The South has the best job market in U.S.

Gallup is reporting that job creation is strongest in the South. The West is in the worst condition of the four regions.

Side note - does it irk anyone else when people consider Kentucky to be a southern state? At least they didn't include Missouri. That would have really pushed my buttons.

Nashville: Bastion of Progressivism?

Recent article in The Tennessean discussing the shift towards progressivism in the Nashville city council:

The council recently opted out of a state law allowing guns in local parks. A nondiscrimination ordinance that would protect gay city employees and job applicants is on the verge of becoming law, six years after a more conservative council shot it down. And earlier this year, the city's legislative body spoke out against the controversial English-only proposal, 18 months after the previous council favored a similar law.

Nashville voters followed the council's lead — and Mayor Karl Dean's — in January, rejecting the plan to make the government do almost all business in English.

Councilwoman Megan Barry, considered one of the most liberal council members, said the "shift in orientation" reflects the will of the people.

"Voters are the ones who made this decision that they wanted Nashville to be a more welcoming place and a more progressive place and a place where we can attract and retain business," said Barry, the lead sponsor of the nondiscrimination bill. "And you do that by being more forward-thinking."

If you ask me, this is a welcome development. I was as surprised as anyone when Nashville voted to reject the English-only bill. I'm sure that a lot of this left-leaning stuff is the result of "outsiders" coming to the city, looking to take advantage of Tennessee's lower cost of living. Most of these people are coming from the north, which has generally been much more "Democrat-friendly".

However, Nashville definitely has some hard-right kooks who would love for Nashville to be less welcoming to anyone who isn't straight and white. These are the sorts of people who turned out for the series of tea parties at the state capital. Heck, these people are practically ubiquitous in the comments section of the Tennessean's website.

Nashville has an outstanding opportunity to set a trend for the rest of the state and the South in general. Progressives need to keep fighting to make this city even greater than it already is. The Tennessee Republican Party will fight this at every turn, but they need to understand that the way of doing things in the South is changing. America is changing.