“The modern American — me, included — can barely sit through a wheat-harvesting description without checking her phone for something a tad more interesting.”

“Every vote does indeed count. But election information should be more accessible to everyone, and candidates need to spend time with who they want to represent.”

“We need more citizens preparing themselves to vote by weighing the choices to be made, making informed choices about their votes, and then showing up to vote.”

“It’s time to move past surface-level ‘fixes’ that blame the community for the problems that systems create. We believe that communities, particularly communities of color, deeply and intimately understand the problem and therefore hold the transformative solutions that will last.”

“Real, gut-level laughter is a gift from God; laughter was his design. It’s also a wildly underestimated instrument of light for both children and adults. It has the power to cut through some dark moments, and we need tools that have power like that right now.”

“From one end of the state to the other, we have children sleeping on the floors of government offices. There are more than 9,000 foster children in Tennessee, but less than half as many homes exist to care for them.”

“Seeing history as informing who we are and what we must do in the present no matter what befalls us as a city, nation, and world.”

“It makes sense of a mother’s tears on the first day of kindergarten or at high school graduation. It recognizes a college graduate’s homesickness for her roommates. It validates a father’s emotion as he gives his daughter away on her wedding day.”

“We’ve done something remarkable together here in Memphis for the last 35 years. We’ve been people of faith who have responded to a broken health care system.”

“Girls and women in Tennessee need their fathers and husbands and brothers and sons to step up and vote to end the government’s regulation of women’s bodies.”

“The recent community violence may seem unprecedented and shocking to some in our community. Yet, for many of our Shelby County families, violent crime has long been a part of their daily reality.”

“There’s no person who is completely free of faith. Even atheism requires a hearty and confident step of conviction. And when you find you’re locked in a teeny, tiny closet, even the smallest step matters.”

“C-PACER allows commercial property owners and developers to improve the energy efficiency of their buildings with low-cost financing provided by private lenders, shielding them from rising energy prices in the medium to long term.”

“In the name of individual freedom, these business interest groups wish to create different classes of workers to keep them pitted against each other instead of working in harmony for improved conditions in the workplace.”

“Just like we can’t give up on Memphis, we can’t give up on the Coliseum. A lot of people want to. But we have to stare our problems in the eyes, be creative, then make brilliant visions happen.”

“The Volunteer State has proudly protected the right to work for 75 years now. By voting ‘yes’ on Amendment 1, you can help make it a constitutional protection and preserve this Tennessee tradition for decades to come.”

“I’m fully aware of the arguments against voting. It’s a waste of time. It won’t change anything. No time to vote. Can’t trust any of them. My candidate won’t win anyway. But our lives are affected by the people we vote into office.”

If you’re buying it from an online-only dealer, be sure you understand the return and refund policy and that the dealer’s reputation indicates it will stand behind the policy.

Adding national issues into local campaigns and pushing a national agenda that appeals to emotions and cultural hot-button issues of the day makes elections both inflammatory and divisive to the community.

The Enchanted Forest, Adventure River, The Wonder Bread factory and all the things that “brought me memories filled with laughter and delight.”

“Turning a city around starts with addressing the crime rate, and after that the issues of poverty can be addressed, because recruiting companies and creating jobs becomes easier.”

Leaders of Tennessee State Pipe Trades Association say distorted rancor might make for more clicks on social media, but it does a disservice to Tennessee voters. So does demonizing labor unions.

“There is a unique splendor here that is unique in comparison with any place I’ve ever been. It’s found in the bare and beautiful faces of so many folks who make up this space, and in the way they live in community with one another — even when it’s hard.”

“Crime is not an entity. It is criminals that have the stranglehold on Memphis. You might call them robbers, rapists, thugs, punks or gangs, but they are also Memphians, Memphis-made.” 

“There are some things I want. I’ve wanted them for a while and the hints just aren’t working. So, I’ve made a modest list — 10 things you can choose from.”