So, being a new Tennessee resident, I have been fascinated by the ads I'm seeing all over the media about the upcoming governor's race. Being a resident for all of seven months, I am trying to find my way through the issues that affect Tennessee. As far as I can tell, the number one issue affecting the state of Tennessee is the threat of China buying Tennessee farmland.....
Okay, I'm new to the state, so I wondered, is China buying up all available farmland throughout the state? This must be a big issue, right? I must see a dozen ads on the news, and on my Youtube feed about China buying farmland. So, I looked into it. Here is what I found.
According to one attack ad against Congressman John Rose, a Hong Kong/Chinese owned company bout a few hundred acres of farmland in Loudon County Tennessee. He didn't stop them, and so he has to go.... And Senator Marsha Blackburn just came out with the add where she is telling me that she will stop the Chinese from buying farmland..... You have probably seen these ads too.
Alright, so China buying Tennessee farmland is the biggest problem? Hmm, maybe this one one small parcel is part of a much larger problem? So I asked Grok how much farmland do Chinese affiliated companies own in the state, and how many acres of farmland are in Tennessee? Here is what I got back.
So, is the 1% of Chinese owned farmland a huge threat to the rest of the Tennessee farmers? I don't know, maybe? I'm not sure, but I would rather not have the Chinese buying any land in America, but they do. Then again, Canada, the Netherlands, and Italy own millions of acres of US farmland all over the US, and no one seems too worried about that? Heck Iran, the nation we are at war with right now, owns 3,000 acres of US farmland.
What about here in Tennessee? What foreign nations own Tennessee farmland?
So, why is this the only issue I hear about, day and night, in the race for Tennessee governor? Besides who knows President Trump better, and who is more like him.
I get it, these ads get clicks..... People seem to care, or people are made to care about it, is probably a better way to look at it.
Having moved here from California, being born and raised there, I look at this race the way I could look at a race for state office there. In California, it would be the opposite of the Tennessee races.
The California elections will come down to who will 'fight Trump' and oligarchs, and who will raise taxes on billionaires more. That will be what democrats will focus on.
Not how to fix the failing school system, how to solve the unfunded half-trillion dollar state retirement system, how to stop sending tens of billions of state tax revenue to NGOs and non profits who have been 'fixing' the homeless problem by doubling the number of homeless in the past few years.
Nope, the releasing of career criminals back onto the streets will not get much airtime in California. Steve Hilton, who somehow made it onto the ballot in the California governor's race will try to get some of these issues brought up in their debates, but it will be a struggle in deep blue CA.
Besides the budget and crime, both climbing in California, infrastructure was one of my main concerns. The state squanders money there at an embarrassing rate. While the state has spent about 15 billion on the hi-speed rail project, a few miles of concrete pillars sit and rust in the central valley while not a mile of track has been laid.
The people in California voted years ago to fund a bunch of new dams and reservoirs, because the state hasn't built a new water supply reservoir since 1979, while we have added millions of people to the ever shrinking water supply. Did we get any new dams or water supply? No, but the state did use that new water storage funding to tear down four small dams in Northern California......
None of these issues will be front and center in the California races, because it's California. The races will come down to who hates Trump more.
I don't want see the inverse happening here in Tennessee. I don't really care who loves President Trump the most, or who will fight the communist Chinese. I want the best people who understand the real problems a growing state will face, and who will take them on, even if the solutions are not click friendly. Infrastructure is not sexy, but it lasts for decades and make smart progress possible.
Are there any real issues in Tennessee that we need answers to? Yes I'm using 'we' because I do care about the state and the people where I live. What are those questions we should be asking these candidates?
I'd like to hear your thoughts....
