"Coming Apart by Charles Murray is the next selection of Conservative Fusion book study

The next meeting of Conservative Fusion will be Oct. 2. There is still time to get and read the book. Join us.

From Amazon description:

In Coming Apart, Charles Murray explores the formation of American classes that are different in kind from anything we have ever known, focusing on whites as a way of driving home the fact that the trends he describes do not break along lines of race or ethnicity.

Drawing on five decades of statistics and research, Coming Apart demonstrates that a new upper class and a new lower class have diverged so far in core behaviors and values that they barely recognize their underlying American kinship—divergence that has nothing to do with income inequality and that has grown during good economic times and bad.  

The top and bottom of white America increasingly live in different cultures, Murray argues, with the powerful upper class living in enclaves surrounded by their own kind, ignorant about life in mainstream America, and the lower class suffering from erosions of family and community life that strike at the heart of the pursuit of happiness. That divergence puts the success of the American project at risk.  

The evidence in Coming Apart is about white America. Its message is about all of America.

From Amazon review by author Niall Ferguson:

Since the advent of "Occupy Wall Street," there has been a tendency to assume that only the Left worries about inequality in America. Charles Murray's Coming Apart shows that conservatives, too, need to be concerned.

This is an immensely important and utterly gripping book. It deserves to be as much talked about as Murray's most controversial work (co-authored with Richard J. Herrnstein), The Bell Curve. Quite unjustly, that book was anathematized as "racist" because it pointed out that, on average, African-Americans had lower IQ scores than white Americans.

No doubt the same politically correct critics will complain about this book, because it is almost entirely devoted to the problem of social polarization within "white America." They will have to ignore one of Coming Apart's most surprising findings: that race is not a significant determinant of social polarization in today's America. It is class that really matters.

Murray meticulously chronicles and measures the emergence of two wholly distinct classes: a new upper class, first identified in The Bell Curve as "the cognitive elite," and a new "lower class," which he is too polite to give a name. And he vividly localizes his argument by imagining two emblematic communities: Belmont, where everyone has at least one college degree, and Fishtown, where no one has any. (Read: Tonyville and Trashtown.)

The key point is that the four great social trends of the past half-century--the decline of marriage, of the work ethic, of respect for the law and of religious observance--have affected Fishtown much more than Belmont. As a consequence, the traditional bonds of civil society have atrophied in Fishtown. And that, Murray concludes, is why people there are so very unhappy--and dysfunctional.

What can be done to reunite these two classes? Murray is dismissive of the standard liberal prescription of higher taxes on the rich and higher spending on the poor. As he points out, there could hardly be a worse moment to try to import the European welfare state, just as that system suffers fiscal collapse in its continent of origin. What the country needs is not an even larger federal government but a kind of civic Great Awakening--a return to the republic's original foundations of family, vocation, community, and faith.

Coming Apart is a model of rigorous sociological inquiry, yet it is also highly readable. After the chronic incoherence of Occupy Wall Street, it comes as a blessed relief. Every American should read it. Too bad only the cognitive elite will.

From Gene Wisdom, My own thoughts:
Charles Murray is the author of Losing Ground: American Social Policy 1950-1980 which was a blockbuster critique of the social destruction by and miserable failure, by its own declared goals, of the welfare state. This book seems to be an extension of the consequences of the unwillingness to "get it", to see that the welfare state is tearing down the fabric of American society, the family and the work ethic. I am looking forward to reading and discussing it and I hope you will join us.

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Say Goodbye to child-only insurance plans in Tennessee thanks to Obamacare

It is obvious to anyone, except those with a blind faith in President Obama, that the Affordable Care Act is seriously flawed. Beyond just the impact on insurance and health care, it is having a negative impact on the whole economy. It may spell the end of the 40-hour work week as employers restructure there work force to use more part-time workers to avoid Obamacare penalties.  When workers find that their workweek has been reduced to 29 hours, many workers will find themselves among the ranks of those living in poverty.   It is stifling economic growth as more companies are avoiding having fifty or more employees to avoid provisions of the law.

From temporary waivers, to Congress exempting itself from the Act, to union  dissatisfaction, to a delay in the out-of-pocket caps, to privacy concerns, more and more issues emerge which show that Obamacare is simply not working.  Here in Tennessee we have seen the lie to the claim that "if you like your insurance you can keep it."  Due to the Obamacare prohibitions on limited-benefit plans, TnCover will no longer be offered by the State and 16,000 will lose coverage. Another group of Tennesseans who are losing coverage is children covered by private child-only plans.  I do not know how many people this will impact in Tennessee.  Some people work for companies that provide insurance for employees but do not offer family plans.  In those situation, parents often purchase private insurance for their children. Now, in Tennessee those plans will not be offered.

Below is the report from The United States Senate, Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions:

All 50 states responded to the survey. In 39 states, at least one health insurance carrier has exited the child-only plan market following issuance of the Rule. The survey concluded that in 17 states, there are no carriers that currently sell child-only plans to new enrollees. The 17 States without carriers offering child-only plans to new enrollees are: Alaska, Arizona, Connecticut, Delaware , Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Minnesota, Nebraska, Nevada, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, West Virginia and Wyoming. As a result of the new regulations, children who are not eligible for Medicaid, the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), or high risk pools have fewer plans to choose from, and in many states are no longer able to obtain insurance coverage under child-only plans. Parents and grandparents in 17 States have no options for insuring their children who are not eligible for these programs. (link)

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The Police should follow the law

by Ken Jakes

It appears that police departments across our state are violators of the law. The very ones that are charged with upholding the law are violating it at the expense of the citizens. Let me give just three examples.

1.  Davidson County was charging $9.00 for a six page accident report at Central Records. It is a violation of law for them to charge more than .15 cents per page. I addressed this with the Director of Metro Legal and the State of Tennessee Comptrollers office which resulted in Davidson County having to lower the fee for the accident reports to .90 cents, a savings to the citizens of $ 8.10 per report. Metro was charging $10.00 for a copy of a DVD which was in violation of law. I filed another complaint, which resulted in Metro reducing the price of a DVD to $1.00, saving the citizens $9.00 per DVD.

2.  I was informed later that the City of Hendersonville was charging $5.00 for a six page accident report. Again I filed a complaint with the Comptroller, which resulted in the City of Hendersonville having to lower their fee of obtaining an accident report to .90 cents, saving the citizens $4.10 per report. Again, I find that they are charging a fee of $10.00 for the public to obtain a copy of a DVD. Another complaint filed resulted in the City of Hendersonville lowering the fee for obtaining a copy of a DVD to $1.00, saving the citizens $9.00 per DVD.

3. This week my secretary informed me her mother and father were involved in a wreck in Goodletsville, Tn. Her dad went to the Goodletsville Police Department to obtain an accident report. He was charged $6.00 for the three page report. I informed my secretary that was a violation of the law and I would address that issue on behalf of her father.

I went to the Goodletsville Police Department and spoke with Chief G. Goodwin. I explained to him that it was a violation of law to charge $6.00 for a three page accident report. He responded to me, and let me quote his words, "we are aware it is in violation of law."  I was shocked to hear these words spoken by the Police Chief.

A lady, whom I did not know, stepped up to the window and obtained an accident report. I asked Chief Goodwin if he was fully aware that it was a violation of law to charge $6.00 for an accident report, then was he going to charge this lady $ 6.00 for the report? He answered "YES."   While I was discussing this with the Chief of Police, the lady paid by credit card and left. Wanting to have the contact information of the lady, I purchased a copy of the same accident report.

Thinking the person picking up the report might not have been the person listed in the police report, I decided to obtain a copy of the receipt just given to the lady. Both women at the front desk of the City of Goodletsville Police Department informed me that I could not obtain a copy of the receipt because it was paid by credit card. They also informed me I would have to fill out a public record request form (like I have never filled one of those out before). I filled out the form and informed both ladies that they are totally wrong about me not being permitted to obtain a copy of a receipt paid by credit card. I requested that they redact the receipt and provide all the information that was public. After talking with the city manager, the ladies were told to provide me with the receipt I had requested.

Needless to say, another complaint filed with the Comptrollers Office resulted in a reimbursement for my secretary's dad, the lady who purchased a report, and myself. Now a three page report is a total charge of  45 cents, saving the citizen $5.55 per report.

It is my opinion that every police department across Tennessee is violating the law by over charging the public for obtaining copies of  reports. This is a revenue stream for the government stolen from the pockets of the citizens. There does not need to be a law created to stop this theft. The law is already created. We just need some elected official to step up to the plate and say enough is enough. The State should inform all departments and agencies of the law and place very strict penalties on those who violate the law. The police and other government agencies are not above the law. It should not be left to the citizenry of Tennessee to hold the police accountable to operate within the law.

The battle of taking our Country back never ends and you don't have to look far from home to find corruption within.

Ken Jakes is a frequent critic of Metro Government and a citizen activist discovering and exposing government corruption and waste. He is a former and probably future candidate for public office.

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Alexander: “No Family In Tennessee Should Ever Be Forced To Comply With The Mess And Mistakes Of Obamacare”

WASHINGTON, Sept. 12—The senior Republican on the U.S. Senate health committee this week joined in introducing a bill and an amendment to delay the health care law’s employer and individual mandates until 2015.

Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) said: “Full repeal of this law is my goal—no family in Tennessee should ever be forced to comply with the mess and mistakes of Obamacare—but I hope even Democrats will be willing to see that families certainly shouldn’t have to next year when American businesses are getting a break. We need to repeal this law and start passing step-by-step reforms that transform the health care delivery system by putting patients back in charge, giving them more choices, and reducing the cost of health care so that more people can afford it.”

The Fairness for American Families amendment was introduced by Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Senator Dan Coats (R-Ind.) with Senators Alexander, John Cornyn (R-Texas), Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) and John Barrasso (R-Wyo.)

Alexander also co-sponsored a bill introduced by Senator Coats earlier this week that would delay the health care law’s employer and individual mandates until 2015.
He is an original cosponsor of legislation introduced by Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) to fully defund the law.
Alexander voted against the health care bill after warning his colleagues it would be “an historic mistake,” and has since voted on the Senate floor to repeal or defund Obamacare 23 times since it became law, and overall to oppose or repeal Obamacare or its provisions more than 90 times.

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Caffeinated Conservatives September Meeting - GUNS UP! Edition

From Steven Clemmons:

Tennessee Firearms Association President John Harris is coming to talk with us about one of the most important issues in the history of ever: the right to keep and bear arms, and the fight to keep that freedom. John has literally been on the front line of the effort to maximize and defend Tennesseans' rights to self-defense, and if you've never seen him speak, you will thank yourself for coming to hear what John has to say.

Bring your opinions, a friend, and your thirst for good coffee, mind-blowing bagels, and fun people, and get your political fix! See you there!

Saturday, September 21, 2013,  12:00pm until 2:00pm
Bagel Face Bakery,700 Main Street, Nashville, Tennessee 37206

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MNPS Board meeting of 9/10/13 This is a regular meeting of the Metro School Board. To view the Agenda, follow this link: Agenda.

This is a regular meeting of the Metro School Board. To view the Agenda, follow this link: Agenda.

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Metro Council meeting of September 10,2013

At 32 minutes, this is a short meeting. I am not doing a detailed play-by-play report on this council meeting, so if you want to make sure you don't miss something that may be important, watch it for yourself.

The two massive rezoning bills for Gallatin Pike are deferred to the first meeting in October.

The Council approved the $500,000 subsidy for "Nashville."

The bill that set a "goal" that 20%  of all construction contracts in which metro participates be spend with minority-owned or female-owned businesses passed.

The resolution that would have placed a moratorium on approving new charter schools was deferred indefinitely.

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Where were you when the world stopped turning

On September 11, 2001 I got up like most days and got ready for work. As I recall, I had the TV on when a program was interrupted saying a plane had crashed into the World Trade Center. I did not think a lot about it at first. No details were available, and I assumed some private small plane had flown off course and accidentally crashed into the building. By the time I got to work, the second plane had hit and it was clear that the U. S. was under attack.

My long-time, long-distance girl friend, Louella Ballenger, who is now my wife, worked in Washington DC at the Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics, located right next to Union Station which is across the street from the back of the US Capitol. I do not recall the sequence of events exactly, but it must have been after the Pentagon was hit and I started wondering what was next. I feared we were under an all out attack. I tried several times to reach Louella. I wanted to see if she was all right and tell her I loved her. I feared the worse. After several attempts, I reached her. Chaos was reigning at her place of work. People were free to leave work, but the subways were not running and the roadways were jammed. She was waiting out the crisis at her office. We told each other how much we loved each others.

After getting off the phone with Louella, I just had a sense that I needed to talk to people I love so I next called my daughter. Rachel was in no danger of course. She was in Chattanooga attending college but I just wanted to hear her voice and tell her I loved her. I then called my mother.

I remember how everyone at work and everyone I talked to was effected by the event. I went to my boss, Cathie Dodd, and said we ought to do something. She agreed. We busied ourselves the next day putting together a program and emailing and calling people to tell them about it. With little advance notice, we had a full house. Co-workers and people from other agencies we work with, friends and people from the community joined in a memorial service at work. We prayed and sang songs and were comforted. All rancor and petty conflicts were put aside as we held hands in prayer and hugged and comforted each other. It was a healing process.


After the immediate crisis was over, I asked Louella to quit her job and move to Nashville.  We had, had a long-distance relationship for about ten years and were in love and we planned that when she retired she would then move down to Nashville and we would get married and be together. I think 9-11 made us realize that you don't know what tomorrow holds and that life is short. Louella took early retirement, we bought a house and on thanksgiving weekend Louella moved to Nashville.

This song by Allen Jackson captures that day perfectly for me. Alan Jackson said a day or two after the event he woke up and this song just poured out of him. He said it was the easiest song he ever wrote.

Where Were You When the World Stopped Turning

by Alan Jackson
Were you when the world stopped turning that September day
Out in the yard with your wife and children
Working on some stage in LA
Did you stand there in shock at the site of
That black smoke rising against that blue sky
Did you shout out in anger
In fear for your neighbor
Or did you just sit down and cry
Did you weep for the children
Who lost their dear loved ones
And pray for the ones who don't know
Did you rejoice for the people who walked from the rubble
And sob for the ones left below
Did you burst out in prideFor the red white and blue
The heroes who died just doing what they do
Did you look up to heaven for some kind of answer
And look at yourself to what really mattersI
'm just a singer of simple songs
I'm not a real political man
I watch CNN but I'm not sure I can tell you
The difference in Iraq and Iran
But I know Jesus and I talk to God
And I remember this from when I was young
Faith hope and love are some good things he gave us
And the greatest is love
Where were you when the world stopped turning that September day
Teaching a class full of innocent children
Driving down some cold interstate
Did you feel guilty cause you're a survivor
In a crowded room did you feel alone
Did you call up your mother and tell her you love her
Did you dust off that bible at home
Did you open your eyes and hope it never happened
Close your eyes and not go to sleep
Did you notice the sunset the first time in ages
Speak with some stranger on the street
Did you lay down at night and think of tomorrow
Go out and buy you a gun
Did you turn off that violent old movie you're watching
And turn on "I Love Lucy" reruns
Did you go to a church and hold hands with some stranger
Stand in line and give your own blood
Did you just stay home and cling tight to your family
Thank God you had somebody to love
I'm just a singer of simple songs
I'm not a real political man
I watch CNN but I'm not sure I can tell you
The difference in Iraq and Iran
But I know Jesus and I talk to God
And I remember this from when I was young
Faith hope and love are some good things he gave us
And the greatest is love
I'm just a singer of simple songs
I'm not a real political man
I watch CNN but I'm not sure I can tell you
The difference in Iraq and Iran
But I know Jesus and I talk to God
And I remember this from when I was young
Faith hope and love are some good things he gave us
And the greatest is love
The greatest is love
The greatest is love
Where were you when the world stopped turning that September day

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How Obamacare will cause 16,000 Tennesseans to lose their health care insurance.

CoverTN won't be viable under federal health law as of Jan.1

TheTennessean, Sept 10,2013 - The state of Tennessee this month notified thousands of residents that they will lose coverage under a TennCare-sponsored program that helps small businesses and the self-employed buy health insurance because of the Affordable Care Act.

The letter states that as a limited-benefit plan, CoverTN does not cover all the services required by the federal law and will no longer exist as of Jan. 1.

Seems like I recall President Obama saying something like, "If you like your current insurance, you will keep your current insurance. No government takeover. Nobody's changing what you've got if you're happy with it."  Obviously this was not true and I never believed it for a moment. 

This is just one more example. Many employers are dropping insurance for their employees.  Some employers are no longer covering spouses. Health care cost are rising. We are only starting to see the total destruction of the private health insurance market.  I think we are headed for a total government take over of health care.

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Anti-charter school MNPS loses another round

Attorney General: Charter School Law Constitutional 

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Tennessee Attorney General Robert Cooper has rendered a legal opinion that the state's charter school funding law is constitutional.

Cooper issued an opinion Monday that defends the 2002 law that determines how charter schools are funded.

The opinion conflicts with the conclusion reached by a Metro Nashville Public Schools attorney.(link)

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What is on the Council Agenda tonight, September 10,2013? Several really bad bills!

Unfortunately, due to my schedule this week, I will be unable to give as detailed analysis of the council agenda as I normally do. I will point out some highlights.

You can get your own copy of the Metro council meeting agenda at this link: Metro Council Agenda. And, you can get the Council staff analysis at this link: Metro Council Staff Analysis.


Anything that is on third and final reading was on second reading, most likely last council  meeting. To see my analysis of what was on the agenda last council meeting follow this link: http://www.adisgruntledrepublican.com/2013/08/whats-on-council-agenda-for-august-20.html.

There is an anti-Charter School resolution on the agenda. It needs to be defeated. To read my analysis of the bill, follow this link:  http://www.adisgruntledrepublican.com/2013/09/anti-charter-school-resolution-before.html.

A resolution to appropriate half a million dollars to subsidize the production of "Nashville" in Nashville is on the agenda.  If  I were serving in the Council I would vote against it.  Nashville will still get the benefit of the good PR, the skyline shots will still be of Nashville, and the name will still be "Nashville" no matter where it is filmed. Council should not approve this, but our rubber stamp council will most likely do so.

The rezoning of Gallatin Road is on the agenda. This is poor zoning. Planners can not get too far ahead of the market or they stifle growth instead of guide growth. For more on this issue see here under "Bills on First" reading.

A really bad bill is on the agenda on second reading, that would dictate that any contractor doing work on a city project would have to hire a certain number of local people who have "barriers to employment" and would require that these people reside in certain zip codes.  It will most likely be deferred. It needs to be defeated. This is not a bill that can be improved. The concept is wrong. It will drive up cost on city projects.

There is also another bad bill similar to the one above that sets "goals" for minority and female contractors doing work on city related projects. It needs to be defeated. It is on third reading. I have explained this bill when it was on second reading. It will be interesting to see if any of the so-called "conservatives" on the council take a stand against this bill, or as usual if they vote exactly like the most "progressive" members of the council.

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Alexander to vote against Syria strikeAlexander to vote against Syria strike

U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander said Monday that he will vote against military action in Syria.

Sep9, 2013, The Tennessean- U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander said Monday that he will vote against military action in Syria.

“America’s credibility is not helped” by this kind of military strike, Alexander told reporters shortly before a speech to the Rotary Club of Nashville. The statement marks the first time that Alexander has said definitively that he will vote against a resolution authorizing a strike on Syria.

The position puts Alexander at odds with U.S. Sen. Bob Corker, the top-ranking Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

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Sen. Bob Corker: "What is it you're seeking?" Military has no idea why we about to go to war with Syria.

Sen. Bob Corker: "What is it you're seeking?" Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff: "I can't answer that, what we're seeking." — Senate hearing on the use of force in Syria, Sep. 3

Unless President Obama is serious about Syria, vote no

by Charles Krauthammer

WASHINGTON — We have a problem. The president proposes attacking Syria, and his top military officer cannot tell you the objective. Does the commander in chief know his own objective? Why, yes. "A shot across the bow," explained Barack Obama. (link)

My Comment
While  Charles Krauthammer is often one of my favorite pundits, I was disappointed that in the lead up to the invasion of Iraq that he was a cheer leader for that military action.  I still think the war in Iraq was a mistake. However, in the war with Iraq we at least had clear objectives. When Senator Corker asked our top general what our objective is in Syria and he doesn't have a clue, then no one should even consider supporting military action against that nation. As Krauthammer explains, there appears to be no purpose in military action in  Syria except for the President to avoid humiliation. Congress should not authorize military action against Syria! 

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Alexander, Fincher Introduce Legislation to Protect Taxpayers From IRS Abuses

U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and U.S. Rep. Stephen Fincher (R-Tenn.)announced that they will introduce legislation when Congress comes back into session requiring the federal government to notify taxpayers whenever the Internal Revenue Service has accessed their tax returns or other information.

Alexander said: “The IRS violated the First Amendment rights of the American people when it created what amounted to an enemies list of conservatives, including Tennessee Tea Party groups, to keep people quiet.(link)

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TONIGHT ! - Fw: THIS SUNDAY, MLK's Niece Addresses 50th Anniv. of "Dream" Speech

My friends Bob Perry (Nashville House of Prayer) & Larry Tomczak are bringing Dr. Alveda King , the niece of Dr. Martin Luther King and currently the National Director of African-American Outreach for Priests for Life, to Nashville THIS Sunday night, September 8^th at 7 pm, to deliver a message on “Racism, Reproductive Genocide & Redefining Marriage” (see attached flyer, also below).

It will be at the Marriott Cool Springs Conference Center.

 

Please share this invitation with your organization’s members, audiences and all of your friends.  She will give a very timely & challenging speech that we all need to hear!  You will be glad you came!!

 

Blessings,

WilliamWilliam D. Morgan
Chairman of the Board

Family Action Council of Tennesseewww.FACTn.org

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