A County Wide Refferendum on the Future

My friends, this coming Tuesday there is an enormously important election. One that will determine the future course of the government in respect to all of us, oh and there's a presidential party primary too.

What we forget, because internet news lets us, is that the most profound impact government has upon us all is in its local form. Everyone in Knox county remembers the fiasco that was the county elections in '06. Half of the commissioners getting kicked out, the sheriff being forced to step down, and that doesn't even begin to go into the entire nepotism story.

It's our local government that we should all care most about. These people who we elect make a real and tangible impact on our lives.

They raise and lower taxes, they control the issuing of permits to businesses, they put up cameras in pace of law-enforcement officers, and they spend the money that we have to give them. Personally to me that is the most important part, I mean, would you just give a couple of thousand dollars a year to one of the guys under the I-40 overpass on central, at times I think that might be more effective.

On a close to home level for all of us Littleknoxvillians, these will also be the people who determine the future of our downtown revival. Real and important decisions are being made and we shouldn't ignore this fact simply because Obama and McCain are more exciting.

So please, if you haven't already, go vote this Tuesday. But before voting, look into the candidates. There is lots of information out there about all of them. Many of the people running are long time political hacks who can no longer guide this fast growing and dynamic town. Please do you due diligence, and you civic duty and lets keep making Knoxville a place where it doesn't suck to live.