No. 218: In Days of Yore...
⁂ Nashville's Alt-Daily ⁂ Spring Drives · Oscars · Housing · Migrations · Future Sounds · Much More!
Good morning, everyone.
In prior ages, there was a virtue expressed by the ruling class known as noblesse oblige. It's the idea that nobility extends beyond mere entitlement and requires people who hold such status to fulfill social responsibilities. In the prior, pre-industrial Feudal Age when the distinction between the nobility and the commons was clean and well-defined, a symbiotic relationship existed between the two classes. The nobles possessed the wealth and power while the commoners had the numbers and the practical know-how.
Out of necessity, the nobility needed to treat those underneath them with dignity so as not to draw their ire and ensure that in times of crisis, they could draw on their resources for food or protection. Now is not the time to dig into the exploitative elements of this relationship except to say that, as much as the idea of an "elite" is detested by many of us, the emergence of an elite class seems unavoidable no matter the political safeguards put in place to gird against it.
The question should not be if we should have an elite class, but what kind of elite class we should develop. It's clear that the current elite simply want the "commoners" to shut up and row. A true noblesse oblige would manifest with leaders addressing concerns instead of smothering them. The simple question "what is a woman" that no Democratic leader can muster the courage to offer a forthright answer to is a good example. One could imagine a leader committed to such ideas offering some reassurance to the bewildered by saying, "I know this is confusing, but..." Not that that would help us accept the gaslighting, but at least it'd display a distinct sense of pathos lacking entirely from the present discourse.
The inaugural Bar Hours was a huge hit last night — drinks flowed and conversation bubbled. We'll be back next week.
Today, we look at Taxes and Tires in Tennessee, suggest some nice Spring drives for the weekend, run our own Oscars awards, and peer at some graphs on housing supply and stats on where people are moving.
You can follow us on Twitter (@realpamphleteer), LinkedIn (@realpamphleteer), or Instagram (@realpamphleteer) for additional content.
Thanks for reading.
Megan Lee Podsiedlik
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⏏︎ TAXES AND TIRES
Taxes The Governor has proposed a suspension of the tax on groceries for a month. As the cost of gas increases, so does the cost of food. The tax suspension will take effect for 30 days and is up for vote during session on March 31st.
Tires The Tennessee Department of Transportation has had quite a time trying to fix potholes this year. Despite the front facing campaign of empathy expressed by TDOT, 99% of pothole complaints and requests are discarded by the department. Taking that into account, there have been 5,000 tons of asphalt poured into potholes so far this year, costing taxpayers upward of $3M dollars. Quite an expensive problem with minimal improvement. With inflation, Tennesseans are also getting gouged when replacing their tires. The market is reflecting a 5-15% increase in tire prices, adding insult to injury.
HEADLINES
- Hendersonville man sentenced for arson at Metro Courthouse in 2020 (WSMV) Judge Aleta A. Trauger sentenced 26-year-old Wesley Somers on Wednesday after court documents for being “the face of the attempt to burn down City Hall” on May 30, 2020. Somers’ sentence will be followed by three years of supervised release.
- Lee proposes 1-month pause in sales tax on groceries (TNJ) Gov. Bill Lee plans to propose a one-month pause in Tennessee’s 4% sales tax on groceries when he unveils his amendments to the annual spending plan for the budget year starting on July 1.
- Tennessee plans to spend $230M in ARPA funds on health care improvement grants (Center Square) The state’s Financial Stimulus Accountability Group (FSAG) entered its Wednesday meeting with more than $600 million in unassigned funds out of the $3.7 billion sent to the state through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). Of that, $275 million had been set aside for applications from nonprofit groups or public service organizations affected by COVID-19.
POLITICS
- Parent Bill Of Rights Blocked By House Health Subcommittee (TCN) After being rolled multiple times without action by the House Health Subcommittee, the Parent Bill of Rights was dealt the killing blow during their March 22nd meeting by failing to receive a second.
- Judges strike down Tennessee law allowing warrantless searches by state wildlife officials (Lookout) The longstanding practice of conducting warrantless searches on private property by officers with the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency is unconstitutional, a three judge panel hearing a case in Benton County Circuit Court ruled Tuesday.
- Immigration Legislation To Track Number Of ‘Refugees’ In TN Making Progress (TCN) HB2222 requires the Tennessee Office for Refugees to report, on a quarterly basis, the total number of individuals placed by the office to the members of the General Assembly and to the legislative librarian.
DEVELOPMENT
- Downtown office building to see residential conversion (Post)
- Details unfold regarding east side project (Post)
- Corsair owner pays $1.42M for site eyed for 152 townhomes (Post)
- AJ Capital moves toward breaking ground on Wedgewood-Houston residential project (NBJ)
⚰ OSCARS FOR THE AMBIVALENT
By Jerod Hollyfield
My parents were casual moviegoers, the type that took me to the dollar theater once a month and doubled up at Blockbuster on weekends even if dad would make long jaunts to the kitchen in the middle of every other film. Yet for some reason, the Oscars felt like a holiday. Maybe it was that it coincided with the onset of spring or that watching the broadcast gave my primary-school self access to what I thought was a cosmopolitan adult world. Regardless, the ceremony gripped me with that gutpunch of adrenaline only reserved for Christmas morning.
Then, I grew up. The Oscars began to lose their sheen. I hadn’t become jaded about awards shows. I hadn’t even taken much umbridge with the snubs. I just realized that I loved movies too much to stomach how the last two decades of Academy Awards shows treated the medium with the paint-by-numbers blend of faux self-criticism and elevation of the polemic that is the enemy of true art.
As much of a shell of its former self as the Oscars has become, America needs it more than ever in our current cultural moment — just not like this. Billy Crystal once aptly remarked “Nothing can take the sting off the world's economic problems like watching millionaires present each other golden statues,” during one of his legendary hosting stints, but that barb contains truth among its not-so-gentle ribbing. The Oscars used to mean something. It was a triumph over adversity, not a forum to feature clips of middlebrow cinema that wallowed in it. It was a night to remember that the popular could still be artistic, connecting with audiences in ways no previous form ever could. Now, it’s a moment to remember a movie as disingenuous and self-serving as Don’t Look Up (our review here) got a couple of nods because its star-studded cast would rather ridicule people who don’t believe in the serious things it does than use its talents for emotional resonance to highlight commonalities.
The Oscars may have degenerated into self-righteous screeds, but the movies still matter. The aforementioned Leo and J-Law vehicle about an allegorical comet’s impact aside, the Academy picked some formidable films that overlap nicely with our own 2021 top-ten list. Even the late-breaking frontrunner CODA, a remake of a French film about a hearing daughter in a family of deaf professional fishermen who is vying for a place at a prestigious music college, evades easy victimhood and formula to elicit genuine feeling (and a quite compelling case for government bureaucracy’s debilitating effects on the people it claims to protect). The movie more than earned its place at the table even if the press is already reducing it to naked identity politics.
A rundown of the nominees is below. As always, some will still remain in the pantheon of major films for decades to come. Some will be buried by streaming algorithms by year’s end. When the Oscars blew it, we’ve offered our alternative. But in the end and unlike the ceremony, they are all worth a watch.
➡ GRAPH OF THE DAY: HOUSING SUPPLY
↯ STAT OF THE DAY: WHERE NOT TO BE
⚔︎ MISSIVES ⚔︎
- 🏙 Mayor Eric Adams declared a special carve-out to New York City’s employer vaccine mandate Thursday for professional athletes and performers, allowing unvaccinated athletes like Brooklyn Nets superstar Kyrie Irving back onto his home court.
- 🇰🇵 North Korea has tested a banned intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) for the first time since 2017, South Korea and Japan say. Japanese officials said it flew 1,100 km (684 miles) and fell in Japanese waters after flying for over an hour.
- 🇮🇳 India is expected to announce a payment arrangement that would allow trade with Russia to continue. The so-called rupee-ruble trade mechanism could come as early as next week, according to A Sakthivel, president of the Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO).
- 🇺🇦 President Biden and leaders of more than 30 nations convened Thursday to demonstrate united opposition to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, announcing new economic sanctions, aid for refugees, deployment of additional forces to Eastern Europe and grim preparations in case Russia uses chemical, biological or nuclear weapons.
- 🗺 The United States will accept 100,000 Ukrainian refugees into the country and will donate $1 billion to help European countries deal with the surge of migrants fleeing Russia’s invasion, the White House said on Thursday.
- 💰 Former President Trump sued Hillary Clinton, the Democratic National Committee, and a host of other parties on Thursday, accusing them of plotting to falsely accuse him of collusion with Russia ahead of the 2016 presidential election.
THINGS TO DO
View the full calendar here.
🖌 At the Cheekwood, Spanning the Atlantic, The Arts and Crafts Movement, an international trend in the decorative arts that originated in the British Isles during the 19th century.
TONIGHT
🐖 Nashville farmers’ market @ Nashville farmers’ market, 8a, Info
🔪 Flea Market @ The Fairgrounds, 8a, Free, Info
🎙 Elvis Fest @ The Factory Franklin, 11a, Info
🎻 The Cowpokes @ Acme Feed & Seed, 12p, Free, Info
🍀 Live Irish Music @ McNamara’s Irish Pub, 6p, Free, Info
🎸Kelly’s Heroes @ Robert’s Western World, 6:30p, Free, Info
+ Best honky tonk in Nashville
🥁 Stewart Copeland Police Deranged @ Schermerhorn, 8p, $47+, Info
TOMORROW
🐖 Nashville farmers’ market @ Nashville farmers’ market, 8a, Info
🔪 Flea Market @ The Fairgrounds, 8a, Free, Info
🐖 Charlotte farmers’ market @ Richland Park, 9a, Info
🐖 Franklin farmers’ market @ Franklin TN, 9a, Info
🛶 Kayak to Burgess Falls @ Burgess Falls State Park, 9a, $30, Info
🌾 Build a Rain Garden Workshop @ Warner Park Nature Center, 10a, Free, Info
🎙 Elvis Fest @ The Factory Franklin, 11a, Info
🍀 Live Irish Music @ McNamara’s Irish Pub, 6p, Free, Info
🎸 Kelly’s Heroes @ Robert’s Western World, 6:30p, Free, Info
+ Best honky tonk in Nashville
🎸 Buddy Guy @ The Ryman, 7:30p, $80, Info
🥁 Stewart Copeland Police Deranged @ Schermerhorn, 8p, $47+, Info
😂 Ryan Long @ Zanies, 9:15p, $25, Info
SUNDAY
🐖 Nashville farmers’ market @ Nashville farmers’ market, 8a, Info
🔪 Flea Market @ The Fairgrounds, 8a, Free, Info
🛶 Kayak to Burgess Falls @ Burgess Falls State Park, 9a, $30, Info
🐅 Predators vs. Flyers @ Bridgestone, 5p, $49, Info
GET ‘EM WHILE YOU CAN
😂 Tim Dillon (3/24) @ The Ryman, $29.75+, 7p, Info
🎸 Buddy Guy (3/26) @ The Ryman, 7:30p, $80, Info
🎸 Jerry Cantrell (4/17) @ The Ryman, $35, 7p, Info
🎻 Billy Strings (5/6 -5/8) @ The Ryman, $39.50+, 8:30, Info for 3/6, 3/7, 3/8
🐷 Primus a Farewell to Kings tour (05/09) @ The Ryman, 7:30p, $55+, Info
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FROM THE ARCHIVE
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Words of Wisdom
Behold, we know not anything;
I can but trust that good shall fall
At last — far off — at last, to all,
And every winter change to spring.
Lord Tennyson Alfred