Splashing Some Hard Cold Reality in the Face of Dream-Sequence No-Tax Pledges

Nashville Scene's Jeff Woods makes voters a pot of coffee to sober them up:

[A]bout 85 percent of the Metro budget is tied up in schools, public safety or payments such as pension contributions that are mandated by state or federal law or by the Metro charter. That leaves very little of the budget left for cutting. Without drastic reductions in services, the only way to give pay raises for Metro employees, including schoolteachers, is to raise property taxes. The three-year pay plan for city workers runs out this year, so they’ll be asking for a new plan in 2008.

If you want to give up your sidewalks, trash collection, animal control, or any other neighborhood service, then cast your vote in favor of those who pledge no new taxes. You'll get exactly what you vote for and more of less.