Posted on 04/18/2002 5:58:37 AM PDT by GailA
Edited on 05/07/2004 9:19:59 PM PDT by Jim Robinson. [history]
Gov. Don Sundquist applauded college students who held a bake sale for higher education on the War Memorial Plaza yesterday, saying the money they raised was not much, ''but it is a whole lot more than the General Assembly has passed.''
(Excerpt) Read more at tennessean.com ...
By JENNIFER BARNETT and BONNA de la CRUZ Staff Writers
College students descended on War Memorial Plaza yesterday with muffins and brownies, hoping to make a point about higher education funding using the simplest of methods: a bake sale.
''We wanted to show that instead of looking to legislators to do something, we're doing something ourselves,'' said Betsey Kirk, a student at the University of Tennessee who organized the joint effort.
The students raised about $350, which they donated to the state, but Kirk admitted that fund raising wasn't really the point.
''Our message is, no more budget cuts,'' she said. ''We can't shift this burden to students anymore.''
Finance Commissioner Warren Neel said he would give the proceeds to state Treasurer Steve Adams to deposit in the state's general fund.
Neel told the students he was proud of their passion.
''You're the reality. You represent the classrooms,'' he told them.
House Speaker Pro Tem Lois DeBerry said she hoped the students' point would hit home with lawmakers. ''It's a sad day when education is not a priority and kids have to stand outside and sell cookies.''
Students said they were concerned that lawmakers would adopt a budget that will cut $400 million from K-12 education and $71 million from higher education.
''If that (budget) passes, we're in the hole,'' said Louise Morales, president of the student government at Austin Peay State University.
Kirk said the bake sale was the last public stand students planned before the budget goes to lawmakers. ''Instead of looking for lawmakers to do something, we decided we needed to look to ourselves to do something,'' she said.
South Carolina is cracking down on illegal aliens. Perhaps these students can head over to the Palmetto State to help with picking peaches this summer. (I once asked a group of college students why they believe taxpayers should subsidize their college education...couldn't get a straight answer. Let them pick peaches...)
While the state's budget has grown at a record pace of almost $1 billion per year since Governor Sundquist took office (and next year's budget is projected to be the largest in the state's history) the Governor and some in the Legislature say that the state needs a tax hike! Tennessee doesn't face a "fiscal crisis." It faces spending that has spiraled out of control. Tell your legislators to restrain state spending and not raise taxes!
Send a letter to the following decision maker(s):
Below is the sample letter:
Subject: Cut Spending; Don't Raise Taxes
Dear (insert legislator's name here),
There has been a lot of talk about the need to increase Tennessee's tax revenues in order to avert a "budget crisis." However, a quick examination of the facts shows that Tennessee's fiscal troubles are not because of a lack of revenues, but rather excessive spending by the Governor and Legislature that has grown at a record pace over the last several years. For instance:
* Since Governor Sundquist took office in 1995, Tennessee's budget has increased from $13 billion to $19.5 billion.
* According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, between 1990 and 1999, inflation rose by 27 percent. During that same time period, Tennessee's overall state expenditures increased by 74 percent and per capita expenditures increased by 66 percent.
* Despite talk about "budget cuts," last year's budget actually increased spending by more than 3 percent, compared with a rate of inflation of only 2.85 percent in the same time period. Those who claimed they had to make "cuts" to the budget were actually referring to reductions in the amount they had planned to spend, not cuts in real spending as they wanted taxpayers to believe.
Faced with slowing revenue growth, the easy solution for government is to simply raise taxes. But the best solution for Tennessee's families, businesses, and economy is to eliminate unnecessary government spending and ultimately reduce, not increase, the tax burden imposed on Tennesseans.
When a Tennessee family has a budget shortfall they have to trim excessive spending. Now it is time for Tennessee's elected officials to do the same. Trimming the fat from a budget isn't easy, but it is sometimes necessary.
As your constituent, and as a voter, I ask that you do anything possible to eliminate wasteful and inefficient government spending and oppose any proposal that would increase the tax, regulatory, or overall fiscal burden imposed on me, and my fellow taxpayers.
Sincerely,
Of course the state troopers will be out on the highways. The $100+ speeding tickets they hand out are VERY profitable.
Don Sundquist, OTOH, led us all to believe that he was a conservative, that he was opposed to higher taxes, that he favored more industrial development and better jobs in Tennessee.
They never, NEVER think of cutting spending, do they? Even in this 'crisis', they refuse the possibility.
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