The Upper Cumberland Camera; 119

Whoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo was interested in the idea, we started looking for ways of getting the court built,

talked to it, went to a few meetings and when things were sort of slowed down and as far as getting things done through the Parks and Recreation we got together with the City of All Good, Ms. McCormick arranged a meeting with the City of All Good City Council and Mr. Pointer and Mayor Brown and in a couple days they said that we could go ahead and build this facility and when they gave us the go ahead we started right then. We had to cut about five feet in this area back here to about a foot here I guess and got the City of All Good graded it and bulldozed it and then we got

a contractor to do the concrete work and a local contractor to build the fence and then the City of All Good came back in and put the grass in and Freeman Gaw, friend of mine from Rickman and I put the pegs and the clay in and here we are, we started in March or April and we finished it sometime in July. I keep saying over and over that the pounding the stakes in the ground of the picnics, I know I've done it myself but probably has done some damage to the game in that when you throw with the peg it may be 35, 36, 38 feet whatever, you're not pitching it a standardized peg and you may be pitching on hard ground, you may end up an inch from the peg and then it will roll 20 feet. With these courts standardized the men pitch 40

feet, women pitch 30 feet, children under 17 pitch 30 feet, we pitch into a clay pit. When you go to another regulation court you find the pegs landed at the same angle, usually have clay in them much the same as this and you can get better at the game. would be like if Cookville had a basketball court and they made theirs 10 feet and then they went to Smithville and played at 12 feet and when you have a governing body you need to standardize things and the governing body started back in the 20s in horseshoes, not many people are aware of that and the game has evolved to what it is today. The National Horseshoe Pitching Association has about 15 ,000 members across the United States, they have a world tournament every year held this year it was in Huntsville, Alabama, last year it was in Statesville, North Carolina and next

year it's going to be in Springfield, Missouri. In Alabama this year there were approximately 800 pitchers to see who was the best in the men, women and children divisions. It's a very organized tournament, it lasts over a two week period. This is what we call a picnic shoe, this is a two pound shoe, there's a great bit of difference between this and this is called a pro shoe. Now everything on this pro shoe, those shoes are probably $14 for a set of four plus two pegs, these shoes run about $30 up to about $70 a pair. Everything on this shoe has a reason for being there, this right here is contoured at a one inch diameter so that if it catches the peg which is one

inch it will rotate around the peg and work down whereas that one will probably just sling off. This point right here is what they call a ringer break, we've all seen at the picnics where a shoe will go straight on and come straight back off, this gives a slight deflection so that it turns and when it kind of tries to come back off it will set into this hook here. These are cleats to catch in the clay and make it stick where it lands, no, the shoe really won't slide. They're also weighted for balance, the cleats are balanced on the bottom so that the one and a quarter shoe will go from this to the quarter and all the way around and supposed to be open to the peg. On a one and three quarter the other shoe I talked about you have a three quarter and then a one rotation that should be open to the peg. Like I said those are the two most popular shoes in

competition play. I don't know of anybody this year that pitched in the A, B, C, D, E or F class that threw anything but a one and a quarter there were no flip shoes at all that I know of in those classes this year in the world tournament which included about 350 men. Pitching on court fire, this is Jackie Connors from Allens, Tennessee. What he's doing is he's pitching what they call one and a quarter shoe. That shoe should turn one and a quarter times and be open to the stake when it gets there. You can see on this pitch you've got one on and one just a little short of being on. That would count as four points. A ringer is three. A shoe within six inches is a point. It is a cancellation.

In tournaments the game is 40 points. As I said ringers being three anything within six inches being a point it is cancellation. Only one player can score per pitch. Down on this court is Freeman Gaw from Rickman, Tennessee. He also pitches a one and a quarter shoe. One and a quarter is the most popular shoe among the well in Huntsville, Alabama at the national tournament. Twenty -two out of the top 24 players pitched a one and a quarter. The other one's pitched a one and three quarter. Next year we hope to have the Tennessee State tournament. I've been in touch with the secretary of the Tennessee Horseshoe Pitching Association who's Dexter Stallings in Powell, Tennessee. We had the state

championship about three weeks ago in Cleveland, Tennessee. It's a facility much the same as this except it's older and it's a little more beat up. At that time we talked and we had a tournament here July the 18th or August the 18th and the pitchers from over there came over. They liked this facility very well and everybody that I've talked to was hoping that they'd have the state championship here next year. We're having a tournament September 29th that's on a Saturday. Some of these A and B players from East Tennessee, Georgia and Alabama will be here. Invite everybody to come out. We'll be starting probably 11 or 12 o 'clock. With this facility I mean it was built with the intent of getting the interested people in the community to come out and pitch. There have been a number of people that have come by and shown an interest.

The gates are hopefully shut but they're not locked and anytime anybody wants to come out and pitch. Feel free. You'll have to supply your own horseshoes. The horseshoes are not supplied. We welcome Freeman and Jackie and I are usually around here on the weekends probably Friday nights and sometimes on Saturday. We're down here several evenings although we don't keep a regular schedule down here. But if somebody's interested in the game would like to find out more about it. They can contact one of us or contact the Putnam County Parks and Recreation. Ms. Aegee, Ms. McCormick down there will be glad to get the information to us. We got some names at the exhibition in the mall in January due to being

tied up and building these. have not formed a club or done anything as far as an organization. It's a little late in the season for that but we hope to get an early start starting sometime now so that we have something ready to go in the spring. We started talking about this last November in hopes that we would have it completed in the spring so we could get it going but it was mid -summer before we got it completed and just didn't have time to form the club. Lastly, one more time to give the credit to this is just a major league facility. They just don't come any better than what this is. There are some the same but they just aren't any better. It was made possible through the Putnam County Parks and Recreation, Mr. Pointer at the City of Allgood and Mayor Brown at the City of Allgood.

They've just been great to work with and this is out of a little bit of cooperation. This is what we end up with and it's just a fine facility and it's meant for the people of the community to use. Earlier this week, members of a special joint legislative task force set up to study the state and local tax structure in Tennessee and members of the General Assembly from the upper Cumberland region held a public hearing at Tennessee Technological University to learn what citizens in the area think about Tennessee's current tax structure. President Arliss Rodin welcomed the distinguished visitors to the Tennessee Tech Campus. Representative John Bragg of Murfreesboro is chairman of the committee. He explained

to those present for the hearing what the duties of the committee are. This committee was formed with seven members of the House and seven members of the Senate to undertake a comprehensive study of the system of taxation in Tennessee including but not limited to a thorough review of the history of the various taxes imposed by the state and by local governments. The revenue resources currently available to state government and to local governments, the extent to which these resources are used appropriately and fairly. The task force also shall consider any expanded revenue resources which may be needed and the revenue potential of each such new expanded revenue resource. The task force shall also consider the interrelationship among state and local taxes and the effect of federal tax policy on state and local taxation. We were given two years to do this. We spent the first 18 months studying the tax structure of Tennessee. We are now in the process of holding public hearings to take recommendations about what this

committee should do about the tax structure in our state. We have not made any pronouncements. We have not made any recommendations and we're waiting until the end of November to do that. Prior to the hearing, Representative Shelby Reinhardt of Spencer, a member of the joint committee, explained why the committee was formed. At the onset of the General Assembly two years ago and last year we found out that the revenue was not producing enough money to run the state of Tennessee and after many meetings with the governor, the governor finally recommended a one -cent sales tax which we passed but at the same time we exempted food from the sales tax starting July 1, 1985, which in essence will remove the one -cent sales tax that we placed on everything. The one -cent sales

tax on food is about 300 million. That's what a senate will bring in about 300 million. So the governor and his speakers formed this joint committee by resolution to come up with some means, alternate means of funding the budget after the loss of the 300 million dollars on food. Senator Tommy Burks of Monterey, who is also a member of the committee, commented on what he hoped the committee would accomplish. Well I hope there's some tax reform in Tennessee. I know there's been a lot of discussion about a state income tax but I do not feel at this time that that will be an outgrowth of this committee. It is something that's been discussed many you know years in Tennessee and I think it'll be discussed a few more before it's ever adopted and I think one of the main things that this committee may do this year and hopefully that we can adjust the hall's income tax some for some of these senior citizens that are on

fixed incomes and can raise the level of those exemptions and help those and of course we've been in a lot of discussion about the amount of money that the sales tax on food will deplete state government and we may have to come up with a program to offset that but I think it's good to have these discussions where people can have their input and discuss new tax proposals but I just I really personally don't feel now that people are ready for a state income tax. Representative Bragg, chairman of the committee, talked about the public's attitude toward taxes. Mostly the the opinion of the people is its tax structure in the state of Tennessee is not good it's not simple it's not fair and it's not adequate and most of the people who testify want us to try to come up with a fairer structure of taxes in Tennessee. They don't want us to

raise taxes and we've agreed that we don't want to raise taxes either. We would like to see what the estimates of revenue are from existing taxes so that we can restructure the tax system in Tennessee to bring in the same amount of revenue we would bring in under the present taxes. The sales tax that we now have is seven and three -quarter percent mostly and that's an obscene tax on bread and milk. We have found in some preliminary studies that we are exporting jobs to all the states around us because we're exporting retail sales. In Montgomery County alone we found that the addition of the one -cent sales tax this year cost Montgomery merchants 18 million dollars in retail sales and cost them four percent of their retail jobs. in Tennessee we're spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to create new payrolls but our tax structure is exporting jobs faster than we can bring them in with the Department of Economic Community Development. It's time we took a hard look at our system in Tennessee. Our system is

not fair to the low and moderate income people and for that reason we need to do something about it. I'm not sure what that'll be but we'll have our recommendations the end of November. Representative Bragg commented on the problems Tennessee faces because it is surrounded by many states with lower tax sales. In Kentucky there is no tax on food. In Kentucky the cigarette tax is three cents hours is thirteen. In Kentucky the liquor tax is about one -fourth of hours. In Kentucky the beer tax is about one -fourth of hours and their sales tax is lower than ours. Now we know from the preliminary studies that people Tennesseans are going across the line into Kentucky and buying buying. We rank 17th in the nation in population. We rank 44th in the nation in retail sales. Our retail sales are going to Virginia, North Carolina, Georgia and Kentucky and those are jobs that we ought to have in Tennessee and sales we ought to have in Tennessee and taxes we ought to have in Tennessee. But we're paying our people to pay in taxes in other states to escape our taxes and it's just a pure

economic matter that we've got to do something about it. Representative David Copeland of Chattanooga says he sees the sales tax problem every day. We're even seeing ads, television ads run by the Georgia merchants on the Chattanooga station seeking to entice Tennessee purchasers with the come on that our sales tax is less than yours is. It's having a rather significant impact. And I opposed an increase in the sales tax this last session of the General Assembly because we are an island under South here in Tennessee surrounded by many of the states that do not have sales tax as high as we do and we are listed as one of the highest sales tax states in the nation. the thing that worries me personally and a lot of members of the committee is that if they do try to balance the federal budget and there's been polls within the Gallup poll and others that people favor sales tax more than they do an increase in the income tax on nationwide poll that

there may be a move to add a nationwide sales tax and if they did then this would really put Tennessee in a financial bind because we would already be higher than anyone else around us and this would add to our burden. These members of the committee also commented on what they would like to see as recommendations and what they expect will happen in November. I think that the recommendations I mentioned long ago about the Hall's income tax would be one thing but I think it's too early to make a direct prediction of what the recommendations will be because we're still gathering information about different types of taxes and the amount of money that they will bring in and of course there's talk of you know a constitutional amendment if any tax were passed that it would be locked in and all of this is things that are down the road in the future and really I don't feel like that this session of the General Assembly that's coming up that there will be a major

change in the tax structure but there will be a lot of discussion about it. Well certainly I made up my mind before I was appointed member of the committee I will in no way vote for an income tax. I would vote for a rebate program whereby the poor would receive a rebate on the amount of sales tax they paid for food and other necessities. At the end of each year we have the property tax rebate now that anyone that makes or receives in Social Security or other benefits less than $8 ,500 a year receive a rebate on their property tax. I would like to see that same thing happen to the sales tax that the low income people the poor people receive a rebate on the amount of tax they pay for food and let the rich go ahead and pay the sales tax on food. What I feel they should recommend and what they ultimately do may not be the one and the same thing. My preference would be that this

committee go through the process that is presently engaged in listen to all the people gather the information and the facts and then recognize that ultimately we all have to contribute to our system of government in some fashion and we attempt to measure that in different ways we measure it by the property we own by the income we have from certain kinds of sources by the business which we engage in the profits that we make. I think it'd be important and desirable if we could get to the bottom and eliminate all of the securities routes for imposing the taxes. Our profits our income support all of those without income there wouldn't be a franchise tax and excise tax there wouldn't be a property tax because we couldn't accumulate any of those things. So it seems to me that the direct approach would be to go for income now income by itself probably won't be sufficient because the rate would be too high. I personally would like to see us recommend not enact by law but recommend for constitutional amendment to be voted on by the people a method in which we propose to eliminate every tax presently existing in the state whether it be for local use or for state use. Start with a

clean slate with the purpose of building the fairest most equitable reasonable kind of system that we could design and design it in such a way that every citizen in this state knows and is convinced that every other citizen in this state is going to be treated alike everyone treated like with no exceptions and for that purpose reimpose enough taxes on the basis of income and consumption to generate exactly the dollars that are now raised from all of those sources. want to eliminate some taxes I want to reduce the sales tax I want to eliminate the haul income tax I wouldn't mind killing the amusement tax because it's not going to bring in as much money as it's as the trouble of trying to administer it and it's very difficult to administer. I might want to remove the inheritance tax completely and to do away with a lot of those taxes that people are now paying that do not go across the broad scheme of the public in Tennessee and come back with a broad based tax so that

everybody can pay somewhat inability to the profits they're getting out of the system. I'm convinced that whether we are rich or poor we get out of the system of government we have we get out of the system of free enterprise we have and I think if I get a lot out of the system I ought to put a lot back into the system. 12 persons testified before the committee at Tennessee Tech. County commissioners John Hauser of Overton County and John Gentry of Putnam County were two of the elected officials who discussed some of the problems they have with taxes. You know we need some tax of tax reform. Now you all whether you know it or not you speed it up when you put this one cent sales tax on and promise to everybody you're going to take taxes off food. We're going to take taxes off food I believe prescription medicine. That sounds great doesn't it. Four years ago I had three new car dealerships in my county. I had three of them. How many have I got today? Nine.

Zero. They've all went bankrupt. Out of bed. You want to buy a new car. He talks about leakage while I go. I had TVA run one of them little tests for me. Overton County's got 60 % leakage. Most of it comes with the couple. They don't have to raise their taxes because all our money comes down here. Six percent of the money made in Overton County is spent outside of our county and that creates a major problem. But I'm not fussing over how do you do how do you compete with that if we don't have the product to sell and we don't have any new cars for selling Overton anymore. So it's the big ticket items that we get our sales tax from. You don't have much of our sales tax from this food. Forty percent. Forty percent of our sales tax comes from food. Now you take that off where we're going to be. Let me tell you Putnam County's position right now. We have sales tax at two point two five percent. We have removed the cap that was on the sales tax. We do not have a wheel tax in Putnam County. It's been discussed from time to time. Putnam County fortunately has been able to finance its

budget and meet a step retirement and do those things that are mandated by the state and that we have mandated ourselves and have felt like that our sources to this point have been fairly adequate. That sounds good but you don't know what the future holds. So what I would want to emphasize here is whatever you do at the state level to adjust taxes or whatever it's important not only to Putnam County but Overton County and all the others that local governments are considered and however the prize divided. I urge you to seriously consider a graduated income tax to reduce the state sales tax and keep the legislature's what I conceive to be a promise to take the sales tax off food. That is an extremely regressive measure. I don't want an income tax. I know you all are honest in what you're saying but I know good and well if you pass an income tax I and all the people of Tennessee will be

paying an income tax and a sales tax and an excise tax and all these other taxes. That's just the nature of government. It tends to swell to fill that vacuum that all of us allow it to. The committee will continue to hold hearings throughout the state and make recommendations to the governor and the leaders of the general assembly in late November. Although the tax structure is currently being studied by this task force committee chairman John Bragg made this comment about current taxation in Tennessee. It's not denied that when anybody in Tennessee complains about taxes you know they've never lived in another state. We rank about 49th in the nation in taxes. One state is a few dollars below us. So I think government in Tennessee is a bargain has been a bargain and is a better bargain today than it was 15 years ago. And that's the Upper Cumberland camera for this week. Next week Channel 22 will present a series of prime time programs

on the important topic of child sexual abuse. We hope you'll join us for these important programs beginning Monday night at eight here on Channel 22.