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A right-leaning disgruntled Republican comments on the news of the day and any other thing he damn-well pleases.
by Rod Williams, April 9, 2021 - Remember Judge Casey Moreland? You should. He was the Davidson County General Sessions judge who pled guilty to obstruction of justice, retaliating against a witness, theft from a federally funded program, destruction of records and witness tampering. Details of his offences included swapping favorable treatment of women who appeared before him in court in exchange for sex. It also involved stealing money from a non-profit foundation he sit up to help people who needed substance abuse counseling services and could not afford it. In the investigation of these crimes it was exposed that he hosted trips for other judges and lawyers and supplied prostitutes and marijuana.
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Casey Moreland |
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Casey Moreland |
by Rod Williams, 4/8/2021 - After an effort of more than ten years, finally the provision of life-time health care insurance for former council members has been curtailed. It has not been completely eliminated but significantly reduced. The bill reforming this benefit for former council members passed Tuesday night.
Currently, and it has been this way since sometime in the eighties, once a council member leaves office, he may continue to receive Metro health insurance under the same terms as a current metro employee. The former councilman pays 25% of the premium. We are the only city in America providing such a generous benefit to former council members.
As changed, former two-term council members would continue to get the metro health benefit for two years and would pay 25% of the premium. Then, for two years they would pay 50% or the premium and then the portion paid by the former councilmember would increase to 75% of the premium. When they reach age 65, the Metro insurance becomes their secondary insurance to Medicare. Probably most would drop it at that time because there are better plans for a secondary insurance rather than paying 75% of the premium for Metro insurance.
The "whereas" section of the bill (with portions highlighted by the me) explains why this change needed to occur:
WHEREAS, in 2019, Metro Council members received a $8,100 raise approved in the prior term which was recommended by the Department of Human Resources under the belief to properly compensate Metro Council would help to promote a more diverse and inclusive Council body; and
WHEREAS, the citizens of Davidson County expect the Council to manage taxpayer money wisely, yet over $800,000 per year is spent on a benefit for Councilmembers that is not offered to other part-time Metro Government Employees; and
WHEREAS, the Metropolitan Government spent $837,438 health insurance benefits for both current and former Metro Council Members in 2020. This cost is expected to increase to $1,208,134 by 2024; and
WHEREAS, July 17, 2020 the Metropolitan Council passed a $1.066 property tax rate increase in the USD ($1.033 in the GSD), constituting the highest increase in the history of Metropolitan Nashville; and
WHEREAS, the Metropolitan Government is $4.5 billion in debt, with depleted reserves; and
WHEREAS, in 2014, the Mayor's Office contracted with an independent consulting company (Deloitte Consulting LLP) to provide data upon which Metro could make decisions about current pay levels. This study revealed that none of Metro Nashville's peers offer retiree medical coverage to council members. To be consistent with common practice, the study recommended that Metro eliminate lifetime medical coverage for Council Members; and
WHEREAS, the Metropolitan Council should remove the lifetime health insurance benefits for Council members after they leave office.
I would add one more reason:
WHEREAS, when this benefit was passed sometime in the 80's, Metro did not have many former Council members. It was not uncommon for members to serve twenty or thirty years and be old men when they retired, so this benefit was not very costly. Now, with term limits and younger people serving, there are a lot of former council members and being younger, they can receive the benefit for a much longer time.
This change does not effect current former councilmembers or current members who will have served two-terms by 2027. They still will get the current level of benefit. Members elected from now on will get the reduced benefit.
While I would like to see the benefit eliminated in its entirety, there is no doubt that something stronger would have failed. Since 2012, efforts to end the benefit failed on four separate occasions.
The lead sponsor of this bill was Council member Tonya Hancock. She is commended for her taking on this fight. The bill passed by a 34-3 vote.
Council members Emily Benedict, Colby Sledge and Tanaka Vercher were the only "no" votes.
(The Center Square) – Violent crimes in Tennessee numbered 595.2 per every 100,000 residents of the state as of 2019, the third-highest rate among the 50 states, according to a new analysis from the website 24/7 Wall St.
by Samuel Stebbins, 24/7 Wall St. via The Center Square Apr 5, 2021- There are nearly 2,400 people worldwide whose individual net worth exceeds $1 billion -- and more than one-quarter of them live in the United States. All told, there are over 250 cities and towns across the country that at least one of the world's ultra wealthy calls home.
By Jon Styf, Apr 7, 2021, (The Center Square) – A measure to prevent any government in Tennessee from requiring a COVID-19 vaccine passport is making its way through the General Assembly.
I had a delightful Easter with my daughter, son-in-law, and grandson. We enjoyed French 75 cocktails, a delicious dinner of lamb and other delicious side dishes with a good Boudreaux wine. It was a delight hunting Easter eggs with my grandson.
This is bouquet I made for the occasion. All of the flowers came out of my yard. There are Irises, Wisteria, money plant, Vinca, Hyacinths, another blue flower the name of which I don't know and the yellow flower is from a bush, the name of which I don't know.
Eviction moratorium offers more time to pay, while these programs cover what you owe
by Rod Williams- Arkansas Republican governor Asa Hutchinson vetoed a bill that would ban doctors from performing gender transition surgery or offering puberty blockers or cross-sex hormones to minors. The bill “would put the state as the definitive oracle of medical care, overriding parents, patients, and health care experts,” Hutchinson told reporters at a press conference on Monday. “While in some instances the state must act to protect life, the state should not presume to jump into the middle of every medical, human, and ethical issue. This would be, and is, a vast government overreach." (link)