Hope is a Decision

Nashville seems to be well on its way to becoming even more like California. But anti-tax activist Ben Cunningham isn't discouraged. He's seen ups and downs in the political landscape since he moved here in 1982. He's been actively working to prevent greater taxes since 2000. Now, as we come into 2025, Cunningham still holds fast to a childlike sense of wonder that he says keeps the fighting spirit of hope alive in himself. I spoke with him about his activism journey to this point, and what he sees going forward.

LIGHTING THE FIRE

In the mid-90s, Cunningham was the owner of a company that provided internet service. For a long time, programming was his passion: ”It was more of an excuse for me to program than anything else,” he explains, adding that he's “always been a nerd.” The company wasn't massive, and running it was hard work. Many nights, Cunningham would personally go to the office at 3 a.m. to restart the servers. 

He sold that company in 1999, and while he didn't become wealthy, he says he “made enough to be independent.” Those skills in tech were almost immediately transferred into activism after the election of Don Sundquist in 2000. Sundquist had campaigned on the promise of no income tax, but within six weeks, flipped completely. “Everybody felt just a huge betrayal,” recalls Cunningham. Thus began a two-year battle against a state income tax.

Cunningham fondly looks back on how “people came by the thousands to drive around the Capital and honk their horns.” At the time, he was one of the only activists with the background to do things like build a website, post photos to it, and use email as an organization tool. This was deeply affecting moment for Cunningham, who says it was “the first time [he] could use the tools [he'd] learned for [his] passion.”

When the Tennessee sales tax increased  in 2002, Cunningham found a closely knit network of fellow activists. This kind of community is key in the maintenance of hope, and it is the origin of Tennessee Tax Revolt, Inc. The organization fights tirelessly to help taxpayer groups in the state push back against property taxes. “You can get enough signatures to force [the matter of a tax increase] on the ballot,” he explains. From there, democracy does its work.

Today, Cunningham employs his internet skills in Tennessee Tax Revolt, running social media for the Nashville Tea Party and passing on his skillset to new people. He says that three or four times a month, someone will send him a message asking how to get involved, and he does hands-on work to help them “plug in.”

KEEPING HOPE ALIVE

Cunningham points to the recent election in Nashville as a “reality check.” Across every vote—from president to senate to transit—Nashville voted about 66% blue and 33% red. “This is the most radically left-leaning [Metro Council] we've ever had,” he remarks. But that reality only drives him to continue his work.

Many Americans, especially those in younger generations, have trouble holding on to this sort of vigor. When I asked Cunningham how he manages to keep his spirit alive in the face of defeat, he first stated that “even from those defeats, you build a base and people who are willing to get involved the next time.” 

That base is half of the battle. In a society where many are isolated, members of Cunningham's informal group are constantly conducting and sharing research. They use automated Google searches to curate an RSS Reader that sends “good, actionable information” out to those on their email list. With this, a community is born. No one is alone.

Philosophically, Cunningham promotes a “constant state of reappraisal and wonderment.” He recommends that everyone “enjoy the mystery of human behavior.” While all people are capable of both good and evil, intentions tend to lean toward the former. He is fueled by the notion that truly free people are naturally more collaborative. He constantly asks himself: "How do we design a society that brings out the best of us?” Cunningham is a man who, through 25 years of emotional ups and downs, firmly believes that well-informed people will do what's right. 

“Hope springs eternal,” he states. “Whether or not it's justified, I don't know. I just enjoy getting involved and doing what I can to facilitate.” Equipped with a supportive community, hard work, and an unyielding sense of wonder, he says that through all of it he's “having a great time.”