New Alert!

I was just notified by the Kingston Police Department that this morning Rocky and Leon Houston cut off their GPS ankle bracelets.

If you know any public official or member of law enforcement, please notify them that the Houston's movement can no longer be tracked and that they should take safety precautions they deem appropriate.

Thank you.
Brant W Williams, Member Kingston City Council

DISCLAIMER: The opinions & ideas posted above are those of Brant W. Williams and may or may not be shared by other council members, city officials, or city employees.

Just discovered that the Foxfire browser by Mozilla has a built in spell check that works when typing blogs and comments on this and other sites. As you, type misspelled words are highlighted. Simply right click and a list of possible corrections comes up.

If you download and install Foxfire it doesn't have to be you default browser. Also, during install you have the option of importing your passwords and favorite sites from Explorer.

Check it out: Foxfire Download site (link...)

Also, Foxfire appears to be much faster than Explorer.

If the ash didn’t make you sick, this might…. The TVA has found a way to use the houses bought up because of the ash spill.

I found out today that they have begun housing their clean up contractors in them, so much for money coming into the local economy. I also heard that TVA is fully furnishing the houses.

Campgrounds, motels, apartment owners, and house renters will soon begin (if they are not already) feeling the pinch.

One worker just today moved from a local campground where he was paying rent. In his own words, TVA just moved him into "a great little brick rancher right on lake". Needless to say, he is thrilled. The campground owner says has recently lost three other renters to the free TVA housing.

I imagine this news will make the people who gave up their homes a bit ill knowing that itinerant workers will be paid to live in the houses they gave up for heath concerns.

Makes me wonder if TVA will end up keeping the houses for permanently use as housing for workers in town for shutdowns, training, and construction projects at the steam plant. Maybe they will even use the nicer homes for housing perks for local executives.

Brant W Williams, Member Kingston City Council
DISCLAIMER: The opinions & ideas posted above are those of Brant W. Williams and may or may not be shared by other council members, city officials, or city employees.

When did we go wrong? When did grownups decide that the way to be an adult was to live "for the children"? Is it not possible to live and enjoy life, produce and provide, love and be happy without being consumed by the lives of our children?

"It's for the children" has to be silliest rationale a politician, official, or pundit could use as justification for anything. In fact, in the end it is almost never really for or about the children.

What really bothers and concerns me is that since we begin living and doing everything "for the children”, our lives and society have been going downhill.

Perhaps adults doing adult things for adult reasons might actually work to improve the lives of our children more than doing everything "for the children". It is hard to set an example for our offspring if all they see us doing are childish things for them. Certainly, the “it’s for the children” trend appears to have created great numbers of egocentric kids who think that any and everything should be for them.

In any case, for me the best times growing up where when I shared adult times with my parents. The best times where when we did things as a family because that is what my parents enjoyed like boating, camping, or traveling. The best times where when I was with my parents and they were enjoying themselves doing adult activities. Simple things like joining in adult conversation at the dinner table, or laying awake on New Year’s Eve listening to my parents share laughter with their adult friends grabbed by attention then and now. On the few times we went out to eat I never remember my parents picking a restaurant because "the kids will like it". And Mom never cooked special meals for us kids; we ate when and what the adults ate and if we didn't like it we knew we had better pretend otherwise or go hungry.

As I look back, having a distinct division between children and adults was good thing. At my house, there was no blurring the line between adults and children. We knew who the kids were and who the bosses where. We went to bed at dark because we were the kids. We ate chicken legs and not the breasts because adults pulled rank. We had to shut up and behave because we were told to and adults were bigger than we were. There was no equality, parity, or fairness - kids were kids and adults their bosses.
To be honest this was good arrangement because it made it safe for me to be a kid; I could count on my parents to take care of the adult stuff.

Even sitting at the kids table at holiday time was meaningful. It gave us kids something to look forward to – the time when we would be invited to the adult table. I can still remember when just a few years after I graduated from college when I graduate to the adult table for the first time. :)

I suspect that today’s kids have nothing to look forward to because we no longer differentiate between adults and children. Heck, we are so busy doing “it for the children” that most of our children will likely sink into long years of despair when the inevitable day arrives when they are no longer children and no one is doing "it" for them. The fact is that today's children will never get to move up to the adult table because they never sat at the kids table.

I can't imagine how today's children will learn to be adult or enjoy their lives as adults (many are not). I am certain that I learned just as much helping my Dad build a utility shed as I would had it been a club house for my brother and I. I am sure holding and handing tools to my Dad as he cursed an obstinate transmission out from under the car was just a much fun as playing make believe with toy tools (I couldn’t help giggling each time my Dad cracked his knuckle and swore at our old Packard Clipper he had lovingly christened "the Beast".)

Believe it or not, when I look back on my childhood the best times were also sharing adversities with my adult parents. My parents understood that the best thing to do "for the children" was to share their adult lives with us instead of creating a make believe life centered on us. By allowing us to see the reality of their lives instead of a fairy tale existence where everything is "for the children" they better prepared us for our own lives most of which would not be spent as children.

Instead of doing everything for my brother and me and always doing kid things for us, they included us in their world. By allowing us to share adult things with them, we learned life lessons.

My parents didn’t coddle us. When my Dad was laid off and out of regular work, he took us with him on the odd jobs he found (we were expected to help). When the meat mostly disappeared from our dinner table, we knew why and because we understood how hard Dad worked to buy hamburger, when we had them the burgers tasted so much better.

My parents allowed us to try and fail at tasks beyond our age and ability and in so doing we learned an important lesson – life is not easy and the chance of failure is just as great as success so you had better work hard.

In the end, if we adults do everything "for the children" aren’t we robbing them of the chance to move gradually from childhood to adulthood (aren't we retarding our own growth as adults)?

Perhaps we should rethink this inane child centered religion that mandates everything must be “for the children”. Maybe adults should return to doing what’s best for them, making adult decisions for adult reasons and doing adult things which inevitably works out just fine for the children.

ASH BUMPER STICKERS

Budget Committee just voted to recommend a 10 cent tax hike (8 in city, 10 in county).
ten cents to include one percent county employee pay increase (excluding executives and elected officals).

Budget commIttee also voted unanimously to recommend to the full commission to move foward with plans to open the midtown landfill for TVA fly ash One condition of the committee's recommendation was that if possible the plan should be sent to the voters. Unfortunately it may not be legally possible to place the question of the landfill on the ballot.

The budget committee said they expect as much as $200,000,000 for storing the TVA fly ash.

Whole commission is now budget workshop.

Posted from my iPhone.

There is a new plan making the rounds at the courthouse (confirmed to me by the County Commission Chairman).

Privatize the jail. Turn it over to a for profit company.

There seems to be much support for this plan.

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Spill occurs. County and cities demand the TVA pay to make things right and financially help make improvements that might assist us in overcoming the financial impact of spill

The TVA chorus line begins tap dancing. Won't even talk with cities.

Now after offering no help the TVA has many commissioners slobbering for the privilage of storing the toxic ash in Midtown in order to help the "children" (they want to use dumping fees for schools). The County wanted the TVA to pay for new schools now it is seems the county is competing to get TVA to dump here. Tell me the TVA is not laughing at this.

TVA knows this game. They understand greed.

Not to worry. Its OK becuase its for the "children".

Council voted to table proposed ban of handgun carry permit holders until next month.

At tonights meeting council made no comment. Three citizens spoke for the ban and three against.

(link...)

According to the AP, President Obama says the pie at the White House is “the best pie I have ever tasted, and that has caused big problems with Michelle and I.” (link...)

The stress of being President must be overwhelming or the AP is having a hard time finding news.

FIFTY WAYS TO... HATE A BILL!

SPECIAL-INTEREST SOPS
1. Free money for well-connected business interests.
2. A little something for Goldman Sachs. Again.
3. Alcoa and Dupont get their share. The utilities, too.
4. A tree grows in Botswana.
5. Selling indulgences.
6. Protecting refineries.
7. All carrot, no stick for the farm lobby.
8. Replacing the EPA with the USDA.
9. Ignoring ethanol’s impact.
10. Buying off electric cooperatives.
11. Monsanto rounds up favors.
12. Interfering with free trade.
13. Billions for “international clean technology.”
14. Inflating union wages.

NON-CAP MANDATES
15. Establishing “renewable” standards.
16. Trading “renewable” credits.
17. Excluding the clean sources.
18. Meet the “Carbon Storage Research Corporation.”
19. Carbon, dead and buried.
20. Restricting coal-fired plants.
21. The candelabra clause.
22. Everything, and the kitchen sink.
23. High-class refrigerators.
24. Your green house.
25. Commercial properties also pay to go green (twice!).
26. The EPA in the back seat.
27. Fuel-efficiency standards.
28. Greenhouse-gas registry.
29. Stopping states’ innovation.

GREEN DREAMS
30. Park-’n’-plug mandates.
31. Electrifying Detroit.
32. Biofuel mandates.
33. That ethanol pipeline, again.
34. Cash for clunky microwaves.
35. $15 billion for the wind industry.
36. Truckin’ money.
37. Winning the DOE lottery.
38. $1.5 billion for Hollings.
39. $65 million for gas turbines. You’re welcome, GE!
40. Promoting ethanol, again.

VARIOUS WISH FULFILLMENT
41. Shunt money onto campus.
42. Community-organizers get their piece.
43. Tax-code income redistribution.
44. The new monthly welfare check.
45. Put ’em out of work, then pay them.
46. Dozens of new government offices and agencies.
47. Bambi’s payday.
48. The wrong kind of federalism.
49. Greening health-care spending.
50. Investing in “emerging” careers.

Source link: (link...)

Jeremy Scahill tweets:

I heard joe biden tried to pay the Post $25k to have access to the obama administration

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Hidden in the 1,500 page Cap and Trade bill are new tax transfer payments to guess whom - people already paying no taxes?

How many non-taxpaying people can you support?

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This from the Drudge Retort:

A controversial law in Massachusetts could go national if Congressman Barney Frank gets his way. Frank has filed a bill that would eliminate federal penalties for personal possession of less than 100 grams of marijuana. It would also make the penalty for using marijuana in public just $100. "I think John Stuart Mill had it right in the 1850s," said Congressman Frank, "when he argued that individuals should have the right to do what they want in private, so long as they don't hurt anyone else. It's a matter of personal liberty. Moreover, our courts are already stressed and our prisons are over-crowded. We don't need to spend our scarce resources prosecuting people who are doing no harm to others."

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As the celebration of our Nation’s Independence draws near, I can't help but think about events in Iran.

My heart, thoughts, and prayers go out to those in Iran and elsewhere in the world who are at this moment fighting and dying for their natural right to self-determination.

I consider myself fortunate beyond measure that I have never had to take to the streets in opposition to a despotic government. I often wonder if I would have the conviction and courage to stand athwart history in defiance of tyranny.

God Bless the USA and our Constitution. May our nation continue to be an inspiration to people everywhere as they struggle for freedom.

It may be too early to celebrate FDA/Government takeover of the tobacco industry....

The Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act is revealed as yet another Beltway deal for Big Government and Big Business. Those who proclaim it a victory for public health and the public good are blowing smoke.

According to city staff, the TVA has stopped reimbursing Kingston for the expenses the city is incurring because of the ash spill.

With no explanation, they stopped paying in April.

The Kingston City Council passed the first reading of the 2009-2010 budget that provides for NO tax increase! However, trash collection will be going up a bit to offset higher collection costs. Public hearing and the second reading will held on June 23.

In our council meeting last night, Mayor Beets reported to us that TVA has informed him the new gypsum pond was being constructed with two liners - one clay and one composite.

If true, (no reason to believe otherwise) that is very, very good news!

TVA REPORT TO "Our Roane County Neighbors"

See attached....

Our web site host, WC attended our city council workshop last night. He filled council in on the dangers of selenium in our lake and waterways.

WC provided new information and insight into the ash spill.

To date WC is the first person (and only) person to speak to council on the environmental impact of the ash spill.

Thank you, WC

Brant Williams
Member
Kingston City Council

DISCLAIMER: THE OPINIONS EXPRESSED, VIEWS DISCUSSED, THOUGHTS AIRED AND/OR IDEAS CONTAINED IN THIS EMAIL COMMUNICATION ARE SOLELY THOSE OF CITY OF KINGSTON CITY COUNCIL MEMBER BRANT W. WILLIAMS AND ARE IN NO WAY REFLECTIVE OF OR REPRESENTATIVE OF THE OPINIONS, VIEWS, THOUGHTS, AND/OR IDEAS OF ANY OTHER CITY OF KINGSTON CITY COUNCIL MEMBER, THE MAJORITY OF THE CITY OF KINGSTON CITY COUNCIL, ANY OTHER CITY OF KINGSTON CITY OFFICIAL, OR ANY EMPLOYEE OF THE CITY OF KINGSTON.

see attached

WBIR Channel 10 did a short quip on my attempt to file a quo warranto suit against County-Commissioner, Chairman-Mayor Beets based on the common law doctrine of incompatible offices.

WBIR NEWS (link...)

Should the case go forward, the effort is not to overturn the voter’s will. Rather it is to enforce a century’s old law that states if the office of mayor and office of county commissioner are ruled incompatible, the first office held is forfeit when the second office is taken.

The issue is based on the theory that no man or woman can hold at the same time offices ruled to be incompatible. Thus, this is not an ouster suit.

I contend that under common law, by accepting the second position Beets gave up the first.

Think of it this way. Having sworn to represent the county and then swearing on a Bible to represent the city; Beets divided his loyalty. The error was his and his alone in thinking that that 50% (50% to the city, 50% to the county) of his effort is better than any other person's 100% effort.

The people of Kingston deserve, have the right to know that their mayor is there 100% of whatever time he or she has to devote to his or her mayoral duties.

Potential ad for the newspaper.

Comments - suggestions

PUBLIC HEARING
TUESDAY, APRIL 14, 2009 – 6:45 P.M.

A G E N D A

1. Discussion of an Ordinance Amending the Site Plan Requirements in the Zoning Ordinance of the City of Kingston, Tennessee

REGULAR MEETING - KINGSTON CITY COUNCIL
TUESDAY, APRIL 14, 2009 – 7:00 P.M.

A G E N D A
1. Call to order
2. Invocation and pledge
3. Roll call
4. Approval of Minutes
• March 10, 2009
4. Citizen Comments/Persons to Appear
6. Reports
A. Reports by Mayor and Council Members
B. Department Reports
C. City Manager’s Report
D. Report by Rockwood Electric Representative - Councilmember McClure

7. UNFINISHED BUSINESS

A. Second Reading of an Ordinance Amending the Site Plan Requirements in the Zoning Ordinance of the City of Kingston, Tennessee

8. NEW BUSINESS

A. Adopt an Amended Resolution Relative to Participation in the Tennessee Municipal League Risk Management Pool

B. Adopt a Resolution Petitioning Tennessee’s Congressional Leaders to Sponsor a Grant for Construction of a Model 21st Century Steel Interstate Rail System Along the Interstate 81/Interstate 40 Corridor to Demonstrate the Potential of Fast Freight Rail and Passenger Service to the Nation – Requested by the City of Kingsport

C. Appoint Tony Brown as Kingston’s Representative to the County Mayor’s Long Range Recovery Committee

D. An Ordinance to Amend the Ordinances of the City of Kingston Relative to the Advertising and Signage Allowed by A Liquor Licensee for Retail Sale

E. Set Thursday, May 7, 2009, as the Date for the Council Budget Work Session to Begin at 9:00 a.m. and End at 3:00 p.m.

F. Set Monday, May 18, 2009, as the Second Council Budget Work Session to Begin at 9:00 a.m. and End at Noon

G. Change the Tuesday, June 2, 2009, Work Session Date to Thursday, June 4, 2009, at 6:00 p.m. to Accommodate Election Day

H. Set the Date for the Candidate Forum as May 14, 2009, at 7:00 p.m. in the Banquet Room at the Kingston Community Center

All,
Last night while we were discussing Kingston’s representatives to the Roane County Long Term Recovery Committee, specifically the appointment of Mr. Tony Brown to replace Mr. Matt Caldwell, an important issue failed to register with me.

If Mr. Brown takes a new position with the Roane County government (as County Commission Chairman - Kingston Mayor Beets told us he would), two of our Long Term Recovery Committee representatives, County Commission Chairman Beets and Roane County employee Brown, will have an apparent conflict of interest and perhaps divided loyalties between their service and fidelity to Roane County as a whole and to the city of Kingston.

As Council does not yet know how the Roane County Long Term Recovery Committee will weigh votes or will allocate funds received from the TVA, I have grave concerns that two of our representatives will either have taken an oath of office to serve Roane County as an elected official or will owe alliance to Roane County by virtue of employment.

I am not questioning Roane County Commission Chairman Beets or Mr. Brown’s integrity To the contrary, that they strive so mightily to fulfill their duties creates cause for concern. How can they (or anyone) properly represent and serve the city of Kingston by placing Kingston first without neglecting their responsibility, elected or fiduciary, to serve Roane County?

Certainly, there are times when this might be less a problem, but dealing with the TVA Ash Disaster is new ground and the stakes are high. As Kingston’s governing body, can we afford to take the chance, no matter how slight, that we are placing County Commission Chairman Beets and Roane County employee Brown in a position where difficult conflicts of interest may arise?

Can Council afford the possibility that Roane County Commission Chairman Beets or Mr. Brown might fail to recognize or acknowledge a conflict of interest and thus might unconsciously allow their divided loyalties to affect debate and/or the eventual outcome of the committee’s efforts?

Can the Kingston City Council afford to have representatives to the committee who may have good cause and reason to look favorable to the County when our citizens might wish them to have only Kingston’s best interest at heart?

The stakes are too high to accept even the appearance of a conflict of interest between the county and the city affecting the outcome of the negotiation for and then dispersion of funds that the TVA might allocate to Roane County.

I therefore recommend that we revisit our decision to appoint Mr. Brown to the County Long Term Recovery Committee and open this question up to further debate.
Thank you.

Sincerely,
Brant W. Williams
Councilman - City of Kingston
Kingston, TN 37763
Office: 865-934-0743
Cell: 865-382-8640
RETURN mailto: Brant@BrantWWilliams.com

DISCLAIMER: The opinions expressed, views discussed, thoughts aired and/or ideas contained in this email communication are solely those of City of Kingston City Council Member Brant W. Williams and are in no way reflective of or representative of the opinions, views, thoughts, and/or ideas of any other City of Kingston City Council Member, the majority of the City of Kingston City Council, any other City of Kingston City Official, or any employee of the City of Kingston.

Attached is a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet.

It is the first iteration of Kingston's 2009-2010 budget.

This is the City Staff budget; council has not had input yet.

The staff is proposing no property tax increase (this was planned last year because County-Commissioner, Chairman-Mayor Beets is up for re-election this year.)

The staff has recommended a $1.00 increase in trash pickup and a 5% increase in sewer and water.

This budget will change and you can influence those changes if you want.

If you have questions or comments, I will do my best to answer them and I am sure any other council member will too.

Brant Williams
Member
Kingston City Council

WORK SESSION - KINGSTON CITY COUNCIL
APRIL 7, 2009 – 6:00 P.M.
KINGSTON COMMUNITY CENTER

A G E N D A

This from an email to Tennessee Firearms Dealer from Tennessee Bureau of Investigation Nashville, TN:

The current firearm purchasing craze doesn't appear to be letting up.

TICS (TBI Insta Check) processed 29,531 transactions (gun sales) for Tennessee gun dealers during March 2009.

The previous high for March of any year was 22,077 in 1999.

Last year was the second highest previous year at 21,489.

On December 31, 2008, there were 218,004 persons licensed in Tennessee to carry a handgun. That number has lilely increased considerably in the last three Months.

Notes:

1. "Insta Check" refers to the background check performed by the TBI before a firearms dealer may transfer a gun to the buyer - BWW.
2. The number of Insta Checks only tells us how many people bought guns from a licensed dealer. One or more firearms may be purchased at using one background check.
3. A private sale of firearms when neither is a licensed dealer does not required a background check.