

Top Stories

Update: What happened at the March 6 council meeting

This is a boring council meeting unless you live in proximity to one of the proposed rezonings. Here are the highlights.

Watch the public hearing of bill NO. BL2012-99 starting at 10:11.  This is interesting to see an example of how a policy change can impact a small business. This bill under discussion, among other things, would remove the requirement for a sidewalk. One opponent of the bill (starting at 13:29) explain how his small business had to pay a fee of $10,000 to be allowed to avoid building a sidewalk to nowhere and had to spend thousands of hours and thousands of dollars to be in compliance with a zoning plan. He says that since he had to pay the fee, that the current applicant should also have to pay the fee. Fair is fair he says.

Councilman Tenpenny ask a good question (see 16:45), Inquiring if this bill would set a president for future development south along Nolensville Rd. See how Vice Mayor Neighbors tries to cuts him off without letting him get an answer to his question.

BL 2012-106 is the discussion of the proposed Antioch asphalt plant (see 21:24). This has been a hot issue in Councilman Dominy's district. This discussion goes on and on.  If you don't live in the neighborhood this is boring, but people in the area feel strongly about it. Odor, pollution, and traffic are sited as reasons for opposing the development.  At 1:11:45 Dominy takes the floor and explains the process and explains that passing the bill tonight does not mean the bill is passed but allows the bill to move on to a committee of the council for discussion. He also addresses some of the issues raised by the opponents. Councilman Maynard (at 1:16:10) takes to the floor in opposition to the bill. Councilman Bo Mitchell also takes the floor in opposition and suggest a second public hearing but does not make a motion to that effect. The bill passed 22 yes votes, 15 no votes and one abstention.

The ordinances dealing with signs, which could have proven to be controversial, were deferred.

Top Stories

Today's Occupy protest rained out but a goodbye press conference

I attended the last day of the Occupy Nashville camp out today. The protest of the day was supposed to be the International Women’s Day Celebration with a 11:30 march from the War Memorial Plaza to the Broadway Bridge. It didn't happen. I arrived in a light drizzle about 11:40 and wondered if I had missed it. There were about a dozen people milling around the Plaza. I was assured I hadn't missed it but no one knew if the march would be taking place or not. While waiting for something to happen, I spoke to several members of Occupy and one thing I asked was if they were camping out and none of the ones I spoke to were campers. I also asked them if they planned to get arrested and none of them did.

The Occupy camp looked really pitiful in the rain. I counted nine pitched tents and about three or four more that were either tents not pitched or tarps. It was hard to tell. The camp out did not have the feel of a community. Along the west side of the plaza were three tents and a collapsed tent or a tarp, and some distance away in the northeast corner of the plaza were four tents and far to the south of the plaza was another tent. They were widely scattered.

Gradually more members of the press arrived and joined the press already milling about and the group moved to the War Memorial Building portico where the protesters held a press conference. By this time there were about 15 members of Occupy and about twice that many members of the press and the drizzle had turned into a heavy rain.

Jason Steen plans to be arrested

Several speakers spoke, each attacking the bill that makes it illegal to camp in places not dedicated as camping places. The attack on the legislation was focused on the impact it would have on the homeless. A lengthy statement was read which said that instead of punishing people for "experiencing homelessness" by such acts as sleeping, eating or camping, that government should end homelessness. The letter had been signed by several prominent homeless advocates. Little was said about the legislation being an attempt to silence protesters; almost all the comments addressed homelessness.  Jason Steen spoke and said he would be camping tonight and was planning on being arrested.

Elizabeth Barger, the Tennessee organizer of  Code Pink, was going to take part in the Women's Event which was to include some dancing. She said it would have to be postponed. "We couldn't dance in this rain," she said. "We would break our neck."  She said she had not camped out saying she was getting to old for that.

Top Stories

The Occupy protest of the day is "Day of Rage"

The picture is from a Bill Hobbs photo on Facebook and the comment below is from  Bill Hobbs on twitter: 

Occupy Nashville called for a "Day of Rage" at the state capital on March 7th. About 100 people showed up - including media. This picture shows most of the crowd - I blew it up in Photoshop and counted exactly 80 people who were clearly not media. There were maybe 10 people standing outside the frame to the right or at the top of the steps outside the frame. Most of the people were with the Campus Workers Union, complaining about not being paid enough. Also, the use of adjunct faculty seemed to irritate them, though there was no Adjunct Faculty Members Union there.

The following is from the blog Occupy Nashville:

International Women’s Day Celebration Event March 8, 2012

Occupy Nashville Hosts International Women’s Day Celebration Event March 8, 2012

11:30am to 1:00pm

at Legislative Plaza with a march to Broadway Street Bridge

Women make up 51% of the world’s population but 70% of the world’s poor. Women perform 66% of the world’s work, produce 50% of the food, but earn 10% of the income and own less than 1% of the world’s property.

Women’s work continues to be unpaid, underpaid and undervalued, making women’s contribution invisible to economic indicators and ineligible for the rewards reaped by the so called “productive” members of society.

Over half of the homeless are women and children, often fleeing domestic violence and neglect.

Everyone is invited to participate and join Nashville women as they make a strong statement for women’s rights and economic justice in Nashville and around the world! You and we are the 99%.

Meet at Legislative Plaza at 11:30am. The schedule of events includes a welcome and remarks by organizers, a dance and time for mingling, and a march to meet up with activists from Join Me On The Bridge/Women for Women International/Women In Black/CodePink, at the Broadway Street Bridge (near the Union Station Hotel) in downtown Nashville (about a 10-15 minute walk). The march will leave plaza at approximately 12:15pm.

Bring drums, musical instruments, colored cloth, signs, anything to add to the event. For further information contact Elizabeth Barger at npjceliz@gmail.com or pr@occupynashville.org.

As Occupy Nashville fades away they prove they can still draw a crowd of about 100 to their protest of the day. How long can they keep that up?  When the same 100 people show up every day to protest something different it is not long until everyone losses interest. A daily protest cannot get daily news coverage. I bet today's 100 will shrink every day until this time next month they are down to a core group of 12. I bet tomorrow's protest will not match today's 100.  Maybe I should not even report it. They have become insignificant and boring. A Google search did not reveal any coverage of today's Nashville protest beyond the Occupy related meetup and blogs and Facebook page.

Occupy is to decamp by midnight tomorrow night. A few people will probably get arrested but most will most likely fade away.

 

Top Stories

Old Hickory, Donelson & Hermitage Republican Breakfast Saturday March 10

OLD HICKORY, DONELSON AND HERMITAGE

PLEASE JOIN US FOR A CONSERVATIVE BREAKFAST

SATURDAY, MARCH 10, 2012

8:30 Meet and Greet, 9:00 Meeting

SHONEY'S  ON DONELSON PIKE

MEET YOUR COUNCIL MEMBERS

                                                                                                          

             

 

                              STEVE GLOVER, District 12       JOSH STITES, District 13

Come hear about the HCA Call Center,

Economic Incentive Plans and the Mayor's Budget

 

SPECIAL THANKS TO:

ALEX AND KATHRYN STILLWELL

PROGRAM CHAIRMEN

FOR MORE INFO

Top Stories

Occupy degenerate remnant are turning on each other

As Occupy Nashville's last hours camping on the Plaza slip by, the degenerate remnant are turning on each other. Two leaders of the leaderless Occupy Nashville, Andrew Henry and Jason Steen, got into a fist fight one night last week, sending one to jail and one to the hospital.

Various factions within Occupy Nashville (ON) have emerged, each trying to take Occupy in a different direction. Prominent spokesmen have taken to denouncing each other and denying the other has authority to speak for the group.  Those who are still sleeping on the cold marble of War Memorial Plaza have taken to denouncing those who have abandoned the camp out.  Some occupiers are denouncing others as "provocateurs" for their more aggressive activism that has cast the occupiers in a bad light. 

One leader posted a picture of himself on a street light pole stealing some juice. Others denounce him for doing so. One leader denounced another leader as one who "often conducts himself much like an adolescent who got into his parent's liquor cabinet and now doesn't know what to do with his drunk self."  "His lack of self control while in the spotlight for ON does damage to ON's image to the public at a time when it needs all the support it can get."

 

Like the stranded British boys stuck on a deserted island in Lord of the Flies who try to govern themselves and it ends in disaster, Occupy Nashville could not govern itself and the movement participants ended up turning on each other.  They are now spending more time fighting each other than the "1%." For all practical purposes, Occupy Nashville is over. It is just a matter of cleaning up the mess.

To learn more about the demise of Occupy and see how the remnant are turning on each other read here, here, here and here.

Top Stories

Greens join Republicans in opposing Obamacare individual mandate

WHAT? yes, the Green Party has issued a statement calling on the Supreme Court to side with Republicans and declare unconstitutional the individual mandate in  Obamacare.

Politics makes strange bedfellows. The Greens want Obamacare declared unconstitutional because they believe that if it is, then they can push to get a single-payer system. Read more: Supreme Court | Obamacare | Green Party

Top Stories

Nashville chamber retracts support of controversial state planning bills | Nashville City Paper

By Joey Garrison, City Paper, Tuesday, March 6, 2012 at 3:14pm
 

Following a groundswell of Metro-led opposition, the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce has retracted its support of controversial state development bills that critics fear would undermine local planning and zoning authority. Nashville chamber retracts support of controversial state planning bills

Top Stories

Stand by Your Man

Sometimes its hard to be a woman
Giving all your love to just one man
You'll have bad times
And he'll have good times
Doing things that you don't understand
But if you love him you'll forgive him
Even though he's hard to understand
And if you love him
Oh be proud of him
'Cause after all he's just a man

Stand by your man
Give him two arms to cling to
And something warm to come to
When nights are cold and lonely
Stand by your man
And tell the world you love him
Keep giving all the love you can
Stand by your man
Stand by your man
And show the world you love him
Keep giving all the love you can
Stand by your man

Top Stories

Councilman admits wrongdoing, plans to continue serving

With his wife Kristin 'standing by her man' Metro Nashville Councilman Brady Banks today gave a statement outside the Metro Court House, apologizing for his attempt to solicit a prostitute last month.

“I am sorry, very sorry, for the hurt that I’ve caused my family, my friends, my neighbors, but most of all my wife,” Banks said. “I’ve caused tremendous damage to the relationships that matter most in my life and I’ve made a big mistake and it’s the worst mistake I’ve ever made.” (follow this link to read more and see the statement on video)

He also says he will go to "John" school and will be going to marriage counseling.

Top Stories

It is time to choose: Vote Newt!

Top Stories

Brady Banks' day in court

Metro Nashville Councilman Brady Banks is scheduled to appear in court today for a hearing on a misdemeanor charge of patronizing prostitution at a MetroCenter hotel.(link)

Top Stories

Property activists challenge planners and what about Agenda 21?

Today's Tennessean had an article addressing the various proposed state bills that would expand property rights and curtail local government authority in the area of land use planning and zoning. (Read it here: Property activists challenge planners | The Tennessean,)

One thing I was surprised to read in this article is information that lends credence to the perceived tie between the expanding of local government land use planning regulations and something called Agenda 21. Agenda 21 is widely talked about in right wing circles. Hardly a day goes by that I don't get an email from someone referencing it or see it mentioned in a blog or discussion group. I have tended to dismiss it, however. It sounded like a paranoid conspiracy theory to me and I just never bothered to learn much about it.

I have seen paranoid conspiracy theories about everything from the secret NAFTA super highway, to reports of black helicopters and the building of concentration camps in America, to concern that the designation of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park as a World Heritage Site was part of a plan to put us all under a one world government. I was too young to know it at the time, but I now know that when fluoridation was being proposed it was considered by many a communist plot to get citizens accepting of the idea that it was OK to use public water sources as a means of medicating the populace and a plan to make us all stupid and sedated. I think the metropolitan form of government makes a lot of sense and has served us well.  At the time it was being debated, the local chapter of the John Birch Society put out a pamphlet urging people to oppose metro, claiming it was a communist plot.

When something sounds like a paranoid conspiracy theory I tend to ignore it until I see the concern validated by a more mainstream source or see a respected conservative express the same concern. I never jumped on the Obama-was-not-born-in-America movement or the movement to stop the NAFTA super highway. (What happened to that NAFTA super highway, anyway?) I am going to stop dismissing Agenda 21 as fringe paranoid conspiracy stuff and read up on it. I will follow up with a report on what I conclude.

While the piece in today's Tennessean provided a good overview of the issue, it did not delve deeply into the specifics of the various bills. I would like to see the various bills explained one by one and the rational for each explained. Probably few would read such detailed coverage of the issue however. The details of planning issues can get boring.

While I know there has been overreach by local government and improper curtailment of property rights, I accept that planning and zoning and building codes are a legitimate function of local government. I have witnessed Metro government shamelessly trample property rights using eminent domain under the guise of "slum and blight clearance" and take property from one person and give it to another. (See eminent domain or Joy Ford,)  Unless I know a reason why some of the proposed bill should not be passed, I am going to assume the right side of the issue is with those protecting property rights and curtailing local government planning authority.

Top Stories

FINAL POLLS SHOW NEWT SURGING IN TN Gingrich Inside Margin of Error in Some

Nashville - Thanks to hard campaigning and his bold, Conservative message, Newt Gingrich has closed the gap in Tennessee and is poised to overtake those presumed to be the victors in the delegate rich state just days ago.

Real Clear Politics' tracking of the polling done across the weekend shows the We Ask America numbers putting the state in a statistical dead heat with Romney at 30%, Gingrich at 29% and Santorum at 29%. The margin of error is 3%. Likewise, PPP polling has Santorum at 34%, Romney at 29% and Gingrich at 27%

The significance is these polls were taken on March 3rd and 4th. Earlier polling, widely reported across the nation, from Vanderbilt University and Middle Tennessee State University just days earlier showed a different picture. MTSU's polling, released February 29 showed Santorum at 40%, Romney at 29% and Gingrich at 13%. Vanderbilt's data from polling done February 16-22 showed Santorum at 33%, Romney at 17% and Gingrich at 13%. Clearly, the largest surge is for Speaker Gingrich.

Andrew Ogles, Tennessee Victory Chair for Gingrich 2012 noted, "I was excited to see the results but not surprised. These numbers show what we've always known; support for Newt is deep and strong in Tennessee. When other campaigns dropped everything to rush surrogates and candidates to Tennessee at the last minute, I knew they were learning the same thing."

Reached by phone, Rep. Tony Shipley (R-Kingsport), Chair of the Newt 2012 campaign in Tennessee and traveling today with Gingrich in East Tennessee, responded, "This is not a real surprise to anyone who has been watching the campaigns here in Tennessee. Newt has strong support among Conservatives, Republicans and voters who realize the nation is headed in the wrong direction. Newt's concern for all Americans is seen in his attention to issues like gas prices and other every day concerns. Tennesseans know Newt supports them and they support him back."

Top Stories

Brady Banks does not plan to resign

Banks to CP: 'I Want to Continue to Serve' 

 by Jim Ridley on Mon, Mar 5, 2012 at 9:51 AM
 

In his first public statement since his arrest last month on a misdemeanor charge of patronizing prostitution, stemming from a police sting operation Feb. 16, District 4 Councilman Brady Banks indicates to the CP's Joey Garrison he does not plan to resign his council post: (link)

Top Stories

Meet Newt Gringrich

Newt Gingrich is the architect of the “Contract with America” that led the Republican Party to victory in 1994 by capturing the majority in the U.S. House for the first time in forty years.

Under Newt’s leadership, Congress passed the first balanced budget in a generation, leading to the repayment of over $400 billion in debt. Congress also cut taxes for the first time in sixteen years and reformed welfare, leading to over sixty percent of welfare recipients either getting a job or going to school. In addition, the Congress restored funding to strengthen our defense and intelligence capabilities, an action later lauded by the bipartisan 9/11 Commission.

The Washington Times has called Newt Gingrich “the indispensable leader” and Time magazine, in naming him Man of the Year for 1995, said, “Leaders make things possible. Exceptional leaders make them inevitable. Newt Gingrich belongs in the category of the exceptional.”

Born in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Newt’s experiences as the son of a career soldier convinced him at an early age to dedicate his life to his country and to the protection of freedom. Realizing the importance of understanding the past in order to protect the future, he immersed himself in the study of history, receiving his Bachelor’s degree from Emory University and Master’s and Doctorate in Modern European History from Tulane University. Before his election to Congress in 1978, Newt taught History and Environmental Studies at West Georgia College for eight years. He represented Georgia in Congress for twenty years, including four years as Speaker of the House.
Newt served on the Defense Policy Board under President George W. Bush, which provided strategic counsel to the Pentagon and Secretary of Defense on how to better address threats facing the United States. He is also the longest-serving teacher of the Joint War Fighting course for Major Generals at Air University and taught officers from all five services as an honorary Distinguished Visiting Scholar and Professor at the National Defense University. In 1999, Gingrich was appointed to the United States Commission on National Security/21st Century, the Hart/Rudman Commission to examine our national security challenges as far out as 2025. The Commission’s report is the most profound rethinking of defense strategy since 1947.

Newt is widely recognized for his commitment to a better system of health for all Americans. His leadership helped save Medicare from bankruptcy, prompted FDA reform to help the seriously ill and initiated a new focus on research, prevention, and wellness. His contributions have been so great that the American Diabetes Association awarded him their highest non-medical award and the March of Dimes named him their 1995 Citizen of the Year.

In 2003, Newt founded the Center for Health Transformation to develop free market healthcare reforms to foster a 21st Century System of health and healthcare that is centered on the individual, prevention focused, knowledge intense and innovation rich. Newt also served as the Co-Chairman of the National Commission for Quality Long-term Care and the independent congressional Alzheimer’s Disease Study Group.
Newt and his wife, Callista, host and produce award-winning documentary films, including A City Upon a Hill, Nine Days that Changed the World, Ronald Reagan: Rendezvous with Destiny, and Rediscovering God in America. Together, Newt and Callista also author photo books and record audio books.
Newt is the author of twenty-three books, including thirteen New York Times bestsellers.
The Gingriches reside in McLean, Virginia. Their family includes two daughters and two grandchildren.

Top Stories

The Newt Gingrich $2.50 gas plan

Top Stories

Update: What to look for at the Metro Council on March 6, 2012

  non conforming properties, signs, and an asphalt plant

You can get your own copy of the Metro council meeting at this link: Agenda.The agenda also links to the analysis. Council meetings can be really, really boring if you don't know what the Council is voting on. With an agenda and analysis, they are just really boring.

There is not much of general interest on the agenda or at least not much that interest me. Most of the agenda is zoning issues that would only concern those who live near the property of the proposed zone change. However, I am going to summarize a few of the bills that may be of general interest. There is more to this bill than my short summary. To learn more, read the bill and see the staff analysis.

Ordinance BL2012-88 by Councilman Claiborne amends the Metropolitan zoning code to add "non-self-imposed hardship" as a factor for the historic zoning commission to consider when determining whether to allow the demolition of a historic building. It adds this new eighth factor to allow the historic zoning commission to deny a demolition permit if the property owner failed to maintain the property in a good state of repair.

Ordinance BL2012-92 sponsored by Council Members Dominy, Duvall, and others would expand private property protection for non conforming properties. It bring the code into conformity to state law that allows one to let a property cease operation for up to 30 continuous months before being required to comply with new zoning laws. The other thing this bill would do is to "toll" the 30 month period if the delay is due to litigation or natural disaster such as a flood. "Toll" is a legal term meaning to delay, suspend or hold off the effect of a statute.

Ordinance BL2012-107 says replacement panels in multi-tenant signs must be consistent with the other signage on the property. I know this is pretty boring stuff but a lot of neighborhood activist care a lot about any bill involving billboards or signs so there may be some people people speaking on this bill and the next one.

Ordinance BL2012-109 is another sign ordinance that would require applications for the conversion of a nonconforming billboard to a tri-face billboard to be submitted to the board of zoning appeals for a determination as to whether the conversion would result in a greater negative impact to adjacent property owners.

Ordinance BL2012-103 is a zoning bill that may be controversial. It would permit an asphalt plant to be built in Antioch but comes with lots of restrictions and protections. The sponsor told me that one TV station had misrepresented the proximity of the proposed site to homes, reporting the plant was much closer than in fact it is. Rock quarry's, landfills, and asphalt plants and prisons are always hard to zone for approval. No one wants to be within miles of these type facilities yet they have to go somewhere and a local government may not simply ban them out right. No matter what buffers and protections are put in place, people are seldom satisfied with the rezoning. Zoning for these type facilities are often used by political opponents to beat up the sitting council member. This is a zoning issue to watch. It has been a hot issue in Antioch.

Top Stories

Selective Liberal Principles

Top Stories

Rush apologizes

Rush Limbaugh has apologized for calling Ms. Fluke a slut and a prostitute for advocating that the Catholic college she attends be forced to provide her with free birth control pills. Here is his statement: 

For over 20 years, I have illustrated the absurd with absurdity, three hours a day, five days a week.  In this instance, I chose the wrong words in my analogy of the situation. I did not mean a personal attack on Ms. Fluke.

I think it is absolutely absurd that during these very serious political times, we are discussing personal sexual recreational activities before members of Congress. I personally do not agree that American citizens should pay for these social activities. What happened to personal responsibility and accountability? Where do we draw the line? If this is accepted as the norm, what will follow? Will we be debating if taxpayers should pay for new sneakers for all students that are interested in running to keep fit? In my monologue, I posited that it is not our business whatsoever to know what is going on in anyone's bedroom nor do I think it is a topic that should reach a Presidential level.

My choice of words was not the best, and in the attempt to be humorous, I created a national stir. I sincerely apologize to Ms. Fluke for the insulting word choices.

He explained himself and apologized for his "insulting word choices."  I doubt this will satisfy his critics. 

In 2010 when Bill Maher called Sarah Palin a "cunt" and a "stupid twat," he too apologized. Here is his apology:

Well, you know, I've been through this so many times. There's a lot of people in America who have, of course, nothing to do except look for something to get mad at. And I've been a frequent target and I'm happy to provide that service. So, you know, I always say, as I've said many times in these kind of situations, if I hurt somebody's feelings, I'm always sorry about that, I'm not trying to hurt somebody's feelings. But if you want me to say I'm sorry what I said was wrong, no, sorry, I can't go there.

Top Stories

How Republicans want to keep poor people under their thumb.

Tennessean columnist Sritha Prabhu and nationally syndicated columnist Leonard Pitts writing in today's Tennessean each try to inflate the contraception controversy into something much bigger than it is. Prabhu says the issue is about how male authority figures control women's lives, destinies, sexuality and reproductive lives. Leonard Pitts says it illustrates how the GOP wants to return the nation to the supposed tranquility of the Beaver Cleaver years.

What? The issue is, should the government force religious institutions to offer insurance plans to their employees that pays for birth control pills. This is a conflict between church and state. This is a question of how far the government should go in forcing one to violate their conscience. However, for simplicities sake, put aside the complicated First Amendment separation of church and state religious argument for a moment to see the absurdity of how the Democrats are framing this issue.

Suppose we were debating a bill that would require all auto insurance companies to cover oil changes. Oil changes are a routine auto maintenance procedure, that if done has to be paid for by someone. If Republicans were opposing requiring that oil changes be provided "free," Democrats would frame the issue this way: "Oil change issue really about controlling poor people."

They would argue that oil changes, if not done routinely, cause cars to not last as long as they otherwise would and poor people as a result have to trade cars earlier than they otherwise would. They would argue that poor people have to pay a greater proportion of their income on oil changes than do middle and upper income people. That is just not fair, they would say.  They would have a poor person testify that he is trying to complete law school but has to change oil in his car every three months and it cost $35 dollars each time. By the time he completes three years of law school he will have spent $420 on oil changes.

Also, they would argue, we have inadequate mass transit in this country and not providing free oil changes denies poor people of mobility. Free oil changes should be a right, they would argue. This oil change issue is really part of a larger picture reflective of how Republicans want to keep poor people under their thumb.

Top Stories