Poll Shows Obama Taking Us Down Wrong Track?

A new Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll shows that a majority of Americans think the country is going down the wrong track. The poll is surprising considering other indicators that the economy is pulling out of recession. I believe what the poll is showing is that even though some indicators are slightly improving, they are minuscule in comparison with the massive amounts of government money recently injected into the economy, thus many economists are uncertain about the longevity of the recovery. As taxpayers we don't seem to be getting a lot of bang for the buck. Unemployment remains near 10%, and the health care bill has stalled, endangered not by the minority Republicans as much as by bickering between moderate and liberal Democrats.

9/11 Community Fair Celebrates Local Government

The Rutherford County Sheriff's Department pulled off another great 9/11 festival. Citizens got to check out displays from a variety of government agencies. Lavergne's police department always has the coolest vehicles and equipment, but then again, being right across the state line from the 'hood, they probably need all of it. The US Army National Guard had a fully operational helicopter that took off for the spectators, as well as Vanderbilt's hospital wing chopper. To remember the 9/11 victims, local mayors and state legislators individually rang a bell while a huge contingent of motorcycle riding POW/MIA's looked on. This is one of my favorite community events, where we get to see how our tax dollars are spent and, though opposing the massive expansion of useless federal government, can appreciate the protection of the U.S. military and the practical amenities afforded by local and state government that impact us every day. And while the MPD might have had a problem with one of its canines last week, I must say that the mounted patrol's horses were some of the most docile mounts I've seen. Kids were walking all around them and petting all over them, and they seemed to like all the attention. The county also had some of their search and rescue German Shepherds that were kid-friendly.

Opah Greek Grill

I visited this establishment and freely recommend it to anyone. The sandwiches are huge and delicious. You'll get fat, hot pita bread filled with tasty meat, onions, peppers, lettuce, tomatoes, feta cheese, and cucumber or ranch dressing, accompanied by rice, hummus, Greek salad or fries, all for a low combo price. Located near the Old Fort Wal-Mart, try it out. This strip mall is located in a part of town that has been developed for a long time, so it's a smart growth choice for Greek cuisine.

From "White Only" to "No Gun Owners"--Restaurants Poised to Discriminate

The restaurant industry in Tennessee, having lost out after lobbying the legislature not to lift restrictions to the hangun carry permit, now plans to pressure restaurants to post "No legal guns" signs on their doors. Not only does the posting of this sign make permit holders feel like African-Americans walking by a restaurant that has a sign that reads "White Only", but restaurants that follow their lobby organization's desires will stand to lose thousands of dollars in revenue. In this time of economic uncertainty, when so many American families are cutting back on the luxury of eating out, can restaurants really afford to tell a large segment of the population, "You aren't welcome!"?

Guns Banned on the Greenway

Well, this was really a nonevent, wasn't it? Murfreesboro is an anti-gun town, a Franklin "wannabe" full of new Southerners bringing in liberal views to impose on the backwards South like a wave of 21st century carpetbaggers. The bickering back and forth will actually make the parks safer. Permit holders will watch the parks and the Greenway zealously for any news of crime so they can nail the opponents of handgun carry to the wall. The anti-gunners, which include the majority of the municipal government, will vehemently seek to beef up security in the parks to make sure that doesn't happen. The mayor and council took their stand, so don't think they aren't taking the necessary "CYA" contingencies up with the Murfreesboro Police Department. With both sides of the issue watching like hungry hawks and hounds, criminals will stay away, and we all benefit. It's a win-win situation for park users.

Restaurant Parking Lot Robberies to Continue. Thanks, Bredesen!

Governor Bredesen vetoed the restaurant carry bill. Erroneously called the "guns in bars" bill by the liberal media, the bill would allow people with handgun permits to carry into establishments that serve alcohol. As the law stands now, I have to walk in and out of restaurant parking lots unprotected, leaving my gun unsecure in my locked vehicle, where it is apt to be stolen. I am incensed by the left's semantics, so for the record, let us reflect on the "bars" in Tennessee that we take our kids to all the time-- O'Charley's, Applebee's, Olive Garden, Macaroni Grill, Pizza Hut, Chili's, Outback Steakhouse, etc. These are family restaurants with kids' menus that just happen to serve alcoholic drinks. Most of us patronize these restaurants without drinking alcohol. Yet the left with its "guns in bars" hysteria has us thinking of people carrying guns into topless nightclubs at 2AM. People wanting to do that, I dare say, probably don't even know what a legal gun permit is. This was a common sense addendum to our established handgun carry program and a modification available in most other states with concealed carry permits. Let us hope cooler heads prevail in the legislature and Bredesen's veto is overridden. Only then will it be safe to go out to eat in Memphis.

County Was Right to Reject New York Developer on Bible Park!

Modern day carpetbagger Armon Bar-Tur attempted to bring a theme park to Rutherford County but was rejected when he failed to achieve a two-thirds vote on a rezoning appeal. Now the county is enveloped in a chain of lawsuits from property owners and the developer over alleged unconstitutional acts. The developer's lawsuit is nothing more than "sour grapes" whining--"I didn't get my way, so I'm going to sue". Ever since the Kelo v. City of New London decision, developers like Bar-Tur feel that they can strongarm local governments into complicity with large scale developments that enrich their financial enterprises while devastating the property values of others. Theme parks are about as financially rewarding and beneficial to a community as an enclosed mall. Two Tennessee venues come to mind--the Mall of Memphis and Libertyland. Come now, Rutherford County, we all know that we are better off without eyesores like those in our community. The county should have denied the application, and we are all better off without the park, but we would not be in the litigious mess we are in if not for the 12 commissioners who voted for the proposal. The rezoning application should have been a unanimous vote "NO". Thus we would not be fighting over the two-thirds rule. I wonder if some of the 12 who voted for a theme park in the already congested and overbuilt Blackman area in truth wanted it to fail and, knowing that 9 would oppose it, chose to play politics with the two-thirds rule. That type of thinking now has us in hot water. Wilson County apparently learned from Rutherford County's mistakes. Lebanon's hostile stance was obviously so united that Bar-Tur quickly withdrew his plans without any lawsuit threats.