For any one still complaining about Obama still screwing up america, well this prove he isn’t and who was. Right before GWB left office the stock market went way down. Why didn’t he help us then I don’t know,but when Obama came to office he helped us. He got us out the stock market hole that Bush put us in. who’s helping us get new jobs for people who lost there’s because of the stock market hole. Who trying to make the Great U.S.A a better place Obama. Im not going against Republicans or Democrats. Im just saying that Obama could be one of our best presidents since JFK. If people would stop making a big deal about him, I think if people gave him a break your see how much more he can help

Link: http://www.stimuluswatch.org/project/by_state/TN&per_page=

The state of TN received $338,370,000 for ’shovel ready’ projects in the recent stimulus package. It seems Knoxville was prepared. Knoxville will receive $74,510,000 and claims they will be creating +800 jobs in their area.

The other cities that were on the ball were: Johnson City - $85,530,000, Jackson - $86,200,000, Cleveland - $62,710,000, Germantown - $29,420,000.

Looks to me like Blount was too busy purchasing more vehicles and couldn’t be bothered with ‘lowly’ projects.

You Lefties, Righties and Tweens on this blog may be interested in knowing there is a very active local Mensa group you may want to join. The local chapter meets monthly in the Knox/OakRidge area and a monthly group in Morristown. Mensa is an International organization with sub groups. We are fortunate to have dedicated members who keep the local “Smoky Mtn.” chapter going. Go to USMensa.org for elegibility requirements, most don’t have to take a test if their high school record makes them elegible from the IQ test taken in middle school(or other IQ tests taken previously). Some members are intellectual snobs, but most are nice people from every walk of life. Some just join to score points on their resume’. To each their own. Try it, you might like it……….

The findings suggest that the public continues to give Obama considerable latitude as he attempts to jump-start the economy, but public patience may be limited. The coming debate over his budget, where he faces both Democratic and Republican resistance to some of his major priorities, should produce a more definitive first-year judgment on his economic program and his presidency. Clinton’s ratings fell his first summer in office as he pushed through a budget and economic plan over solid Republican opposition.

How much do you want to bet that if Obama were to give every concession under the sun to Republicans during the budget debates, they would still vote it down?

I have said it before, and I’ll say it again; The downfall of this country will be the two party system.

The rest of the article on the latest polls is here.

Walker’s is closing.

For more, click here; http://www.thedailytimes.com/article/20090330/BREAKING/903309997

And so today, I am announcing that my administration will offer G.M. and Chrysler a limited period of time to work with creditors, unions and other stakeholders to fundamentally restructure in a way that would justify an investment of additional tax dollars; a period during which they must produce plans that would give the American people confidence in their long-term prospects for success,” the president said at the White House.

LINK

What I don’t get is why these folks couldn’t have done whatever Ford did. Did Ford recognize the problem earlier? Did they liquidate bad assets quicker?

Why should GM being begging the government? Maybe they should have just copied Ford.

Are we now paying the mayor and mini-mayor to be animal control officers? If not, we’re paying the mayor to wear Michael Jackson-style gloves on one of his hands … check out the DT here.

As much as I hate the fact that our two highest-paid officials have reduced themselves to be out catching critters, I must admit that this is a job they are both actually qualified to do (for a change). Most of us would rather them be out catching dogs and cats than trying to impose their Socialistic values on the rest of us free-thinking Blount Countians.

If someone sees JC moon-walking, please capture it on video and post it on YouTube … because THEN we will finally know he and Davey-boy are earning their keep. Until then, they’re both just sucking the public teet (and my teets are getting sore from both of them) !!!!

I sure hope none of those dogs are Russian (cause the Mayor thinks very little of Russians) … or, God forbid … no one has a problem with monkeys !!!!!

http://www.moviesfoundonline.com/obama_deception.php

I have opinions of my own, some I share, some I keep to myself.

In the DT today this LTTE appears.

This would be one of those opinions I kept to myself, if it were mine.

It is not.

Having lived here all my life, I knew the local opinions were a little off the beaten path and have always found that quirky in a “Northern Exposure” kind of way.

Lately, with the whole guns, abortion, saggy bottoms issues being debated in our state legislature while the economy goes to hell in a handbasket, I have moved away from finding it quirky, to finding it downright idiotic.

If the East Tennessee weather permits (the forecast does not look good just now), this Saturday March 28, 2009 amateur astronomers will be out watching for skies to get darker and their astronomical targets to become easter to see as the world takes action at 8:30 PM local time for Earth Hour.

While motivated as a way to demonstrate energy conservation, the amateur astronomer in me can also rejoice that Earth Hour also will result in reduced, thoughtless, wasteful, sky flooding light.

You can read about the Star Parties at:
http://www.smokymtnastro.org/starparties.htm
The public is invited.

You can read about the Earth Hour initiative at: http://www.earthhour.org/home/

A simple game for kids to turn out waste full lights.
http://lightsout.earthhour.org/lightsout/

Even if you do not want to come out and see the start Saturday, please turn off your lights so that others may.
Do what you can so that everyone can see our wonder full spring time starry sky.

A Summer Star Party Back In 2008

From the DT: http://www.thedailytimes.com/article/20090326/NEWS/903259956

I know this is morbid, but don’t you think this was a headline just sitting around waiting for the story? For those that know Lovers Lane, you know in spots it’s dangerous for two cars to pass.

This is no excuse for the above and I hope the man has a speedy recovery, but we know this is not the first or last time we’ll hear of this.

Beyond the 3-Feet education effort, what (if anything) can be done to avoid this in future? Because at the end of the day, in parts of Blount County, there simply isn’t room for two cars and another 3 feet.

Maybe it’s because of vivid memories formed at the original strip location, but I’ve had a hard time coming to grips with the contemporary style Ruby Tuesday vs. the old Cumberland model. However this is more my problem as I’m a meat and three’s kind of guy and apparently a sucker for kitsch.

What do you say we try and communicate with the RT workers we know and encourage them to turn the training restaurant on Church Ave downtown into a Wok Hay.

This place has great food and possibly could help with Ruby’s recovery. And for the Ruby execs, you know you have a town full of critics. ;-)

What do you say? Can we find peace through Kung Pao? I hope so.

These are the headlines the DT has for the workings of our representatives in Nashville today:

Playgrounds, parks could see guns under bill
Change in wine laws advancing in legislature

Overbey’s bill targets shoplifters

How are you feeling about the work going on in our state capitol?

Looking for more of the same or ready to have them shut it down in effort to keep them from wasting any more of our time and money?

People are pissed off about this financial crisis, and about this bailout, but they’re not pissed off enough. The reality is that the worldwide economic meltdown and the bailout that followed were together a kind of revolution, a coup d’état. They cemented and formalized a political trend that has been snowballing for decades: the gradual takeover of the government by a small class of connected insiders, who used money to control elections, buy influence and systematically weaken financial regulations.

The crisis was the coup de grâce: Given virtually free rein over the economy, these same insiders first wrecked the financial world, then cunningly granted themselves nearly unlimited emergency powers to clean up their own mess. And so the gambling-addict leaders of companies like AIG end up not penniless and in jail, but with an Alien-style death grip on the Treasury and the Federal Reserve — “our partners in the government,” as Liddy put it with a shockingly casual matter-of-factness after the most recent bailout.

There are some people Taibbi left out, but an article that provides good infomation on this mess can be found here: http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/story/26793903/the_big_takeover/1

PG13 for Language.

From Alternet:

It’s been a long time coming, but the EPA made a breakthrough announcement today, calling for a halt to hundreds of mountaintop removal permits, in order to address their impact on water quality. Whether this is the beginning of a transition to abolish mountaintop removal is yet to be seen, but it is a huge step forward for our country.

For more of the story, click here.

OMG … The Daily Times forgot its marching orders from Senior Editor Jerry Cunningham. Today, there is an editorial singing the praises of the Sister City Organization. It starts with this:

“The Blount County Sister City Organization (SCO) continued its successful effort at international understanding this week by hosting eight emerging young leaders from Russia. As is typical, these guests each stayed in a local home as they sought to learn more about the United States.”

The little “news” paper must have forgot that Editor Jerry doesn’t like the “Ruskies” AT ALL. Remember this little letter Jerry wrote? Here’s a bit of that letter:

“I realize that the delegations are a passion with some here, but I would respectfully request consideration be given to the remainder of those of us who are not so passionate about Russia. I personally, together with many others, am very disturbed by what is going on in Russia right now. Putin is simply old line KGB, and the country certainly seems to be moving in the wrong direction. Also, I have trouble forgetting close buddies of mine who were killed by Russian armament in a forgotten place called Vietnam. Russian advisors operated with the VC and NVA. Accordingly, I have little love lost for the Russian government in particular.”

The Mayor is probably at the Daily Times right now kicking poor little Dean around the newsroom … threatening a lawsuit by Goddard and Gamble (who will ALSO represent the Daily Times in the suit … can I get a SHOUT-OUT for double-billing?). If no one has seen Dean by Wednesday, will someone please check Jerry’s trunk? ROTFLMAO !!!

While some of you discuss whether Obama the God of change gaffed on The Tonight Show, I urge you to look deeper. What he said on The Tonight Show is about as important as the shirt you wore yesterday. Obama is not the God of change, but the God of more of the same.

http://video.google.ca:80/videoplay?docid=7535755025025800195&ei=aga5SdCTJqmyqAOX1uXCAQ&q=obama+deception+full

Yahoo’s November 5, 2008 home page is a treasonous disgrace. Personally, I am glad to see Bush gone, but I never voted in a global presidential election.

“We’ve got to give them a stake in creating uhh the kind of world order that I think all of us would like to see.” Barack Obama (2:12 on video)

“Now we can see a new world coming into view. A world in which there is the very real prospect of a New World Order.” George Herbert Walker Bush (8:23 on video)

They put a black face on the New World Order and now we all happy. KRS ain’t buying it.” KRS (16:37 on video)

“I think his task will be to develop an overall strategy for America, in this period, when really a New World Order can be created. It’s a great opportunity.” Henry Kissinger on Obama’s role (about 19 minute mark on video)

What other nations do is their business, not ours. The Middle East should decide what type of government suits it, and it’s none of our business what they do. Bring the troops home now, and stop policing the world. Stop fractional reserve banking by abolishing central banks and the economic woes of the world would stop. There would be no need for a global President or World Order.

So where’s the change?
Same horrible Secretary of Defense Gates
Federal Reserve Geithner
Promised to bring the troops home from Iraq by leaving 50,000 and sending 30,000 to Afghan
Promised to reduce deficit by half, by quadrupling Bush’s out-of-control spending http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090321/ap_on_go_pr_wh/obama_budget
Promised to stop warrantless spying by voting for FISA
Promised to filibuster the Patriot Act by voting for it
Big Change!
Whether we have a fascist or a socialist, the end result is the same.
Obama the God of Same

From the AP:

BURBANK, Calif. (AP) — President Barack Obama says his embattled treasury chief, Timothy Geithner, is doing an “outstanding job.”

In a taped appearance on “The Tonight Show", he told host Jay Leno that Geithner is a smart guy who’s been handed an incredibly full plate. But he’s handling it all with grace and good humor

.

Commentary on why Presidents shouldn’t address the nation on late night talk shows from R.Neal at Knoxviews.

Other reasons not to do it.

Has anyone heard how or where Blount County is on the new highway department building? I thought the county was to take ownership Jan 1?

Who AIG paid to keep the fraud going:

Name Total Contributions
Dodd, Chris (D-Conn) $281,038
Bush, George W (R-Texas) $200,560
Schumer, Charles E (D-NY) $111,875
Obama, Barack (D-Ill) $110,332
McCain, John (R-Ariz) $99,249
Baucus, Max (D-Mont) $90,000
Kerry, John (D-Mass) $85,000
Johnson, Nancy L (R-Conn) $75,400
Sununu, John E (R-NH) $69,049
Clinton, Hillary (D-NY) $61,515
Lieberman, Joe (I-Conn) $57,900
Rangel, Charles B (D-NY) $53,582
Giuliani, Rudolph W (R-NY)$50,250
Lazio, Rick A (R-NY) $48,600
Ensign, John (R-Nev) $44,569
Bayh, Evan (D-Ind) $43,700
Larson, John B (D-Conn) $43,000
Biden, Joseph R Jr (D-Del)$41,350

This isn’t a matter of lack of oversight, this is collusion.

Story from Open Secrets: http://www.opensecrets.org/news/2009/03/before-the-fall-aig-payouts-we.html
The list in full: http://www.opensecrets.org/orgs/recips.php?id=D000000123&type=P&state=&sort=A&cycle=A

This from USA Today: http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/insurance/2009-03-16-aig_N.htm

Contracts written last March guaranteed employees 100% of their 2007 bonus amounts for 2008, “despite obvious signs that 2008 performance would be disastrous in comparison to the year before,” Cuomo said.

Taxpayers now account for 80% of AIG’s assets. That means without taxpayer help, AIG would have gone bankrupt. Did they not know their worth in March of 2008? If there were “obvious signs", how is this any different than Madoff? They were paying themselves with money they knew wasn’t there - until we put it there.

Link: http://www.knoxviews.com/node/10771

I’m cross-posting this from RNeal at KnoxViews. Follow the links and read some of the legislator comments, pro and con. Personally, I think it is high time that wine became available in grocery stores in Tennessee. While I recognize that getting permission to run a liquor store in Blount County is just like hitting the lottery, that is no reason to rob the consumer of the convenience and much more importantly, the opportunity to enjoy a more diverse selection of food markets that could be located here. Until this law passes, we just won’t be able to draw the good, healthy-focused chains like Trader Joe’s.

I know well-meaning people oppose this because wine can be abused, but come on! So can beer and you can already buy that in grocery stores. What are we really accomplishing by keeping wine out? (And didn’t Jesus make wine?)

The only people who should really be against this are the liquor store owners. If you’ll recall, it was a prominent local liquor store owner who headed up the supposedly “citizens group” to keep Blount County dry!!! It is all about their profits, people. That isn’t reason enough to keep the outdated status quo. Yet Overbey is reportedly opposed to the measure.

This link says McCord and Ramsey are still undecided. Let’s hit their emails hard!

rep.bob.ramsey@capitol.tn.gov

rep.joe.mccord@capitol.tn.gov

sen.doug.overbey@capitol.tn.gov

From a site user:

The National Popular Vote Compact is a national movement to eliminate the Electoral College and use direct election of the President of the U. S. by the popular vote cast. The movement has been gathering support as well as opposition throughout the nation, and The League of Women Voters of Blount County wants the public to be informed about the issues involved.
The League will provide information and lead a discussion on the National Popular Vote Compact at Maryville College Bartlett Hall Room 101 on Monday, March 23 at 7:00 pm. The community is welcome to participate in this information/discussion session. For more information, call 363-8110.
_______________________________________________
League BC mailing list LeagueBC@discoveret.org http://www.discoveret.org/mailman/listinfo/leaguebc

Link: http://www.thedailytimes.com/article/20090317/OP01/303179972/-1/OP

The Daily Times had a poll that came out roughly 50/50 on switching to a four-day school week to deal with the budget problems associated with the recession.

In today’s editorial, Dean Stone (presumably the author) came out against it, citing childcare issues on the off day per week and “idle hands being the devil’s workshop.”

I found myself strongly disagreeing on one point:

In the event one or both of the parents are laid off or lose their jobs, they could stay home, care for and perhaps tutor the out-of-school students on the extra day off. However, based on how much many parents today depend on teachers to do their job of child raising, that would not equal the quality of a day in school.

I know I’m aging, but when I was a kid, the parents were the parents, and no one expected teachers to take their place. Much less actually said out loud that the kids were better off in the care of the government than with their parents.

I think this four-day week concept has some benefits. And I think the childcare problem is entirely surmountable. I imagine people could find gainful employment working at the schools perhaps, in an extended care program that parents can drop off for on their way to work. Perhaps older high schoolers could find work for the 3 day weekend (maybe the aftercare program?).

What pros and cons do you see and are kids really better off at school than home?

The South is not poor and under-educated by accident. I offer another take on the issues raised by the auto industry debate. I think the analysis offered here is accurate no matter what you think about the merits of the “bailout” plans.

http://www.southernstudies.org/2009/03/voices-southern-oligarchy-and-the-labor-unions.html

Business Week interviewed Jim Rogers recently (the co-founder of the legendary Quantum Fund) about our current economic crisis. When asked what he thinks about our government’s recent response to the disaster, Rogers said:

“Terrible. They’re making it worse. It’s pretty embarrassing for President Obama, who doesn’t seem to have a clue what’s going on—which would make sense from his background. And he has hired people who are part of the problem. [Treasury Secretary Tim] Geithner was head of the New York Fed, which was supposedly in charge of Wall Street and the banks more than anybody else. And as you remember, [Obama’s chief economic adviser, Larry] Summers helped bail out Long-Term Capital Management years ago. These are people who think the only solution is to save their friends on Wall Street rather than to save 300 million Americans.“

Read the entire interesting article here.

http://www.blounttn.org/comm/cc090319.pdf The Commission package for March, pdf page 85 has a neat map that combines the county’s 1101 Growth Plan map with the US Census Urbanized area map.

For your convenience, here is the link to the interactive map the EPA is using. It really helps in understanding the boundaries as it gets right down to street levels.

http://www.epa.gov/npdes/pubs/ua_knoxville_roads.pdf

I want to offer an historical argument against the idea that what is wrong with the economy is that there has been too much government meddling in the “free” markets. On the contrary, as argued by the folks at Multinational Monitor, we dergeulated ourselves into this situation: see

http://www.multinationalmonitor.org/editorsblog/

Furthermore, it is not true that nobody saw this coming. Years ago.

From the Daily Times: http://www.thedailytimes.com/article/20090312/NEWS/303129976

The Blount County School Construction Advisory Committee members has recommended that Knoxville-based Jenkins & Stiles LLC serve as construction manager for the project. Michael Brady Inc. is the architect.

“That 600-something thousand should be enough to cover architect and construction manager fees,” said Blount County Board of Education Chairman Chris Cantrell. “That is initially what we would like to set that money aside for. The money will be set aside for them to be paid.”

The maximum payout for design work for Michael Brady is $335,000, the maximum for the civil engineer is $140,000 and the maximum for Jenkins & Stiles is $245,000, according to Cantrell.

Are those totals simply bids the county has recieved? Have we signed any contracts? Are the contracts letters of intent, or are they firm with money already committed to exchange?

Because the article goes on to say this;

“Are we going to build this school and can we afford this school?” Commissioner Kenneth Melton said.

Whether the county can fund the construction depends on the state of the bond market.

“There have not been any funds appropriated at this point for construction of this school,” Bennett said. “The answer to that is still somewhat unknown. It depends on how much it costs us.”

How is it we’ve committed to a bunch of fees and cost to a project we’re not even sure exist?

I appreciate Commisoners Graham and Melton asking the questions. I wished Graham’s had been answered. A “detailed plan” request answered by “it depends” seems familiar. We’ve been down the “to be determined later” road before.

Link: http://www.snopes.com/politics/soapbox/knox.asp

I am using SNOPES.com for the link so anyone that questions the validity or source can see that this story has been researched and found to be legitimate.

My son sent this in an email. He now is a Prez of a medium manufacturing company in CA, but still remembers the talk that went on around our kitchen table on just this subject. I will preface my part of this story to tell you I started out as a union payer that at one time was a shop steward….then I went into management and ended up as Plant Mgr. of the same facility that I was union. I have seen and lived the manufacturing life on both sides of the coin - negotiating contracts for the union and for the company. What Pres. Gregory Knox is stating about the Big 3’s shop floor is absolutely true (my company was a supplier to all of the Big 3 so I have been there, done that, and still have the t-shirt).

What he doesn’t state is that the ’slow-downs’ are also down at the supplier level…..heck, 15 years ago the head of my millwrights was able to - and bragged of the accomplishment - work the overtime system so his W-2 read $85,000 a year (that was @ $18/hr - you figure the math - 2080 hours x $18.00=$37,440 - anything over this was OT - a lot to BRAG about huh?)

This is America at its worst in my opinion, but sadly holds so much truth. I am going to look forward to any and all comments on Gregory Knox’s letter to General Motors and, in my opinion, the credulousness of GM to write the initial request of their supply base.

Did anyone see Ted Koppel’s four part special on China a while back? The Discovery Channel showed it in February and I was going to post it when it came back on, but have yet to see it replayed.

If you’re curious as to what a “flat world” or “globalization” is going to look like, watch the show or buy this video.

The entire production is astounding, but one thing that stuck with me was a feature on the automotive industry. Did you know Buicks are a status symbol in China? The Chinese don’t seek BMW or Mercedes, they look for Park Avenues. In fact, the documentary states more Buicks are sold in China than the US.

More from Discovery here;

Part 3: The Fast Lane
China’s streets have gone from being jammed with bicycles to being jammed with cars. The nation is adding 25,000 new vehicles to its roads every day — that’s more than 9 million a year — and the government is building tens of thousands of miles of new highways. As millions of new drivers hit the road, this newfound freedom is bringing more accidents, more traffic and more pollution.

China will soon become the world’s largest producer of cars as well as the biggest market for new cars. Foreign automakers like GM and Ford are already enjoying huge success in China — today, more Buicks are sold in China than in the U.S. Meanwhile, Chinese automakers are planning an assault on the U.S. market with low-cost cars and they hope to be in American showrooms as early as next year.

Not just the automotive industry is going to China, so are your bailout dollars. But that’s okay, we’ll be getting it back – just at a discounted rate.

Link: http://www.thedailytimes.com/article/20090311/NEWS/303119993

Someone educate me here. I keep reading over and over that this Seymour developer’s airstrip is a done deal because his development is beyond the reach of the Subdivision Regulations because the lots are 5 acres or more. This article says that the commission could address the problem for future potential airstrips through Zoning. Why can’t this one be addressed via Zoning already as an individual item, separate from the subdivision? Presumably, people would have to pay to use the thing, either via HOA fees or other user fees. Does that not make it a commercial enterprise? Airstrips certainly aren’t a normal part of a subdivision and I think it is a stretch to think they should be handled that way.

What am I missing? I certainly would not enjoy living under an airstrip and would consider it a serious property devaluator for existing housing.

Who was Blount County, County Executive when they ripped up the Mentor-Friendsville-Morgan Towne Railroad? What was the reason for tearing them outta the ground? If’n I’m not mistaken, it was sometyme in the early 70’s. Any takers?

Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/07/opinion/07herbert.html

This is a great op ed piece by Bob Herbert in yesterday’s NY Times that I wish everyone would read, take a deep breath, and then go back and read for a second time. I don’t know IF the Obama plan for a recovery will work or not, but I certainly do know that I haven’t heard one good idea from any of the political pundits or politicians that want to paint him as already failing.

I listen to John McCain go on and on about earmarks and what goes through my mind is: “Sen. McCain, what would you have done in the past 6 weeks if you had been elected as our Prez - clean up earmarks that only are 1-2% of the budget?” There never are any suggested solutions; just negative rhetoric. There never is an admission that giving Bush #43 the ‘green’ light and never saying NO to the Administration is a big part of the problem we face today.

“If you can’t come to the table with ONE suggested solution - you can NOT come bearing only a complaint.” - my quote from my Plant Manager days

There is a battle for reigning in spending in the fee offices of Knox County government. The issue of transparency is one often fought here in Blount.

From an article in todays Knoxville News Sentinel;

A battle for control of Knox County officeholders’ budgets is headed to a vote this month, with some county commissioners supportive of getting more control and affected officeholders objecting that they are best left to run their own offices.

The article had this for Commissioner Mike Hammond;

Mike Hammond cited the recent revelations of bloated bonuses and other payroll irregularities in the Trustee’s Office as evidence of a need for accountability, and he disagreed with concern that more mayoral and commission oversight is a step toward consolidating city and county governments. “I see this as a move for accountability. They can still run their office the way they see fit. We’re just saying in the budget and payroll, there will be greater oversight.”

This video would have been really random had readers here not heard about “tent cities” first (2 months ago). And don’t get caught playing the “not here” game. Have you noticed more and more cars showing up at the older extended stay motels? Hopefully these are indicators getting closer to ending, but I’m not sure.

What do you think? Is Blount headed for better days or tent cities? Or both, just not in that order?

Link: http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2009/mar/07/aldi-opens-in-knoxville/

Aldis opening in Knoxville is great news! I sent the company an email over one year ago asking that a store open in our area - guess my wish has been answered.

If you have never shopped at Aldis - don’t get caught up in “brand names". Aldis have some of the best buyers and they go worldwide, but use the Aldi label. Their wine is inexpensive but good. The fresh vegetables are good and so cheap. Our family has purchased computers, digital cameras, tools, kitchen appliances, etc. in store and have always been pleased with the quality. In Germany Aldis is one of the largest stores you can find.

Bring your own bags and be prepared to do your own packing though. The fresh flowers (esp. the roses) are some of the best you can buy and I bet right about now they have their rose bushes for sale….I have 3 Aldi rose bushes growing strong in the yard.

Now if only Trader Joes open up a store - life would be good!

by Kneel Down
of The Dilly Dally Tymes staff
March 6, 2009

The Laborcratic Party has formed a local chapter in Blount County and selected the milk cow as the local Party symbol. On March 5, 2009, the members elected Hay Bailer to be the first chairman of the Blount County Laborcratic Party. Hay Bailer accepted the chairmanship, with tears in his eyes, when a man believed to be a distant relative of Karlie Marxie handed him a Laborcratic Dairy Cow lapel pin.

“This is a proud moment for the laborers of Blount County,” Hay Bailer said.

Twocats of the Involuntary Storm Water Department told The Dilly Dally Thymes that “Laborcrats have been supportive of our kudzu permit resolution. Hay Bailer’s election solidifies the support we need to improve water quality in Blount County through eradication of kudzu.”

Dairy Cow Symbol
Chairman Hay Bailer said “We selected the dairy cow because of its selfless labor in giving us milk, and the government should take care of it.”

Agenda
“Our first task will be to lobby for mandatory slaughter of dairy cows at two years of age since the USDA prohibits farmers from testing for mad cow disease. These milk cows work hard for two years. They deserve a break,” Hay Bailer said.

Platform and Party Statement
“Why buy the cow when you can get the government to give you the milk and meat for free,” Hay Bailer said during his acceptance speech. He also said the Party would meet again soon to finalize the platform.

Link: http://www.knoxviews.com/node/10677

Someone over at Knoxviews posted this great video of Zach Wamp saying on MSNBC that healthcare is a privilege. Since we were recently on this topic (while supposedly on another topic!), I thought it was timely.

What do you think?

Link: http://www.anysoldier.com/WhereToSend/

I am about to send out the 80 and 81st package to our troops. I would like to challenge the Republicans in this county that have supported Bush/Cheney in their Iraq war to join me. (I have never supported Bush/Cheney on their decision to go into Iraq, but I DO support our troops that have been sent into harms way for a lie.) The challenge goes out to even those that have not been in support, but would like to show support to our military. Presently their are 32 troops from the state of TN that have requests in for support from home.

You don’t have to know these troops (I haven’t known a single one to date)to ship something. It’s easy. The post office has free priority mail boxes that can be shipped for a flat rate (there’s a weight limits but you will never hit the max. believe me) to our military. If you aren’t into packing a box then write a letter, send a card, send a post card of our Smokies - BUT - do something.

Go to http://www.anysoldier.com/WhereToSend/ and find a name.

R. Neal at BlountViews has the latest from the Tennessee Department of Labor.

In 2006, builder and Commissioner Bob Kidd stated this on election night; “Tonight was a vote for pro-growth,” said Kidd, who did not seek re-election. “Put that in your paper.” LINK

Treeless tracts and empty cul-de-sacs tell the tale. “Pro-growth” ain’t happening right now - and will be slow going in the foreseeable future.

To that end, what’s “Plan B"? Is this a one trick administration? Aside from continuing to grow government, are we focusing on any particular train of thought or specific industry?

“Pro-growth". We grew. Now what?

by Lumpy Sheepbert
of the Dilly Dally Tymes staff
March 5, 2009

In an effort to boost the TVA’s coal consumption and maximize their production of Fly Ash, TDOT announced Today, their Future Vision for East Tennessee’s shovel-ready Mission Freedom Goal plan. The Fly Ash will be used in the road construction, replacing at times up to 35% of the Asphalt needed in a typical 10 lane wide Interstate project.

Mayor Billy-Jimmy Dunslam of Jeffunioger County, said in a Press Conference this morning, “Our goal is an Interstate in every yard. The mission is pretty clear, the local Mayors and I have a common goal, for building a vision for the future. Plans for a vision are in progress. I am so honored that the TVA and TDOT are willing to plan for the Interstate Freedom mission visions.”

TDOT plans to place 1,000 Watt high intensity Security Lights every 50 yards along the nearly 1.8 million miles of the new Mission Freedom Interstate.

TDOT Freedom Goal Planner Chairman, Gil Lotsawatts told the Dilly Dally Tymes, “We know East Tennesseeans are freedom lovers, and love to drive for hours in gigantic muscle machines throughout our open spaces here. We want them to know that replacing open green spaces with asphalt is one of the most American visions we can project for future generations to come.”

haymarket,
Where in these parts can I recycle alkaline batteries without having to pay or burn petro by visiting another county? The rest of my junk gets recycled at Spectra, in Maryville, voluntarily.

Yes it’s Olbermann. Yes this is an effort of Begalla and Carville. Yes the CNN live coverage of CPAC seems irregular.

But, several days later, GOP leaders are lining up to kiss up to Rush. Do you think with his past show antics (seen in the video), will Rush help or hurt the party?

And if you think he is not the leader of the party, who is?

Southland Books is located at 801 East Broadway, Maryville 37803.

Their web site is here; http://www.southlandbooks.org/

To purchase online or with credit card click this link; http://www.independentmaryville.com/southlandonline/

Back cover with information on Ole Bert.

Wonder how long it will be until the Daily Times has the good sense to publish something as sensible as this from the Providence Journal (yeah I know, Providence is “up North” so it can’t be right, right?)

Editorial: War against sprawl

01:00 AM EST on Monday, March 2, 2009

America’s ridiculously wasteful lifestyle — often referred to as suburban sprawl — proves that freedom has never been free.

In most societies, even in the wealthiest European states, many in the lower, middle and upper classes live in apartments. Far more workers than here take the bus or train to work. (Mass transit is a big deal in Europe. Actually, before the ’60s, it was a pretty big deal in large parts of urban America, too.)

In America, the vast majority of families live in houses and use cars — 2.28 per household — to commute to work, buy milk, everything.

Our society pays a steep cost for this lifestyle, a cost that supports our automotive liberty by eroding the value of many other things — not least the lives we spend overseas to protect oil supplies. It’s getting tougher and tougher to afford.

“The days where we’re just building sprawl forever, those days are over,” President Obama noted at a town-hall meeting in Fort Myers, Fla., the other week. “I think that Republicans, Democrats, everybody recognizes that that’s not a smart way to build communities.”

The president may underestimate the extent to which dreams die hard. The American Dream is a house surrounded by enough grass to choke a z-turn riding mower. That lifestyle has a lot of lobbyists working on its behalf in Washington. Nobody expects the dream to shrink to the size of an apartment, but why not promote more walkable communities of a bit higher density arrayed along bus or light-rail lines?

Smart Growth and New Urbanism are movements of increasing popularity that support more sustainable patterns of living. Federal policy should help. That would not only cut gasoline use; it might even contribute to lives of greater fulfillment — a more neighborly lifestyle, less solitude, less anomie.

The president’s newly appointed head of the White House Office of Urban Policy is Adolfo Carrion, president of the Borough of the Bronx, in New York City. Let us hope that once he’s done with his first job — acting as liaison with mayors who will get much of the stimulus spending — he will be able to think about how the government can scale down the expense and physical expanse of the American Dream while scaling up its satisfactions.

When will they ever get a web-based Real Tyme zoning map up and going? As many tymes, and as much as its character changes every month, it’s unfair to the citizenry that there is NOT a constant updating, for everyone to see.

And what are they going to do about that dadburn lil’ bitty screen, floating up over Walker’s head, that hides the names of folks that vote, before March 19^th? Nuthin’?

1. Open a new file in your computer.

2. Name it ‘Barack Obama’…

3. Send it to the Recycle Bin.

4. Empty the Recycle Bin.

5. Your PC will ask you: ‘Do you really want to get rid of ‘Barack Obama?’

6. Firmly Click ‘Yes.’

7. Feel better?

GOOD! - Tomorrow we’ll do Nancy Pelosi

A history of Simon Kenton HS in Independence, Kentucky:

“On June 19, 1935, an application was made to the Public Works Administration for funds to erect a new building. A site of 23 acres one-half mile south of Independence was selected and a deed for the same was signed on November 2, 1935. Later 5.5 more acres were purchased on which to build a lake for furnishing a water supply for the school. On December 6, 1935, contracts were let for the erection of the new building (above). The Madison Pike project would cost $175,606.85 and it would house $75,000 worth of the latest in technology. On October 22, 1936, the Kenton County Board of Education named the Madison Pike school Simon Kenton High School. Simon Kenton was dedicated on Sunday September 5, 1937, and opened the doors for pupils on September 13, 1937. The enrollment for the first year was 496.”

Do you think we will get anything that looks like that from our new “PWA”? Do you think it could get done in two years?

Thursday Feb 26th, local youngsters who study after school received some pizza, lemon aid and some writing supplies from the Blount County Democratic Party.

This young artist could not wait to put his paper and pencil to use.

The MLK center has after school tutoring Tuesdays and Thursdays and computer resources available every day.
Normal hours are 11 AM to 7 PM M-F.
The MLK center is located at 209 E Franklin St, Alcoa, TN 37701.
Phone is (865) 983-1954
Director, Sissy Ferguson, says the MLK center can also be rented on weekends for birth day parties and club events.

In an effort to ease confusion during the upcoming 2010 local elections, the Blount County Election Commission has adopted a new Color Code Policy for Election Campaign Posters.

The Labor Party is to use Campaign Signs that are Ultra-Violet in color. If one approaches the Labor Party signs they will notice a tanning effect similar to being brought out into the open light.

The Democratic Party will be required to use Blue Signs, while the Republican Party must use Red.

The Libertarian Party WILL BE REQUIRED to use Infra-Red Signs, that must have a self-contained power source, that will burn the hand of anyone who dares touch it.

Great letter to the editor today; Obama political machine at work

The world is coming to an end, we’re all going to burn in hell - more political song and dance, meaning global warming. It’s a hoax. The big lie to steal more of our tax dollars. The earth’s temperatures peaked in 1998, and has been declining ever since. At the U.N. Global Warming conference in Posnan, Poland, last December, 650 of the world’s top climatologists declared global warming to be a media-generated myth. The University of Illinois Arctic Climate Research Center has satellite photos showing Arctic ice is now back to its 1979 levels. A massive study, just released by the Russian government, contains overwhelming evidence that our earth is presently on course for another ice age.

Three things crossed my mind as I read this;

1) Who is going to believe anything the Russian government says?

2) Good thing that the billions of dollars and thousands of lives lost searching for WMDs in Iraq was based on much more substantiated facts than the ones above.

3) Debt will not be the demise of this country, it will be the limitations of a two party system in a free market society.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQBWGo7pef8

I had hoped Obama would bring the troops home from the Middle East, but we’re seeing them leave Iraq for Afghan. Obama appears to have opium pals rather than Exxon pals.

An in depth article written by Matthew Stewart of the Maryville Daily Times on the selection of a construction company to build the next Blount County school can be found here; http://www.thedailytimes.com/article/20090301/NEWS/303019972

An excerpt:

Martin recommended committee members interview the four highest-rated firms: Joseph Construction Co., Construction Plus, Hickory Construction and Merit Construction. The other four candidates were Cambridge Constructors, Heery International, Messer and Jenkins & Stiles LLC.

Samples later made a motion to interview the top four candidates. After further discussion, Samples revised his motion – at the request of school board member John Davis – to include all eight construction managers.

After two days of interviews before committee members, Martin revised his rankings prior to its Feb. 20 meeting. Post-interview rankings had Merit Construction at No. 1 followed by Joseph Construction, Messer, Hickory Construction, Jenkins & Stiles LLC, Construction Plus and Cambridge Constructors.

Heery International dropped out of consideration for the job.

Martin recommended awarding Merit Construction with the CM at-risk position. This process allows a client to centralize responsibility for construction under a single contract; obtain a bonded guaranteed maximum price; produce a more manageable, predictable project; save time and money; and reduce risk for the client, the architect and the CM.

Davis later made a motion to select Jenkins & Stiles LLC as the CM and have Bennett and school board Chairman Chris Cantrell negotiate the company’s fees. Davis’ motion later reached a voice vote, and school board member Mike Treadway cast the only dissenting vote.

I would ecourage you to either read the entire article online or go out and buy today’s paper.