use your garage

Driving to work today, I had sheets of ice flying at my car from cars in-front of me. I know some people don’t have garages but a recent study shows ONLY 15% of people who have garages actually use them to store their vehicles!! Can you believe that? 15%! I live in Countrywood and I can tell you many of my neighbors park their cars outside while their garages are packed with junk, mostly for the annual yard sale. This is a big pet peeve of mine mainly due to the fact that it looks messy. Some families have five cars due to teens who now drive. All I’m asking is for people to clean out their garages and use them for what they are intended!

 You can click the above title and leave your opinion. George

imposing a special tax on prepared food

Some Shelby County leaders are hoping to raise at least $28 million by adding another 2% onto the current sales tax in Shelby County. That 2% means dinner, popcorn or rotisserie chicken at the grocery store will be taxed at 11.25%! The Memphis area already has the highest sales tax in the state of Tennessee and now they want to add another 2% to that. When my wife saw this story on News Channel 3, she asked me, ‘Why do we stay here?.’ I imagine that’s a frequently asked question. Much of the $28 million would go to the Med to pay for indigent health care, many of those cases come from Arkansas and Mississippi which irks those who live here to no end. Maybe instead of raising taxes even more, we should look at how money is spent, where it’s wasted etc.

What’s your take? Go up and click the title of this Rant and then read and comment.

President bush and the refund

As you may have heard, we could soon be getting from several hundred to more than a thousand dollars from the federal government in a rebate check. The idea is we all get some extra cash and (hopefully) go out and spend it right away to boost the economy. Some people call this corporate welfare because of course they end up with the money but hopefully that means les lay offs etc. Someone else pointed out that the check amounts to a band aid and what we really need to do is repair our economy, brings jobs from Communist China back to the U.S. Lou Dobbs has some very interesting points on-line and on CNN. Another idea is the media (yes, us) are creating a panic which creates a problem. It’s sort of a self fulfilling prophecy kind of thing. I can understand where someone is coming from with that theory.

What do you think?? Click on “comments” above to read and leave your thoughts.

mlk day. a day on or a day off?

There’s more and more talk schools should be in session on Martin Luther King Jr. day rather than students having the day off. Right now, most students have the day off and lets be honest, they’re not focusing on Martin Luther King Jr. or civil rights. Many civil rights leaders have expressed a desire to have students in class focusing on special lessons to educate about King, the civil rights movement and far we’ve come in the years since. An added bonus to this is many parents don’t have the day off work and must take it off because their children are sitting at home. This morning, one of our reporters told me how disappointing the turn out was at the MLK parade considering how many adults and kids have the day off. Maybe school kids could take a field trip to the parade then head back to class for those special lessons.

Your thoughts? Click the title above and scroll down to leave your opinion.

ward crutchfield

Thursday, former Tennessee state senator Ward Crutchfield was sentenced to two years probation for his part in Operation Tennessee Waltz.  Crutchfield took $3000 for voting for a bill that would benefit a fake company set up by the FBI. Crutchfield is 79 years old and has numerous health problems, to hear it from doctors and his wife he’s barely alive. Judge Daniel Breen took this into consideration and gave Crutchfield probation including six months home arrest. Crutchfield will also pay a $3000 fine. Breen said putting Crutchfield behind bars benefits no one and actually would be a stress on the prison system. There are those who think Crutchfield got off too easy and some of course must insert race into it. The truth is there was very little evidence against Crutchfield, he admitted guilt, apologized and is old and sick. This does not apply to any of the other Waltz defendants except Kathryn Bowers and she has yet to be sentenced. Bowers is elderly and ill and will likely get a very similar sentence.

What are your thoughts? Click the Title above to comment.

do memphis schools need their own police force?

Memphis City School leaders are proposing forming their own police force. Right now the district has a security force but their powers are limited and they have to call in Memphis police to make arrests and for in-depth investigations. If MCS gets its own police force they say it could lead to tighter security on campus and allow Memphis police to do more on the street work. MCS also proposed buying machines to scan packages as well as metal detectors for all high schools. The price tag? 4.5 MILLION DOLLARS!!!!

I know many people who say you can buy all the equipment you want but the problem starts at home and in the neighborhood. It’s sad to see 4.5 million dollars that could be spent on education being spent on equipment for a few bad apples.

What are your thoughts? Go up to the “comments” section, click and tell me what you think!!

sHANNON STREET SIEGE

Shannon Street Siege Archive, Click HERE 

Back in 1983, a Memphis police officer and seven people died in a house on Shannon Street. Police say a purse snatcher was hiding in the house and they tried to go in to get him. While this was going on, several officers were hurt and one officer was taken hostage. A 30+ hour stand-off followed. Police, after hearing screams from their fellow officer for many, many hours, stormed the house. When it was over all seven people inside were dead. Police say the people inside fired at them so they returned fire. Officer Robert Hesters’ bruised body was found inside. MPD officials said Hester was tortured but others disagreed. An FBI investigation cleared the MPD and the situation faded away to an extent. Now the family, represented by attorney Javier Bailey, wants an investigation launched into the shooting. Bailey contends police overstepped their authority by shooting and killing all seven people inside. A former Memphis police officer told us the use of force was appropriate and he only wished police wouldn’t have waited so long to go into the home.

This is a very simple explanation of this story, some of you may know more about it than me. Tell me what you think.

To comment, page up and click the “comments’ area then tell us what you think.

sammis files complaint against bailey

Erik Sammis has filed a complaint with The Tennessee Board of Professional Responsibility against attorney Javier Bailey. Sammis details the DeAunta Farrow case in his complaint and alleges Bailey basically has lied to the media and may have broken several serious laws. Sammis says Bailey has told numerous lies about him , “Javier Bailey states to all 4 Memphis TV NEWS CHANNELS that I was terminated from a previous Police Department for excessive force. This is not true and nowhere in my personnel file or any other record is there anything saying I was terminated from employment for excessive force. This can be successfully disputed by the very documentation that Javier Bailey has in his possession. Yet. he still goes on TV and makes this false statement in an effort to prejudice any potential jury in a civil or criminal proceeding and to fuel the racial fire in the community by portraying me as a racist.” Sammis also alleges Bailey practiced law in Arkansas without the required legal approval, tampered with evidence by withholding items he says are evidence, lied in statements and basically acted unprofessionally. Many have complained that while Sammis has been examined from every angle, Bailey has not, and they are right. Click HERE to read a post I put on our site with the various actions taken against Bailey for his job performance.

While Sammis has had his run ins, so has Bailey.

Please read the above and the links and tell me what you think. Just click “comments” above and scroll to the bottom to leave your opinion! George

ophelia ford: Should she stay or should she go?

After a tough and sometimes nasty fight, Ophelia Ford finally got the senate seat she wanted so badly. Unfortunately medical issues kept Ford from most of last years legislative session and now we hear she will miss at least three weeks of the new session which begins today. Many people have pointed out that with Ford missing so many votes her constituents are not being represented. Ford has been at Methodist Hospital since the beginning of December for unknown reasons. Last year Ford claimed she suffers from anemia and on various recordings could be heard calling 911 for help, saying she hadn’t eaten. Then there was the “incident” at a Nashville hotel where she fell off a bar stool. A hotel employee said Ford was drunk, she says that’s not true. It seems time for Ford to publicly say what ails her and perhaps it’s time for her to resign. Ophelia Ford cannot duck the issue, those who cast a ballot for her deserve better than that and they deserve to have someone representing them.

WHAT DO YOU THINK? Go to the Comments section above, scroll down and leave a comment.

shelby county privilege tax

Shelby County mayor A C Wharton has proposed a privilege tax for ALL who work in Shelby County earning more than $28, 180 a year. Wharton says it’s a fair tax that will raise as much as 18 million dollars a year. A CA article said the county is facing a $14 million funding gap starting this summer. That number astounds me and from what I’m hearing, many others. When my wife heard the $28,180 number she said, “When did that become a privileged income?” Everyone has always said they love A C Wharton but I would say that may be due to the fact he hasn’t really done anything during his term, that’s not a slight just an observation. Now that Wharton is making an unpopular motion it will be interesting see how people react to him and if attitudes change. I’ve heard a lot of grumbling about this proposal including once again, those who work and earn a decent living are asked to make up for those who do not.

What do you think about the idea of a privilege tax, is it fair etc? Click the “comments” are area and scroll down to leave a comment.

Huckabee & Obama

That Huckabee and Obama did so well in Iowa isn’t a huge surprise but I do wonder what impact it makes on the eventual candidate selection by their respective parties. One thing it does is give both a huge media boost, Huckabee will benefit most from that. I’ve me Huckabee and he seemed nice, in-fact he inspired me to lose weight, but I’ve heard some interesting things about his politics. Obama is interesting I call it the “cult of personality factor” because most people can’t tell me what he thinks on major issues. Each brings something interesting and notable to the race and that’s nice. Huckabee has the Southern factor and down home feel. Obama of course is notable for his ability to cross racial lines.

What Are your Thoughts? To post a comment click the “comments” area above this and scroll to the bottom. George

Herenton says suburbs should have no say in consolidation vote

Mayor Herenton today said he plans to seek a change in state law to block voters in suburbs like Germantown, Bartlett and Collierville from having a say in consolidation between Memphis and Shelby County. Herenton knows it will be tough to pass consolidation with suburban voters having a say. The question is, how can this be legal? Many will argue suburban residents fund the majority of the county’s budget, even the mayor admits inner city residents don’t contribute much financially. Also, is this legislation without representation?

Read the story HERE.

Tell me what you think.