If You Build Shake Joint Village They Will Come and Pay Taxes

One of the most maddening things for me currently in local politics is the obsession with shake joints. This city and county are seriously screwed up, from crime to a collapsing tax base, yet some puritans seem to think shake joints are our most pressing issue. A couple of elected officials seem to be reasonable, James Harvey on the Commission and Shea Flynn on the Council. They are open to the idea to put all the shake joints in one area. I have no problem with this since I like both tax revenues and naked women. There are several locations in and Memphis that fit the bill. If you put all the shake joints in one location with a single road entrance, it seems as though they could be well regulated and keep criminal activities from overflowing into the community.

Just through my brief examination of the city, I think there could be four different locations for Shake Joint Village. The first is in southwest Memphis on Paul R Lowry road. There’s a lot of empty land out there and it is zoned industrial. The next location is by the Covington Pike and I-240 behind all the car lots. It is zoned industrial as well. The next two locations are not in the City limits but they are in Memphis’ growth zones. Let’s be honest about the Memphis growth zones. Nobody is going to build subdivisions in these areas because they’ll be annexed by the city. The zones are going to remain empty because no one wants to live in the city. So why not put something out there that will generate taxes and can be annexed. There is a place south of Forest Hill-Irene and Holmes by the Mississippi border. It’s zoned for agriculture and vacant. The final spot is on the east side of Watkins north of Highway 51, just past the police training center. This is vacant farmland as well.

If one of these sights get selected it seems as though almost everyone can walk away happy, aside from the puritans. The business folks around the airport will get the area nice and civilized for their, soon to be obsolete because of Peak Oil, aerotropolis. Shake Joint patrons will be able to enjoy beer and nudity without harming the surrounding community and local government will get their much needed tax revenues. So why not build Shake Joint Village and end this waste of time. We’ll make more money off of it than the four ride amusement park in the Pyramid.

Carol Chill Out

Ok, Herenton resigning is a big deal, but it doesn't happen until July 31st. There is plenty of time to comment. With that being said, I'm watching the 6 o'clock news and one of things mentioned is Carol Chumney has gone down to city hall. What did she think, he was leaving office right then and would turn the keys of the city over to her? We all know you came in second last October, therefore the news media would be coming to you for comment. You showing up to City Hall made you look like you are obsessed with being mayor.

Then this morning, I look at the Commercial Appeal and see these quotes from Chumney. "Memphis deserves better." and "We have high taxes, high crime and corruption". Thanks Captain Obvious. What did these quotes and the parachuting into City Hall accomplish besides making you look petty and obsessed? Damn, just chill out and take some time to think about what is coming up. There is going to be a special election in several months and you will not be able to run against Herenton anymore. You're going have to go from rock thrower, to someone who looks like they can lead the city. You aren't any closer to that now than you were at 3 pm Thursday. In fact you maybe further away.

Welcome to Memphis' Green Zone

I've been interested in population growth and transfers in Memphis and Shelby County. In the 1990's it was established that the development plan of city for next generation was to pour resources into downtown. It was argued that by building up downtown it would serve as an economic hub for the rest of city and raise everyone's boats. On the flip side, many people complained bitterly that focusing on downtown starved other areas of the city of resources.

The city has been able to mask population declines through annexation. The problem is that we annexed everything we could. The city was not a place working and middle class people wanted to raise their families. There were dramatic population declines in the "C" as well as Whitehaven, as can be seen below.

While the population declines were concentrated and intense, a more troubling trend has risen between 2000 and 2007. Population declines are spreading out across almost all of the city. Frayser, Raliegh, Hickory Hill, and East Memphis are losing population. Unfortunately, the city is becoming poorer and emptier, except for primarily one area.



A couple weeks ago, there was the news story about the Center City Commission hiring private security guards to run off the bums and panhandlers. That is an implicit acknowledgment that the economic leaders of the city have no faith that regular police can deal with the pesky, poor people downtown. Considering all the resources that have gone into one area, the rest of city falling apart, and need for extra security reminded me of another place. The Green Zone in Baghdad.

Looking back over the past 15 years, was this outcome unexcepted by the elites that pushed for this economic model of development. A lot of money was made downtown, but at what cost to other areas. Compared to the rest of city, downtown is really nice and those private security guards are going to help protect that investment. But I still can't get Naomi Klien's concept of "The Shock Doctrine" out of my mind. If many of the people who had lived all over Memphis thought downtown redevelopment was successful in benefiting the whole of the city, why would they have left?