Conclusion

As a whole Tennessee's political culture is hard to define because of geographical differences throughout the state. In the middle and western parts of the state the politcal culture seem to be more traditional conservatives, whereas in the eastern part of the state the politcal culture seems to be more Progressive conservatives. The future of Tennessee politics seems positive since it is at the hands of Governor Phil Bredesen, who since election has made changes to healthcare polices, led a war against drug, and increased funding in education

Tennessee's Taxes

NASHVILLE — Tennessee’s tax system ranks fourth nationally in terms of its bias “in favor of the rich,” a new report states.
The report from Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, a liberal-leaning nonprofit think tank based in Washington, says low and middle-income families in Tennessee pay a far higher share of their income in state and local taxes than the wealthiest families.
The study found that Tennesseans making less than $17,000 pay on average pay 11.7 percent in taxes while those making $155,000 to $414,000 on average paid 4.5 percent. Those making $414,000 or more on average paid 3.3 percent.
John Stewart, chairman of Tennesseans for Fair Taxation, which lobbies on tax equity issues at the state Capitol, charged in a statement that “over the years the rich and powerful elites, in collaboration with the governor and General Assembly, have shaped Tennessee tax policy for their own benefit at the expense of the poor and middle class.”
The group advocates a fairer state tax system, which includes a state income tax, saying it would reduce overall taxes for most families.
The Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy blames Tennessee’s reliance on sales and other consumption taxes and flat-rate privilege and license fees for much of the bias. Tennesseans for Fair Taxation said lower-income taxpayers pay a greater share of state taxes because a larger portion of their income is spent on necessities such as food, clothing and fuel, which are taxable.
The group said higher-income households have more disposable income to spend on “luxury” services such as maid, limousines, pool cleaning and charter plan as well as investments such as real estate, which are not taxable at the state level.
“That’s right,” the group stated in its news release. “While you’re groceries are taxed at 7.75 percent to 8.25 percent, their limousine ride is tax-free.”


This article shows that Tennesse's taxes hurt the small people. To change this I would enact a higher tax on luxury items and lower the tax on goods that are necessaties.

Education

This bar chart shows the amount of money Tennessee spends on education each fiscal year. For Tennessee the total is $12.8 billion which is very low compared to North Carolina's $25.8 billion spent on education.

Local Governments

In Tennessee, the state constitution allows for the creation of county governments as well as "consolidated" metropolitan governemnts. The state government usually allows local governments to create laws that are necessary in one particular part of the state, but state governements will not allow the creation of a law that is beneficiary to one individual. The state government often uses a population criteria to define the location of statutory coverage. The ability of the Tennessee's state government to allow local governments to create laws based on necessity is one a the major strengths of Tennessee's local governments. One of the weaknesses of Tennessee's local governments is that the General Assembly is allowed to provide alternative forms of government when approved by majority voters of the county.

Book Review

In the book, "Political Monopolies in American Cities: The Rise and Fall of Bosses and Reformers," assistant proffesor of political science Jessica Trounstine compares and contrasts two political figures to show how similar political bosses and reformers actuallly are. The first figures she studies is Richard J. Daley who governed Chicago, and built a political machine that would last from 1955 until his death in 1976. She also studies Anthony "Dutch" Hamann's reform centered government which established political control for Hamann in San Jose, California. She shows that both politcal machines and reform governments have bias in favor of incumbents, which creates monopolies of free governing coalitions that are dependent on the support of their broader communities.

Overcrowding in Prisons

The prisons in Tennessee are no different then those of any other state in the US. They're overcrowded. In the Tennessee the main focus in public safety is on the fight against methamphetimines, and homeland security. To help managa overcrowding in Tennessee it would be wise to increase the death penalty for serious offenders as well as lesson punishment for marijuana related crimes. Also, to lower the amount of prisoners in TN prisons it would be wise to create work programs for prisoners that would allow the prisoners to work off a sentence rather than serve the sentence and look to get out on good time.

Public Administrators

A public administrator in Tennessee is Chris Freeman, the president of Tennessee's Public Health Association. As the president it is Chris's job to help the group to use different disciplines to work together to obtain higher standards of preventive health practice through recommendations involving administrative policy and legislative action. TPHA is the official professional organization for those engaged or interested in public health services and is endorsed by the administration of the Tennessee Department of Health. TPHA is an affiliate member of the Southern Health Association and the American Public Health Association.