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As I was passing a park with a pond in Maryville I noticed some ducks running around. I stopped for a look and noticed there were six or more male ducks chasing a single female duck. She would run down the hill to the pond, then turn around and run up the hill, then turn around again and run down the hill. It was quite amusing.

This ties very nicely into John Bohstedt's talk last week at "Books Sandwiched In." What do you think about this issue?

(link...)

Please help spread the word -

I'm looking for local musicians and their supporters to band together (pardon the pun) to encourage local businesses to adopt this practice in Knox County. If you're interested, please contact me via private message or email (no phone calls, please - my phone is unreliable at the moment and I'm shopping for a new one).

Yahoo Finance …

The complex study examined 1,779 public policy issues between 1981 and 2002, including the policy preferences of middle-income people, the wealthy, and interest groups such as lobbying organizations, unions, and membership associations like AARP. The researchers then isolated instances when a policy change actually took place, to figure out who, essentially, got their way.

Many of us like to believe that popular opinion influences policymakers, at least indirectly. So ordinary voters may be dismayed to hear that “the preferences of the average American appear to have only a minuscule, near-zero, statistically non-significant impact upon public policy."

The astounding power of "economic elites"

Testing Theories of American Politics: Elites, Interest Groups, and Average Citizens

Since I've been thinking a lot about technology lately, wondered if anyone has any thoughts on this:

(link...)?

not precisely kosher, but ... no bread, no meat

I'm looking for a new phone - the one I have has become very unreliable. You should know that I am technologically very un-advanced (but I'm learning). I've actually had this phone for years and still don't know how to use a lot of it's features - so a top-of-line, super-fancy model doesn't interest me. Mostly all I do is talk, occasionally text, and take pictures. The system I currently use is Cricket (gasp!) , and I've no complaints whatsoever about their service. I DO need a better voicemail function/capacity than this one currently has, and I would like one that takes better pictures. I've always used Cricket since I got my first phone, when Aidyn was a couple of years old (she's 12 now). I think I've only had two phones during that time.

We're also looking for a system (not necessarily Cricket) that has a great family plan, as Aidyn will most likely get a phone for her 13th birthday this summer. I would welcome any advice on a first phone for her, as well.

Anything I have to purchase or signup for through WalMart is out of the question.

This could be BIG.

If you watched the women's basketball NCAAs, who was the most intriguing player in the games?

If you said Diamond DeShields, buy yourself a beer.

Continued...

TNGOP: Another Successful Legislative Session Comes to a Close

Tennessee’s Republican leaders “presided over another successful legislative session that made state better, stronger”

Continued...

I had posted a response on my Facebook page to the KNS endorsement of my opponent, Terry Hill, in my race and sent that out some days ago to just a few media outlets, doubtful they'd care to report it anywhere.

Thanks to Mike Donilla, who did post it at Screams from the Porch earlier today, here.

(Apologies for the dorky homemade picture, heh. He grabbed that one off my LinkedIn page, where I'd been meaning to replace it with one of somebody who doesn't look like me.)

The 108th General Assembly has adjourned "sine die," meaning they are outta there and won't be back this year.

It also means Rep. Gloria Johnson can start taking campaign donations again...

The first year I covered state government, I used to go to Sen. Carl Koella's office pretty frequently just to shoot the shit. He was a fabulous storyteller and an interesting political study. Son of a very wealthy Blount County family, he was so far to the right that he sometimes went plumb round the bend and agreed with some of his most left-leaning colleagues, like his support for spending more money in inner city schools. Before it was fashionable to do so. Usually, though, I guess he was a libertarian. I believe he provided the seed money for the start up of the Tennessee Conservative Union.

Anyhow, one day I went by his office toward the end of the week, and he had a big card game going with a bunch of lobbyists. They were smoking cigars and drinking whisky and cracking on each another, and having way too good a time, when a bunch of preachers came in to see the senator.

Irritated, Carl went out into his outer office to see what they wanted.

Continued...

Local media is reporting on a man falling down a cliff near the 1000 block of Cherokee Trail in South Knoxville around 4:30AM. This is up the road from UT Hospital. Very sad and scary.

As of right now, there are three different stories as to why the man was near the cliff and fell.

WATE: "Officials at the scene say the man was camping with friends when he fell."

WVLT: The Knoxville Fire Department rescued a man Wednesday morning after he lost control while rappelling, breaking his rope and falling off an overlook.

WBIR: According to KFD Spokesman DJ Corcoran, the man and his friend had come to a lookout area near Cherokee Bluff overlooking the Tennessee River after finishing work at a west Knoxville restaurant.
As the men were standing there, one of them turned around momentarily. When he turned back around, the other man was gone.

KNS: A man is in serious condition Thursday after falling about 150 yards off Cherokee Trail where he and a co-worker had gone to see the city lights.

Best wishes that the man recovers.

Say it's temporary to get it passed then renew it indefinitely.

MSNBC ...

When the Senate comes back after its April recess, it’s slated to take up legislation that would extend $85 billion in tax breaks that would benefit everyone from NASCAR track owners and Hollywood studios to corporate multinationals. The bill includes more than 50 provisions known as “tax extenders”—tax breaks that were originally intended to be temporary, but which Congress has extended annually. It’s poised to go through the motions again and pass yet another extenders bill with strong bipartisan support, without offsetting any of the cost.

Senate clears path for corporate tax giveaways

Anyone that has attended a music show at both the Biltmore Concert venue in Asheville and the Ryman Theatre in Nashville and can offer a comparison of the two as a place to see/hear a show?

What: Knoxville Comedy Cruise
When: Friday, April 18, 2014 - 10:00pm
Where: Star of Knoxville

The monthly Knoxville Comedy Cruise in April features national touring comic Jarrod Harris from Atlanta (as seen on Comedy Central and TBS and featured online in Action Figure Therapy). Among the local opening acts will be Shane Rhyne, known to KnoxViews readers as Tennessee Values Authority.

Tickets are $15 at the dock, but can be purchased directly from Shane for $10 before the show. Contact Shane at shanerhyne@gmail.com for tickets if interested.

What: 5th District Democrats - State Sen. Candidate Cheri Siler to speak
When: Monday, April 21, 2014 - 6:00pm
Where: Farragut Library - 417 N. Campbell Station Road, Knoxville 37934

Dem State Senate District #7 candidate Cheri Siler (Campfield opponent) will speak

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for info: Jerome Miller (millerjq@charter.net)

Elvis is back on the Princess stage April 19th (this Saturday) at 6PM.

See flier on the Princess Blog for details!

I've just received a very big honor, the national Sigma Delta Chi award for General Column Writing (small to medium size newspapers)

(link...)

In a couple months I'll be headed to the National Press Club for the awards ceremony. Wow.

From MSNBC …

The Congressional Budget Office this week lowered both the short- and long-term costs of Obamacare by billions of dollars.

A new report released Monday estimated the Affordable Care Act’s net cost for 2014 at $36 billion, $5 billion less than the past figure for the year, according to the Joint Committee on Taxation and CBO. Additionally, officials anticipate an overall price tag of $1,383 billion between 2015 and 2024, $104 billion less than previous projections. Premiums through an exchange marketplace will likely be lower than first expected.

CBO lowers costs of Obamacare by billions

CBO Updated Estimates of Affordable Care Act April 2014