The World According to Oatney

The Buck stops here

"It's a terrible use of state money," Buck said Wednesday. He suggests the state sell the mansion and build a new one at the Ellington Agricultural Center on Edmondson Pike. There wouldn't be neighborhood issues on the 207-acre compound, and, "You can build new cheaper than you can renovate," Buck said.

He is angry because public funds never got legislative approval. "It's shameful that we've turned the purse strings loose to the Building Commission to spend this kind of money," Buck said. He'd like to see the General Assembly pass a quick budget amendment to prohibit the money from being spent until more study is done.

The same people who are complaining about a "revenue shortfall" because their deluded tax schemes are a failure are the very ones who now want to spend $12 million in public funds without so much as a nod from the General Assembly. Can you say "double standard" boys and girls?

The analysis by Tennesseans for Accountability in Government shows that six states have no governor's residence at all, and of those that do, 29 don't have ballrooms.

"It's obvious that 35 governors manage to function just fine without any kind of entertainment facility. It's one more point as to why this is an unnecessary project," said Susan Kaestner, vice president of TAG. "We're seeing some bipartisan support to stop this thing, and that doesn't happen until you've got the beginnings of a groundswell."

Now why is it that 35 Governors manage to do their jobs just fine without an entertainment center (they probably all could, to be honest) but we need one?

Mrs. Bredesen says that if we don't support this rediculous proposal, we aren't forward thinking. Pardon me, but I guess it isn't forward-thinking to believe that our money might be better spent educating children, putting child rapists in prison, or providing turnout gear to the 70% of fire departments in this State that are all-volunteer. I guess that just makes us all backward, Ms. Conte, now doesn't it?

Labels: Tennessee politics

posted by Deacon David Oatney @ 12:04 PM