BLOG FORWARDhttp://www.wardcammack.com/blog/Ward Cammack, Democratic Gubernatorial candidate for TNen-US2010-03-10T08:36:10ZSquarespace Site Server v5.9.2 (http://www.squarespace.com/)Walking the campaign talkhttp://www.wardcammack.com/blog/2009/11/8/walking-the-campaign-talk.htmlWC Webadmin2009-11-09T03:43:14ZWhy the Green Economy Is THE Economyhttp://www.wardcammack.com/blog/2009/9/15/why-the-green-economy-is-the-economy.htmlWC Webadmin2009-09-16T02:17:43ZAlaska's Glaciers and Tennessee's Ash Spillhttp://www.wardcammack.com/blog/2009/8/17/alaskas-glaciers-and-tennessees-ash-spill.htmlWC Webadmin2009-08-18T03:17:11ZTriathlons and the Governor's racehttp://www.wardcammack.com/blog/2009/8/3/triathlons-and-the-governors-race.htmlWC Webadmin2009-08-04T03:10:00ZI so enjoyed running, biking and swimming for many years that people suggested I put all three together and compete in a triathlon. Nashville boasts the second oldest in the world (the Hawaii Iron Man is the original), so I set my sights and began training.

Triathlons are about endurance, but what many don’t know is this combination of swimming, biking and running is done in reverse order of risk: drowning, falling off, and falling down – like political campaigns.

You’re tested from the start. You train for months in clear chlorinated water alone in your swim-lane. Then you find yourself swimming in water you can’t see through with the company of 1,000 (at Memphis in May) to 5,000 (at Chicago’s Ms. T.’s Triathlon). Flailing, thrashing bodies surround you. Each breath between strokes provides a sudden, different, dramatic snapshot: a clear view across the water, a 6 ½-foot, 200-pound all-sinew competitor swimming right over you with all the force of the Queen Mary (where did he come from?), and then the heels of someone in front of you (while at the same time someone grabs your ankle and pulls).

The intricacies are in two transitions. The first transition from swimming to biking involves running out of the water to the transition area, removing your wetsuit, putting on bike cleats and riding for twenty-five miles. Transition two is changing from cleats to running shoes and going all-out for 6 miles while your legs adjust from rotating to the back-and-forth of running. Each competitor wears a chip that times each segment of the race and each transition. Several weeks later, competitors receive in-depth analysis of times and rankings.

Some races begin with timed starts, perhaps six seconds apart so it may be an hour or more before everyone is in the water. You might be just heading out for your bike segment when someone else is already coming back in to run, provoking you to think you don’t stand a chance. Others triathlons begin en-masse, almost violent and certainly energetic.

Anyone’s first triathlon has points when you might quit. But along the way are stations for you to grab a drink of water or just dump it on your head, people clapping, and on-lookers vigorously urging you onward. How can you let them down! At the end is the magnificent food tent with all sorts of fruits, energy bars, baked goods, cold beer and so on – and all that continues right up until the last straggler makes it over the line.

There is no “one” triathlon. So much is learned with your first that you start training for the next, figuring out how to do it faster. You realize you could wear one piece of clothing under your wetsuit to bike in and to run – the smaller and the lesser, the better. You challenge yourself, and by doing so, you begin to place in the national rankings. The more you do, the better you get. Preparation. Execution. You’re hooked.

Eventually I competed around the country: Atlanta, Memphis, Tullahoma, Austin, Chicago, Nashville … once being so intent to get my bike on the plane for Boulder that my wife and I left our car keys in the ignition with the doors open at the terminal. For a small fee, the airport parked it for us.

Today, these are just memories of a 52-year-old man with bad knees who is now running for Governor of Tennessee. But they are great memories that resonate with the focus and energy required to run for office. Like most things, it’s easier to not try, but the failure is in not trying. The race needs everyone, all ages, all participants, inside the race and out, cheering, and handing out water.

]]>Why I drive a Prius and buy local foodhttp://www.wardcammack.com/blog/2009/7/24/why-i-drive-a-prius-and-buy-local-food.htmlWC Webadmin2009-07-24T17:32:00ZIf you never saw Roger & Me or Food, Inc., I suggest that you run, don’t walk, and order both immediately. The first is Michael Moore’s 1989 film exposing the pre-bankruptcy arrogance of General Motors. The second, a movie and a book, is Karl Weber’s account of how America sources most of its food.

One can talk at length about the carbon footprint of cars and agri-business, but my point here is about things promoted as good that diminish our individual well being.

For years we have seen politicians blather about driving US brand name automobiles in support of American workers. All the while, politicians protected the US auto industry by not requiring aggressive, competitive fuel efficiency standards for the sake of protecting US jobs. So, US companies made cheaper gas-guzzlers in the name of enhancing the jobs of US workers when in fact nothing could have been more un-competitive and harmful to US workers. All the while, GM made a bundle selling auto financing to Americans just coming out of bankruptcy because these are the people with spotless balance sheets with quick credit approval. Unfortunately, both practices were self-diminishing and did US workers no favors.

Is organic expensive? Let’s talk about hamburger and Mad Cow disease. According to Food, Inc., a typical hamburger may be comprised of as many as 1,000 different cows filtering through the 4 major slaughter and processing plants in the US. Factory farm operators still feed “poultry litter” (the waste found on poultry barns) to cows, and prior to that, the poultry may have been fed cattle tissue prior to creating poultry litter. In a second slap to consumers, factory farmers mix low doses of antibiotics into animal feed, which makes bacteria resistant to the antibiotics for which we pay so dearly. And, if beef is corn-fed as opposed to grass-fed, it’s fattier, probably non-organic and more likely to promote heart disease.

In both instances, we all pay the price, some more than others, as insult is driven to injury with a topping of political sanctimony. American workers are better served by government demanding exceptionally high auto emission standards. In fact, the US would be energy independent today if congress had approved Jimmy Carter’s 1978 proposal of 24 miles per gallon. A lot of things might have been different. And, be circumspect when someone says that eating local or organic is too expensive. If you want to support farmers and save money, buy local first and then make sure it’s organic.

Accordingly, we will do better for the US economy and worker, rural and urban, by driving the most fuel efficient cars we can and eating as healthy as we can. And, we can do more for our bank account and our health in the process.

]]>TVA, Energy Investments, and Water Resourceshttp://www.wardcammack.com/blog/2009/7/1/tva-energy-investments-and-water-resources.htmlWC Webadmin2009-07-01T21:11:00ZWe are accelerating toward renewable energy. Cheap, seemingly-infinite, ground-based energy afforded our industrialization, but we are past the point of diminishing returns and headed toward serious loss of jobs and capital if we do not focus upon purely renewable sources. Other states are getting purposeful and directed, so Tennessee must be clear-headed about the facts, risks and opportunities.

The day after Christmas my wife Shelley, youngest daughter Wardie, dog Skipper and I ventured to Kingston to see the Ash Spill firsthand. The spill was and continues to be grim. We will be decades in understanding the damage. With over $100 million already spent, the dollar cost is now estimated to range $675 million to $975 million. Damaged wildlife, rivers and streams have been mentioned but with scant discussion of deep water impact and the long-range implications, which existed before the spill.

Tennessee must insist that energy investments are forward-looking and overseen by proven entities. The simplest explanation of renewable energy is that sources are limitless, free (sun, wind, biomass, geothermal), and harmless. The cost of energy is huge and always will be. However, as exemplified by the spill, we have moved from a world of infinite resources to finite resources in which there is no more “away” in throwing away. We will continue to rely on our existing investments, but additional investment in any non-renewable source is a contradiction and a waste.

As recently pointed out in the Tennessean, TVA is saddled with decommissioning and retirement fund liabilities in addition to debt service upon multi-billion dollar investments in nuclear facilities of which only 2 out of 17 planned plants were completed. North Carolina’s suit against TVA to recoup pollution penalties they have paid for our emissions may force TVA to accelerate plans to add pollution controls to coal plants in Tennessee and Alabama at significant cost let alone the burgeoning liability. Insistence upon the status quo carries costly consequences.

With respect to new investments in nuclear and the heralded mini-plants, nuclear energy is based on a finite source and is non-renewable. And, nuclear waste is hazardous, as we well know.

Nuclear plants also suck up lots of water. We may recall last year’s suit by Georgia against Tennessee for access to the Tennessee River. Georgia takes water seriously, and Georgia will pursue the matter. Some skeptics question the concept of climate change, but there is zero contention about falling water levels on a worldwide level, which includes the US, and, yes, Tennessee. Almost any farmer will tell you that water is a concern. At a time when counties continue to be water-constrained, we must not dare go in the direction of risking the lives of Tennesseans by being so cavalier with the one resource essential to human life.

Energy is core to everything we do socially and in our jobs. The less we spend on energy and the cleaner it is, the more viable our economy and our ability to produce jobs will be. We are at an inflection point of infrastructure change. We need to be smart and to get it right. The states that succeed will be the states with smart energy grids, truly renewable energy and plentiful, clean water. It’s that simple.

]]>Understanding Tennessee's Economic Challengeshttp://www.wardcammack.com/blog/2009/6/25/understanding-tennessees-economic-challenges.htmlWC Webadmin2009-06-25T21:36:00ZThere is no doubt that the major challenge we face today is economic. The current economic crisis was caused by a financial bubble whose collapse almost no-one saw coming. But I spent my entire career in finance – and I did see it coming.

This collapse is related to the much slower and more obvious decline of heavy industry, which began with the rise in world oil prices several decades ago, and of agriculture – as a source of employment, traditional land use, and food production – which has been going on for at least a century. Those factors are now obvious to most – but their interconnection, and, most importantly, their relationship to the current crisis in finance, have eluded just about everyone. I made smart business decisions 10 years ago to prepare for these changes, and that’s the understanding I want to bring to the governor’s office.

]]>No Ethics Rollback for State Legislatorshttp://www.wardcammack.com/blog/2009/6/8/no-ethics-rollback-for-state-legislators.htmlWC Webadmin2009-06-08T18:01:00ZHow often are Tennesseans left wondering just what in the world our state legislators are thinking?

Why, for example, are the State House and Senate on a mission to roll back ethics laws? These laws are meant to ensure that our legislators focus on the business of the people rather than on their own enrichment and that they conduct that business in the most ethical manner possible. To be specific, why is the General Assembly about to overturn the ban on allowing legislators to raise campaign funds during session and why are they abolishing the Tennessee Ethics Commission?

Now, let’s be fair, most state legislators are selfless public servants that run for office for all the right reasons. They work long hours for very little pay in an attempt to make the lives of their constituents just a little bit better.

But let’s not forget that we are barely four years removed from the day that FBI agents arrested three sitting state senators, one sitting House member, and one former senator for betraying the public’s trust. That scandal was just shy of 16 years removed from the previous round of arrests of unscrupulous state legislators.

Almost 15 years ago, the General Assembly took the wise step of barring its members from raising campaign funds during session. Common sense tells us that allowing monied special interests to dole out campaign cash while bills are before the House and Senate is a recipe for corruption. Imagine that just before a particularly important bill comes before a committee, some special interest fat cat drops off a stack of campaign checks for a legislator. We all know that is a blatant attempt to influence the legislative process.

In the wake of the Tennessee Waltz scandal, Governor Bredesen and the General Assembly established the Ethics Commission as an independent entity to oversee the ethical conduct of our state legislature. Barely four years later, the General Assembly is now trying to abolish the commission, over Governor Bredesen’s protestations. Tennesseans can’t help but wonder why.

Proponents claim this move is a cost-cutting measure. They want to roll the Ethics Commission into the Tennessee Registry of Election Finance and have that body take up the commission’s responsibilities. To Tennesseans, this looks like a way to sweep the Ethics Commission under the rug.

None of this is in the best interest of the people of Tennessee. If a legislator wants to run for another office, then quit the General Assembly and run. It is not in the best interests of the people of Tennessee to allow monied special interests to write huge campaign checks to influence the legislative process. And it is not in the best interests of the people of Tennessee to do away with the Ethics Commission. The General Assembly needs more ethical oversight, not less.

Tennesseans have never held the General Assembly in high regard and such shenanigans don’t help its image. Rather than rolling back ethics laws, our state legislators should pass a balanced budget and go home.

]]>Why Bad Financial Deals Matterhttp://www.wardcammack.com/blog/2009/5/15/why-bad-financial-deals-matter.htmlWC Webadmin2009-05-15T16:30:00ZThis week, we’ve seen more media reports of elected officials across Tennessee entering into financial transactions when they weren’t exactly sure of all the ramifications of those transactions. Many Tennesseans may read these stories and think, “Okay, I get this is bad, but why should I care?”

Put simply, we should care because bad deals can cost us all dearly.

Take the municipal bond swaps, for example. It may surprise many Tennesseans to learn that the municipal bond interest rate swaps “gone bad” may directly impact them even if they don’t live in a community that entered into one of these transactions.

It’s fairly simple to understand the consequences for citizens living in the areas directly involved. The higher interest payments will force these local governments to take one of two actions: find ways to generate more income, which means raising taxes or fees or creating new taxes or fees; or cutting expenses, which means cutting essential services or laying off city or county employees.

Raising taxes or fees or creating new taxes or fees means families in these communities will keep less of their hard-earned money. That would be particularly painful with so many families already struggling to make ends meet. Cutting public jobs and services, on the other hand, could have dire consequences in both the short and long term. Cut a fireman, a police officer, or a sheriff’s deputy and emergency response times go down. Cut a teacher and education suffers. Cut funding for road maintenance and potholes spread.

Clearly these “swaps gone bad” will have negative consequences for families living in the communities that entered into them. But these deals could also impact Tennesseans living outside these communities.

On a very personal level, a specific way Tennesseans might be impacted is through a reduction in the value of their savings and investments, including retirement investments. Numerous Tennesseans own municipal bonds either directly or indirectly through a fixed income mutual fund. Additionally, many banks and brokerage firms offer clients products such as interest bearing checking accounts and CDs that invest directly in municipal bonds or in money market funds that hold municipal bonds. When the cities and towns that entered into these swaps face higher interest payments, the credit-worthiness of those municipalities deteriorates, causing the value of their bonds to decline.

On a broader level, reduced economic activity in the communities struggling with the consequences of higher interest payments translates directly into lower sales tax receipts for the state. Given the dramatic underperformance of state tax collections for well over a year now, this creates more pressure on the state budget, increasing the likelihood that Tennesseans face cuts to the vital services that state government provides.

While it’s easy to think that bad decisions only impact those that make them, the reality is that the ripple effects of those decisions are felt by every Tennessean.

There’s simply too much at stake for our elected leaders to be unaware of the ramifications of their actions. Our next governor must understand the intricacies of the economy, the potential unintended consequences of government action, and just how interconnected our personal, our local and our state economies are.

]]>The Green Economy is THE Economy of Our Futurehttp://www.wardcammack.com/blog/2009/4/22/the-green-economy-is-the-economy-of-our-future.htmlWC Webadmin2009-04-22T21:49:00ZAs I’m sure you know, today is Earth Day. Across the state, Tennesseans will talk about conservation. We’ll think about things we can do to protect the natural beauty with which we’re blessed, and many of us will pledge to do everything we can to protect our vital natural resources for our children and our grandchildren.

Of course, politicians across our state will issue statements reaffirming their support for conservation efforts. They’ll send emails calling for the protection of our state parks, for an increased focus on energy efficiency, and such.

But the importance of thinking green runs much deeper than platitudes, and I want to take a few brief moments to lay out some of my thoughts on the green economy. As this campaign moves forward, I will talk a great deal about these issues because I firmly believe that the green economy is THE economy of our future.

In order to secure a better future, our next governor must have a proven record of indentifying trends, of knowing where to invest resources, and of knowing how to create jobs. For thirty years, I did just that in the financial services sector, and I want to bring that experience to bear as your next governor.

To make Tennessee a national leader in creating jobs, we must become a national leader in the green economy. The world as we know it is changing. As we come out of this recession, the job market will look unlike the job market of just a few years ago.

Tennessee must be a leader in the green economy because the new jobs are in the green economy. Governor Bredesen has taken several steps to start us down this path, but we must build on his work. For example, he has proposed developing a solar institute to make our state a leader in developing solar power – while making solar power more practical and affordable. That is a good start, but as we move forward, we should expand this initiative to include the development of technologies that will make wind, geothermal and biomass energies a reality.

We should also recruit more green sector businesses to Tennessee. Bringing these new businesses here when they are in their development stages will create home-grown jobs for years to come. We should follow the example set by Austin Peay State University and Hemlock Semiconductor and build public-private partnerships between these businesses and our system of colleges and universities.

The examples are numerous, and I will continue to lay them out throughout my campaign. The point I want to make today is that we must embrace the green economy because it is the economy of our future.

As we celebrate Earth Day 2009, we stand at a tipping point for Tennessee and for our country. Corporate America is transitioning away from a world of infinite resources and accepting the fact that our resources are limited. Led by companies like WalMart, the business community has come to understand that there is no “away” in “throwing away.” In fact, some enterprising business people have realized that there is a great deal of money to be made in waste management.

Homeowners save billions of dollars each year on their utility bills by using energy efficient light bulbs and Energy Star appliances. Across the country, over 700 communities have enacted climate action plans and 1,193 mayors have enacted initiatives to make their cities and towns energy self-sufficient. Old economy businesses are converting to new economy practices.

In other words, green living is big business these days.

On Earth Day, let’s remember that the green economy is THE economy of Tennessee’s future. As your next governor, I will work to make Tennessee a leader in the green economy because that’s how we’ll keep Tennesseans working.

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