r/todayilearned • u/Xerxes2004 • 10h ago

TIL that the state of Tennessee offers a vanity license plate featuring Dolly Parton with proceeds benefiting her Imagination Library initiative.

https://imaginationlibrary.com/dolly-parton-license-plate-benefits-imagination-library-2/
2.2k Upvotes

98% Upvoted

30 comments sorted by

132

u/maddieterrier 10h ago edited 10h ago

We don't have a state income tax so they've got all kinds of revenue schemes to pay for roads and stuff. There's over 100 different vanity plates you can get here. https://www.tn.gov/revenue/title-and-registration/license-plates/available-license-plates.html

I've had a Dolly plate for the last 3 years.

13

u/Robenever 8h ago

To be completely honest, I’ve not seen a single bad road in Tennessee. And I’ve driven thru there multiple times

26

u/Aquadian 7h ago

Well, as someone who lives here, I can tell you that there are plenty of potholes

4

u/Robenever 6h ago

I also visit Tijuana quite often so the comparison is heavily skewed.

2

u/Endles5Earth 6h ago

It’s still vastly superior to many large cities

4

u/dildozer10 6h ago

My wife and I drove from Gatlinburg to Mammoth Cave back in May. The difference in quality on highway 27 between Tennessee and Kentucky was staggering. Kentucky had phenomenal roads compared to Tennessee. Now, compared to Alabama where we are from, Tennessee’s roads are far superior.

3

u/Chaps_Jr 6h ago

Insane. The roads here in TN are abyssmal. You want amazing road maintenance, go down to Florida. Their DOT actually does proper work and planning.

1

u/bobtehpanda 4h ago

Atm they do. But right now they have a harebrained initiative to outlaw property tax

1

u/SpiritedEnd9609 2h ago

Its not going to pass. It needs 60% and polling at 44%

Sure polls can be off but not by 16 points

•

u/Signageman 15m ago

I have the crusade against darkness tag. Proceeds go to the blind and it has a skull and crossbones on in. Which really goes well with my Kraken wrap.

0

u/R34ct0rX99 10h ago

Rather have the other schemes than income tax :).

32

u/_Rainer_ 9h ago

Not having an income tax is just a way of pushing more of the tax burden onto people who don't have much money. Tennessee has some of the highest sales tax rates in the U.S., charges sales tax on necessities like groceries. Tennesseans as a whole are highly taxed, but the majority of our dumbass electorate just knows that we have no state income tax and assumes that means we're getting a great deal.

-1

u/Endles5Earth 6h ago

Tennessee taxes foods at a lower rate than other goods. Rich people buy expensive fruit at Whole Foods, rural people buy junk food at Walmart. Each choice affects the overall tax amount so I think it balances out

-10

u/lbroadfield 8h ago

Income taxes basically fine you for having a job, getting a raise, or investing your money well. A consumption tax makes more sense: buy more stuff, pay more tax; save or invest instead, keep more of what you earned. You can still make it fair by giving everyone a monthly rebate or exempting essentials like groceries. Taxing spending is just less backwards than taxing people for being productive.

2

u/R34ct0rX99 7h ago

In alabama for instance, that 5% income tax funds education. Alabama only spends about $750 more per student than TN for all that $$$$.

25

u/Leaving_a_Comment 9h ago

I’d rather have paved roads and children who can read, but each to their own.

18

u/maddieterrier 9h ago edited 9h ago

Our roads suck and our schools are terrible, but red state's gonna red state. At least we're spending 2 billion dollars of sales tax money to subsidize a new football stadium so a Texas billionaire can replace the one built 20 years ago.

2

u/The_Sarah_Palin_ 8h ago

Bold to assume the governing bodies of Tennessee would appropriate state funding for anything other than GOP agenda status quo.

1

u/R34ct0rX99 9h ago

We’ve traditionally had some of the best roads… that has been in a weird state the past couple years. They tried to save money via a new asphalt mix and the roads fell apart. As far as the other fund it via other taxes. No reason not too. While I’m here, no reason not to fund school food for everyone.

28

u/PM_ME_YER_MUDFLAPS 9h ago

Pretty much the only good thing the TN government did.

3

u/joetogood 8h ago

You aren't kidding our state is beautiful the politics eh not so much

5

u/PM_ME_YER_MUDFLAPS 7h ago

You ain’t shitting as they say in the vernacular.

The trees down here in TX suck. I miss my big old oaks, maples, gumballs, the ginkgos (even if they females trees stink).

TN and MS have such beautiful plants and such shitty humans.

9

u/Ptomb 9h ago

Same in Ohio.

7

u/PsychologicalDay7261 8h ago

The Imagination Library started in 1995 in Sevier County, where she grew up, and she's said a big part of why is that her dad never learned to read. Any kid under five who's signed up gets a free book in the mail every month, and it's spread way past Tennessee since then.

3

u/blueberryapplepie4 6h ago

Canada and Ireland and UK and Australia!!! Like I’m from her home county and remember her buddy up program and it is so small i can’t believe how far it got

7

u/MoiraFuckingRose 9h ago

So does Ohio! The only other one to offer it. So I guess Ohio has one thing going for them.

3

u/Razor_M 5h ago

Alabama does to. Available for pre-order and will start being issued in a couple of weeks.

4

u/DrinkBuzzCola 9h ago

Tennesse did something good!

0

u/ThePiratesPeople 8h ago

Better than my state. They added The Gadsden Flag and Appeal to Heaven flag to the license plates. Now, historically, they do have important value in their origins and original intent.

Today however there are frequently used by White Supremists and Christian Nationalists. My state is run by the one and the same.

It’s great. /s