On Our Way To Crazy

Dear Tennessee,

I don’t understand. Did I do something to offend you? Did I talk about Dallas too much? Because I certainly wasn’t trying to hurt your feelings. You’ve been a great home to me and I appreciate how hospitable you are.

But I have clearly upset you. I can’t think of any other explanation for why, election after election, I watch everything I didn’t vote for win. I consider myself a relatively intelligent person, but I must be missing something because I am never, ever right.

Sure, I voted for Bredesen for governor and he won. But who didn’t see that one coming? Bryson and his JIM signs may have swayed a few people, but with 70% of the vote, Bredesen was a lock.

But Ford? Lost. Mary Parker? Lost. (Which, duh, but I was really holding out hope. I wish someone would gerrymander us right out of the Williamson county state senate district.)

The same-sex marriage amendment passed. Not shocking, really, but frustrating all the same. I don’t really understand how a constitutional amendment banning something that is ALREADY ILLEGAL even makes it onto the ballot. The property tax freeze for the elderly passed. I’m not sure why a) owning property, and b) turning 65 somehow makes you unable to plan for the future, but apparently it does and now the rest of us are going to have to make up the difference. Or not, since the referendum on property taxes also passed. So now we have voted both to limit the property tax for people over 65 AND put any future property tax raises on the ballot for the public to decide. I hate paying taxes as much as the next guy, but that money pays for our schools and roads and stadiums and convention centers. I’m okay with the people who plan and build and run those things determining how much they need to make it happen. Joe Schmoe off the street just wants lower taxes. If you don’t like how the money is being spent, put different people in office. Don’t stop the flow of money.

I’ve come to the conclusion that you, the state of Tennessee, don’t actually count votes. Instead, you just take my ballot and call the elections for the candidate I did not choose.

And I don’t appreciate that very much.

A little bitter on Music Row,

Brandi