Disclaimer: From time to time A Disgruntled Republican may post announcements of interest to the conservative, libertarian, or greater community. Such announcements are posted as a public service to spread awareness and do not necessarily constitute an endorsement. In this race I am supporting Dr. Steve Dickerson, however I will gladly support Rob Mortensen, should he be the Party's nominee.
No, No, No! Bad idea. At first glance it seems reasonable. If you are going to work for Metro, then you should live here.The Tennessean, May. 17, 2012
A Metro councilman said he plans to introduce legislation requiring anyone hired by Metro government after a certain date to live inside Nashville and Davidson County.
Councilman Charlie Tygard said the idea, which has been debated before, is relevant again as Mayor Karl Dean and the council discuss a 53-cent property tax increase that would result in 4 percent pay increases for most city workers.
“If you’re asking for raises and you want support, we want you to be a resident of this county,” he said Wednesday.Tygard wants residency rule for new Metro employees | The Tennessean | tennessean.com
The Heritage Foundation has spoken out on Agenda 21.
by Rod Williams, May 19, 2012 - If you pay attention to politics at all you have probably heard of the Heritage Foundation. If you are a conservative activist you know them well. They are one of the most influential and respected conservative organization in existence. They are a conservative think tank based in Washington, D.C. Their stated mission is to "formulate and promote conservative public policies based on the principles of free enterprise, limited government, individual freedom, traditional American values, and a strong national defense".
The foundation was founded in 1973 and took a leading role in the conservative movement during the presidency of Ronald Reagan and they have since continued to have a significant influence in U.S.
public policy making.
So, what does Heritage say about Agenda 21? While they are mildly critical, they are not hysterical. Below are some excerpts:
Abstract: Agenda 21, a voluntary plan adopted at the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, unabashedly calls on governments to intervene and regulate nearly every potential impact that human activity could have on the environment. However, Agenda 21 is non-binding; it depends on governments for implementation. If opponents focus excessively on Agenda 21, it is much more likely that homegrown smart-growth policies that undermine the quality of life, personal choice, and property rights in American communities will be implemented by local, state, and federal authorities at the behest of environmental groups and other vested interests. Preventing American implementation of Agenda 21 should therefore be viewed as only one part of a broader effort to convince U.S. government officials to repeal destructive smart-growth programs and prevent the enactment of new ones.
They should recognize that Agenda 21 is simply another facet of smart growth and not allow it to divert them from opposing the more ubiquitous, overarching agenda of homegrown environmental extremists.
However, Agenda 21 is non-binding; it depends entirely on national, state, and local governments for implementation and therefore poses little threat in and of itself. It is the policies endorsed by Agenda 21 that are of most concern, and these policies are not confined to Agenda 21.Please read the complete Heritage analysis, here. While Heritage is critical of policies that restrict economic growth, they seem to be calling for a little sanity. Heritage says nothing about the danger of traffic calming, or greenways, or bikepaths, or traffic roundabouts, paved parking lots, or annexation, or free trade. They say nothing about a plan to murder 95% or the worlds population by poisoning people with aspartame and fluoride.
Knox News, May 17, 2012
In other action, the commission passed a resolution condemning a U.N. proposal known as Agenda 21, which many see as an attempt to impose a new system of behavior on people worldwide. (read more)
NASHVILLE, May 17 - When conservative Tea Party activists helped Republicans extend their majority in Tennessee's legislature in 2010, they expected to get the legislation they wanted. (link)Ken Marrero of Blue Collar Muse and Lee Douglas of the 9-12 group and other people you may know are quoted in this article. Ken Marrero calls for a more moderate approach to advancing the conservative agenda as opposed to the scorched earth policy of the more extreme tea party conservatives.
by Rod Williams, May 17, 2012 - While the wacky far right conspiracy theory group, the John Birch Society, has been pushing state legislatures and city council's across the country to adopt bills either outlawing implementation of Agenda 21 policies or condemning Agenda 21, they have met with only limited success.
Tennessee has the distinction as the only state to enact an anti-Agenda 21 bill. The Tennessee State Legislature passed a John Birch Society piece of model legislation which was a Joint House Resolution condemning Agenda 21, but Governor Haslam refused to sign it and the memorializing resolution went into effect without the Governors signature.
Other states may be close to enacting anti-Agenda 21 legislation, but none have done so yet. In New Hampshire the measure would
prevent local and county governments, as well as the state government,
from joining the International Council for Local Environmental
Initiatives (IGLEI), an international sustainability planning group. The legislation passed the NH house and has been attached to a hiking trail bill in the Senate and that bill will be taken up next week.
In Arkansas, the Agenda 21 bill has been hard fought and has passed the House but not yet passed the Senate.
In Arizona , the House of Representatives rejected a ban similar to the New Hampshire ban after that bill had passed the Arizona Senate.
Agenda 21 is a 20-year old document that recommends environmental sustainability goals and anti-poverty goals in developing countries. Critics claim it would take away property rights and national sovereignty. . It has no force in law and was never ratified by the Senate. It was signed by Republican president George H. W. Bush.
The more extreme critics claim Agenda 21 is a plan to kill 95% of the worlds population by poisoning them with aspartame and fluoride.
The John Birch Society and their front groups have been the lead force behind the anti-Agenda 21 movement. They have been training hundreds of Agenda 21 "experts" who can then hold seminars and "educate" people on Agenda 21. For $195 one can order an Agenda 21 kit with pamphlets and power point presentations and script to teach anti-Agenda 21 seminars.
It is
unfortunate that people all over the country are being “educated” and are trusting people who once labeled
President Dwight D. Eisenhower a willing tool of the Communist conspiracy and
who subscribe to a theory that ever since about 1776 all of the political
movements, including Nazism and Communism, and all the wars and depression have
been orchestrated by the Illuminati and today the Illuminati continue to pull
the strings though sinister groups such as the Council on Foreign Relations,
The Tri-lateral Commission, the Club of Rome, and the Bilderbergs .
The mid 60's were much like today for the conservative movement.
Grassroots conservatives took the party away from establishment
Republicans. Unfortunately, the John Birch Society gaining prominence
during the populist conservative uprising. The JBS society with their nutty, fringe conspiracy theory stuff threatened to discredit the whole conservative movement and finally conservative leaders had to denounce them and warn Republican activist to disassociate from the JBS. The JBS was denounced by conservative leader, author, and journalist William F. Buckley, Jr. and by former Republican presidential candidate and conservative icon Senator Barry Goldwater.
After years of being practically non existent, the John Birch Society has had a renascence and has again gaining influence, this time in the tea party movement. It is my fear, that unless the JBS is denounced and disassociated from the conservative movement, the whole tea party uprising will be discredited. So far, only in Tennessee, have they been able to get their anti-Agenda 21 model resolution passed but they are influential in the tea party movements across the country.
| Below is the scorecard from the Heritage Foundation. The House Republican average is 66% and the House Democrat average is 16%. |
|---|
| State | District | Name | Party | Score% | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TN | 7 | Rep. Marsha Blackburn | R | 82% | |||
| TN | 3 | Rep. Chuck Fleischmann | R | 77% | |||
| TN | TN | Sen. Bob Corker | R | 77% | |||
| TN | 6 | Rep. Diane Black | R | 74% | |||
| TN | 8 | Rep. Stephen Fincher | R | 72% | |||
| TN | 4 | Rep. Scott DesJarlais | R | 70% | |||
| TN | 2 | Rep. John Duncan Jr. | R | 67% | |||
| TN | 1 | Rep. Phil Roe | R | 63% | |||
| TN | TN | Sen. Lamar Alexander | R | 59% | |||
| TN | 5 | Rep. Jim Cooper | D | 27% | |||
| TN | 9 | Rep. Steve Cohen | D | 16% |
By NEWS SENTINEL EDITORIAL BOARD, Posted May 17, 2012 at 4 a.m.Rod's Comment, May 27, 2012 - I most emphatically agree!
Of all the measures considered this year by the Tennessee General Assembly that drew ridicule from many quarters, perhaps none was as silly as the resolution condemning a United Nations program called Agenda 21. Gov. Bill Haslam prudently declined to sign the nonbinding resolution, a show of restraint that represents the triumph of common sense over the forces of paranoia. (read more)
There are five – 5! – Assistant Directors in Nashville’s Parks and
Recreation department making over $100,000. The Director himself hauls
in $123,974. These salaries do not include the generous benefits that
accompany government employment. (read more)
Wow! That is a lot of money. We do have a great park system here in Nashville, but do we need five Assistant Directors? Five Assistant Directors at over $100,000 each? I think I see a place to cut the budget.
Please, some council member: Ask about that during the budget hearings. How many Assistant Park Directors do they have in Lexington Ky; in Asheville, North Carolina; in Austin, Texas? Have we ever considered reorganizing the department? What does an Assistant Director do? How long have we had five assistant directors?
This is an excellent resource to learn all you possibly want to know about Metro's budget: A Citizens Guide to the Metro Budget.
Writing in the Facebook Group Homeowners Against a Property Tax Hike today, former Metro Council Member candidate William Cyril Guthoerl explained that we are not required to fund the policemen hired under the Obama stimulus grant. Many people have argued that if we do not permanently fund the positions funded with the Obama grant money we would have to repay the grant. This is the explanation offered by William:
it is good to know that if we do not fund these 50 positions that we would not have to repay the grant. We had a natural disaster. We should apply for the waiver. I am going to assume that this is correct unless someone provides evidence to the contrary. In essence, no policeman would have to lose his job. There is enough turn over in the department that no one would have to be laid off. Without a tax increase it is true that we probably could not keep all of those positions funded under the Obama Cops grant. If however, it is determined that the optimum number of policemen includes some of those positions currently funded with the Cops grant, then the city could keep some of those positions by reallocating resources. Maybe the city could abolish the worthless and unnecessary Human Relations Commission and fund three of the police positions. I bet I could find some other money that could be reallocated, if I was convinced that losing those 50 positions would be detrimental to the city.
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