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Tennessee Budget Woes - or NOT?Submitted by RoaneBooster on May 14, 2008 - 1:13pm.
We've been hearing from our esteemed governor, Phil Bredeson, most recently about how many state jobs are going to have to be cut. A state press release recently talked about how we are doin (looks pretty good) at the revenue side of things. Link... But... There are only two sides to the bottom line: Revenue and expenses. If revenue looks good (it may not - the figures in the press release may be inflated, or they may not be representative of the whole picture), then for us to be in the hole, expenses must look bad. How much did the fiscally responsible (?) Governor spend on his new entertainment underground expansion at the Governor's Mansion? Who will benefit from it? RB
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How many votes does Bredeson get to cast on any legislation, including the budget?
I'm a little fuzzy on this year's makeup and really don't remember. Who, Democrats or Republicans, have the majority in voting matters now?
The Governor doesn't get to vote on legislative matters. Only the General Assembly. The Assembly is controlled by Democrats in general, but:
The Senate is made up of 16 Democrats, 16 Republicans, and 1 Independent.
The House is made up of 53 Democrats and 46 Republicans.
The peculiar makeup of the Senate is why there is a Republican Lt Governor in an overall Democrat controlled state government.
RB
The question about how many votes does Bredeson get was a little "tongue in cheek." I knew he didn't vote.
It just irks me when people blame the head honcho for the problems when it is the "voting body" who should get the blame (or praise).
However, in Tennessee... there could be either praise or blame enough to go around, depending on your view.
The General Assembly doesn't just throw up a budget - they get a budget proposal from the Governor. They can pass all of it or none of it or parts of it. So in that the General Assembly doesn't author the budget, the praise of blame lays on the Governor's shoulders. He's the architect. On the other hand, it doesn't matter how stupid a budget a Governor may devise, the legislature doesn't have to pass it while it's stupid - they can fix it. So from that standpoint the blame or praise is on them.
The ULTIMATE buck stops with those who pass the budget. Yet the Governor has many avenues by which he may control various aspects of the budget administratively, without legislative action.
It's hard to say... to me it is a shared "blame".
RB