Nothing Wrong With Charging More For Suburban Double-Dipping

There is nothing wrong with people who move out of Nashville in order to avoid paying more for urban services. There is something wrong when they expect to utilize our Parks services at the same rate as the Nashvillians whom they do not care to be. That's called "double-dipping" in my book: avoiding their responsibility for paying what Nashvillians do for services, but driving back in to take advantage of paying the same fees that Nashvillians do to play golf or to use the Sportsplex.

The Tennessean has an article today on the Parks Board's hikes in fees for out-of-towners. Reportedly many of the fees for those who live in Metro will not change. There's no outrage or controversy at all in that distinction. Since I pay more than John Q. Smyrna for the services I enjoy as a Nashvillian, I don't think that Mr. Smyrna should visit here expecting that our access to Nashville's services should be equal. Let outsiders pay more than Nashvillians for services. That's the way it should have been all along. And it's not like the demand to ice skate is going to dry up because a few more Kentuckians may not be able to afford to drive here. If they still want to ice skate without coming all the way to Nashville, let them raise their own taxes and build a skating complex in their locality. Otherwise, I don't have much sympathy.

Now, Metro Council members being allowed to play golf for free on Metro courses in order to "understand the ins and outs" of the facilities is patently paper-thin logic. Council members should be charged as much as every other Nashvillian is charged, although non-Nashvillians should still be charged more, much more.