UPDATE -- 9 June 2005

Local media expert sums it up much better than I have. Please click here if you have not yet read the Bill Hobbs article on the potential dangers to Nashville of this tax increase.

But please don't forget to come back and sign our Petition!

Save Nashville! -- by Jimmy Hogan

Let me preface this article with the fact that I'm not a knee-jerk 'right winger' for which I'm certain I will be criticized. I'm just a pretty typical homeowner in Nashville trying to make sense of some of the recent political developments. I do support community investments and think things like the Titans' Stadium and the Sounds' Ball Park deal have been and will be great for the community. I even support Bredesen and likely will vote for him in the next governor's election. I also support investments in infrastructure such as roads, schools, police, basic social services, etc. as they are integral in having a safe, growing and prosperous community. I am quite frustrated, though, with the accepted common wisdom that these services must take an ever growing portion and percentage of our city's economic pie.

It seems to me that our government should be satisfied to expand and contract, as we do, within the economic cycles. What I sense happening in Nashville though is a dangerous pattern that has destroyed many cities like Nashville in the past. The goal seems to be to greatly increase the portion of the economy that the City government directly controls through a substantial increase in taxes. I write this because no where have I heard elaborated the possible negative consequence of this action.

My concern for Nashville is great. First of all it feels good to all of us to say we are going to give education a huge budget increase. The problem though is that we already spend a fortune on education and none of the previous investments over the past 20 years have really made a difference. So why would anyone trust that continuing to throw money at this problem will be the solution? It is evident that we are far past the point of diminishing returns on this investment and increasing this with no other reform attached seems futile. I'm not sure even doubling the school budget would make any difference at this point. Our problems with schools lie elsewhere; not with funding. The reforms Dr. Garcia has put in place are slowly turning this ship around but dumping more money here is not the answer. Making education and CHILDREN the focus of every tax increase, however, tugs our heart-strings and is always a predictable winner for the politicians.

continued...       You can Save Nashville! (click here)