Snow and Icy Weather Hits Nashville

Well, you can read the weather report anywhere. Here's a personal experience that sums up what the ice and snow have done to my weekend.

I spent early afternoon standing on my balcony watching ice derby, with cars spinning their wheels trying to make it up the hill of the parking lot, and then watching them slide back down backwards. LOL.

I was running from one end the building to other to see if they were going to make it. One guy with four wheel drive finally made it up on his second attempt.

In the late afternoon the ice finally seemed to be slushing out. I guess it got warm enough to start melting. Wonder what it will be like tomorrow morning. I'm not taking any chances to go work. That's why I have leave. I'll just extend my weekend if there's the slightest chance of me sliding around.

About half an hour later:

Well, I tried to drive out of here. I got out of the parking lot, up the first street, then once I turned onto the street that was up hill; I got half way up, hit ice, and spent my wheels a little. So I gave that up pretty quick, maneuvered back down hill in reverse, and came back home.

I'm about to email my manager and tell her I won't be there in the morning. We'll see what the ice is like later in the day.


Video Report from USA Today:
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State Assembly Woman Susan Lynn Calls for Health Care Nullification Bill

[Originally from December 31 2009]

On Mike Church’s Sirius satellite radio show, Tennessee State Assembly Representative Susan Lynn of District 57 (Mt. Juliet) announced both a health care nullification bill and state health care constitutional amendment planned for Tennessee.


Rep Susan Lynn


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Nullification is the latest tactic that has grown out of the political Right’s tea party movement after having failed to stop passage of health care bills in both U.S. House and Senate; despite much publicized and highly rancorous town halls this past summer, and marches on the National Mall in Washington D.C. this fall.

Right now the two congressional bills are awaiting reconciliation when Congress return from holiday vacation, in order to come up with one combined bill for a final vote.

On December 28, Lynn took to the airwaves with conservative radio host Church to express her thoughts. Nashville Post Politics transcribes the most specific part of the conversation to this point to have been as such:

Mike: Let me move on to another area, here, of this same discussion here, then. Wouldn’t it be prudent to pursue this in the state legislature and have an absolute piece of legislation, a law that says, uh, not so fast, Charlie, we’re just going to make that law null and void and illegal in Tennessee. We are not going to allow the federal government to subjugate our citizens into some kind of slavery here that they have to buy anything. Susan?

Susan: Yeah, it’s my understanding that a nullification bill is going to be filed in Tennessee. And also I have a constitutional amendment that we’ll put into our state constitution that, you know, people have the right to choose their own healthcare, that the government cannot force them into anything. And so, you know, we’ll see how that will go. Constitutional amendments, though, in Tennessee are a very lengthy process. They take really about six years or more. So the nullification bill would really be much more effective.

Lynn Continued “We have to do both,” according to the City Paper. “We have to have a law immediately, and then we also have to have a constitutional amendment to protect our citizens through our constitution.”

Then on Tuesday December 29, the Mt. Juliet Republican Representative was joined by fellow Republican Rep Debra Maggart of Hendersonville in sending a letter to state Attorney General Robert Cooper urging him to file suit against the federal government if health care reform passes with a Medicare expansion.


Rep Debra Maggart

The letter in part states that:
Under this bill, Tennessee would be forced to expand our Medicaid program, potentially costing the citizens of the state $1.4 billion dollars in additional state taxpayer funds annually. Such an increase would place a great burden on the citizens of this state. It is clear by the wording of the legislation itself that not every state would face a similar and equal burden.
We see this as a violation of the equal protection of the law, an affront to our sovereignty, and a breach of the U.S. Constitution.
Rep. Mike Turner, chairman of the House Democrats’ political caucus, said Tuesday
“Susan Lynn is yearning for times gone by. Maybe we could put the poor people back to sharecropping and slavery and let the people up at the big house have all the nice things. We’ve already had that fight about states’ rights."

Turner is referring to states rights arguments that were at the center of the Civil War, and to the Nullification Crisis of the 1830s where South Carolina passed a law nullifying federal tariffs. After President Andrew Jackson sent Navy warships to the Charleston harbor, South Carolina backed down and rescinded the law; while congress passed a new lower rate tariff. Much like Rep. Lynn’s proposals, the South Carolina law declared 1828 and 1832 federal tariff laws to be unconstitutional, and hence null and void.


Cited articles and documents:

Nashville Post Politics - http://politics.nashvillepost.com/2009/12/29/susan-lynn-talks-nullification-on-satellite-radio/

The City Paper - http://nashvillecitypaper.com/content/city-news/state-legislator-says-she-plans-introduce-nullification-bill

Letter to Attorney General Robert Cooper - http://www.tennessean.com/assets/pdf/DN1489021221.PDF Read more! Read more: http://www.blogdoctor.me/2007/02/expandable-post-summaries.html#ixzz0fvTXmFSF

Interview With Jim Cooper About His Health Care Vote

As one of the moderate Blue Dog Democrats, much hand wringing has gone on the last few months about Tennessee Representative Jim Coopers position on Health care reform, mostly from national liberal activist. Nonetheless in the end Cooper voted for the Democrat constructed bill.

The health care reform bill is now going into reconciliation to reconcile the two versions passed by the House and the Senate, in order to have a final vote.

Last month the Washington post interviewed Cooper about his vote:

Rep. Jim Cooper: House health care bill was 'one of the best votes I ever cast

Rep. Jim Cooper (D-Tenn.) knows as much about health-care policy as anyone in Congress. He teaches the subject back home in Tennessee, promoted his own plan (to the anger of many Democrats) in 1994, and has been both a vocal advocate and critic of this year's reform fight. On Saturday, he voted for the House's health-care bill. Earlier today, he told me why.

Jim Cooper

What was the weekend like for you?

This was one of the best votes I ever cast. The key is to keep the reform process alive. There are many things in the House bill I disagree with. But the Senate bill is the more likely final product due to the difficulty of getting 60 votes over there. If we had dropped the baton at this stage, it wouldn’t have given the Senate a chance to improve the bill. It would have given the House what amounted to a one-chamber veto. The Senate could have powered through, but those folks are not noted for their courage. The House had to perform here. And I am thankful that in the nick of time the leadership realized how short they were on votes.

The slim margin surprised many observers. Do you buy the argument that there were a number of congressmen who would have voted for the bill if they’d been needed?

I think the actual number was closer to 210. The leadership had to move heaven and earth to get to 220. The achievement of the leadership was to corral the votes at the last minute, and that is a great achievement that should not be diminished, and they did that by making major concessions they didn’t want to make.

The rest of the interview

Also see:

Healthcare Cost Debated In Nashville With Gov. Bredesen, Rep. Cooper and Others

How Tennessee Representatives voted on health care bill Read more! Read more: http://www.blogdoctor.me/2007/02/expandable-post-summaries.html#ixzz0fvTXmFSF

Vanderbilt’s Charles Hinkle To Transfer For More Playing Time

On Tuesday December 29th Vanderbilt Head Basketball Coach Kevin Stallings announced that red shirt Sophomore guard Charles Hinkle had left the team and would be transferring in pursuit of more playing time.

In a statement posted on Vanderbilt’s athletics website, Stallings says "Charles is a great kid with an outstanding work ethic who comes from a good family, and we wish him the best. We will do whatever we can to help Charles in his future basketball endeavors"

The statement didn’t say much else, other than to note the reserve two guard’s stats. A representative of the athletic department that I reached by email Tuesday evening said that would be all that the University had to say on the matter.

However, Coach Stalling was quoted by the City Paper as saying:

“I love Charles. I’ve held him and his attitude up to my son as one to emulate…”

“…He just wants to play more, and I understand that. He looks around and only one perimeter player leaves by the time he graduates. … I think he looked into the future and questioned and wondered whether things would improve for him from a playing time standpoint. He couldn’t be certain they would.”

In his first year Hinkle averaged 2.0 points and 8.4 minutes in 25 of 31 games in which he played. This year, his time was cut in half to 4.8 minutes where he averaged 1.4 points and 0.5 rebounds per game. Hinkle was considered a defensive specialist who contributed the most at guarding opponents players at multiple positions.

Vanderbiltsportsline.com reports that with three new incoming signees, “Kyle Fuller, a 6'1 point guard from Moreno Valley, CA, Josh Henderson, a 6'11 center from Roanoke, VA, and Rod Odom, a 6'8 forward from Bellport, N.Y., the Commodores where over extended on their 13 allowed NCAA scholarships for basketball. Hinkle’s move frees up space in that department for next season.

Hinkle attended practice on Monday, but reportedly had post practice discussions with Coach Stallings about his status. He then did not return for practice on Tuesday and his immediate transfer was announced.

Transferring now will allow Hinkle to play next season at a new school, just about the time conference play is starting; after sitting out the NCAA mandatory 1 year, as oppose to waiting until the end of the season, forcing him to miss all of next season.

There is no word yet on where Hinkle will transfer to. Read more! Read more: http://www.blogdoctor.me/2007/02/expandable-post-summaries.html#ixzz0fvTXmFSF

Remembering John Wilder – Former Lieutenant Governor Dead at 88

Former state Senator and Tennessee Lieutenant Governor John S. Wilder died this past Friday morning at a Memphis hospital. He was 88 years old.

Wilder had spent 44 years in the state Senate, 36 of those as Lieutenant Governor. In Tennessee the Lt. Gov. is not independently elected by the populace, nor a running mate of the governor as some may expect; but instead the Senate Speaker, as elected by the members of the Senate, is also Lt. Gov.

John Wilder
(MARK HUMPHREY/The Associated Press)

Wilder was first elected in 1959. After serving one term, and being out of office, he was elected again to the Senate oin1966. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures he was the longest serving presiding officer of a legislative chamber in modern U.S. history.

Beyond being a legislator, Wilder was a practicing lawyer after having graduated the University of Tennessee's College of Agriculture and Memphis State University’s Law School. He was also a farmer, businessman, cotton ginner, and pilot.

A Democrat from Mason, Wilder was last elected to office in 2005. He lost his speakership/Lt. Governor position to Republican Ron Ramsey of Blountville, when recent elections increased the Republican Majority in the Senate and he was not able to get the support from across the isle he had received previously.

Then after being hospitalized with pneumonia in February 2008, Wilder said, in March on the Senate floor that he would not seek re-election, and called the Senate "more a part of me than anything else I've done." After 18th consecutive terms John Wilder’s Senate Career would be over; but his legacy last.

Memphis Democrat and chairman of the Tennessee Black Caucus, Rep. John Deberry, said of wilder "He was an innovator. To be speaker of such a politically divided organization as the Senate for as long as he was, is truly a remarkable feat.”

Former longtime Speaker of the House Jimmy Naifeh stated "when you look up the word 'statesman' in the dictionary, you're sure to find John Wilder's name”.

In being Speaker of the Senate, Wilder was charged with appointing committee chair positions. Chosing to often appoint Republicans to a solid minority of those positions allowed him to maintain the support that kept him in his position as speaker. At the same time, it also was a point of contention with fellow Democrats from time to time.

Notably, the Jackson Sun reports that “in the early 1960s, during racial unrest in his native Fayette County, Wilder refused to punish black tenants by evicting them or calling in crop loans.”
Read more! Read more: http://www.blogdoctor.me/2007/02/expandable-post-summaries.html#ixzz0fvTXmFSF

Vanderbilt’s Warren Norman Named SEC Freshman of the Year

Lewis and Marve take all SEC honors
By: D. Yobach Boswell

Atlanta Ga. - In a breakout opening season that helped to propel Vanderbilt’s offense, Freshman running back Warren Norman wracked up some impressive yardage. So much so that on Monday he was named the Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Year as voted on by a panel of Associated Press’ (AP) sports writers.

The newcomer had a record setting year for both his school, and the conference as well. He did so at the expense of fellow Georgia native and legendary University of George Heisman Trophy winner Hershel Walker. The freshman out of Stone Mountain, Ga, a community in the greater Atlanta area, amassed 1,941 all-purpose yards, breaking the league's freshman all-purpose record set by Walker in 1980. He also became the first freshman to lead the SEC in all-purpose yardage since Walker, averaging 161.8 all-purpose yards per game.


Photo by John Russell, courtesy of Vanderbilt


Not only did Norman carry the ball out of the backfield, but as a dynamic kick returner he also tied a league record by returning three kickoffs for touchdowns; breaking the SEC record for kickoff return yards in a season, with 1,050 yards in returns. 


Asked about breaking Walkers record in a Vanderbilt Athletics online interview Norman responded “well to be honest it really hasn’t sunk in yet. Right after the Tennessee game I heard I broke the record, but as soon as that was over with, I was thinking about the season in general, and overall team success. Right after that we had to get ready for finals and everything; I guess it’s just now really starting to sink in. To be mentioned with, you know, Hershel Walker, one of the greatest players to ever play in the SEC is an honor.

“Obviously this is a tremendous honor,” Coach Bobby Johnson said of Norman’s win. “You know, this is a great conference; to be named freshman of the year, you know, is obviously a huge accomplishment by Warren; but he earned it. He went on to say of his freshman running back and return man, “we’re extremely excited about the award, but we’re also excited about the future that Warren has here at Vanderbilt.”

Coach Johnson also spoke of Senior Cornerback Myron Lewis receiving second team all SEC honors saying “I think he’s one of the very best corners in the conference. I think Myron will have a great future in the NFL, and had a fantastic career for us.”

Lewis ends his SEC campaign tied for second in interceptions, contributing four this year for the black and gold defense.

Sophomore linebacker Chris Marve was also recognized as honorable mention All-SEC, as he lead the Commodores in tackles this year. He was third in the entire league in 2009 with 57 solo tackles.

These are the bright spots in a disappointing Commodore season in which the squad finished 2 – 10 on an 8 game losing streak to end the year; including going 0 – 8 in conference play. This coming the year after Vanderbilt had a strong 4 – 4 SEC campaign in 2008, earning them a trip to the music city bowl where they defeated Boston College, leading to their first winning season in 27 at 7- 6.

Bobby Johnson looks to get his team back on track in 2010 with Norman and Marve leading the way on either side of the ball.



References: http://nashvillecitypaper.com/content/sports/vanderbilt-runnerreturner-named-secs-top-freshman-2009>http://vucommodores.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/120709aab.html Read more! Read more: http://www.blogdoctor.me/2007/02/expandable-post-summaries.html#ixzz0fvTXmFSF

How Tennessee Representatives voted on health care bill

By D. Yobachi Boswell

Late Saturday night the House of Representatives in the Congress erupted in cheers as the Yea vote total hit 218. With the total at 220 and the clock winding down, those on the side of Yea, in unison loudly counted down from 10, and erupted into cheers again as the 15 minute voting period came to a close.

218 was the magic number Democrats needed to pass their health care bill in the house, leaving them only open to have 40 democrats defect if there were going to be no Republicans joining the majority of the Democrats in voting in the affirmative. As the Democratic no vote reached 36 and no Republicans had voted Yea yet, the vote was in question.

In the end the vote passed, barely, with a 220 to 215 count.

Brody Mullins, giving an overview of why some Democrats voted against the bill in general; in the Wall Street Journal’s online blog wrote on Sunday that:

An analysis of the vote shows that 22 of the 39 Democrats who crossed the aisle to join Republicans in opposing the bill were members of the fiscally conservative Blue Dog Coalition, including three of the group’s four leaders. These Democrats, who oppose big government deficits, had expressed concern before the vote that the legislation called for too much federal spending.

In the Tennessee Congressional delegation Democratic Representatives Lincoln Davis, Bart Gordon, and John Tanner joined Republicans Phil Roe, John Duncan, Zack Wamp, and Marsha Blackburn to vote against the health care bill.

Nashville Democrat Jim Cooper, despite all the national liberal ballyhoo around his position on Democrat proposals; voted Yea along with Memphis Democrat Steve Cohen.

Louisiana Representative Joseph Cao was the only Republican, out of a 177 in the House, who voted in favor of the bill. (Vote counts according to the House Clerks website).

If the House could only pass the type of bill that the Democrats want with a sliver thin 50.5% in the House (including 39 Democratic defections); It is difficult to see how they pass something similar in the Senate with the 60% (60 out of 100) needed to avoid a bill killing filibuster. The Senate is by its nature almost always more conservative. Therefore, if the more liberal House can barely get half, it’s going to be tough for the Senate to even get to half in trying to pass something similar even if they were to use what’s called the “nuclear option”, suspending the rules and going with a majority 51 out of 100 votes to pass it.

Reference link: Brody Mullins - http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2009/11/08/why-some-democrats-voted-against-the-house-health-bill/

House Clerk’s site: http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2009/roll887.xm Read more! Read more: http://www.blogdoctor.me/2007/02/expandable-post-summaries.html#ixzz0fvTXmFSF

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