'I believe climate change is real,' Sen. Lamar Alexander writes in op-ed

Sen. Lamar Alexander

By Sen. Lamar Alexander, The Washington Times - I believe climate change is real.

I believe that human emissions of greenhouse gases are a major cause of climate change.

So, as one Republican, I propose this response: The United States should launch a New Manhattan Project for Clean Energy, a five-year project with Ten Grand Challenges that will use American research and technology to put our country and the world firmly on a path toward cleaner, cheaper energy.

Meeting these Grand Challenges would create breakthroughs in advanced nuclear reactors, natural gas, carbon capture, better batteries, greener buildings, electric vehicles, cheaper solar, fusion and advanced computing. To help achieve these Ten Grand Challenges, the federal government should double its funding for energy research and keep the United States number one in the world in advanced computing. (Read the rest of Lamar's essay)

Rod's Comment: I agree with Senator Alexander that climate change is real.  I know, I know; some of you think I am nuts. Anytime I say this, it is met with derision by fellow conservatives. I am told I have drank the Kool Aid.  Unfortunately, many Republicans have bought the argument that is all a hoax. I find the science and observations compelling. Not that I do not respect the doubters. The "hide the decline" exposé of a few years ago was enough to spread doubt. The repeatedly missed deadline for the end of the earth made one think the climate change warriors were just Chicken Littles. Still, on balance I think the evidence supports the theory. 

I am not so sure the climate change warriors really believe climate change is real.  If they did, I think they would embrace nuclear energy, natural gas, technology and a growing economy and capitalism. Unfortunately, most climate change warriors seem more motivated by hatred of modernity, science and capitalism than motivated by a desire to curtail climate change. Maybe it is unfair to say they don't believe that climate change is real; one can agree on the problem and disagree on the means to solve it. 

We are not going to end climate change by turning the clock back to the middle ages.  We are not going to solve climate change by embracing renewable energy. That may be a minor part of the solution but not a very significant part. Like Senator Lamar says, we need to embrace the future and create large amounts of clean, inexpensive energy. We need to encourage economic development because most of the increase in greenhouse gases is in developing countries.

Lamar says the “Green New Deal,” is basically an assault on cars, cows and combustion. It is a plan that could never work. Capitalism and American innovation are the answer; not deprivation and socialism.

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Learn all about the Electoral College

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Leadership Institute Campaign Academy begins Oct. 18th

I have attended some of their workshops. This is nuts and bolts stuff training. Don't tell a liberal this is happening, because their training would benefit any activist regardless of ideology.

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Music City Republican women meet Tuesday Oct. 8th

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Bellevue Breakfast Club guest speaker is Robert Swope, Oct. 5th at 8:15 Am.

Dear BRBC Friends,

Our breakfast club will October 5 at 8:15 AM at the Corner Pub in the Woods on Hwy 100.  Our guest speaker will be  Robert Swope, the newly re-elected Councilman.  Come and hear what he thinks about the Council's future agenda.

Hope to see you there.

Betty

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Mary Pierce and David Hanson appointed to the Public Charter School Commission

Mary Pierce

David Hanson

Republican Gov. Bill Lee has appointed the members of the Public Charter School Commission. The Public Charter School Commission hears appeals from charter schools when their application is rejected by local school boards. The appointees to the board representing the Davidson County, middle Tennessee region are David Hanson and Mary Pierce.  These are both good choices.

Mary Pierce is a former member of the Metro School Board who was the member most friendly to charter schools among a board that was very hostile. David Hanson is a board member of the Beacon Center, Teach For America Nashville, and Valor charter schools.

This commission was created in April of this year. Prior to the creation of this agency, appeals from local school board were heard by the State Board of Education which very rarely overturned a decision of a local school board rejecting a charter application. Below is the complete list of appointees. 

Tom Griscom of Hamilton County, East Tennessee Representative
David Hanson of Davidson County, Middle Tennessee Representative
Alan Levine of Washington County, East Tennessee Representative
Terence Patterson of Shelby County, West Tennessee Representative
Mary Pierce of Davidson County, Middle Tennessee Representative
Christine Richards of Shelby County, West Tennessee Representative
Derwin Sisnett of Shelby County, West Tennessee Representative
Eddie Smith of Knox County, East Tennessee Representative
Wendy Tucker of Williamson County, Middle Tennessee Representative

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Past advice on Nashville General Hospital earns new Nashville finance director a wary reception

by Rod Williams - I was pleased to see Mayor Cooper had hired Kevin Crumbo as the new finance director.  One thing that makes me especially pleased is the same thing that is resulting in criticism from from some city leaders, especially Black council members.

In 2017 Kevein Crumbo provided his services for free in analyzing the status of General Hospital and developing a new model for the hospital. Essentially, his proposal  called for turning Metro General Hospital into a ambulatory surgery center and outpatient clinic.  Mayor Megan Barry announced the plan in November 2017 referencing the work of Crumbo.  The plan ran into immediate opposition. While I admire Barry for proposing this plan, I criticize her for the way she executed the politics of the proposal.  She just sprung it on people without selling it and building support. When she ran into opposition she backed down.

Maintaining a charity safety-net hospital is not required by state law or the metro charter.  At one time such a hospital may have made sense, but ever since the advent of medicare poor people have had choices. As time has gone on, people have had even more choice.  If metro wants to subsidize charity care, there are much less expensive ways to do it. General is subsidized to the tune of $50M a year and cannot fill its beds.  It is the hospital that uninsured Metro jail inmates are sent to and Metro employees get an incentive for choosing General, yet few people chose it.

Metro General is on the campus of Meharry Medical School and has long been as source of pride in the Black community. Nashville General is the teaching hospital of Meharry Medical College. Meharry is the second largest educator of African-American medical doctors and dentists in the United States and has the highest percentage of African Americans graduating with Ph.Ds in the biomedical sciences in the country. Should General close, the mission of Meharry Medical College would not be jeopardized, however. General Hospital is now less important to Meharry than in the past. A couple years ago Meharry partnered with HCA to train doctors  at TriStar Southern Hills Medical Center, a hospital in HCA's TriStar Health subsidiary.

That General Hospital gives Black members of the community something to look upon with pride seems to me to be the real reason General is kept open.  It is an expensive ego boost. It is my hope that Mayor Cooper will finally close General Hospital; it should have been closed fifty years ago.

For more on General Hospital see link, link, link, link, link.

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The Tennessee Republican Party Chairman's Cup golf game

Rod --
We are only a few days from the 3rd Annual Chairman'sCup Golf Tournament and tomorrow is the last day to register to play!
It’s a best ball scramble, so you don’t have to be a good golfer to have some fun. And if you're not a golfer, this is a great opportunity to sponsor a hole for $100.

Sign up by tomorrow as a single player for $150, part of a foursome for $600, or a hole sponsor for $100. Reserve your spot now! All players will receive a TNGOP golf polo.

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Cooper picks high-profile accounting pro to tackle Metro's finances

Kevin Crumbo

By Meg Garner, Nashville Business Journal -  Mayor John Cooper has recruited a well-known accounting pro to help him tackle Metro's budget troubles.

On Monday, Cooper announced Kevin Crumbo, formerly of KraftCPAs, will take over as Metro's finance director. He replaces Talia Lomax-O'dneal, who will take on another role in the department. Crumbo is best known for guiding the Nashville Symphony through its 2013 financial crisis, as well as advising Mayor Megan Barry's administration on how to address financial issues at Nashville General Hospital. (link)

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Nashville Mayor Cooper to review Briley's executive orders on ICE, affordable housing

by Kaylin Jorge, Tuesday, October 1st 2019 -NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WZTV) — Nashville Mayor John Cooper will be reviewing executive orders signed by former Mayor David Briley concerning ICE and affordable housing.

Cooper signed orders on Monday, his first official day in officer, putting both orders under a 90-day review, FOX 17 News has confirmed. (link)

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On my mind: Impeachment.

Bill Bernstein

by Bill Bernstein - First, it shouldn't need to be said but does: As my 7th grade history teacher Harry Allison jammed into us, to impeach means "to bring charges against." Nothing more. Removing a federal official requires a trial in the Senate and a 2/3rds vote to convict. As I read it, nothing requires the Senate to hold a trial if the House has voted to impeach someone. And I predict in this case if the House votes to impeach Trump the Senate will not even hold a trial.

Democrats have been vowing to impeach Trump from the moment he was sworn in (possibly earlier). They have a ready-made narrative that Trump is corrupt, Trump is a criminal. They have spent 3 years trying to find a fact pattern that fits that narrative. This is why you see the same words and phrases used by them, whether talking about Russian collusion, German banks, his tax returns or the Ukrainian telephone call. All of them are supposedly examples of "Trump is corrupt, Trump is criminal."

He is many things but corrupt or criminal is not one of them. That is why these narratives fall apart when the facts finally come out. It won't be any different here.

Back to impeachment. Many Democrats ran on the promise they would impeach him. That barking idiot Rashida Talib at her swearing in said "We're gonna impeach the motherfucker." She got applause. It is the applause line for the Democratic Party. It is a fund raiser for them and a motivator for them. It gets their blood going.

But back in America no one really wants to see this. Nancy Pelosi and the senior Democrats know this, and they have fought impeachment every time it has come up (articles of impeachment have been introduced by Democrats every session). Now the groundswell from the young Progressives has become too much to bear and they will go ahead with this.

Good.

Because once they impeach Trump, what else do they have? As I say, the Senate probably won't consider it, and if they do they aren't removing him.

So what will the Democrats run on next time? Impeaching him again? That won't work Passing motions of no confidence like Britain? Who knows.

Again, back in America people understand the Democrats have nothing to offer working people. They will have spent time and energy on a symbol. Not on fixing problems. Trump will likely be reelected and every Democrat not in a safe district will be tarred with this impeachment business. This will likely make the Democrats merely a regional party without national standing. They have already lost over 900 seats in elected positions in the country, being mainly an urban party.

Bill Bernstein, formerly of Nashville where he was owner of Eastside Gun Shop, now lives in Brunswick, Georgia. He is an expert on the Second Amendment.  He is a scholar with a BA degree from Vanderbilt University and  degrees in Classics from Corpus Christi College, Oxford, UNC-Chapel Hill, and University of Pennsylvania.

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Cooper hits the ground running, Makes several important appointments.

Press release, 9/30/19  - This morning Mayor John Cooper begins his first day of work as Nashville Davidson County’s ninth Mayor.

In keeping with his focus on Nashville’s teachers and schools, Mayor Cooper’s first meeting is with Nashville Public Schools interim Director, Dr. Adrienne Battle. Later in the day, Mayor Cooper will be meeting with Finance Director Talia Lomax-O’dneal and other members of the Metro Finance Department.

Mayor Cooper announced several important appointments to his team as well as other changes in the administration.

Brenda Haywood has joined the Cooper administration as Deputy Mayor for Community Engagement. Brenda Haywood, who represented District 3 on Metro Council, serves as Associate Minister at St. John Missionary Baptist Church and is the founder of Royal Heirs Youth Academy, a youth and family empowerment nonprofit. A Nashville native, Haywood was the first African American student to walk through the doors of Stratford High School in 1963, followed by three others, integrating the school. Haywood later earned her Bachelor's degree from Tennessee State University and Master's degree from Vanderbilt University. A retired Metro Nashville Public School teacher and administrator, now a volunteer chaplain for incarcerated youth, Haywood serves on the Board of Nashville Prevention Partnership and the Homeless Veterans Foundation.

Kevin Crumbo, a noted finance expert and philanthropic leader, is joining the Cooper administration as Metro Finance Director. Ms. Lomax-O’dneal has decided to step down as Finance Director but will be staying in Metro and assist with the transition.
Kevin brings a deep expertise in finances, accounting, financial forensics, and restructuring to Metro Government, as well as a history of deep involvement and commitment to Nashville’s nonprofit sector.
Mr. Crumbo currently serves as the Chief Executive Officer of the Pine Haven Family Office, which manages a portfolio of public and private investments. Previously, he served as the member-in-charge of KraftCPA’s Turnaround & Restructuring Group, where he advised public and private operating companies, commercial and investment banks, law firms, trusts, and nonprofit organizations. In 2017, Mr. Crumbo was awarded the Outstanding Professional Award by the Tennessee Turnaround Management Association. Mr. Crumbo has an MBA from Vanderbilt University and serves as an adjunct law professor at the Vanderbilt Law School. His certifications include Certified Public Accountant (CPA inactive), Certified in Financial Forensics (CFF), Certified Insolvency and Restructuring Advisor (CIRA), Certified Distressed Business Valuation Analyst (CDBV).
In addition to his work in finance, Mr. Crumbo has long of involvement in Nashville’s nonprofit sector. He is current Board Chair and past Treasurer of the Nashville Symphony. He also serves on the board of the Nashville Habitat for Humanity. Past board memberships include the Adventure Science Center, the Crisis Intervention Center, Historic Nashville, the Nashville area American Red Cross, the Nashville Chamber of Commerce International Business Council, the Nashville Zoo, and the Tennessee Justice Center.

Kristin Wilson, former Deputy Chief Operating Officer for the City of Atlanta, is joining Metro as Nashville’s new Chief of Operations and Performance. Kristin Canavan Wilson has 20+years experience in strategy, operations and analytics/performance management in both public and private organizations. She comes to Metro as most recently the Head of Business Analytics for Nashville's property insurance company Velocity Risk Underwriters. Prior to this role, she was the Deputy Chief Operating Officer for the City of Atlanta under Mayor Kasim Reed, where she played a key role in managing Atlanta's operating departments, establishing a performance management approach to operations and finance and successfully driving high-impact programs such as fiscal strengthening and improving customer service. Prior to this, she held leadership roles at information services firm LexisNexis and consulting firm Oliver Wyman.

Dr. Paulette Coleman who earned her Ph.D. in urban planning from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, is being appointed to the Board of the Metropolitan Development and Housing Agency. She replaces Ralph Moseley, the retired chairman and chief executive officer of Southwestern/Great American. Mr. Moseley was appointed to the MDHA Board in November 2007 and served as Board Chair from December 2011 to September 2018. In addition to being appointed by mayors and governors to posts on numerous boards and commissions, Ms. Coleman has had a distinguished career as a university professor, executive director of the National Council of Negro Women, and interim administrator of the NAACP Nashville branch. Currently, she serves as Chair of the NOAH (Nashville Organized for Action and Hope) Affordable Housing and Gentrification Task Force. Ms. Coleman also earned a bachelor’s degrees from Fordham University in African and African-American Studies, and completed a certificate program in Museum Studies from Harvard University.

In the days and weeks to come, the Cooper administration will be filling other positions and making additional announcements. One third of the positions in the Mayor’s office will continue to be filled by current staff. Mayor Cooper is excited by the opportunity to recruit new talent to Nashville while retaining staff with broad knowledge of current Metro operations and initiatives.

On Wednesday, October 2, Mayor Cooper will also visit the Dupont Tyler School at 9:15 a.m. He will then continue to meet with department heads.

On Tuesday, October 1, Mayor Cooper will begin meeting with meeting with Metro department heads. Tomorrow evening, before the Metro Council meeting, he will host a reception for members of the Metro Council, department heads, and their families in the Mayor’s Office. Mayor Cooper will then address the Metro Council. In his remarks, Mayor Cooper will invite the Council to work with him and his administration to address Nashville’s needs and meet our priorities. This meeting will be open to the media.

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Climate activists hold sit-in at Mayor Cooper's office

By: Rebekah Pewitt

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Dozens of teens and young adults held a sit-in at Mayor John Cooper's office, demanding that he declare a "Climate Emergency" for the city of Nashville.

More than 100 members of the "Sunrise Movement" protested during the newly-elected mayor's first day in office for several hours Monday, and as of 4 p.m. were still there. (link)

Rod's Comment: I suspect that if Briley was still mayor he would have done it. I hope Cooper will not.  I suspect we are going to see more activity like this as progressives flex their muscle. I also would not be surprised if a memorializing resolution to this effect is not soon introduced in the new council.

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What's on the agenda of the new Council's first meeting October 1?

Nothing of significance. Any legislation pending when the old council last met is now dead. If a bill had been deferred indefinitely, it would now have to be reintroduced to be considered, so the new council starts from scratch. None of the resolutions on the agenda are significant. They are routine things like accepting grants, and approving contracts and other mundane routine business. There are no progressive ideologically-driven memorializing resolutions on the agenda. The bills on First Reading all appear to be routine ordinances.

To view the agenda, follow this link. To view the agenda analysis, follow this link.

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Rep. Mark Green: Everywhere Joe Biden goes his son follows and gets millions of dollars

Click to watch

"Everywhere Joe Biden goes, his son follows and gets millions of dollars from the government.
In the case of China, it's billions. The American people want to know what happened here. The president is right to ask for an investigation."

"Joe Biden admitted to pressuring with a billion-dollar loan threat the government of Ukraine to fire an investigator who maybe was getting a little close to the $3 million payment that went to Biden's son, through two different countries. Maybe they were getting too close and that's why the billion-dollar bribe happened."

"That's O.K. to the Democrat party? Their concept of right and wrong is upside down. Biden is O.K., pressuring a foreign government with a billion-dollar loan to fire an investigator but Trump can't ask for an investigation into this corruption? It's crazy."

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Nashville schools board denies Rocketship charter school application despite district recommendation

by Rod Williams - Despite a recommendation for approval from the MNPS staff, the School Board voted against approving an application for a new charter school from Rocketship Schools. There were seven votes to deny it with only one member voting against denial of the application and one member absent.

James Robinson, Rocketship's Tennessee director, said the charter school network will appeal the decision to the Tennessee State Board of Education, which hears all charter school appeals. "We want to open this school in Southeast Davidson County because nearly all of the zoned schools in that area are at-capacity and low-performing, and we’ve seen demand from families who want a high-quality public school and have been willing to endure long commutes to attend our school on Murfreesboro Pike," Robinson said. "Despite the board’s decision today, we remain committed to moving forward with what’s best for Nashville families." (link)

Rocketship is a non-profit national network of public elementary schools operating in underserved communities. It has schools in  the California Bay Area, Milwaukee, Nashville, and Washington D.C. Nationwide it serves 18,000 students, 82% of whom are low-income and its schools rank in the top 10% of elementary schools serving similar students. In Nashville, Rocketship has two schools.  On the Tennessee Value-Added Assessment System both schools earned overall TVAAS composites of Level 5, the highest level of growth.

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