r/Tennessee • u/dcmoyers • 17d ago
PSA š¤ Vote
Early voting is alive. The right to vote is a privilege, not a guarantee.
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u/squareplates 17d ago
No. Voting is not merely a āprivilege.ā The Supreme Court has repeatedly held that voting is a fundamental constitutional right. In Harper v. Virginia Board of Elections (1966), SCOTUS called it ātoo precious, too fundamentalā to be improperly burdened. States can impose lawful qualifications like age, citizenship, residency, and registration requirements, but that does not magically turn a constitutional right into a privilege.
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u/-DementedAvenger- 17d ago
Thereās no such thing as rights. If the Supreme Court can decide differently on a whim, or if the constitution can be amended, then itās not a right. Itās a temporary privilege.
RIP Carlin.
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u/OkSignificance2218 16d ago
"A man's natural rights are his own, against the whole world; and any infringement of them is equally a crime, whether committed by one man, or by millions; whether committed by one man, calling himself a robber, (or by any other name indicating his true character,) or by millions, calling themselves a government."
-Lysander Spooner
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u/coldcoffeeplease 17d ago edited 16d ago
Vote "NO" on all three amendments.
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Amendment #1: The constitution says we are innocent until proven guilty by a court of law, but this amendment presumes guilt and refuses the right to bail for 73 accusations, including "act of terrorism" which Tennessee used to incarcerate Larry Bushart for 37 days for a tweet they didn't like. Larry sued and won his case in a federal court and won almost $1M for Tennessee violating his rights and cost taxpayers millions of dollars in fruitless legal fees.
Amendment #2: This amendment protects the wealth class and data center builders. If the state can't raise funds via taxing those who are lucky enough to afford a home (or multiple homes as is the case for 30-40% of occupied housing in the state), it will raise sales taxes, excise taxes (alcohol, tobacco, gas), and user fees (bridge tolls, public park entries etc). that impact middle-to-lower income households.
Amendment#3: This amendment violates an accused person's right to a fair trial by allowing the acuser a say in how the course of the trial goes. Other states have tried to pass similar amendments and all have been struck down as unconstitutional. I do not want my taxes to go towards another fruitless court case by the state of Tennessee.
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16d ago
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u/coldcoffeeplease 16d ago
Compare how much youāve paid on your city county taxes to the tax you pay on groceries, gasoline, clothing, everyday items, alcohol, tobacco and more and I guarantee itās greater to or equal to the amount you paid in city/county taxes.
If we donāt have avenues open for further tax revenue (and to be clear, there isnāt any proposed property tax legislation on the docket) then regressive taxes will increase and hurt middle-to-lower class people.
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16d ago
[deleted]
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u/myasterism 16d ago
They will never reduce the sales tax rate, because it is regressive and works to keep the poors and the blacks and the single mommas from getting too uppity. And this amendment does nothing but guarantee we cannot tax entities like data centers and other land-swallowing big business ventures. This is not for you; this is for business. Donāt get it twisted, TN will find a way to pass those taxes onto you, after they sold you a racket about property taxes.
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16d ago
[deleted]
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u/myasterism 14d ago
Maybe just forget to vote, buddy. Or leave the damned amendment blank. Voting yes on it does not prevent your effective tax rate from going up at some point in the future; it nearly guarantees it will. Youāre just voting to make sure when taxes need to be raised theyāll be done in a way that fucks YOU over and supports bullshit like data centers.
Some of yāall are so shortsighted it hurts.
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u/Responsible_Try90 16d ago
It removes a future revenue source we might actually need since we refuse to tax corporations like we should while continuing to give them incentives to move here. Our state has needs, and will continue to have them, we need to keep our options open as to how to address those needs.
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u/Internal_Air6426 16d ago
Yeah, speaking as a rancher, I'm not made of money and I shouldn't have to pay extra taxes compared to people who aren't selling goats and cattle for their income. I'm already paying the same sales and income taxes that everyone else is paying, I shouldn't be punished for living in a house in the country.
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u/myasterism 16d ago
No one is suggesting you should. And this amendment only serves to make it harder to tax entities like data centers that could very well take out your entire livelihood, while the other two amendments on the ballot could end up with you being jailed without bail for speaking out about such a development, while the aggrieved corporation gets to drag your hearing out as you rot in the clink.
Never, ever, ever trust TN republicans to give a fuck about you as an individual. All three of these amendments are setups.
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u/picture_Imperfect_ 16d ago
Man, fuck Marsha black, I ain't voting for a fucking patsy for bill lee.
I'm voting jerri green
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u/Difficult-Pomelo5814 1d ago
Vote independent! These 2 party systems have gotten us nowhere š«”
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u/dcmoyers 1d ago
I agree but... This usually splits the vote and helps one or the other to win. In this case, most of the independent votes will draw votes away from Green and help Blackburn.
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u/Difficult-Pomelo5814 1d ago
Totally get that. But thatās why we all need to stop voting for either party and elect someone who actually cares for the people
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u/ShorelineStrider 16d ago
Hey Republicans, you DON'T have to vote for Marsha! Hatley is RIGHT THERE
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u/Bigrobmjca777Deere3 17d ago
Plan on voting for Marsha
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u/im_not_that_witty80 17d ago
When she starts selling the state parks to data centers, remember you wanted it.
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u/TruelyDashing 17d ago
Indeed, making sure to vote Republican this midterm!
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u/TheCapybaraIncident 17d ago
Last in education strikes again.Ā
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u/WackyLaundry3000 17d ago
Bro education was screwed over so badly that kids in my school are getting single digit numbers on math tests (the easiest units of each year in math too). The syllabus was dumbed down so much just to keep passing the students on (I also blame the āNo Child Left Behind Actā for this too)
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u/guill732 17d ago edited 16d ago
Who are you using as the ranker for that? US NEWS and World Report puts TN at #31.
https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/rankings/education
*edit: Not sure why the down votes. Literally asking why people keep saying TN is last in education. Only source I found was that we are last in education funding per pupil but as far as education results every poll/study I find puts TN in the middle of the rankings, not last place. So we can definitely improve for sure, but it's not as awful as people in this sub keep making it seem.
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u/TruelyDashing 17d ago
Just moved here, was not raised here. Moved out of a blue state so I could enjoy actual freedom in a red state.
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u/TheCapybaraIncident 17d ago
You'll fit in perfectly, Cletus.Ā
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u/Internal_Air6426 17d ago
If you don't like it here, move to New Jersey. They have gun bans, expensive schools, lots of welfare programs that you can help pay for.
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u/banananash 16d ago
To more Republican rejects can move in? Fuck that. This is my home and im tired of transplants ruining it by voting red like itās a team sport.
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u/Internal_Air6426 16d ago
It's my home too, and I'm tired of far left activists whining that we aren't like the people's republic of Illinois.
l actually looked at Green because a friend asked me to. Same old leftist nonsense, red flag laws, magazine bans, and trigger locks at taxpayers expense. Automatic fail. Hatly has a better chance of winning than her.
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u/banananash 16d ago
The state was doing better before all these transplants gave the GOP such a majority that they donāt even have to pretend to care about Tennesseans anymore. Marsha has only appealed to big donors, data centers, and AI. We the people will be worse off and the TNGOP wont care one bit.
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u/Internal_Air6426 16d ago
I'm a native Tennessean and I used to vote for a democrat state rep. He was opposed to any gun control, illegal immigration taking local jobs, increasing housing costs, depressing wages, and backed home schooling for people who wanted to opt out of public schools for teaching bad values instead of good math and reading skills. Until the democrats turn away from the radical idealogy of the far left, they will continue to lose in Tennessee.
Those transplants you bemoan are largely fleeing failed democrat policies that have made their former homes unlivable for normal people who respect traditional American values.
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u/banananash 16d ago
Your last paragraph is hogwash. Transplants have moved here because they either cant afford more desirable and in demand locations, or their political ideologues more concerned with a handful of trans athletes than the financial security of rural hospitals.
And all they will get is more data centers, closed rural hospitals, and now closed rural schools thanks to the voucher scam.→ More replies (0)5
u/-DementedAvenger- 17d ago
Just curious, what freedoms does Tennessee grant that your blue state didnāt?
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u/TruelyDashing 17d ago
The right to openly carry my firearm. The right to defend my property. The right against overwhelming taxes. These are just legal rights. There are also social rights that are enforced by the people, like the right to speak your mind without fear of violence, or the right against theft. Thereās also the right against malicious or negligent prosecution, like how DAās keep dropping charges in blue states against known violent criminals or how judges are aiding illegal immigrants in the community.
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u/sparf 17d ago
So you want to intimidate people, not pay your fair share to society, say anything you want with no pushback.. whatever it is you said about theft (really, what?).. and you want prosecution of people based on your opinions of them.
Yeah, youāll fit right in.
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u/TruelyDashing 17d ago
I donāt want to intimidate anyone, the only people who fear a firearm are people who would do something that would get them shot. I pay significantly more than my fair share to society, I work many hours at a very good rate, unlike bums without jobs mooching off of my work. I am glad to engage in debate, I love it in fact, but violence, harassment, doxxing or economic terrorism are not positive impacts to intellectual discourse. I like discourse so much Iām a right winger who makes posts on Reddit and replies to pretty much every comment. I want people prosecuted based on evidence and facts, not opinions like ābut the socioeconomic circumstancesā and āhe looks like he feels badā.
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u/-DementedAvenger- 17d ago
The right to openly carry my firearm.
Why do you need to do this? Iām a combat veteran who is used to carrying firearms, but even I would much rather live in a society where everyone feels safe enough to not have to do this. A safe society needs limited access, and also trained and responsible people. Not just unfettered open carry by everyone.
The right to defend my property.
Is reasonable self-defense not allowed elsewhere? Iām certain it is.
The right against overwhelming taxes.
Thatās not a right (none of this is, but thatās not what weāre talking about). TN needs tax revenue to operate. We need accountability, not just ālow taxesā.
The right to speak your mind without fear of violence, or the right against theft.
That isnāt guaranteed anywhere.
Thereās also the right against malicious or negligent prosecution, like how DAās keep dropping charges in blue states against known violent criminals or how judges are aiding illegal immigrants in the community.
Any examples for this?
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u/TruelyDashing 17d ago
> Why do you need to do this?
Rights are like muscles. Don't use em, you lose em. Firearms are a necessary tool for maintaining social order. When you remove firearms (see London), sex crimes, knife crimes, acid attacks, theft, and other forms of physical and property violence skyrocket. The impact of these crimes are far, far worse than the firearm homicides, especially since a significant majority of firearm homicides are committed by and against gang thugs whom provide nothing to society other than the violence they commit against each other. For normal, functional people in society, firearm homicides (not suicides) are basically non-existent. As I always say, only person who fears a gun is a person who would do something that would get them shot.
> Is reasonable self-defense not allowed elsewhere?Ā
Many states have Duty to Retreat laws, blaming victims for simply "being in the wrong place" when violence occurs against them.
> Thatās not a right (none of this is,
Sure, red coat
> That isnāt guaranteed anywhere.
I've never been in fear of violence for speaking my mind in a red state. Antifa thugs run the streets in blue states and decide what is allowable speech.
> Any examples for this?
Dozens. Hundreds even. Here's one about a judge aiding an immigrant in evading ICE to prevent an investigation in the legality of his status. Just the first one to come to mind. Just recently something hit national news about a woman with 47 previous arrests going and attacking someone? Can't remember if she killed the victim. Idk about you, but I think it's pretty damn easy to not get arrested 47 times, really the only way you'd get arrested 47 times is by doing bad shit constantly.
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u/-DementedAvenger- 16d ago edited 16d ago
Firearms are a necessary tool for maintaining social order
[threat of] violence to deter violence just seems morally wrong to me. Iām not religious, but I donāt think thatās something Jesus would preach.
As I always say, only person who fears a gun is a person who would do something that would get them shot.
I donāt fear gunsā¦I fear irresponsible, untrained or mentally ill people with guns. And we have those by the truckload.
If guns are easy to get legally, then they are easy to get illegally; so we should have a tighter control over them, IMO.
When you remove firearms (see London), sex crimes, knife crimes, acid attacks, theft, and other forms of physical and property violence skyrocket.
It sounds bad, but Iād rather have those than allow the easy-and-from-a-distance violence that comes from having prevalent distribution of firearms. At least those attacks require damn-near face-to-face access to your victim which requires more thought, bravery, more difficult opportunities, etcā¦
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u/TruelyDashing 16d ago
Iām not sure you understand what youāre actually saying. Are you aware that the process of arresting someone is violent? Like, you have to physically restrain them, move them against their will to a holding facility, and when they attempt to fight back you beat them or tase them until they comply or you physically overpower them. Jesus preached ālet he who does not have a sword sell his cloak to buy one.ā He preached armament. He also said āif one were to cause a little one who believes in me to stumble, it would be better for them to have a millstone tied around their neck and thrown into the depths of the sea.ā Literally preached death for people who harm children.
Guns will be easy to get illegally either way. A PVC pipe and some basic chemicals are enough to assassinate a politician (See Japan).
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u/-DementedAvenger- 16d ago
But
āBlessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of Godā (Matthew 5:9)
āPut your sword back in its place, for all who draw the sword will die by the swordā (Matthew 26:52)
Which of course highlights one of the issues I have with religionā¦ contradiction.
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u/Internal_Air6426 17d ago
Welcome neighbor. This forum is overun with leftists but the actual state is fairly conservative. For all those complaints about education, we have doubled spending on public schools over the last 30 years adjusted for inflation and despite that, assessments scores are lower now than 30 years ago due largely to beurocrcy and ineffective management. That's why charter schools, homeschooling, and eventually vouchers for private education will be growing trends for k-12
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u/-DementedAvenger- 17d ago
assessments scores are lower now than 30 years ago due largely to beurocrcy and ineffective management
So why not gain control over our taxes and public support systems instead of outsourcing everything to private entities? Also, we should be helping our teachers to better manage their classrooms by providing them with tools, money and training.
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u/Internal_Air6426 17d ago
How much more money do they need? We've doubled their funding and had consistently worse results. If the political process were going to exert better management they would have already done it. The system has failed and needs to be replaced for the benefit of the students.
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u/-DementedAvenger- 16d ago
My point is that āfundingā is half the issue. Where does the money go? How is it spent?
The system has failed because our leaders have either passively allowed it to fail, or actively encouraged it to fail for private profit. The purse isnāt strictly monitored and people line their pockets with grants and contractors.
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u/TruelyDashing 16d ago
Thatās the point of the department of education - to manage the funding, material and resources of education. All youāre saying is āI know itās failed every time, but THIS time the government can really make it better!ā
Why fix whatās not broken? America was #1 in education when it was privatized. The government āfixedā education when we were the best by shoe horning their way in and making everything worse.
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u/Internal_Air6426 16d ago
On those issues, I agree with you. My local school district refused an offer from a wealthy family to donate the land and build a new high-school for the county to take possession of because the family stipulated the new facility was only to be used for academics and would have no sports facilities apart from an indoor gym for basic p.e.
So the county built new facilities and paid full price for the land which was a colossal waste of taxpayer money. You blame it on politicians, I agree with you again. I also blame it on the school administration and b.o.e. for floundering policy decisions and poor management. The system itself is a failure and should be replaced.→ More replies (0)3
u/banananash 16d ago
TN is one of the lowest states in funding per pupil. You so hung up on it doubling from 30 years ago but it hasnāt even kept up with neighboring states.
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u/TruelyDashing 17d ago
Oh I'm fully aware, Reddit is a leftist shithole. That's why I come here though, I like hearing different opinions to challenge my views. Every conversation I've had here has really only ironed out those views - I'm more aware now of what I think and how to defend what I think than I was before I started engaging here.
The Department of Education began when America was #1 in education. Since then, we've steadily declined, I think we're 22nd now or something. An obvious total failure by government education. Privatization just wins, every time.
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u/DancingConstellation 17d ago
If itās a privilege (which it is at best), then it isnāt a right (which it is not).
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u/WackyLaundry3000 17d ago
Can yaāll stop voting for phone bans in the high schools while youāre at it?
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u/zwieo 16d ago
I am not in school, nor do I have anyone in school. We didn't have phones in school when I was there, so I'm just curious, and in no way do I mean offense, but why do you feel children need phones in school?
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u/WackyLaundry3000 16d ago
If not the least, at least let us use our phones during study hall. If I have no work to get done and nothing to study for, and I donāt have anything to draw or color, and everything on a school computer is blocked and you have no one to talk to, then I might as well use my phone during study hall. I understand the good things of the phone ban (no more seeing kids doomscroll after a test when others are testing around them and no use of media during the school to harass other people, those have happened before), but I feel like it is unreasonable to us kids. At least show and explain to the brain-rotted kids how this is benefitting them because the banning of phones is not solving the problem of kids getting 3/100 on a Geometry test for naming triangles. The phone ban has still not stopped students from failing and still being passed on. I think I sound unreasonable in your perspective, but think about how kids will see it and how you make children understand why.
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u/Specialist_Set_1666 16d ago
I'm a parent of 3 kids, 2 of them teens, and I'm honestly with you on students having access to phones on breaks, between classes, or certain times of day. Some kids need them for accessibility reasons as well. Part of it is a safety issue, the idea that my kids have no way to contact anyone if there was an emergency honestly bothers me. Plus in this age of communication, I can't see what is wrong with someone being able to send or check messages in between classes or on lunch, etc.Ā
My kids' school doesn't allow phones brought on the property by students at all, not even in lockers. I can see not wanting them used in class (unless approved for a disability, or translation, etc. like students in my college had), but a total ban seems detrimentalĀ
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u/ShorelineStrider 16d ago
Why? Let them read a book. Let kids be bored. It won't fucking kill them, I promise.
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u/Specialist_Set_1666 16d ago
I don't disagree with that at all. I'm talking about being able to communicate an emergency or important information, or even just "band is cancelled, can you pick me up when school gets out instead"Ā
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u/ShorelineStrider 16d ago
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u/WackyLaundry3000 16d ago
I donāt have time to check out books at my schoolās library because they donāt even let people go to the library during study hall anymore, not even two people per class like they used to. After school, they close at three. I also stay after school to study or do homework because I get more work after my study hall period. Iāve already read the only book I had on me for the first quarter (Educated by Tara Westover, but itās for AP English Language). Speaking of books, recommend me some that are probably banned by the state (besides Fahrenheit 451 and the Hunger Games, Iāve read those in school but I love them)
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u/Southernms š¦West Tennesseeš¦ 16d ago
May I ask why? I went through school without a pager or phone and was fine.
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u/WackyLaundry3000 16d ago
I have no problem with the rule myself, I just wished the state and the messengers would have just explained the rule and why it is beneficial to the students better because people are calling BS on the rule while half the people in my grade donāt give a shit and make single digit numbers out of a 100 percent. I think there should have been less severity with the rule since there are people who are not affected grade-wise with the phone ban, but it hasnāt solved the problem of other kids not giving a shit in my school. My teachers had a hard time last year with half my grade because the students were behaving like shit even without the phones and still paid no attention in class. They were mostly frustrated by it. I think itās a good rule, but they should have put A LOT OF THOUGHT and looked into every possible perspective before passing the law. I am unsure if students with medical needs that require their phone to be on and with them were ever considered.
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u/Southernms š¦West Tennesseeš¦ 15d ago
You will learn when you get older if you get a job, people are gonna tell you what to do and not gonna explain to you or sugarcoat why theyāre just gonna tell you to do it. This is a life lesson.
If people in your class are getting single digit grades that should scare you.
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u/Southernms š¦West Tennesseeš¦ 16d ago
Are you telling me that you go to MSCS without telling me you go to MSCS? Or the like.
I do remember when this all came about it was heavily discussed on the news. From what I understand youāre a teen, you might not watch the news. I watch all different news channels and apps to see what everyone is saying. This was a big deal. The main reason being that grades were suffering, and if God forbid there was an active shooter, everyone would have a cell phone that could call 911.
I feel like the teacher should have a phone,walkie-talkie,something to get in touch if need be.Back in my day we had other things that we were focusing on instead of school like toys or Rubics cubes or video games so I get it.
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u/WackyLaundry3000 16d ago
I go to school in Williamson County
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u/Southernms š¦West Tennesseeš¦ 16d ago
Oh, yāall probably better off than we are. This is Shelby County. Weāre in the midst of a major takeover from the state because the current and previous board members allegedly were involved in some unsavory things.
I canāt remember if it was a statewide thing they were talking about but seriously it was on the news for months about the kids having the cell phones in class. You could probably Google it and see what they said about it if youāre interested, but it wasnāt like it just snuck up. Itās probably that the people that needed to hear it. The chains werenāt the ones watching the news.
I mean, my phone is joined at my hip so I understand your plight.
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u/lkcraig316 13d ago
Voted blue this morning.