The further closing of Nashville. Ye shall have no fun. Tourist not welcome. No drinking allowed.

MAYOR JOHN COOPER ANNOUNCES PUBLIC HEALTH ORDER 10 

Prohibits open consumption, possession, and late-night to-go sales of alcoholic beverages in Downtown, Midtown areas 

Metro Nashville press release,  August 7, 2020,  NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Mayor John Cooper today announced Order 10 from the Metro Public Health Department, which takes effect Saturday, August 8, 2020 at 5:00 p.m. CDT. 

Within the geographic areas in Nashville depicted on the attached maps covering Downtown and Midtown, Order 10 prohibits: 

• the open consumption or possession in an open container of any alcoholic beverage outside of permitted establishments; 
• any sale of alcohol by a restaurant except when sold for consumption on premises or for off-premises delivery; 
• any sale of alcohol by a limited service or restaurant or bar except when sold for off-premises delivery; and 
• all curbside and to-go sales of alcoholic beverages. 

A copy of the signed order is attached.

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Nashville's interim police chief vows to enforce mask mandate. Selective enforcement likely to continue. White tourist targeted.

by Rod Williams, 8/8/2020 - The Tennessean reports Nashville's interim police chief vows to enforce mask mandate after Anderson's soft approach.  New interim police chief John Drake said widespread enforcement of the city's mask requirement would be his top priority moving forward. 

Apparently, Chief Anderson was forced out months earlier than his planned retirement date due to his failure to enforce the mask mandate to the satisfaction of the mayor.  That is only speculation but it is put forward as the reason or hinted at by several sources.  

The first arrest for not wearing a mask while Anderson was chief was that of a Black homeless man with mental illness. The police first gave him a warning and he refused to put on a mask. The police gave him a ticket.  About an hour later the police saw him again in the same area not wearing a mask and he was taken into custody.  At the time of his arrest he had two mask in his pocket. The arrest did not go over well with some members of the public. Social Justice warriors involved in the Black Lives Matter protest said the arrest "was symptomatic of a racist system that penalized people of color while allowing white tourists and residents to break the rules," according to The Tennessean. 

I am going to go out on a limb here and bet that the next time we have a massive street protest that the police will not arrest protesters gathered in groups greater than ten nor protesters not wearing a mask.  I am assuming that selective enforcement is now the official policy of Nashville. No protesters  will be issued citations or arrested and no homeless people.  I am betting the new chief said, "go arrest some white tourist." 

For more on this issue see this link and this link. 

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Trump admin to send federal law enforcement officers to Memphis, St. Louis "to occupy" and "stir up violence."

Aug. 6 (UPI) -- The Trump administration announced federal law enforcement officers will be sent to Memphis and St. Louis to stamp out violent crime in the cities. 

 The Justice Department announced Thursday the expansion of Operation Legend that began in early July with the deployment of federal troops to Kansas City, Mo., following the death of LeGend Taliferro, 4, who was fatally shot while sleeping in the early morning of June 29.

In July, Federal troops were also sent to Chicago, Albuquerque, Cleveland, Detroit and Milwaukee under the operation. (link)

Rod's Comment:This is the way a liberal relative of mine who lives and works in Memphis reported the news: "Trump and Barr are now sending federal forces to occupy Memphis and St. Louis. Expect them to stir up violence for the sake of MAGA campaign ad footage. " 

 Lord help us. 

 To show solidarity with the insurrectionist and to atone for their white privilege, I still think liberals ought to burn their own house down.

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Report: 1,120 Tennessee businesses closed permanently due to pandemic

Report: 1,120 Tennessee businesses closed permanently due to pandemic

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Why Donald Trump is the best president since Abraham Lincoln

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Digging Out: Where does Nashville's tax money go?

by Dennis Ferrier, FOX17 Nashville, Tuesday, August 4th 2020 - Local tax incentives: that sounds boring until you realize it is one of the biggest reasons Nashville is raising its property tax. 

The formula goes like this: You come to Nashville to build something big, a hotel like the Westin or a high-rise condominium like the Viridian, and Nashville gives you big tax breaks. 

“Essentially what they are doing is come to an already booming real estate market an area that doesn’t need any help to develop and we will cover a lot of these costs and use property taxes and sales taxes to help pay back the developers,” Ron Shultis, director of policy and research at the Beacon Center of Tennessee, said

....An 1,100 square foot apartment goes for more than $400,000 with a tax bill of about $4,000. Because of local tax breaks, only $115 of property tax goes to Davidson County. Everything else goes back to the developers.  (link)

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Get Covid-19, Metro Health will tell police and other first responders. What happened to HIPA?

Metro health board approves sharing limited COVID-19 case info with first responders 

NASHVILLE, TN (WSMV) - The Metropolitan Board of Health approved a limited interim process that will allow the Metro Public Health Department to share with first responders the addresses and names of confirmed COVID-19 cases until a long-term solution can be configured, tested and implemented. 

The Board of Health approved the measures during a board meeting on Thursday. (link)

Rod's Comment:  This is not prohibited under Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) but it sure seems like it ought to be. What would happen if a jurisdicton was sharing information of everyone who had AIDS? None would be too pleased. If one comes in contact with body fluides of someone with AIDS  it is more deadly than COVID-19. By what measure can it be justified to make this information available?

To learn more about health care privacy rights under HIPA, follow this link and this link. 

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The Most Educated City in Every State: Tennessee - Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin

Adults with a bachelor’s degree: 35.9% (state: 27.5%)

Median household income: $65,919 (state: $52,375)

July unemployment: 2.7% (state: 3.5%)

Number of college and universities: 56 

Nashville, the capital of Tennessee, is also the best-educated city in the state. It is the only metro area of the 10 in the state where more than one in every three adults has a bachelor’s degree or higher. In Knoxville, the second best-educated city in the state, only 28.7% of adults have a four-year degree. Adults with a bachelor’s degree are nearly half as likely to be unemployed as those with just a high school diploma, and in Nashville, the unemployment rate stands at just 2.7%, well below the 3.5% state rate.

Link

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Best Public High School in Every State: Tennessee - Hume-Fogg Academic Magnet School

Number of students: 903

Student-teacher ratio: 21-to-1

Avg. SAT score: 1330

Avg. graduation rate: 99% 

The Hume-Fogg Academic Magnet School in downtown Nashville ranks as the best public high school in the state. More than 70% of students in the state enroll in at least one Advanced Placement course, and the school has a near-perfect 99% graduation rate among high school seniors. All but 5% of students and teachers at the school surveyed by Niche describe the student body as competitive, and the vast majority of respondents made positive comments about the teaching staff, including that teachers genuinely cared about students and gave engaging lessons. 

Link

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The New York Times: Tennessee Republicans, Once Moderate and Genteel, Turn Toxic in the Trump Era.

In the Senate primary race to replace Lamar Alexander, two candidates are fighting to see who can better emulate the president. It isn’t pretty.

The New York Times -  .....Mr. Hagerty ..., with an attack-filled tirade, claiming that Mr. Sethi, an orthopedic surgeon, had an “abysmal” record of supporting the Trump agenda and a soft spot for “socialized medicine.” 

 Amid a chorus of boos from Mr. Sethi’s supporters, Bill Lee, the governor of Tennessee, who has remained publicly neutral in the race, nudged Zach Wamp, a former congressman from the area. “Have you ever seen anything like this?” he asked. “No,” Mr. Wamp, who has endorsed Mr. Sethi, recalled, responding, “I haven’t.” 

 ...when Mr. Sethi, trying to position himself as the more authentic ally of the president, called Mr. Hagerty “Mitt Romney’s guy” and erroneously claimed Mr. Romney had endorsed him, Mr. Hagerty attacked his former friend,... 

.....The contest has become a proxy war of sorts for Republicans looking to gain a foothold in an early, so-called S.E.C. primary state ahead of the 2024 presidential election, with Senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas stumping for Mr. Hagerty and Ted Cruz of Texas and Rand Paul of Kentucky hosting rallies for Mr. Sethi. 

... Hagerty’s ceaseless promotion of Mr. Trump’s endorsement, have only served to highlight how unnatural a mouthpiece he can seem for Trumpism. “It just reads as kind of a campaign tactic — not a lot of heart and soul in it,” said Tom Ingram. ...

... Mr. Hagerty has relentlessly attacked Mr. Sethi for donating $50 in 2008 to ActBlue, a liberal fund-raising platform. One recent Hagerty ad features a wounded veteran who says the donation shows that voters cannot trust Mr. Sethi to defend the American flag.

...Meanwhile, Mr. Sethi has attempted to link Mr. Hagerty to the Black Lives Matter protests, launching a web ad that points to Mr. Hagerty’s recent position on the board of an investment firm that issued statements in support of the movement following George Floyd’s death at the hands of police in Minnesota. (Read more)

Rod's Comment: I am totally disgusted with this campaign.  I am disgusted with both candidates.  I would have been pleased if either one were to be elected.  Now, I don't think either one of them deserve to be elected. 

I don't think you can see daylight between their ideological positions and both of them are capable and have certain talents.  There is something to recommend either of them.   It is a shame that have each ran such vicious negative campaigns.  

In my whole life, I don't think I have ever not voted when I had the opportunity.  I have not yet voted in this election and  not sure I am going to bother.  If I vote, I don't know if I will vote for Byron Bush or George S. Flinn for Senate. 

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East Nashville house party has caught the eye of the White House and has become an international story.

See: White House releases statement after large house party in East Nashville.

Large house party in East Nashville now a criminal investigation

The story was picked up by CNN,  MSN.com, Mircosoft News, Yahoo News and even the UK's Daily Mail.com. 

My view is that if we are not going to enforce the rule banning groups of over 25 when the group is in support of Black Lives Matter, we should not enforce it against anywone. I oppose the selective enforcement.

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Alternative budget bill fails at Metro Council; second in two weeks

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WZTV) — A bill to reduce Nashville’s 34% property tax hike came before Metro leaders Tuesday- but was struck down as invalid in its first reading. Councilman Steve Glover proposed a bill that would reduce the property tax levy down to 22%. Glover believes this is feasible, saying sales tax projections for 2020/2021 are lower than they should be in the budget and should be revised. (link)

Stay tuned.  As soon as the minutes are posted I will publish the list of how Council members voted. 

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Libertarian candidate Jo Jorgensen bus tour stops in Nashville August 6th.

Link

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Nashville Young Republicans meeting at Bold Patriot Brewing, Aug. 11.

Link

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Tim Skow calling out those who demonize the other side in the Hagerty-Sethi primary contest.

Tim Skow

by Tim Skow -

QUICK QUESTION? 

Recognize ALL the names on the following list of notable Conservatives?

• Vice President Mike Pence [R- IN]
•  Senator Rand Paul [ R-KY]
• Senator Marsha Blackburn [R-TN] 
•  Senator Ted Cruz [ R-TX]
• Senator Tom Cotton [ R-AR] 
•  Senator Jim DeMint [R-SC] *
• Congressman Chuck Fleishman [R-TN]
• Congressman Ed Bryant [R-TN] *
• St. Sen. Majority Leader Johnson [R-TN] 
• Congressman Jimmy Duncan [R-TN] *
• St. House Majority Leader Lamberth [R-TN] 
• Congressman Zach Wamp [R-TN]*
• FOX News & radio show host Sean Hannity 
• FOX News & radio show host Mark Levin

What do they all have these notable Conservatives have in common?

1. ALL are very experienced and savvy when it comes to Conservative politics. 
2. ALL are trusted by their Conservative ‘’constituents.’’ 
3. ALL have endorsed their candidate of choice in the Tennessee’s US Senate primary. 

HALF have endorsed Bill Hagerty!!

Half have endorsed Manny Sethi!!

It is NO surprise that dozens of elected office holders in Tennessee have also added their endorsement to their candidate of choice.

Clearly, the overall message is that BOTH candidates are highly accomplished, highly respected by their peers and trusted by the many supporters they have earned during the campaign. You would think such a race for the US Senate, campaigns would be BIG ideas and BIG concerns facing our State and the nation.

HOW SAD … that so many supporters (on both sides) have devolved into trite pithy Social Media spats, verbal nit-picking, whining about the trivial and pushing outright fabricated BS!!

Does a contribution from a couple of decades ago really matter when it comes to dealing with China or wrangling with healthcare issues that comprise 20% of the US Economy?

Unlike Judge Roy Moore in Alabama and other recent toxic Senate primary candidates, neither Mr. Hagerty nor Mr. Sethi would put Tennessee’s US Senate seat in jeopardy. So its time to ask, ‘’Is it too much to expect that supporters reflect the caliber of their candidate’’? Is it too much at ask that before any of us hit the SEND button, ‘’Would my candidate of choice have said, written or posted THAT”? Is it too much to ask, “If my phone rings and its my candidate of choice on the line, would he/she be thankful and proud just went on their behalf?" 

IS IT TOO MUCH … to ask that if you see or hear comments that clearly do NOT reflect the caliber of the candidate you also support, that you call out those making the incendiary or bogus comments?
Three things are certain:

1. Primary election night is coming soon!
2. The morning after Election night is coming too!! 
3. Races against Democrats and Ultra-LIBs on the November ballot will be in serious jeopardy around Tennessee, in neighboring state and nationally. 

Its harder to work with those who are suffering with hard feelings and raw nerves!!!

In closing, are you voting for President Trump in November? IF so, do like he does.

1. Tout your primary candidate of choice. 
2. Stay focused on the REAL prize. 
3. Let the people decide and plan to work well with who wins. Then campaign like Hell to beat the Democrats, Ultra-LIBs and ANTIFA apologists on the November ballot. IF … we are going to beat them in less than 100 days, THEN … it is going to take ALL of us. Please plan, talk, post and act like you will be campaigning side-by-side with those you are campaigning against in today’s hot primary!

Tim Skow is host of First Tuesday, downtown Nashville's monthly political forum featuring leading topics and speakers in the news.

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Nashville restaurants and bars account for only 80 of 21,770 Nashville COVID-19 cases.

by Rod Williams - Well, what do you know?  It seems bars and resturants are  no more likely to spread Covid-19 than are hordes of protestors.  So far, of Nashville's of 21,770 cases only “more than 80 cases” are attributable to  bars and resturants. It is an insignificant number.  That few cases hardly justifies the many people's lives being destroyed by Metro's shut down of bars and the destruction of the Nashville live music scene.  

Many in the entertainment and  hospitality industry get a lot of their income from tips and many work not as contract labor but as truly self-employed.  A lot of the bands do not get a 1099, but work for the tip jar.  I don't know how many are getting unemployment and the extra $600. Some people working "gig" economy, like Uber drivers, did get the extra $600, but normally self employed people are not eligible for unemployment. I am assuming many of the musician who make a living performing in the bars of lower Broadway did not qualify for the Cares $600.  If anyone has insight or data on this please share it.

In any event, this lock down is devastating to the Nashville live music scene.  Bars have lost three months income on top of being hit with a much larger property tax bill.  They simply cannot survive if they cannot operate.  Many of the muicians who work lower Broadway have had to move away. 

To read more about the devastation the needless shutdown of bar and resturants has visited upon the live music scene and how it is destroying people's lives, read this article published in Tennessee Lookout.

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"Let us work ! Let us work"!

by Rod Williams, 8/3/2020 - "Let us work! Let us Work!" was the chant from the crowd outside the mayors office this afternoon at a "We Want to Work!" rally. The event drew a crowd estimated at about 400 and took place at noon at Courthouse Square Park.  The protesters could not get closer than the first set of courthouse steps, as the Courthouse is still surrounded by fencing and many of the windows of the Courthouse are still boarded up from the May 30th riot when police passively stood by and watched rioters set fire to the courthouse.  Still, it is almost certain that if the mayor was in his office he heard the chant. Shortly after the event started, someone in the mayor's office closed the office blinds.

Councilman Steve Glover addressed the crowd condemning the mayor's policy of keeping the city on lock down and pledged his support for the cause of the protesters urging them to keep up the pressure on the city.

Most of those in attendance were bar owners, bar keepers, waitresses, and entertainers who work on lower Broadway.  From the interaction of the crowd it seemed many of those in attendance knew each other. I think those who work on lower Broad are a close knit community.  

Several spoke, telling how they were struggling to pay their bills while the shut down was in place.  One man said he was a non-custodial parent with a daughter in Canada and he saved every spare bit of money he could so he could go visit his daughter on a regular basis but had not had the money to go see her since the shutdown of Broadway occurred.

Speakers complained about the injustice of selective enforcement and the unfairness of the city picking winners and loosers.  Speakers complained about the injustice of allowing masses of people to shop at Opryland Mall, yet Lower Broadway was being kept closed. Others mentioned strip clubs which are still allowed to operate and can stay open till 3 A.M., yet music venues are not allowed to be open. Others spoke about how abused and unappreciated they felt. They argued the it is music that made Nashville prosper but yet the city does not take into account the needs of those who work in the music oriented hospitality industry. They are treated as second class citizens.

One person gave an update on what had happened to some of the regular Broadway performers, calling them by name. One had moved to Missouri where he was playing in a bar for tips. Another, had moved back home and went to work in his fathers construction business. Many have left the city and no one knows where they went. The speaker told of how many had had to give up their dream of making a living as a performer and pursuing stardom, due to the city closing the bars where they worked. 

One speaker made the point, that people should have the choice of attending a music venue if they wanted to, that no one who didn't want to would be forced to do so.

I support the protesters and believe Lower Broadway should be allowed to reopen. There are many young people for whom being exposed to the virus or even getting the virus is low-risk and there are those like me who have already had it and are now immune. I would be at Roberts or AJ's if they were open. Going to Lower Broadway is one of the favorite things I like about living in Nashville. My fear is that the venues may close and not reopen if the lock down continues for too long. I also fear that across the board, jobs may not return if the shutdown last too long. The economy is not like a light switch you can just switch off and on. Certainly there is a health risk to allowing people to mingle but there is a health risk to an economic collapse as well.

It is time to reopen Lower Broadway, sent kids to school, and reopen America.

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At least you can still host a private party at your own home.

Hundreds pack house party mid-pandemic, but officers say there’s little they can do

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Nashville will give $10 million in rent and mortgage payments to residents in need

The Tennessean - A Metro Nashville committee charged with distributing $121 million in federal funds made rent and mortgage assistance one of its first orders of business. 

The nine-member COVID-19 Financial Oversight Committee approved a $10 million release on Monday for Davidson County residents struggling with housing costs because of the coronavirus pandemic. The money comes from the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security — or CARES — Act.

Metro Council members will be asked to sign off on the decision Tuesday night. The money could be distributed as soon as next month through United Way of Greater Nashville. (link)

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