thetennesseestar--2020-04-02--Crom Carmichael: ‘The Government Itself Should Not Be Immune to the Same Types of Issues That the Pr

Crom Carmichael: ‘The Government Itself Should Not Be Immune to the Same Types of Issues That the Private Sector Has’

Broadcasting live from Music Row Wednesday morning on The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville ’ s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. – Leahy was joined on the phone by all-star panelist Crom Carmichael .
During the second hour , Carmicheal gave his take on Nashville Mayor John Cooper ’ s recent State of the Metro Address where he announced that there would be a “ sharp ” increase in property taxes on the horizon .
Carmichael felt that to set a burden on citizens who ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ recent tornado and then the coronavirus would be unjust .
He added that the real problem the mayor has yet to address is the healthcare benefits fund issues facing Tennesseans and insisted that the government should be held accountable as any private sector entity would .
Leahy : We are joined now by the original all-star panelist my good friend for many years Crom Carmichael .
Good morning Crom .
Carmichael : Micheal .
How are you , sir ?
Leahy : Good .
Are you sheltering safely at home ?
Carmichael : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Leahy : I wanted to talk a little bit about Mayor John Cooper of Nashville ’ s announcement yesterday during his State of the Metro Address that he plans to sharply increase the cities property tax rates .
He said that the Nashville Finance Department predicts that revenue from sales taxes and other activities will be down between 200 million and 300 million dollars because of the coronavirus pandemic .
Now that statement is probably true .
But Crom , I ’ m looking at this and Nashville was already on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by the tornadoes .
And now its hit by this sharp decline in revenues from the pandemic which means no travel and no tourists for a period of time .
Clearly revenue is needed but what will the consequences be ?
Can you walk us through the consequences of a proposed sharp increase in the city of Nashville and Davidson County ’ s property tax rate ?
Carmichael : I have two comments .
One is if the mayor and the council don ’ t address the unfunded liability of healthcare benefits to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ passed and gave that benefit , unlike the pension benefit which is supposed to be funded .
And until this drop in the stock market , we were somewhere in the neighborhood of 95 % funded for the pensions .
On the long term benefits and didn ’ t set aside any money to fund it .
So now we have a four billion dollar hole in the healthcare benefits .
If that is not addressed than what the mayor and the council are doing is irresponsible .
He can make the claim @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the coronavirus .
Federal money is going to come in and help with the coronavirus on the city and state level .
A big part of the hole that he cites , the two to 300 million dollars short falling of sales tax revenue will be made up by the federal government .
But if he doesn ’ t address this healthcare problem , he knows it exists .
If he doesn ’ t address that then he ’ s being derelict in his duty based on what he said when he was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ if the mayor and the council don ’ t address the single biggest fiscal problem that this city has .
Leahy : Well a couple of comments on that .
I see no indication that either the mayor or the city council intended to address that Crom .
Carmichael : I ’ m saying if they don ’ t then all the things that the mayor said he wanted to fix when he was running just go up in smoke .
He ’ ll end up being no better than David Briley .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ for him to fix that unfunded healthcare liability problem that exists ?
Carmichael : You could adjust it for all new employees .
You could also sit down with the employees and have a cap on it so that it doesn ’ t just keep rising and rising and rising .
Carmichael : So that the city employees have a stake .
Right now the city employees don ’ t have a stake in healthcare benefits because they had this wonderful golden package when they retired .
That really is terrible public policy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have for you , Crom on this is you look at individual behavior based upon financial incentives .
What do you think will happen the residency levels of Metro Nashville-Davidson County as well as small businesses with a sharp increase in the city property tax rate ?
What is likely to happen over the next year or so if that is implemented ?
Carmichael : I can ’ t tell from the article , I think the voters passed a referendum to put a limit on how much property taxes could go up @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their approval .
I think that law still exists .
So there is a limit to how much they can raise it .
But as we know , if you raise property tax rates you decrease the value of the property because it simply costs more to own the property .
Therefore there will be an adjustment in the retail value of the property .
Now , having said that , I still think Nashville is in a good position but I ’ m really more concerned about the long term problem of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It ’ s about 70-80 million dollars a year which represents at this point three to four percent of our budget that we are spending on something where we get no current benefit .
Nothing .
It ’ s just for people who are no longer working for the government .
And I ’ m not mad at them , I ’ m mad at previous administrations and previous councils for passing a benefit and not funding it .
That ’ s just a gross dereliction of duty .
And it ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the private sector they ’ d go to prison .
If you made this kind of promise it would be considered fraud .
Leahy : Your thinking long term .
I wonder though it looks to me like which is obviously very important , it looks to me like the city of Nashville and Metro Davidson County is in the midst of a current cash crisis .
Will enough federal money come in ?
There are so many demands on federal money will enough federal money come in to have cash available to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ?
Carmichael : Well I don ’ t know the answer to that .
But the government itself should not be immune to the same types of issues that the private sector has .
The government gets its money from the private sector .
And if the private sector has a catastrophic event , it doesn ’ t mean the government gets to slide along and feel no impact from it .
I think the city may need to consider short term pay cuts of 60-90 days if the federal dollars don ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is going to be a fourth package which will include infrastructure and money for cities and states .
Leahy : The president mentioned infrastructure as a possibility for another package .
You made a very good point .
I haven ’ t seen anything from the mayor .
The private sector all over the country is either laying people off or cutting salaries dramatically .
20 % .
30 % .
Some even 40 % .
I didn ’ t see anything in the mayor ’ s statement saying he was going to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Metro-Davidson County .
Did you ?
I didn ’ t see that .
Carmichael : I didn ’ t see it .
I ’ m not going to say it ’ s not fair .
I ’ m responding to what you ’ re question was and what should be done .
And we have a hole .
We have to fix the problem .
But you don ’ t turn the private sector that ’ s already getting killed by this coronavirus and say I ’ m going to jack your property @ @ @ @ @ @ @ That ’ s not a good solution .
And it ’ s especially not a good solution when you ’ re not addressing the single biggest problem the city has .
He says we have a two to three hundred million dollar sales tax problem because of the coronavirus .
But we have an 80 million dollar problem and growing every year from the unfunded liability .
So from five years from now , it will be up to 100 to 120 million dollars .
And he hasn ’ t fixed it .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ assumption that raising the taxes will actually increase revenues because I think there is going to be a lot of people that say , well you ’ re raising my property taxes , I ’ m leaving .
I ’ m not going to conduct my business when the economy comes back .
I think that will be a possibility .
I don ’ t know if they ’ ve thought about that .
Carmichael : It will decrease the property values modestly .
That ’ s for sure .
It will do @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , that ’ s not a good thing either .
The mayor and the council need to bite the bullet here and resolve this long term problem .
And there are different ways to address the short term problem .
Leahy : My guess is whats going to happen with this increase of property tax if its put into effect is you ’ re going to see significantly higher default and probably the expected revenue won ’ t be anywhere near what they think .
Listen to the full second hour : Tune @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy on Talk Radio 98.3 FM WLAC 1510 .
Listen online at iHeart Radio .
Photo “ John Cooper ” by John Cooper .

Broadcasting live from Music Row Wednesday morning on The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville’s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. – Leahy was joined on the phone by all-star panelist Crom Carmichael.
During the second hour, Carmicheal gave his take on Nashville Mayor John Cooper’s recent State of the Metro Address where he announced that there would be a “sharp” increase in property taxes on the horizon. Carmichael felt that to set a burden on citizens who’ve already suffered a hardship with the recent tornado and then the coronavirus would be unjust.
He added that the real problem the mayor has yet to address is the healthcare benefits fund issues facing Tennesseans and insisted that the government should be held accountable as any private sector entity would.
Leahy: We are joined now by the original all-star panelist my good friend for many years Crom Carmichael. Good morning Crom.
Carmichael: Micheal. How are you, sir?
Leahy: Good. Are you sheltering safely at home?
Carmichael: So far. So far so good.
Leahy: I wanted to talk a little bit about Mayor John Cooper of Nashville’s announcement yesterday during his State of the Metro Address that he plans to sharply increase the cities property tax rates. He said that the Nashville Finance Department predicts that revenue from sales taxes and other activities will be down between 200 million and 300 million dollars because of the coronavirus pandemic. Now that statement is probably true.
But Crom, I’m looking at this and Nashville was already on the ropes fiscally and then it got hit by the tornadoes. And now its hit by this sharp decline in revenues from the pandemic which means no travel and no tourists for a period of time. Clearly revenue is needed but what will the consequences be? Can you walk us through the consequences of a proposed sharp increase in the city of Nashville and Davidson County’s property tax rate?
Carmichael: I have two comments. One is if the mayor and the council don’t address the unfunded liability of healthcare benefits to retirees which is unfunded. When they passed and gave that benefit, unlike the pension benefit which is supposed to be funded. And until this drop in the stock market, we were somewhere in the neighborhood of 95% funded for the pensions.
On the long term benefits and didn’t set aside any money to fund it. So now we have a four billion dollar hole in the healthcare benefits. If that is not addressed than what the mayor and the council are doing is irresponsible. He can make the claim which is accurate about the tornado and the coronavirus.
Federal money is going to come in and help with the coronavirus on the city and state level. A big part of the hole that he cites, the two to 300 million dollars short falling of sales tax revenue will be made up by the federal government.
But if he doesn’t address this healthcare problem, he knows it exists. If he doesn’t address that then he’s being derelict in his duty based on what he said when he was running. It would be extremely disappointing if the mayor and the council don’t address the single biggest fiscal problem that this city has.
Leahy: Well a couple of comments on that. I see no indication that either the mayor or the city council intended to address that Crom.
Carmichael: I’m saying if they don’t then all the things that the mayor said he wanted to fix when he was running just go up in smoke. He’ll end up being no better than David Briley.
Leahy: What recommendation would you have for him to fix that unfunded healthcare liability problem that exists?
Carmichael: You could adjust it for all new employees. You could also sit down with the employees and have a cap on it so that it doesn’t just keep rising and rising and rising.
Leahy: Yeah.
Carmichael: So that the city employees have a stake. Right now the city employees don’t have a stake in healthcare benefits because they had this wonderful golden package when they retired. That really is terrible public policy.
Leahy: The other question I have for you, Crom on this is you look at individual behavior based upon financial incentives. What do you think will happen the residency levels of Metro Nashville-Davidson County as well as small businesses with a sharp increase in the city property tax rate? What is likely to happen over the next year or so if that is implemented?
Carmichael: I can’t tell from the article, I think the voters passed a referendum to put a limit on how much property taxes could go up without first going to the voters for their approval. I think that law still exists. So there is a limit to how much they can raise it.
But as we know, if you raise property tax rates you decrease the value of the property because it simply costs more to own the property. Therefore there will be an adjustment in the retail value of the property. Now, having said that, I still think Nashville is in a good position but I’m really more concerned about the long term problem of this giant hole in our budget.
It’s about 70-80 million dollars a year which represents at this point three to four percent of our budget that we are spending on something where we get no current benefit. Nothing. It’s just for people who are no longer working for the government.
And I’m not mad at them, I’m mad at previous administrations and previous councils for passing a benefit and not funding it. That’s just a gross dereliction of duty. And it’s a shame if somebody did this in the private sector they’d go to prison. If you made this kind of promise it would be considered fraud.
Leahy: Your thinking long term. I wonder though it looks to me like which is obviously very important, it looks to me like the city of Nashville and Metro Davidson County is in the midst of a current cash crisis. Will enough federal money come in? There are so many demands on federal money will enough federal money come in to have cash available to Metro Nashville-Davidson County for basic operating functions?
Carmichael: Well I don’t know the answer to that. But the government itself should not be immune to the same types of issues that the private sector has. The government gets its money from the private sector. And if the private sector has a catastrophic event, it doesn’t mean the government gets to slide along and feel no impact from it.
I think the city may need to consider short term pay cuts of 60-90 days if the federal dollars don’t materialize. And I think there is going to be a fourth package which will include infrastructure and money for cities and states.
Leahy: The president mentioned infrastructure as a possibility for another package. You made a very good point. I haven’t seen anything from the mayor. The private sector all over the country is either laying people off or cutting salaries dramatically. 20%. 30%. Some even 40%. I didn’t see anything in the mayor’s statement saying he was going to cut any of the payrolls of the Metro-Davidson County. Did you? I didn’t see that.
Carmichael: I didn’t see it. I’m not going to say it’s not fair. I’m responding to what you’re question was and what should be done. And we have a hole. We have to fix the problem. But you don’t turn the private sector that’s already getting killed by this coronavirus and say I’m going to jack your property taxes up to solve my problem. That’s not a good solution.
And it’s especially not a good solution when you’re not addressing the single biggest problem the city has. He says we have a two to three hundred million dollar sales tax problem because of the coronavirus. But we have an 80 million dollar problem and growing every year from the unfunded liability. So from five years from now, it will be up to 100 to 120 million dollars. And he hasn’t fixed it.
I’m not sure that the assumption that raising the taxes will actually increase revenues because I think there is going to be a lot of people that say, well you’re raising my property taxes, I’m leaving. I’m not going to conduct my business when the economy comes back. I think that will be a possibility. I don’t know if they’ve thought about that.
Carmichael: It will decrease the property values modestly. That’s for sure. It will do that. And at this particular time, that’s not a good thing either. The mayor and the council need to bite the bullet here and resolve this long term problem. And there are different ways to address the short term problem.
Leahy: My guess is whats going to happen with this increase of property tax if its put into effect is you’re going to see significantly higher default and probably the expected revenue won’t be anywhere near what they think.
Listen to the full second hour:

– – –
Tune in weekdays from 5:00 – 8:00 a.m. to The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy on Talk Radio 98.3 FM WLAC 1510. Listen online at iHeart Radio.
Photo “John Cooper” by John Cooper.


thetennesseestar--2020-04-02--Commentary: Plastic Bags and the Recycling and Reuse Scam

Back in 2014 , the California Legislature passed Senate Bill 207 , which banned grocery stores from offering customers “ single-use ” carryout bags .
Permanent implementation was delayed by a November 2016 voter referendum , Proposition 67 , which unsuccessfully attempted to repeal the measure .
Today it is well-established law .
The only way SB 207 was sold to the grocery industry was through an incentive that permitted them to keep the 10 cents per “ reusable ” bag that they would be required to charge customers .
California ’ s pioneering ban is touted by environmentalists as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ progressive cities and states have enacted similar laws .
But in reality , it is a misguided policy that does more harm than good .
Today , instead of reusing the free single-use bags to line their trash cans and dispose of their cat litter , Californians now pay 10 cents every time they exercise that privilege .
And how does this help the environment , when reusable plastic bags have 11 to 14 times the mass of disposable plastic bags , and hardly anyone reuses them that many times ?
Further evidence @ @ @ @ @ @ @ plastic bags is found in a study commissioned by the United Kingdom ’ s Environmental Agency , which estimated reusable grocery bags made of cotton fabric to have 131 times greater “ global warming potential ” than conventional disposable plastic bags .
And now consumers have fewer reasons than ever to reuse their reusable bags , because it turns out they ’ re germ carriers .
This isn ’ t new information .
Common sense would dictate that when consumers purchase grocery items , and allow them to knock around inside a plastic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the surfaces of the grocery items onto the surface of the bag .
Similarly , when consumers set those bags down , such as on the seat or floor of a bus or subway car , or in a shopping cart that someone else is about to use , any pathogens on that surface or on that bag will transfer back and forth—presumably over and over .
And even among those who reuse these bags more than 11 times , or 14 times , or 131 times , how many people disinfect them @ @ @ @ @ @ @ article entitled “ Greening Our Way to Infection ” appearing in City Journal , provides an excellent summary of the disease risks attendant to reusable grocery bags .
John Tierney exposes the absurd denial of public health authorities , both before and since the COVID-19 outbreak , to the risks of using reusable grocery bags .
He writes : This is the world the green extremists want us to live in .
Not only shall we reuse our reusable plastic bags more than eleven times , just to break even on the “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bag , but we shall “ segregate different foods in different bags ; to package meat and fish and poultry in small disposable plastic bags inside the tote bags ; to wash and dry tote bags carefully ; to store tote bags in a cool , dry place ; and never to reuse tote bags for anything but food.
” And cat litter .
The Irrational Extremes of Recycling and Reuse While recycling is both profitable and green in certain cases such as with newsprint and aluminum , for most garbage it is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , are a compelling example of this .
For starters , there is no factual basis for the argument that plastic must be recycled because we may eventually run out of petroleum .
This is easily documented .
According to OilPrice.com , in 2012 “ plastics production accounted for about 4 percent of global oil production.
” Four percent .
According to the BP Statistical Review of Global Energy , over the past 20 years , proven oil reserves increased faster than consumption .
In 2018 , there were 1.7 trillion barrels of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 1.1 trillion barrels in 1998 .
Plastic , which can also be made out of natural gas or coal , will never run out of the raw materials required for its manufacture .
As for plastics accumulating in the environment , the ocean in particular , much of it comes from fishing nets .
One of the largest accumulations of ocean plastic is the Great Pacific Garbage Patch , a collection of concentrations of marine debris in the North Pacific Ocean created by ocean currents .
According to Sea Shepherd Global , nearly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ come from discarded fishing nets , and “ more than 70 % of marine animal entanglements involve abandoned plastic fishing nets.
” As for the source of ocean plastic coming from sources on land , a report in USA Today cites a study published in the journal Science that estimates 242 million pounds of plastic waste are discharged by Americans into the oceans each year , and that the total discharge of plastic waste into the oceans , worldwide , is between 8 to 12 million tons .
A quick , somewhat innumerate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to believe that America is the prime offender , but that would be wrong .
Once pounds are converted into tons , it turns out that plastic waste from America , at most , constitutes only 1.5 percent of the plastic trash currently going into the world ’ s oceans .
This is where it becomes problematic to focus on recycling and reuse , rather than containment in landfills .
Because even in America , it is a costly indulgence to recycle most of the waste stream .
To emphasize recycling in developing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ resources of developing nations in Africa and Asia would instead be much better used to develop landfills .
There is No Shortage of Landfill Capacity One of the earliest serious intellectual revolts against the modern recycling industry came in an in-depth 1996 essay in the New York Times Magazine entitled “ Recycling is Garbage.
” Authored by the same John Tierney who recently joined City Journal after more than two decades as a reporter and columnist with the New York Times , it exposes how misguided environmentalism and government subsidies corrupted the waste @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Tierney described how environmentalist journalists and activists convinced the nation that if something wasn ’ t done , and soon , Americans were destined to be “ buried alive ” under the mountain of trash they were creating .
He explained that most materials in garbage are not worth recycling , but that politicians are now afraid to oppose recycling .
He explained that modern landfills are now required by federal law to be “ lined with clay and plastic , equipped with drainage and gas-collection systems , covered daily with soil @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” but the perception remains that opening new landfills will poison the local populace .
Nearly 25 years later , for most Americans , all of these misconceptions still constitute conventional wisdom .
The biggest misconception of all is the claim that there is no room left in America ’ s landfills .
Today more than ever , there are plenty of alarmist reports making that claim .
From Waste Business Journal : “ Time is Running Out : The U.S .
Landfill Capacity Crisis.
” From Global Citizen : “ Where Will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Landfills Are Full ?
” Perhaps the biggest scare story of all appears on the website “ How Stuff Works , ” where they visualize what America ’ s roughly 258 million tons of municipal solid waste each year would look like if it was dumped onto one pile , year after year for 100 years .
The estimate takes into account a doubling of the U.S. population over this hypothetical century , apparently assuming the annual waste flow would also double during that period as well .
That sounds like an awful @ @ @ @ @ @ @ burden on the land and the people .
But it isn ’ t .
Compared to the size of the lower 48 states , compared to the size of America ’ s urban areas , compared to the area of America ’ s reservoirs , or mines , or the footprint of its freeways ; compared to pretty much any other major category of American infrastructure , it is negligible .
To counter the scope insensitivity of the average American journalist , here are some calculations : A “ trash pyramid ” 4.5 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ miles high , if it were to be poured into America ’ s roughly 2,000 active landfills , would require each of those landfills to accommodate 100 vertical feet of garbage , over a surface area of 341 acres .
Altogether , these 2,000 landfills would consume about 1,066 square miles of land .
Notwithstanding the fact that some landfills are designed to accommodate up to 500 vertical feet of trash , or the fact that parks and other amenities are often built on the top of landfills once they reach capacity , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ land compared to other impacts of human civilization .
For example , America ’ s lower 48 states occupy 3.1 million square miles .
This means that if by 2120 , 650 million Americans were still producing the same per-capita quantities of garbage that they produce in today ’ s throw-away society , those 1,066 square miles of landfills would only occupy 0.03 percent of the available land .
America ’ s urban areas consume just over 100,000 square miles ; these hypothetical landfills only increase that by one percent .
Just America @ @ @ @ @ @ @ square miles ; the entirety of America ’ s reservoir inventory would occupy a far larger area .
America ’ s open pit and surface mines occupy thousands of square miles as well , and if America is to innovate its way into the electric age , rare earth mining will increase that footprint .
As for America ’ s 46,000 miles of interstate highways , even at a conservative estimated average width of 300 feet , taking into account all interchanges and not counting all the other national and local roads , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The evidence supporting containment in landfills versus recycling is unambiguous .
Last month in National Review , Kyle Smith pointed out not only the excessive cost of recycling but reminded us that it ’ s a good time for a fundamental reassessment of our waste management policies .
“ It costs $ 300 more to recycle a ton of trash than it would to put it in a landfill , ” Smith wrote .
“ When the next budget crunch hits New York—and that ’ s due approximately ten seconds after the next @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to cut.
” That budget crunch has arrived .
And even if the markets and the economy come roaring back , New York City taxpayers have better ways to spend their money than supporting a parasitic industry that does nothing , absolutely nothing , to help the environment .
But the moral argument doesn ’ t end there .
Americans who support environmentalist policies need to think about the example they ’ re setting for the rest of the world .
The message that needs to go out to developing nations—along with “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ your air with genuinely harmful pollutants ” —is build landfills and sequester your solid waste .
Americans need to show by example how modern landfills are built , not how to painstakingly “ recycle ” everything regardless of its utility or affordability .
Eventually , just as eventually American innovators will commercialize fusion power , American innovators will commercialize plasma waste converters , turning solid waste into valuable feedstock to generate energy and building materials .
When that day comes , not only will waste management no longer leave an expanding footprint , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we can mine the landfills if we wish .
In 1996 , in his essay for the New York Times about recycling , Tierney arrived at the ultimate reason for its persistence as policy despite its negative economic impact and despite being of dubious environmental benefit .
He wrote : Doesn ’ t that sound familiar ?
It ’ s as true today as it was in 1996 , and it applies to so many issues of public policy where environmentalists have formed an alliance with powerful financial special interests .
It is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and his pocketbook at the same time , but when delusion and corruption are the prerequisites for such rewards , society loses .
Americans are correct to recognize the perils of reusable grocery “ tote bags ” during this time of heightened disease risk .
May they also realize the entire concept of reusable grocery bags is flawed , along with most recycling programs , and adapt accordingly .
Edward Ring is a senior fellow of the Center for American Greatness and co-founder of the California Policy Center , which he co-founded in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by Peteruetz .
CC BY-SA 4.0 .

by Edward Ring
Back in 2014, the California Legislature passed Senate Bill 207, which banned grocery stores from offering customers “single-use” carryout bags. Permanent implementation was delayed by a November 2016 voter referendum, Proposition 67, which unsuccessfully attempted to repeal the measure. Today it is well-established law.
The only way SB 207 was sold to the grocery industry was through an incentive that permitted them to keep the 10 cents per “reusable” bag that they would be required to charge customers.
California’s pioneering ban is touted by environmentalists as an example for the nation, and progressive cities and states have enacted similar laws. But in reality, it is a misguided policy that does more harm than good.
Today, instead of reusing the free single-use bags to line their trash cans and dispose of their cat litter, Californians now pay 10 cents every time they exercise that privilege. And how does this help the environment, when reusable plastic bags have 11 to 14 times the mass of disposable plastic bags, and hardly anyone reuses them that many times?
Further evidence of the absurdity of laws banning single-use plastic bags is found in a study commissioned by the United Kingdom’s Environmental Agency, which estimated reusable grocery bags made of cotton fabric to have 131 times greater “global warming potential” than conventional disposable plastic bags.
And now consumers have fewer reasons than ever to reuse their reusable bags, because it turns out they’re germ carriers.
This isn’t new information. Common sense would dictate that when consumers purchase grocery items, and allow them to knock around inside a plastic bag, pathogens will be transferred from the surfaces of the grocery items onto the surface of the bag.
Similarly, when consumers set those bags down, such as on the seat or floor of a bus or subway car, or in a shopping cart that someone else is about to use, any pathogens on that surface or on that bag will transfer back and forth—presumably over and over.
And even among those who reuse these bags more than 11 times, or 14 times, or 131 times, how many people disinfect them, every single time?
A recent article entitled “Greening Our Way to Infection” appearing in City Journal, provides an excellent summary of the disease risks attendant to reusable grocery bags. John Tierney exposes the absurd denial of public health authorities, both before and since the COVID-19 outbreak, to the risks of using reusable grocery bags. He writes:
A headline on the website of the New York Department of Health calls reusable grocery bags a “Smart Choice”—bizarre advice, considering all the elaborate cautions underneath that headline. The department advises grocery shoppers to segregate different foods in different bags; to package meat and fish and poultry in small disposable plastic bags inside their tote bags; to wash and dry their tote bags carefully; to store the tote bags in a cool, dry place; and never to reuse the grocery tote bags for anything but food.
This is the world the green extremists want us to live in. Not only shall we reuse our reusable plastic bags more than eleven times, just to break even on the “carbon footprint” vs. a disposable plastic bag, but we shall “segregate different foods in different bags; to package meat and fish and poultry in small disposable plastic bags inside the tote bags; to wash and dry tote bags carefully; to store tote bags in a cool, dry place; and never to reuse tote bags for anything but food.” And cat litter.
The Irrational Extremes of Recycling and Reuse
While recycling is both profitable and green in certain cases such as with newsprint and aluminum, for most garbage it is neither. Plastics, bags and all, are a compelling example of this. For starters, there is no factual basis for the argument that plastic must be recycled because we may eventually run out of petroleum. This is easily documented.
According to OilPrice.com, in 2012 “plastics production accounted for about 4 percent of global oil production.” Four percent. According to the BP Statistical Review of Global Energy, over the past 20 years, proven oil reserves increased faster than consumption. In 2018, there were 1.7 trillion barrels of proven oil reserves worldwide, up from 1.1 trillion barrels in 1998. Plastic, which can also be made out of natural gas or coal, will never run out of the raw materials required for its manufacture.
As for plastics accumulating in the environment, the ocean in particular, much of it comes from fishing nets. One of the largest accumulations of ocean plastic is the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, a collection of concentrations of marine debris in the North Pacific Ocean created by ocean currents. According to Sea Shepherd Global, nearly half of the plastic in these areas come from discarded fishing nets, and “more than 70% of marine animal entanglements involve abandoned plastic fishing nets.”
As for the source of ocean plastic coming from sources on land, a report in USA Today cites a study published in the journal Science that estimates 242 million pounds of plastic waste are discharged by Americans into the oceans each year, and that the total discharge of plastic waste into the oceans, worldwide, is between 8 to 12 million tons.
A quick, somewhat innumerate read of those numbers might incline one to believe that America is the prime offender, but that would be wrong. Once pounds are converted into tons, it turns out that plastic waste from America, at most, constitutes only 1.5 percent of the plastic trash currently going into the world’s oceans.
This is where it becomes problematic to focus on recycling and reuse, rather than containment in landfills. Because even in America, it is a costly indulgence to recycle most of the waste stream. To emphasize recycling in developing nations is futility. The scarce economic resources of developing nations in Africa and Asia would instead be much better used to develop landfills.
There is No Shortage of Landfill Capacity
One of the earliest serious intellectual revolts against the modern recycling industry came in an in-depth 1996 essay in the New York Times Magazine entitled “Recycling is Garbage.” Authored by the same John Tierney who recently joined City Journal after more than two decades as a reporter and columnist with the New York Times, it exposes how misguided environmentalism and government subsidies corrupted the waste management industry.
In his 1996 essay, Tierney described how environmentalist journalists and activists convinced the nation that if something wasn’t done, and soon, Americans were destined to be “buried alive” under the mountain of trash they were creating. He explained that most materials in garbage are not worth recycling, but that politicians are now afraid to oppose recycling. He explained that modern landfills are now required by federal law to be “lined with clay and plastic, equipped with drainage and gas-collection systems, covered daily with soil and monitored regularly for underground leaks,” but the perception remains that opening new landfills will poison the local populace.
Nearly 25 years later, for most Americans, all of these misconceptions still constitute conventional wisdom. The biggest misconception of all is the claim that there is no room left in America’s landfills. Today more than ever, there are plenty of alarmist reports making that claim.
From Waste Business Journal: “Time is Running Out: The U.S. Landfill Capacity Crisis.” From Global Citizen: “Where Will The Trash Go When All the US Landfills Are Full?” Perhaps the biggest scare story of all appears on the website “How Stuff Works,” where they visualize what America’s roughly 258 million tons of municipal solid waste each year would look like if it was dumped onto one pile, year after year for 100 years. The estimate takes into account a doubling of the U.S. population over this hypothetical century, apparently assuming the annual waste flow would also double during that period as well.
If you keep filling up this landfill for 100 years, and if you assume that during this time the population of the United States doubles, then the landfill will cover about 160,000 acres, or 250 or so square miles, with trash 400 feet deep. Here’s another way to think about it. The Great Pyramid in Egypt is 756 feet by 756 feet at the base and is 481 feet tall, and anyone who has seen it in real life knows that it’s a huge thing—one of the biggest things ever built by man. If you took all the trash that the United States would generate in 100 years and piled it up in the shape of the Great Pyramid, it would be about 32 times bigger. So the base of this trash pyramid would be about 4.5 miles by 4.5 miles, and the pyramid would rise almost 3 miles high.
That sounds like an awful lot of garbage, and an awful burden on the land and the people. But it isn’t. Compared to the size of the lower 48 states, compared to the size of America’s urban areas, compared to the area of America’s reservoirs, or mines, or the footprint of its freeways; compared to pretty much any other major category of American infrastructure, it is negligible. To counter the scope insensitivity of the average American journalist, here are some calculations:
A “trash pyramid” 4.5 miles by 4.5 miles, rising three miles high, if it were to be poured into America’s roughly 2,000 active landfills, would require each of those landfills to accommodate 100 vertical feet of garbage, over a surface area of 341 acres. Altogether, these 2,000 landfills would consume about 1,066 square miles of land. Notwithstanding the fact that some landfills are designed to accommodate up to 500 vertical feet of trash, or the fact that parks and other amenities are often built on the top of landfills once they reach capacity, 1,066 miles is a trivial amount of land compared to other impacts of human civilization.
For example, America’s lower 48 states occupy 3.1 million square miles. This means that if by 2120, 650 million Americans were still producing the same per-capita quantities of garbage that they produce in today’s throw-away society, those 1,066 square miles of landfills would only occupy 0.03 percent of the available land. America’s urban areas consume just over 100,000 square miles; these hypothetical landfills only increase that by one percent.
Just America’s 10 largest reservoirs occupy 2,670 square miles; the entirety of America’s reservoir inventory would occupy a far larger area. America’s open pit and surface mines occupy thousands of square miles as well, and if America is to innovate its way into the electric age, rare earth mining will increase that footprint. As for America’s 46,000 miles of interstate highways, even at a conservative estimated average width of 300 feet, taking into account all interchanges and not counting all the other national and local roads, these interstates consume 2,600 square miles.
Civilization Requires Tough Choices
The evidence supporting containment in landfills versus recycling is unambiguous. Last month in National Review, Kyle Smith pointed out not only the excessive cost of recycling but reminded us that it’s a good time for a fundamental reassessment of our waste management policies.
“It costs $300 more to recycle a ton of trash than it would to put it in a landfill,” Smith wrote. “When the next budget crunch hits New York—and that’s due approximately ten seconds after the next stock-market crash—recycling would be an excellent program to cut.”
That budget crunch has arrived. And even if the markets and the economy come roaring back, New York City taxpayers have better ways to spend their money than supporting a parasitic industry that does nothing, absolutely nothing, to help the environment.
But the moral argument doesn’t end there. Americans who support environmentalist policies need to think about the example they’re setting for the rest of the world.
The message that needs to go out to developing nations—along with “develop clean fossil fuel and quit poisoning your air with genuinely harmful pollutants”—is build landfills and sequester your solid waste. Americans need to show by example how modern landfills are built, not how to painstakingly “recycle” everything regardless of its utility or affordability.
Eventually, just as eventually American innovators will commercialize fusion power, American innovators will commercialize plasma waste converters, turning solid waste into valuable feedstock to generate energy and building materials. When that day comes, not only will waste management no longer leave an expanding footprint, however trivial it may be, but we can mine the landfills if we wish.
In 1996, in his essay for the New York Times about recycling, Tierney arrived at the ultimate reason for its persistence as policy despite its negative economic impact and despite being of dubious environmental benefit. He wrote:
The leaders of the recycling movement derive psychic and financial rewards from recycling. Environmental groups raise money and attract new members through their campaigns to outlaw ‘waste’ and prevent landfills from opening. They get financing from public and private sources (including the recycling industry) to research and promote recycling. By turning garbage into a political issue, environmentalists have created jobs for themselves as lawyers, lobbyists, researchers, educators and moral guardians.
Doesn’t that sound familiar? It’s as true today as it was in 1996, and it applies to so many issues of public policy where environmentalists have formed an alliance with powerful financial special interests. It is wonderful when one may reward his psyche and his pocketbook at the same time, but when delusion and corruption are the prerequisites for such rewards, society loses.
Americans are correct to recognize the perils of reusable grocery “tote bags” during this time of heightened disease risk. May they also realize the entire concept of reusable grocery bags is flawed, along with most recycling programs, and adapt accordingly.
– – –
Edward Ring is a senior fellow of the Center for American Greatness and co-founder of the California Policy Center, which he co-founded in 2013.
Photo “Plastic Bags” by Peteruetz. CC BY-SA 4.0.


thetennesseestar--2020-04-02--Former Journalist Clint Brewer: ‘How People Consume Information Has Changed Just All the Way Around’

All-star panelist and public strategist Clint Brewer joined The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville ’ s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. – Wednesday morning on the newsmakers line .
During the second hour , Brewer and Leahy discussed how the dynamics have changed in journalism and the movement away from printing presses to digital online content .
Brewer pointed out that not only are the newspapers losing their stature but the cable companies as well .
He added that the news business model just doesn ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ talking with our good friend Clint Brewer .
There is a story at The Tennessee Star .
Tennesseestar.com .
One of our top stories today .
Gannett newspapers are going to furlough journalists .
You ’ ve got a long long distinguished record in journalism .
You worked for The Tennessean for awhile .
You were one of their political editors .
I guess the only conservative to ever work for The Tennessean perhaps .
Were there any others besides you ?
Brewer : Not that I was aware of at the time @ @ @ @ @ @ @ They are owned by Gannett which was acquired by GateHouse Media for one point four billion dollars .
The parent corporation announced that they are providing unpaid newsroom furloughs through April , May and June .
Except that ’ s for all journalists making more than $ 38,000 per year due to COVID-19 .
It ’ s a tough time for journalism and particularly news operations that have relatively high overheads .
Where do you think this goes for local news ?
Brewer : I think it ’ s devastating .
It ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I think a lot of people do it .
I try to… ( Leahy laughs ) Leahy : I do it every day .
( Laughs ) Brewer : I try to disconnect feelings about the overall company as stewards of the news business and the local management and the people on the ground working .
They did a heroic job during the tornadoes here .
They were all over Middle Tennessee .
Leahy : I would agree with that .
They did a good job covering the tornado .
Brewer : The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people .
And they deeply deeply care about the job they do and about the communities they serve .
And it ’ s just depressing to watch .
I call it the legacy news business , the older models of news delivery as businesses were not in great shape to begin with .
The GateHouse thing didn ’ t happen because… Leahy : They were on the ropes basically right ?
Brewer : Yeah .
They didn ’ t happen to be healthy right ?
So the stock I think was about down @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were already a business that was on the ropes .
They were already a format that has struggled to transition to a new digital economy .
None of which is the fault of journalists right ?
There are journalists who do the job of journalism .
And then there are business people who are charged with making money around that .
And the two are not really linked .
The business strategy has nothing to do with how local people at the local level do their jobs .
It comes from somewhere else @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The Tennesseestar.com has been in business now for over three years .
And after the first year , I predicted that in five years we would be bigger than the Tennessean .
Not necessarily because of our growth which has been significant , but because that model was changing .
I think that prediction may actually end up being true .
We ’ ve kept our overhead very very low .
We don ’ t have presses and print and all that kind of stuff .
We have other ways of providing digital @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ ve been saving for a rainy day and had no overhead .
So we are in great shape .
Reporting news all the time .
And I think things are going to be changing in Tennessee .
Brewer : Well I think things are changing everywhere Mike .
The news business has been changing .
It ’ s like any other business .
New models emerge and old models die .
And people need to understand that news is not a business model .
That ’ s the first thing .
I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ thought blogs were going to replace newspapers .
( Leahy chuckles ) What is a blog ?
A blog is simply a writing format .
Its not a business model .
So people often conflate style with a business model .
It ’ s not .
And the folks and I want to make sure that I ’ m really clear .
Not the local folks .
The folks back at the home office making these decisions .
They have just proven not to be particularly good business people over the last 30 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they ’ ve missed as you point out Clint is the changing ways that people take their news .
Who looks at hard copy ?
And now with the coronavirus who wants to have a newspaper that they touch as opposed to electronically delivered content ?
Either on the internet .
In audio format .
Or over their mobile device .
It ’ s all moving towards mobile devices , right ?
Brewer : It is .
And it ’ s not just news .
Cable companies are having the same problem .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ all the way around .
From movies to television and music to news and written content .
It ’ s being delivered in a new way almost every day .
And I haven ’ t had cable in I think close to 10 years .
Leahy : Yeah .
And my children are like that as well .
And lots of people are like that as well .
They go for the streaming services now .
So Facebook , did you see this ?
Facebook announced that they are going to make 100 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ journalism .
Did you see that ?
Campbell Brown is running that operation .
Brewer : Honestly , its where things are headed .
I think Google has flirted with this in the past .
Yahoo , when it was more relevant , flirted with this in the past .
It used to be that if you owned a printing press or had an FCC license to broadcast you owned the channel right ?
Well , now Google , Facebook , and large consumer internet platforms they are the new printing presses with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Facebook , for small businesses they are effective .
You may not like their political ideology .
But if you are a small business person and you are looking for the most cost-effective way to promote your business its typically with Google and Facebook .
Brewer : Right .
Its pennies on the dollar and it ’ s so effective .
They think it ’ s so empirical .
You know down to the person how many people looked at it .
What you are paying for .
And how many times @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had the opportunity to absorb the impression .
It ’ s just far more empirical and far more fact-based in terms of what your buying and what you ’ re getting when you ’ re talking about advertising .
Leahy : The problem with Facebook is despite what they say publicly they do lean significantly left .
And they do censor the news I think .
If you go in and you say hey if a conservative outlet like The Tennessee Star , which says hey you ought to provide some of that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ don ’ t think they would really jump up and down .
We ’ ve been waiting to talk to you , Leahy .
I don ’ t think that ’ s going to happen .
( Chuckles ) Brewer : Yeah .
Probably not Mike .
The other thing is that even at these companies as advanced as they ’ ve become they are still subject to manipulation .
I think that we saw that and people can argue about who did it .
But it ’ s clear that in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
You can argue whether it was Ukraine or Russia .
But somebody stood up all those operations using Facebook .
They don ’ t sometimes understand themselves what they ’ ve created .
It ’ s an evolving technology .
Here recently I have a friend who owns a small business in Nashville and she had an experience where she put up some very benign copy on her company ’ s page about helping small businesses and it was taken down because Facebook said it violated its standards .
My friend in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ then there was a story that came out and said because people were working from home and some of the AI that Facebook uses to moderate content in the absence of people had made a mistake .
Leahy : Clint Brewer , all-star panelist thanks for joining us and have a great day .
Listen to the second hour here : Tune in weekdays from 5:00 – 8:00 am to the Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy on Talk Radio 98.3 FM WLAC 1510 .
Listen online at iHeart Radio .
Photo @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .

All-star panelist and public strategist Clint Brewer joined The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville’s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. – Wednesday morning on the newsmakers line.
During the second hour, Brewer and Leahy discussed how the dynamics have changed in journalism and the movement away from printing presses to digital online content. Brewer pointed out that not only are the newspapers losing their stature but the cable companies as well. He added that the news business model just doesn’t work.
Leahy: We are talking with our good friend Clint Brewer. There is a story at The Tennessee Star. Tennesseestar.com. One of our top stories today. Gannett newspapers are going to furlough journalists. You’ve got a long long distinguished record in journalism. You worked for The Tennessean for awhile. You were one of their political editors. I guess the only conservative to ever work for The Tennessean perhaps. Were there any others besides you?
Brewer: Not that I was aware of at the time Mike. (Laughter)
Leahy: They are owned by Gannett which was acquired by GateHouse Media for one point four billion dollars. The parent corporation announced that they are providing unpaid newsroom furloughs through April, May and June. Except that’s for all journalists making more than $38,000 per year due to COVID-19. It’s a tough time for journalism and particularly news operations that have relatively high overheads. Where do you think this goes for local news?
Brewer: I think it’s devastating. It’s easy to hate on Gannett. I think a lot of people do it. I try to… (Leahy laughs)
Leahy: I do it every day. (Laughs)
Brewer: I try to disconnect feelings about the overall company as stewards of the news business and the local management and the people on the ground working. They did a heroic job during the tornadoes here. They were all over Middle Tennessee.
Leahy: I would agree with that. They did a good job covering the tornado.
Brewer: The people who work there are fine fine people. And they deeply deeply care about the job they do and about the communities they serve. And it’s just depressing to watch. I call it the legacy news business, the older models of news delivery as businesses were not in great shape to begin with. The GateHouse thing didn’t happen because…
Leahy: They were on the ropes basically right?
Brewer: Yeah. They didn’t happen to be healthy right? So the stock I think was about down to two dollars here recently. They were already a business that was on the ropes. They were already a format that has struggled to transition to a new digital economy. None of which is the fault of journalists right?
There are journalists who do the job of journalism. And then there are business people who are charged with making money around that. And the two are not really linked. The business strategy has nothing to do with how local people at the local level do their jobs. It comes from somewhere else.
Leahy: The Tennessee Star. The Tennesseestar.com has been in business now for over three years. And after the first year, I predicted that in five years we would be bigger than the Tennessean. Not necessarily because of our growth which has been significant, but because that model was changing. I think that prediction may actually end up being true.
We’ve kept our overhead very very low. We don’t have presses and print and all that kind of stuff. We have other ways of providing digital services to our clients. And we’ve been saving for a rainy day and had no overhead. So we are in great shape. Reporting news all the time. And I think things are going to be changing in Tennessee.
Brewer: Well I think things are changing everywhere Mike. The news business has been changing. It’s like any other business. New models emerge and old models die. And people need to understand that news is not a business model. That’s the first thing.
I remember when blogs came about and everybody thought blogs were going to replace newspapers. (Leahy chuckles) What is a blog? A blog is simply a writing format. Its not a business model. So people often conflate style with a business model. It’s not. And the folks and I want to make sure that I’m really clear. Not the local folks. The folks back at the home office making these decisions. They have just proven not to be particularly good business people over the last 30 to 40 years.
Leahy: What they’ve missed as you point out Clint is the changing ways that people take their news. Who looks at hard copy? And now with the coronavirus who wants to have a newspaper that they touch as opposed to electronically delivered content? Either on the internet. In audio format. Or over their mobile device. It’s all moving towards mobile devices, right?
Brewer: It is. And it’s not just news. Cable companies are having the same problem. How people consume information has changed just all the way around. From movies to television and music to news and written content. It’s being delivered in a new way almost every day. And I haven’t had cable in I think close to 10 years.
Leahy: Yeah. And my children are like that as well. And lots of people are like that as well. They go for the streaming services now. So Facebook, did you see this? Facebook announced that they are going to make 100 million dollars of grants available for local journalism. Did you see that? Campbell Brown is running that operation.
Brewer: Honestly, its where things are headed. I think Google has flirted with this in the past. Yahoo, when it was more relevant, flirted with this in the past. It used to be that if you owned a printing press or had an FCC license to broadcast you owned the channel right? Well, now Google, Facebook, and large consumer internet platforms they are the new printing presses with a broadcasting license.
Leahy: Google and Facebook, for small businesses they are effective. You may not like their political ideology. But if you are a small business person and you are looking for the most cost-effective way to promote your business its typically with Google and Facebook.
Brewer: Right. Its pennies on the dollar and it’s so effective. They think it’s so empirical. You know down to the person how many people looked at it. What you are paying for. And how many times the information was absorbed or the person had the opportunity to absorb the impression. It’s just far more empirical and far more fact-based in terms of what your buying and what you’re getting when you’re talking about advertising.
Leahy: The problem with Facebook is despite what they say publicly they do lean significantly left. And they do censor the news I think. If you go in and you say hey if a conservative outlet like The Tennessee Star, which says hey you ought to provide some of that 100 million bucks to us. I don’t think they would really jump up and down. We’ve been waiting to talk to you, Leahy. I don’t think that’s going to happen. (Chuckles)
Brewer: Yeah. Probably not Mike. The other thing is that even at these companies as advanced as they’ve become they are still subject to manipulation. I think that we saw that and people can argue about who did it. But it’s clear that in the last election there was a foreign intervention.
You can argue whether it was Ukraine or Russia. But somebody stood up all those operations using Facebook. They don’t sometimes understand themselves what they’ve created. It’s an evolving technology. Here recently I have a friend who owns a small business in Nashville and she had an experience where she put up some very benign copy on her company’s page about helping small businesses and it was taken down because Facebook said it violated its standards.
My friend in Knoxville had the same problem. And then there was a story that came out and said because people were working from home and some of the AI that Facebook uses to moderate content in the absence of people had made a mistake.
Leahy: Clint Brewer, all-star panelist thanks for joining us and have a great day.
Listen to the second hour here:
– – –
Tune in weekdays from 5:00 – 8:00 am to the Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy on Talk Radio 98.3 FM WLAC 1510. Listen online at iHeart Radio.
Photo “Gannett Building” by Shashi Bellamkonda.


thetennesseestar--2020-04-02--Some Confusion Surrounds Coronavirus-Related Small Business Loans in Tennessee

Tennessee small businesses are eligible for up to $ 10 million each in forgivable loans as part of the $ 2 trillion federal COVID-19 relief package , but some business owners are struggling to understand how to comply with the rules .
Like in many states , restrictions enacted by Gov .
Bill Lee have caused many businesses to scale back services or temporarily shut down .
Restaurants can not provide dine-in services and nonessential businesses have been forced to close .
Under the Paycheck Protection Program in the Coronavirus Aid , Relief , and Economic Security ( CARES ) @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is usually classified as a business that employs 500 or fewer people , is eligible for forgivable loans .
A business can borrow 250 percent of its average monthly payroll expenses , up to $ 10 million .
The government allocated $ 350 billion for this program .
Expenses that cover payroll , existing interest payments on mortgages , rent payments , leases and utility service agreements are eligible to be forgiven .
The loans can be used on other expenses , but those expenses would not be forgiven .
Jim Brown , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Federation of Independent Business , told The Center Square he hopes the loans will help keep small businesses afloat , but that it ’ s not yet clear how the loans will work .
“ The biggest problems we ’ re hearing from the ground today are understanding how to comply with [ Families First Coronavirus Response Act ] and CARES with effective dates looming and needed guidance , ” Brown said in an email .
Employers are getting requests from employees to be laid off so they can take advantage of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s combined with Tennessee ’ s $ 275-a-week maximum benefit , said Brown , who also noted business owners were having problems with the Small Business Administration ’ s loan website .
Brown said the most important thing governments can do is get money out the door .
He said businesses still are awaiting specifics and the sooner the guidance is issued , the sooner businesses can see relief .
He said every day matters .
Chris Edwards , the director of tax policy studies at the libertarian Cato Institute , raised @ @ @ @ @ @ @ government and state governments .
Edwards told The Center Square these loans will function essentially as grants because the government will forgive most of them .
He said that these costs will be added to the $ 23 trillion debt taxpayers ultimately will need to pay back .
Although Edwards said these loans will help some businesses stay afloat , he noted the loans also come with some strings attached .
Because of this , he said it is sometimes risky for businesses to take the loans because of disputes with the government @ @ @ @ @ @ @ possibility of businesses being closed for months , Edwards said the government needs to focus on ways to get businesses back up and running in a safe way .
He said less strict restrictions , such as a 10-patron limit , often can be better than forcing a business to close completely .
The CARES Act is designed to fund measures to combat the spread of COVID-19 and to relieve some of the economic burdens it has caused for businesses , individuals and state and local governments .
COVID-19 is a respiratory disease @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has 2,239 confirmed COVID-19 cases , 175 hospitalizations and 23 deaths , according to the Tennessee Department of Health .
The U.S. has more than 185,000 cases and at least 3,789 deaths .
COVID-19 symptoms appear within two to 14 days after exposure and include fever , cough , runny nose and difficulty breathing .
Tyler Arnold reports on Virginia and Tennessee for The Center Square .

by Tyler Arnold
Tennessee small businesses are eligible for up to $10 million each in forgivable loans as part of the $2 trillion federal COVID-19 relief package, but some business owners are struggling to understand how to comply with the rules.
Like in many states, restrictions enacted by Gov. Bill Lee have caused many businesses to scale back services or temporarily shut down. Restaurants cannot provide dine-in services and nonessential businesses have been forced to close.
Under the Paycheck Protection Program in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, a small business, which is usually classified as a business that employs 500 or fewer people, is eligible for forgivable loans. A business can borrow 250 percent of its average monthly payroll expenses, up to $10 million. The government allocated $350 billion for this program.
Expenses that cover payroll, existing interest payments on mortgages, rent payments, leases and utility service agreements are eligible to be forgiven. The loans can be used on other expenses, but those expenses would not be forgiven.
Jim Brown, the Tennessee state director for the National Federation of Independent Business, told The Center Square he hopes the loans will help keep small businesses afloat, but that it’s not yet clear how the loans will work.
“The biggest problems we’re hearing from the ground today are understanding how to comply with [Families First Coronavirus Response Act] and CARES with effective dates looming and needed guidance,” Brown said in an email.
Employers are getting requests from employees to be laid off so they can take advantage of the federal $600 weekly unemployment benefit that’s combined with Tennessee’s $275-a-week maximum benefit, said Brown, who also noted business owners were having problems with the Small Business Administration’s loan website.
Brown said the most important thing governments can do is get money out the door. He said businesses still are awaiting specifics and the sooner the guidance is issued, the sooner businesses can see relief. He said every day matters.
Chris Edwards, the director of tax policy studies at the libertarian Cato Institute, raised concerns about the approach of the federal government and state governments.
Edwards told The Center Square these loans will function essentially as grants because the government will forgive most of them. He said that these costs will be added to the $23 trillion debt taxpayers ultimately will need to pay back.
Although Edwards said these loans will help some businesses stay afloat, he noted the loans also come with some strings attached. Because of this, he said it is sometimes risky for businesses to take the loans because of disputes with the government that could erupt afterward.
With the possibility of businesses being closed for months, Edwards said the government needs to focus on ways to get businesses back up and running in a safe way. He said less strict restrictions, such as a 10-patron limit, often can be better than forcing a business to close completely.
The CARES Act is designed to fund measures to combat the spread of COVID-19 and to relieve some of the economic burdens it has caused for businesses, individuals and state and local governments.
COVID-19 is a respiratory disease caused by a novel coronavirus.
Tennessee has 2,239 confirmed COVID-19 cases, 175 hospitalizations and 23 deaths, according to the Tennessee Department of Health. The U.S. has more than 185,000 cases and at least 3,789 deaths.
COVID-19 symptoms appear within two to 14 days after exposure and include fever, cough, runny nose and difficulty breathing.
– – –
Tyler Arnold reports on Virginia and Tennessee for The Center Square.


thetennesseestar--2020-04-02--Biden: Democrats’ National Convention May Have to Be Postponed

Former U.S. Vice President Joe Biden , the likely Democratic candidate in November ’ s national presidential election , says the coronavirus pandemic sweeping the country is likely to force significant alterations or postponement of the party ’ s national nominating convention scheduled for July .
The Democratic and Republican national conventions are a quadrennial showpiece of American democracy , but Biden told MSNBC late Tuesday that it is “ hard to envision ” the Democratic convention set for mid-July in the Midwestern city of Milwaukee , Wisconsin , occurring as scheduled .
The Republican convention is planned for August @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of North Carolina .
“ We should listen to the scientists ” on whether it would be safe come mid-July to have several thousand Democrats and hundreds of media representatives crammed in close proximity to each other at the Fiserv Forum , a basketball arena , Biden told the news channel .
Under current restrictions , such a gathering would not be possible .
Republican President Donald Trump , Biden ’ s would-be opponent as he seeks a second term in the White House , has extended social distancing in the U.S. through @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s coronavirus death toll mounts by the hundreds every day .
Government and health officials have told Americans to keep from gathering in crowds of more than 10 people , with police in some communities already arresting violators .
Dozens of U.S. governors across the country have imposed stay-at-home orders , with about 80 % of the country ’ s 327 million people now under such directives .
Biden said the Democratic convention was scheduled to avoid conflict with the summer Olympics in Tokyo , which had been set to begin July @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have been postponed till 2021 , the Democratic Party could push ahead the start of its convention , if that would make sense related to coronavirus concerns three months from now .
“ There is more time now , ” Biden said .
“ We ought to be able to do what we were able to do in the middle of the Civil War all the way through to World War II — have Democratic and Republican conventions and primaries and elections , and still have public safety .
We ’ re able @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the national election set for Nov. 3 , Biden said that state election officials need to prepare now for more absentee ballots that are mailed in and should consider a virtual election , with secure remote voting .
“ They should be doing that now , planning on it , ” he added .
“ This is about making sure that we ’ re able to conduct our democracy while we ’ re dealing with a pandemic .
We can do both .
It may mean a difference in the way we do @ @ @ @ @ @ @ distancing doesn ’ t get it done .
It may mean that you have a circumstance where you have drive-in voting , literally.
” Ken Bredemeier , a veteran , award-winning Washington reporter and editor at the Washington Post and Chicago Tribune in years past , is a national and international writer for Voice of America .
Photo “ Joe Biden ” by Gage Skidmore .
CC BY-SA 2.0 .
Background Photo “ Democratic National Convention ” by Qqqqqq .
CC BY-SA 3.0 .

by Ken Bredemeier
Former U.S. Vice President Joe Biden, the likely Democratic candidate in November’s national presidential election, says the coronavirus pandemic sweeping the country is likely to force significant alterations or postponement of the party’s national nominating convention scheduled for July.
The Democratic and Republican national conventions are a quadrennial showpiece of American democracy, but Biden told MSNBC late Tuesday that it is “hard to envision” the Democratic convention set for mid-July in the Midwestern city of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, occurring as scheduled.
The Republican convention is planned for August in Charlotte in the Atlantic coastal state of North Carolina.
“We should listen to the scientists” on whether it would be safe come mid-July to have several thousand Democrats and hundreds of media representatives crammed in close proximity to each other at the Fiserv Forum, a basketball arena, Biden told the news channel.
Under current restrictions, such a gathering would not be possible.
Republican President Donald Trump, Biden’s would-be opponent as he seeks a second term in the White House, has extended social distancing in the U.S. through the end of April as the country’s coronavirus death toll mounts by the hundreds every day.
Government and health officials have told Americans to keep from gathering in crowds of more than 10 people, with police in some communities already arresting violators.
Dozens of U.S. governors across the country have imposed stay-at-home orders, with about 80% of the country’s 327 million people now under such directives.
Biden said the Democratic convention was scheduled to avoid conflict with the summer Olympics in Tokyo, which had been set to begin July 24. But now that the games have been postponed till 2021, the Democratic Party could push ahead the start of its convention, if that would make sense related to coronavirus concerns three months from now.
“There is more time now,” Biden said. “We ought to be able to do what we were able to do in the middle of the Civil War all the way through to World War II — have Democratic and Republican conventions and primaries and elections, and still have public safety. We’re able to do both.”
Looking ahead to the national election set for Nov. 3, Biden said that state election officials need to prepare now for more absentee ballots that are mailed in and should consider a virtual election, with secure remote voting.
“They should be doing that now, planning on it,” he added. “This is about making sure that we’re able to conduct our democracy while we’re dealing with a pandemic. We can do both. It may mean a difference in the way we do it. It may mean that social distancing doesn’t get it done. It may mean that you have a circumstance where you have drive-in voting, literally.”
– – –
Ken Bredemeier, a veteran, award-winning Washington reporter and editor at the Washington Post and Chicago Tribune in years past, is a national and international writer for Voice of America.
Photo “Joe Biden” by Gage Skidmore. CC BY-SA 2.0. Background Photo “Democratic National Convention” by Qqqqqq. CC BY-SA 3.0.


thetennesseestar--2020-04-02--Scientist Who Predicted Pandemic Blasts WHO: ‘They Set Us Back a Great Deal’

A world-renowned epidemiologist credited with predicting the coronavirus pandemic blasted the World Health Organization in an interview for creating a false sense of security that the virus could be easily contained .
“ Many of us were incredibly disappointed for lack of a better word in the WHO and its response , ” Dr. Michael Osterholm , the director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota , said in a podcast interview published Tuesday .
“ When you look at what WHO did I think they set us back a great deal because @ @ @ @ @ @ @ few countries that were going to get this would just do the containment work , we could stop it.
” “ Trying to stop this kind of transmission is like trying to stop the wind , ” he said .
“ So we held back on a preparedness , and gave people excuses not to do it.
” Osterholm , considered a premier expert in the field of infectious disease , gained national attention through an interview he gave on March 11 with podcaster Joe Rogan .
Osterholm issued a sober warning that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ United States and rest of the world because of how easily it could be transmitted from person to person .
In his 2017 book , “ Deadliest Enemy , ” Osterholm laid out a hypothetical pandemic that plays at much as the coronavirus outbreak has so far .
As of Wednesday , the United States has reported nearly 190,000 cases of coronavirus .
Nearly 890,000 have been confirmed across the globe .
WHO has come under intense scrutiny not only for its early assessment of the coronavirus threat , but because officials at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Chinese government ’ s claims about how it handled an outbreak that began in Wuhan in November 2019 .
On Jan. 14 , WHO published a tweet citing the Chinese government ’ s claim that there was no evidence of human-to-human transmission of coronavirus .
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus opposed early requests to shut down travel to and from China .
He praised the Chinese government following a Jan. 28 trip to Beijing for its “ openness to sharing information.
” Dr. Bruce Aylward , a WHO official who led the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in February , has heaped praise on the Chinese government for its draconian response to the pandemic .
He also said at a press conference that he saw no evidence that coronavirus was being spread by patients who experience no symptoms .
Coronavirus is not only spread easily through person-to-person contact , but a significant proportion of carriers are asymptomatic .
Dr. Robert Redfield , the director of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention ( CDC ) said Tuesday that as many as 25 % of people who have coronavirus may not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have been picked up and amplified by Chinese government propaganda outlets .
The Canada-born epidemiologist also gave an interview to China Daily , a government-controlled news outlet .
Osterholm said that WHO ’ s actions in the early weeks of the outbreak led health officials around the world to believe that if China had clamped down on coronavirus it could be contained in other countries .
“ There was this sense that China ’ s going to contain it , the whole world can contain it , ” he said .
“ I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they did , but they didn ’ t contain it .
They slowed it down , I surely give them that.
” Osterholm said there is growing evidence that coronavirus is reappearing in China and that the communist regime is trying to keep it secret .
He noted that the government shut down movie theaters last week and removed outside reporters from the country two weeks ago .
“ I think many of us think that they are in part experiencing a resurgence as they ’ re opening up their economy again , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to know it , ” Osterholm said .
Dr. Deborah Birx , the coordinator of the White House coronavirus task force , said Tuesday that China ’ s data was misleading .
“ The medical community interpreted the Chinese data as , this was serious , but smaller , ” she said at a White House press briefing .
“ Because , I think , probably we were missing a significant amount of the data.
” WHO ’ s repeated stumbles have prompted calls from Congress to investigate whether the United States should @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Scott on Tuesday called for an investigation into whether WHO was complicit in helping the Chinese government push out misinformation downplaying the extent of the coronavirus outbreak .
Chuck Ross is a reporter at Daily Caller News Foundation .
Photo “ Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus ” by ITU Pictures .
CC BY 2.0 .
Background Photo “ WHO Headquarters ” by Yann Forget / Wikimedia Commons / CC-BY-SA .
I

by Chuck Ross
A world-renowned epidemiologist credited with predicting the coronavirus pandemic blasted the World Health Organization in an interview for creating a false sense of security that the virus could be easily contained.
“Many of us were incredibly disappointed for lack of a better word in the WHO and its response,” Dr. Michael Osterholm, the director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota, said in a podcast interview published Tuesday.
“When you look at what WHO did I think they set us back a great deal because they made countries believe if just a few countries that were going to get this would just do the containment work, we could stop it.”
“We couldn’t.”
“Trying to stop this kind of transmission is like trying to stop the wind,” he said. “So we held back on a preparedness, and gave people excuses not to do it.”
Osterholm, considered a premier expert in the field of infectious disease, gained national attention through an interview he gave on March 11 with podcaster Joe Rogan. Osterholm issued a sober warning that coronavirus would likely wreak havoc on the United States and rest of the world because of how easily it could be transmitted from person to person.
In his 2017 book, “Deadliest Enemy,” Osterholm laid out a hypothetical pandemic that plays at much as the coronavirus outbreak has so far. As of Wednesday, the United States has reported nearly 190,000 cases of coronavirus. Nearly 890,000 have been confirmed across the globe.
WHO has come under intense scrutiny not only for its early assessment of the coronavirus threat, but because officials at the organization have deferred so heavily to the Chinese government’s claims about how it handled an outbreak that began in Wuhan in November 2019.
On Jan. 14, WHO published a tweet citing the Chinese government’s claim that there was no evidence of human-to-human transmission of coronavirus. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus opposed early requests to shut down travel to and from China. He praised the Chinese government following a Jan. 28 trip to Beijing for its “openness to sharing information.”
Dr. Bruce Aylward, a WHO official who led the organization’s fact-finding mission to China in February, has heaped praise on the Chinese government for its draconian response to the pandemic.
He also said at a press conference that he saw no evidence that coronavirus was being spread by patients who experience no symptoms.
Coronavirus is not only spread easily through person-to-person contact, but a significant proportion of carriers are asymptomatic. Dr. Robert Redfield, the director of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said Tuesday that as many as 25% of people who have coronavirus may not show symptoms.
Aylward’s interviews have been picked up and amplified by Chinese government propaganda outlets. The Canada-born epidemiologist also gave an interview to China Daily, a government-controlled news outlet.
Osterholm said that WHO’s actions in the early weeks of the outbreak led health officials around the world to believe that if China had clamped down on coronavirus it could be contained in other countries.
“There was this sense that China’s going to contain it, the whole world can contain it,” he said.
“I give great credit to China for what they did, but they didn’t contain it. They slowed it down, I surely give them that.”
Osterholm said there is growing evidence that coronavirus is reappearing in China and that the communist regime is trying to keep it secret. He noted that the government shut down movie theaters last week and removed outside reporters from the country two weeks ago.
“I think many of us think that they are in part experiencing a resurgence as they’re opening up their economy again, but they don’t want anybody to know it,” Osterholm said.
Dr. Deborah Birx, the coordinator of the White House coronavirus task force, said Tuesday that China’s data was misleading.
“The medical community interpreted the Chinese data as, this was serious, but smaller,” she said at a White House press briefing. “Because, I think, probably we were missing a significant amount of the data.”
WHO’s repeated stumbles have prompted calls from Congress to investigate whether the United States should continue funding the organization.
Sen. Rick Scott on Tuesday called for an investigation into whether WHO was complicit in helping the Chinese government push out misinformation downplaying the extent of the coronavirus outbreak.
– – –
Chuck Ross is a reporter at Daily Caller News Foundation.
Photo “Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus” by ITU Pictures. CC BY 2.0. Background Photo “WHO Headquarters” by Yann Forget / Wikimedia Commons / CC-BY-SA. I