rocky top buzz

Top Cat, I've heard the concern many times that our suburban growth is eating up all the farmland. I understand the sustainability issues, but farming is not a concern with most suburban growth. If you look at developement patterns around Nashville, you'll see that very little true 'farmmland' has been sold for suburban growth. Here's what I mean: most of the farms that have been turned into subdivision were old family farms that were no longer producing sizeable crops of anything. That is because the economics no longer worked for farming the land, and the economics has more to do with NAFTA than GNAR. We still have more than enough farmland in this country to provide for a growing population, and also, much of what we have is no longer truly developed on a farm. Cows, chickens, etc.. still need grazing land, but lettuce, tomatos, beans, and more are often grown in labs nowadays.

Actually, most of the people who work at Interchange City in La Vergne live in either Antioch or... Murfreesboro! Most people I know wjo live here in La Vergne either work in Smyrna or Nashville. So La Vergne being a part of a Rutherford MSA wouldn't really have an effect on murfreesboro wages.

Face it guys, it's either monsoon's way or the highway. If your opinion is different from his, he'll delete it. As for me, I'm with Barakat. This project continues to be hotly discussed here, but is going nowhere in the real world. We are sitting at about the same number of reservations, and the groundbreaking "date" remains 6+ months away, and keeps getting pushed further that way... ... kinda like the sounds stadium?

I'm not even going to touch number 2, as I think that's already been resolved As for number 3, the amenity level, that sounds correct. I have never flown SWA, but from what I understand, there is no first class? Compare that to JetBlue which is supposedly all first class? Has anyone here flown jetblue to support that statement? And would anyone support the statement that flying on SWA means flying on planes where you are cramped in and feel like the plane hasn't been updated in 20 years? If that's the case, we in Nashville should be hoping for expanded JetBlue operations, not SWA. (of course, as long as I have family working for Delta, that's the only airline I really need to stay here!)

oh, don't get me wrong, I do think it would be fun to take the train; it just seems to me they are pricing out the market. As for the minivan thing, yes, a lot of people around here drive minivans. But we could even say an SUV. Titan's games have a lot of tailgaiters like college, so yes, you typically have more people in a vehicle than perhaps at other NFL stadiums. Metro, are you in Atlanta? Because if so, tailgaiting down there is nothing like up here.

$20 a person? You can park a 7 passenger mini-van downtown for $10! That would be $140 to take the train????

So who's paying for the airport now, taxpayers? I'll say this: I know many people are not happy about the Titan's deal on the stadium, but at least they are locked into a 30 year lease. These people in Pittsburgh didn't even get a contract from US Air before expanding? Lexy, you know more about this than I do. Is it un-common for aiports to lease gates under long-term contracts? Does anyone know how much of MNAA's budget compes from taxpayers as opposed to revenue from the airports?

Now see that's what I was looking for the other day! Did they just put that up today? If so, maybe some insiders are on this site?

The gas tax is state mandated at 21.4 cents per gallon. Here's a link to how it is used: http://www.tdot.state.tn.us/GasTax/

Back to the renovations at BNA... Have any drawings been published showing what the changes are expected to look like? I read all this stuff about the renovations, but really, what is there to renovate on the actual concourses? Are they going to re-arrange gates? I was reading some info on flynashville.com, but it didn't seem to have the technical details I am curious about.

I agree that this argument is going in circles, so this will be my last comment on this particular point: I pay taxes at the pumps, and I have roads to use. I don't know how much of that tax $$$ is sent to less populated parts of the state, but that's fine with me because I may take a trip out in the middle of nowhere Tennessee and drive on their roads. Fact is, I pay taxes for roads and have roads to drive on. I pay taxes for a commuter rail line, but it would add about an hour to my commute to use that rail line. It does me no good. And if we can get one in my part of town, I wouldn't expect people in Jackson Tennessee to pay for it. This is all at the heart of a greater argument on taxation, and as long as success is taxed (income tax), people like me will complain.

Well, it was primarily business, but a good stay nontheless. I did find it interesting how large the PHILLIP MORRIS USA sign was. I guss they're not trying to hide out from the protestors

Just had to pop on and say I was in Richmond last week and ate at the Tobacco company. What a great restaurant! I've never actually seen in person someone selling cigars and cigarettes! That's been limited to old movies in my generation! Best prime rib north of Tennessee too

It's not a matter of whether it would save me $1 in taxes or $10,000 in taxes because it's my money. What matters to me is that I paid for something I can't use. I pay for roads (gas tax) and can use them. If I don't drive, I don't have to pay for the roads. It's like the 'bridge to nowhere' in Alaska. Are you supportive of that waste? After all, it's your tax dollars at work. Again,yes, I would prefer to have a train to work every day. I hate that this country dismantled our entire commuter rail system in favor of interstates. But when you look at when rail roads were originally developed, they weren't paid for by the government; they were owned by private companies who had to make a profit. Why can't the same hold true today?

I think that's the bad thing about MTSU is that not even the majority of Murfreesboro consider themselves fans of MTSU. I think most people like myself hope that they are successful, but I'd rather stay home and watch UT on the TV than go to an MTSU game. I think winning will help, but look at how Louisville got so successful: they played on Wednesday and Thursday nights. If MTSU would play on weeknights, they would get the students to the games who normally go home for weekends. Correct me if I'm wrong, but wouldn't MTSU's undergrad student body alone almost fill the stadium? You get an exciting atmosphere full of college studnents, and you'll get the community interested. I also hate MTSU's conference. Who cares about Louisiana-? and UNT? I don'tknow how to solve that problem. If you move up to, say, conference USA, you're going to get killed over the next several years. And to move down would mean back to I-AA, and I don't think the University wants to do that.