Why not a metro government? And don't give me that tired old argument about taxes going up. If you live in the county do you pay for garbage pickup and dumping fees? Do you pay for fire protection from rural/metro? If so, then you are paying for services that city taxes take care of, soooo...if there were a metro government your slight increases in taxes would pay for those services and you could stop paying a fee, which probably equals if not exceeds the amount your taxes would rise. If there were a metro government we could do away with duplicated services and taxes would even out. People argue against a metro government but we have a de facto metro government now, the schools are all under the county. The sheriff's office covers all the county now and incorporating the city police department would just make sense. City services could be extended to all the county residents and in the process create a few more jobs. A metro government done right could be very very good for us.

People don't mind taking advantage of the amenities and conveniences that a city the size of Knoxville affords to residents, and even if you don't live IN Knoxville, you benefit from the city simply being here. How many jobs would disappear if Knoxville were not here? For years, city residents have been paying double taxes to support services that ALL county residents take advantage of whenever they work or do business in this city. With a metro government, you would only be paying your fair share. You want great schools? Clean, well maintained streets? Cultural attractions and festivals that bring business into the area? Diverse shopping and businesses? All of those things come with a vital city, but this city has suffered for years from budget shortfalls and a lack of support by the very people demanding all those wonderful things that they think the city should provide them. Well, all that stuff AIN'T free...and city residents are tired of paying for it only to hear county residents grumble and complain everytime we ask to revisit the idea of a metro government that they don't want to pay the increased taxes. If that is so, then stay out of the city. Quit using our streets and tearing them up, stop buying things in our stores, don't visit the Zoo, don't come into the city for UT football games and park in our parking lots, don't attend church in the downtown churches, don't come to the Dogwood Arts Festival or any other event at the World's Fair Park, don't attend concerts and ballgames at Thompson-Bowling Arena, if you really think you don't have an obligation to help support this city then DON'T. But don't be a hypocrite and take advantage of all the nice things this city brings to your lives either.

"You can't fix stupid..." Ron White