In 1963, Nashville and Davidson County merged becoming the first Metro Government in the nation. This reduced some of the overlap costs and confusion of separate county and city officials.

Our Nashville Metropolitan Government is represented by Governor Don Sundquist (R to 2003), Mayor Bill Purcell and the 40 member Metropolitan Council. The Governor's residence, 882 South Curtiswood Lane, is a two story brick and stone Georgian mansion sitting on ten acres of landscaped lawns and gardens.

Voting is designed to give us all a voice in our government, but it seems easier to analyze how effective a candidate will be by their actions than by their campaign speeches. I recently got a letter from the Mayor informing me that I could not post a garage sale sign by the roadsides in my neighborhood. I was a bit upset since I had gone to a great deal of trouble and expense to make free standing signs (much like real estate signs that dot the landscape everywhere). I know better than to nail advertisements to telephone poles, trees or traffic signs, and I am very conscientious about returning on the same weekend to remove my signs. During a phone call to the Mayor's office, I was informed that any signs are distracting to drivers and could cause traffic accidents. I was also told that I could not place a "yard sale" sign anywhere but on my own property as the city owns the sidewalk, ditch, and easements. Hmmmmmm.... makes me wonder about the zillions of political signs that I saw everywhere (sometimes five or more in a yard) during the Mayor's pre-election. Guess that's different, huh??

Nashville's government services provides citizens with a Fire Department, Police Department, Human Services, Health Department, city workers and politicians. We also have weekly garbage pickup service at our homes. Our taxes build and upkeep parks, schools, libraries, health clinics, highways and road repairs. Since the terrorism attacks, we've all been more concerned with homeland security, Emergency Support Units prepares for major disasters and emergencies. Should you need to get more information, all Metro Departments are available by phone.

Tennessee's first state sales tax (Governor McCord, 1947) was a measly 2% intended strictly for funding schools and teachers. While we do not have a state income tax, our sales tax rate has climbed to 8-1/4% in Davidson County, the highest in our nation. This tax applies to almost all retail sales including edible groceries. A large portion of government funding is received from hefty property taxes. The amount billed each home-owner is figured with a complicated formula, but my experience has been its approximately 10% of the city appraised property value.

There is no legalized gambling, not even bingo. It is a fairly common for people to drive the sixty miles or so to Kentucky to buy lottery tickets and some even buy food and merchandise there to save on sales tax.

The Metro Transit Authority has buses leaving and arriving at downtown bus shelters from most areas of Nashville. Trolleys ($1.00 exact change for riders) are routed on the main roads downtown to make parking more accessible and convenient or just for sightseeing. Plans are in the works for a new commuter train from Lebanon to Nashville.

Most citizens have their own vehicles, but Nashville has plenty of car rental businesses, taxi and limousine services. The first Instate I-65 opened a meager 1.8 miles in 1958. Today Nashville is easily accessible to motorists by Interstate 65 (North and South) or Interstates 24 and 40 (East and West). Under construction is a new Interstate 840 Beltway that will encircle Nashville in a loop to alleviate traffic congestion. Some delay is attributed to improper core drilling with concerned residents claiming TDOT did not get proper permits from environmental departments. There are no pay tolls in Nashville, but a minimum occupancy of at least two people per car is enforced on the fast lane of some interstates during rush hours. This is referred to as being a "HOV" (high occupancy vehicle) lane.

Unlike some places, drivers can legally turn right at most red lights. The legal drinking age in Tennessee is 21 years old, and D.U.I. (Driving Under the Influence) laws are some of the strictest in the United States. Tennessee requires that vehicle drivers, front-seat passengers and children ages 4 through 17 wear seat belts effective May 2004. That means no riding in the cargo areas of a truck. Children younger than 4 must sit in approved child restraint devices.

Construction is booming in Nashville. The biggest problems with the tremendous growth has been increased crime rate, crowded schools, roads under construction and bridges closed. Highways are jammed with cars at rush hour. Look out for the man-eating potholes!

Tennessee is making the public more aware of missing children, felony offenders, sexual offenders, and persons on parole by having more consolidated up-to-date lists and searches online.

A new government facility is the Riverbend maximum security prison which replaced the old Tennessee State Prison. If you noticed the large beautiful castle style building in the movie "The Green Mile", those scenes were filmed in Nashville at the old structure where death row and "Old Sparky" were a reality to the 125 men executed between 1916 and 1960. In 1989, the old state chair was replaced with a $35,000 model built by Fred Leuchter, Jr., a self-proclaimed expert with questionable credentials. Since 1998, state law added an alternative option of lethal injection to convicted inmates rather than the default method of electrocution. Philip Ray Workman, approaching his sixth execution date for the murder of a Memphis police officer, refuses to make that choice so he may become the first live candidate for testing the new electric chair.

NASHVILLE

HoneyHoney's Country Girl Hullaballoo http://www.oocities.org/bornhoney/