Lou Pickney's Online Commentary
Danger City
Monday
October 30, 2006
"I believe that as a movement, we have veered off course into the dangerous and uncharted waters of big government Republicanism."
-Rep. Mike Pence, (R) Indiana
"Conservatives came to office to reduce the size of government and enlarge the sphere of free and private initiative. But lately, we have increased government in order to stay in office."
-Sen. John McCain, (R) Arizona
The above two quotes both ran in an article about a recent CNN poll that found that more than half of all Americans believe that the federal government is trying to do too many things that should be left to individuals and businesses. I believe that there are many people out there who would side more with Libertarianism who simply aren't aware that there are more than two possible political points of view.
The article cites this information: "Discretionary spending grew from $649 billion in fiscal year 2001 to $968 billion in fiscal year 2005." Keep that in mind when you vote on election day.
A survey released today ranks Birmingham as the sixth most dangerous city in America. Ahead of it: St. Louis (did they count East St. Louis, IL in there?); Detroit (no surprise); Flint, MI (ditto); Compton, CA (no comment needed); and Camden, NJ. Birmingham fared worse than other top 20 most dangerous cities, including Oakland, Baltimore, and Atlanta.
I'm sure that Pouncey would argue that things got a whole lot more dangerous around here with him in town... but, seriously, it surprises me that B'ham ranked so high. Nashville is #39, so I suppose I'll be improving my surroundings when I move up there next year. Though, I've never felt particularly unsafe in Birmingham, but I'm not exactly sure what the criteria were for the aforementioned survey.
One "sign of the times" phenomenon in Nashville is how Nolensville Road has turned into Little Mexico. Ditto for Harding Place over near I-24. Buildings that used to house Circle K, Service Merchandise, Bonanza/Ponderosa steakhouse, and Art Pancake's Rent-All (to name just a few) now have decidedly ethnic businesses in their sted.
It's not just Mexican; Puerto Rican, Korean, Middle Eastern, and many other sub-cultures are making their presence felt. To be sure, the days of going over to Gameland to play Mortal Kombat II are long, long gone. Though, had Gameland not been demolished to make room for a Jack In The Box, I could imagine what possible tenant(s) would now be in that building.
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