Red Light On Red Lights
Posted on September 22, 2008 at 1:44 pmJustin Owen, Director of Legal Policy, and Research Associate George Shifflett over at the Tennessee Center for Policy Research have released their findings after studying the effectiveness of red light cameras. They’re bad, mmkay:
The report suggests that cities cease operating the red light camera programs and instead opt for a safer, more effective and less intrusive solution such as extending yellow light times.
“Red light cameras are a troubling example of how government and business put money over safety and common sense to tag team Tennessee’s drivers,” Owen said. “It’s sickening that cities would put drivers in danger and the Constitution in peril just to make a quick buck.”
Read the full report.
Messing With Texas: Seibert Leaves Think Tank For Internet Startup
Posted on August 12, 2008 at 8:01 am
Journalist turned think-tanker, Trent “Sweet Tea” Seibert, is turning journalist yet again. The former Tennessean reporter and WKRN investigative journalist who teamed up more than a year ago with the libertarian Tennessee Center For Policy Research to serve as their Director of Government Accountability has departed that organization and the Music City for the home of the Astrodome.
Seibert, with the help of some as yet unnamed benefactors, has started Texas Watchdog described on its new website as “a news Web site and training center that scrutinizes the actions of government agencies, bureaucracies and politicians in Texas.”
While he was loathe to leave Nashville, Seibert felt the opportunity to strike out on his own was too good to pass up.
“Leaving Nashville will be the toughest part. I love this town. It’s a heckuva town. I’ll miss working with Drew [Johnson] and with TCPR. There was a free-wheeling spirit there. We were fighting for a lot of good things: better open records, a more transparent government, more government accountability to residents – the kinds of things I fought for as a journalist,” Seibert tells Post Politics. “But I want to get back into journalism, and this is a phenomenal opportunity to do exactly that, as well as work with two journalists that I greatly respect.”
Indeed, Seibert is not alone in this venture and the names of his associates and fellow board members will not be unfamiliar to Tennessee media watchers. Lee Ann O’Neal, formerly of the Tennessean as well as the Asheville (N.C.) Citizen-Times, is on the team as City Editor.
Also on board is currrent Tennessean Government Editor Jennifer Peebles. The 14 year Tennessean veteran and Vandy grad, however, cannot be chalked up as just the latest statistic in the mass exodus from 1100 Broadway. Peebles has no intention of leaving her day job.
The powers that be at the Tennessean are fully apprised of her involvement in the new organization and bestowed their blessing on her activities. Peebles role with Watchdog will be chiefly an advisory one as her former Tennessean colleagues do most of the grunt work on the ground in Texas.
“I am very excited to be part of Texas Watchdog, even though Trent and Lee Ann are really doing all the work,” Peebles explains, “I think two full-time employees is about all our little startup nonprofit is going to handle. I have the greatest respect for Trent and Lee Ann — God bless ‘em, they have taken a leap of faith and are truly putting their whole lives into making this work. Leaving your job (and your health insurance) to move to another state is a big leap. They’ve really put their whole lives into it.”
As its website indicates, the new organization is not only seeking to fill a void in investigative journalism Seibert has seen develop as traditional news organizations cut staff and resources, Texas Watchdog has an evangelical mission as well.
“Our organizational model is a newsroom – that teaches. We’re bringing in bloggers, citizen journalists, journalists from small papers – frankly, anyone that wants to walk through the door. We train them and they produce for our website where we will break news. They leave with the skills of a journalist so they can dig up original content for their own blogs/jobs/desire to fight city hall,” explains Seibert.
So why Texas? Trent breaks it down.
“Texas is a place that people nationally look to see what works and then they duplicate it in their states. (California would have been another logical choice, in that regard.) And Houston is chock full of entrepreneurs. We’re hoping to tap into that community for ideas/cash/support, etc.” Seibert tells Post Politics.
“If it works in Texas, it can work anywhere in the US. And with journalism going the way it is, I think we need more organizations like this in every city in America.”
Texas Watchdog is an independent, nonpartisan corporation currently seeking nonprofit 501(c)3 status. Apply to work with Trent here.
SEE ALSO: Trent on YouTube
Those Right Wingers And Their Deficit Spending
Posted on August 7, 2008 at 1:16 pmThe Brainstem doesn’t see how the Tennessee Center For Policy Research can gripe about the financial solvency of First Lady Andrea Conte when they themselves are no stranger to getting behind on their bills:
The venture, to sell leaves from around the Governor’s mansion dipped in gold for $25 bucks a pop, got off to a good start but has since puttered out. But what is interesting, is that while Drew Johnson criticizes Conte for not being financially solvent with her non-profit venture; his own venture is having trouble staying in the black.
According to financial disclosure forms (pdf) obtained from Goldstar.com, the Tennessee Center for Policy Research operated in 2006 with a net loss of over 23K dollars…nearly 13K more than Andrea Conte has come up short on her effort to pay for restorations of the Governor’s mansion. Of course, its gotta be expensive to pay someone to sit in front of Al Gore’s electric meter 24/7, so its understandable why they might be a little light on cash.
UPDATE: Drew Johnson points out that while TCPR did run a deficit that year, they also started the year with some $28,000 in the bank. So while they did go 23K in the hole, they had that money in the bank to make it up leaving them some $5,000 in the bank.
SEE ALSO: Drew Johnson on the radio.
GQ Drew Gives Nashville The Shaka
Posted on August 6, 2008 at 12:04 pmDrew Johnson of the Tennessee Center for Policy Research, Nashville’s premiere libertarian think tank, most famous for its Al Gore exposes, hot air balloon rides, fine art purchases in addition to their more scholarly endeavors, has hired a brand new Executive Vice President, Mr. Shaka Mitchell:
“Shaka is known in the free market community for his vigorous defense of individual liberty. We are excited that he is bringing that commitment to protecting and expanding freedom to Tennessee,” said Drew Johnson, President of TCPR. “His thoughtful and principled advocacy of individual rights is a welcome addition to TCPR where, on a daily basis, we fight to prevent government abuse of the public trust and citizens’ rights.”
Drew Johnson Is Full Of….
Posted on July 24, 2008 at 12:04 pmFor fans and non-fans of the crew down at the Tennessee Center for Policy Research tonight may yield some interesting television — if you have the full array of channels.
GQ Drew, in a segment taped last October, will appear on a new episode of Penn & Teller: Bull****! tonight at 9pm on Showtime to discuss the threats to his and his staff’s person’s in the wake of their reporting on Al Gore’s energy consumption.
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Further Refutation Of Al Gore’s Alleged Energy Guzzle
Posted on June 18, 2008 at 7:54 amFurther response from Al Gore spokeswoman Kalee Kreider on the assertions of the Tennessee Center for Policy Research that despite rennovations Al Gore’s Belle Meade home is still guzzling energy at an alarming rate:
I am happy to provide more information about this from the Gores’ perspective. First, this release yesterday are a mere re-release of old bills. If any of you have ever worked with contractors, you know that renovations take years. The Gores renovated a 80 year old house from stem to stern. This took about 3 years to go through all the ducwork, to install a geothermal system, to replace all the windows, to put in solar panels (which used to be illegal in Bellemeade and took 6 months to reverse).
So, to be clear, the Gores’ achieved Gold LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification in November 2007. The reduction in the electricity and natural gas bills–you need to look at both in order to truly evaluate their carbon footprint, really kicked in in 2008. At that point, evaluating both, there is about a 40 percent reduction.
Their natural gas bill has seen the biggest reduction as a result of the geothermal system. For electricity, they purchase green power through their utility, which is called “Green Power Switch.” It isn’t an offset, any customer can purchase green power (solar, wind, methane gas) and its a wonderful program.
MORE: Kay Brooks
Renovating The Image: Gore’s House Steady Guzzlin’
Posted on June 17, 2008 at 3:26 pmThe boys over at the Tennessee Center For Policy Research celebrates a over a year of dining out over exposing Al Gore’s electric bills by exposing that, after extensive renovations, the house still consumes an inordinate amount of electricity:
After the Tennessee Center for Policy Research exposed Gore’s massive home energy use, the former Vice President scurried to make his home more energy-efficient. Despite adding solar panels, installing a geothermal system, replacing existing light bulbs with more efficient models, and overhauling the home’s windows and ductwork, Gore now consumes more electricity than before the “green” overhaul.
Since taking steps to make his home more environmentally-friendly last June, Gore devours an average of 17,768 kWh per month –1,638 kWh more energy per month than before the renovations – at a cost of $16,533. By comparison, the average American household consumes 11,040 kWh in an entire year, according to the Energy Information Administration.
UPDATE 6:15: Gore spokeswoman Kalee Kreider takes issue with the TCPR release:
Kreider pointed out that the renovations weren’t complete until November, so it’s a bit early to be attempting before-and-after comparisons. In addition, the Gores participate in the Nashville Electric Service’s Green Power Switch Program, which allows them to buy their electricity from renewable sources like wind power, solar power or methane gas from landfills (the house’s 33 solar panels only supply 4 percent of its power needs, per Kreider.) So any energy they burn won’t be burning them a bigger carbon footprint.
SEE ALSO:
Mens News Daily
The Nashville City Paper
Grantham Is Talking
Stop the ACLU
Jennifer Peebles
Terry Frank
Bill Hobbs
Mike Slater
Webutante
Kay Brooks
Stacey Campfield
The Guerilla Women
Tennessean
Some Expensive Emails
Posted on May 27, 2008 at 7:35 amDrew Johnson of the Tennessee Center For Policy Research is once again knee deep in a controversy over open records requests:
Revenue officials gave Mr. Johnson a choice. Department employees could go through the e-mails themselves for free, or the state’s Office for Information Resources could do it at a cost of $3,201 for each day of correspondence, they said.
“The issue here, of course is that if someone has an embarrassing term … on their computer, they’re not going to just turn it over. They would delete the e-mail,” said Mr. Johnson, who heads up the Nashville-based anti-tax group. “The only way to have an external person check e-mails to ensure that every e-mail is actually turned over is through an electronic master tape.”
Sophie Moery, a spokeswoman for the Revenue Department, said the Office for Information Resources sets the price. She said officials made sure to offer Mr. Johnson the option of getting information for free.
“We certainly would not want to leave him with the only option of an expensive search,” she said.
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Live By The Code
Posted on May 8, 2008 at 10:24 amMatt Pulle does a bit of court and code sleuthing after the Bredesen administration seemed to balk a bit at handing over correspondence over the Bredesen Bunker issue to the Tennessee Center For Policy Research:
Interestingly, the governor’s stance on emails ignored the one-time counsel of the Tennessee Attorney General’s Office. Frank Gibson, executive director of the Tennessee Coalition for Open Government and a former editor at The Tennessean, says that an attorney at the AG’s office once warned state lawmakers not to put anything in an email they wouldn’t want to run on a billboard on West End Avenue. But now the Tennessee Attorney General’s Office is arguing for secrecy, citing an obscure 2005 case involving the—you guessed it—Giles Board of Education.
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Personal Health Accounts
Posted on April 21, 2008 at 2:24 pmRep. Brian Kelsey and Drew Johnson of the Tennessee Center for Policy Research will be speaking before the Health and Human Services committee regarding HB1231, which requires the Commissioner of Finance and Administration to seek a new federal waiver or an amendment to the TennCare waiver in order to implement a personal health accounts program according to the House Republican Caucus.
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The Tennessee Pork Report: It’s Coming
Posted on April 18, 2008 at 2:06 pmTrent Seibert will be there along with a large pig. What more can you ask for?:
The Tennessee Center for Policy Research (TCPR), Tennessee’s free market think tank, in conjunction with Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW), the nation’s premiere taxpayer watchdog, will release the 2008 Tennessee Pork Report: Waste, Fraud and Abuse of Your Tax Dollars Exposed at a press conference on Wednesday, April 23. The report is the third annual Tennessee Pork Report, the Volunteer State’s only comprehensive examination of the waste of taxpayer dollars committed by politicians and bureaucrats at all levels of government in Tennessee.
What: Tennessee Pork Report Release
Who: The Tennessee Center for Policy Research and Citizens Against Government Waste
When: Wednesday, April 23, 2008 at 11:00 a.m.
Where: Senate Library in the Tennessee State Capitol (Across from the Senate Chamber)
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