Does the Memphis citizenry have the vital information to thrive? Not really. Sadly, the Memphis citizenry has been institutionally brainwashed to believe that without FedEx, Memphis would be Jackson, MS and that Pitt Hyde is an evolutionary civic visionary. Good God !

Without a grounded in reality civic population, Memphis will never thrive. And is the press failing Memphians?  Just last week, it wasn’t reported that $1 billion in abated corporate taxes, designed to fuel employment growth has instead resulted in fewer being employed in Shelby County. What better time to check in with the ineffective FedEx/Memphis Tomorrow economic development policy authors to see what they’re planning next?

Most recently, these indefensible and fiscally reckless economic development outcomes largely occurred under the FedEx/Memphis Tomorrow connected Mickell Lowery’s County Commission Economic Development Committee Chairmanship (2020-Present).

The $1 billion in abated corporate taxes follows the implosion of MATA, the local public transit agency. There is no excuse for it. After all, cities to the east and west of Memphis in Nashville and Little Rock operate solid public transit agencies. Meanwhile, the root cause of the MATA implosion remains locally unreported and covered-up by the press.

The MATA implosion (2019-23) was not because of Bacarra Mauldin’s leadership, as press reported, but was the result of deficient City Council oversight, occurring mostly under the Transportation Committee Chairmanship  of the FedEx/Memphis Tomorrow connected Ford Canale (2022-23).

Away from accountability, transparency and course correction, public ripoffs and fund diversion seem to have been normalized in Memphis. Under the FedEx/Memphis Tomorrow complex, public rips have become the cool thing to do and are often treated like a big funny joke. In many ways it’s a social thing to rip the taxpayer. Meanwhile, the local press remains silent and detached from any sort of civic reality as Memphis/Shelby spirals further into decline.

As an example, FedEx has representatives on just about every board that receives public money. Yet these boards are Butt Ass Bad and Suck! To that extent and institutionally supported, the FedEx/Memphis Tomorrow complex thrives on public promises of government efficiency and a grand tomorrow, while in the current day, bathing their machinery in reckless, fiscally liberal, extravagant public spending and subsidies that have systemically resulted in Memphis civic decline over the last 20 yrs.

So, let’s check in to see what’s next. Is it more of the same and extravagant public spend authored by those who need it least?

The above image documents excessive public subsidies, in support of downtown development, just don’t work. To justify massive downtown subsidies, one developer deployed Memphis citizen subscribed to belief is that “so goes your downtown, so goes your city”. It’s a position, that in the case of Memphis, is entirely detached from reality.

With millions and perhaps billions bunkered in the Sports Authority for downtown, let’s see what “government efficiency” looks like and what the FedEx/Memphis Tomorrow Twat Boyz have in mind for our tax dollars.

Richard Smith – As announced, at the annual Chamber Holiday luncheon, Richard Smith and the Chamber are seeking a State public subsidy for The Walk property located on Jack Sammons Avenue. After years of no one wanting to develop on Jack Sammons Avenue, Smith and the Chamber want taxpayers to subsidize property development for the area formerly known as “The Walk”.

Chase Carlise – After a high-level decision was made to close downtown to external investment by running international investors out of town (Hard Rock, Schulte and Starwood), Carlisle development had taxpayers fund $30M for the acquisition and stabilization of the Sheraton Convention Center Hotel. In this way, free enterprise markets are dismissed, and the local taxpayer is tasked with subsidizing organic demand.  

Michael Hooks – Hook’s AllWorld just wants more extravagant, often no-bid, taxpayer-funded contracts to continue. AllWorld is involved in the going nowhere, Liberty Park development and formerly involved with a $5.9M MATA contract. AllWorld’s MATA contracts dealt with MATA’s procurement system, trolley and bus rapid transit system. As most know at this point, those MATA areas are on their Azz. And, by the way, where are all of the trolleys? Nobody knows or cares, all while being treated as a big funny joke...

Pitt Hyde – Hyde wants taxpayers to fund an extravagant and redundant Brooks Art Museum. Presently, it feels like multiple public projects are having funds diverted to fund Brooks development. A common request pattern of the FedEx/Memphis Tomorrow complex is they want taxpayers to largely fund building development for the housing of elitist hobby and retail interests, while citizens are left owning the building with recurring public building maintenance responsibilty (Tennis Memphis). This Brooks project fits the pattern.

Ford Canale – Canale wants taxpayers to largely fund an extravagant golf clubhouse at Audubon, near the Botanic Gardens, with ongoing recurring maintenance paid for by the taxpayer. Again, fitting the pattern, golf is a hobby interest of Canale.

Matt Thompson – Even though the Zoo’s claimed $100M in economic impact, is a taxpayer loser generating about $3M in local taxes while getting about $9M from the City and County, Thompson wants taxpayers to fund a massive $100M elephant sanctuary and perhaps even a shark tank.

All this development would explode taxpayer funded recurring maintenance, which is often not accounted for when considering public capital projects. Sadly, like so many FedEx/Memphis Tomorrow public-private projects, the Zoo was supposed to become self-sustaining, but it never has, while gobbling up more taxpayer funding each and every year.

And if one ever has the opportunity to review the Zoo’s financials, since 2019, the Zoo gang is having a party, with exploding recurring public costs on the back of taxpayers.

So that’s what the Twat Boyz have in mind for taxpayers. See the pattern? And think, if all these projects are such good ideas, why aren’t the Boyz doing them with their own money? Because these are all highly risky projects.

Institutionally supported by the press, public universities and even local activist organizations, Memphians are brainwashed lacking the basic civic information to thrive.

It goes on and on and is found in the belief systems of even highly educated Memphians, like many of our elected officials and even Mayors. You know, things like 1) the Chamber touted Memphis would be Jackson, MS. without FedEx, 2) Pitt Hyde is an evolutionary civic visionary and 3) So goes your downtown, so goes your City. None of this is remotely attached to any sort of civic reality.

Ideally, the FedEx/Memphis Tomorrow complex would pay back taxpayers $2B for all this mess. But if not, perhaps they could just pay their full taxes, keep their philanthropy and government efficiency to go home and run their businesses, while the public cleans up the mess left by this elitist complex. This complex is just not good at civic evolution or government efficiency for that matter. 

So, for Memphis to thrive, grow and reach its potential, Memphians will need to be accurately informed and acquainted with civic reality, which they are not after 20yrs of FedEx/Memphis Tomorrow.  It’s the only way….