2002-2003 Tennessee State Budget (link) Pork Round-Up!

(Soon to be) People's Republic of Tennessee ^ | 7-1-02 | Constantine XIII

[Constantine XIII]

Here is the ENTIRE state budget, in its entirety:

http://www.state.tn.us/finance/bud/bud0203/buddoc0203.pdf

It is a 1.8 MB PDF, but it is relatively easy to navigate.

[Constantine XIII]

The rules are simple: find the silliest, most extravagant expenditures of taxpayer money in the budget.

Let's bring home the bacon!

[Constantine XIII]

Sorry, that's about $4 million for Glocker, but that is still enough to build an entirely new, modern building.

Not that we need it, he he.

[Constantine XIII]

TN dept. of redundancy dept. bump!

[Alabama_Wild_Man]

Page 19 - How could this state have won an award for a budget that, supposedly, every Law-Maker hated ?? ??

[Technocrat]

Where to start?!?!??

Let's look at the top line expenses first (p36)

Mental Health & Developmental Disabilities 92,678,600
F&A - Mental Retardation Division 66,302,600
Do I even dare go here? Do I need to? Where do I get my IQ test? Wait! Let me get a hammer first.
Military 7,984,100
So we're arming the country singers? That's dangerous. Besides, don't they already have their own weapons?
Tennessee Bureau of Investigation 25,666,600
If the FBI is bad, I bet the TBI catches 'em by making 'em laugh to death. Cut it in half and give the money to the state police.
Children's Services 245,883,100
That's a lot of money to give to the child grabbers. Cut back the number of cases - maybe that way only the real problems will be addressed and everyone else will be unmolested.
And now the biggie:
F&A - TennCare 1,781,460,300
Effen A indeed. WHAT ON EARTH ARE YOU THINKING? If benefits are provided to the 10% of people in the state who don't get them from Medicare or their job, you are spending $2,000 per person or $7000 per family! You can get top line group health coverage for that. Make it a semi-catastrophic plan and write a check to Blue Cross and be done with it. Heck, I wrote a claims management program that will manage your whole state, and I'll do it with one million dollars a year!
Commissions 29,736,400
What? Where do I sign up to be one of your salespeople? But seriously, where have you ever heard of a commission that does something useful? Do without them this year.
Comptroller of the Treasury 42,097,700
Well at least they admit to the skimming. Cut, cut, cut.
Secretary of State 21,493,600
What's this for? Trade with West Virginia? Hire a real secretary and pay her $70k a year. Stop killing trees.
Post-Conviction Defender 809,300
They're guilty already! Nuke this department.
Education (K-12) 2,618,455,300
Vouchers, vouchers, vouchers. Sell public schools. Save 30%.
Higher Education 1,081,513,250
Building moratorium.

(Transportation)
D.O.T. Headquarters $12,001,000 - right.
Bureau of Administration 35,299,000 - right.
I'm out of time. Maybe I should do this for my state :)

[GailA]

There is LOTS of PORK in this budget NOTICE WHO got the most.

pg b35 womens economic council is a MAKE work council to line someone's pockets...2 full time employees 1 part timer and 1 seasonal salary consumes $73,500 and operations consumes $25,500 for a total of $98,700

U of M
Central avenue improvements $200,000
N Central Parking log extension $1,180M
N parking garage $14M
Performing arts center $16M
University center renovations $22M
Richardson Tower improvements $8,590M
Various dorm improvements $4,430M

Chattanooga STC
Athletic facilities lighting improvements $320,000

Walters SCC
Greene Co Expo Center $5M
Sevier Co Library $3M
Sevier Co socer facilities $250,000

UT@ Chattanooga
College St special housing $4.420M

UT @ Knoxville
Neyland Thompson sports center $11.6M
Morrill Hall renovation $3.65M
Administration parking garage phase 2 $700,000
Campus entrance $2M
Intercollegate swim facility $19.3M (already has 2 swim facilities)
Stokley athletic center renovation $19.4M

Ft Campbell museum $1M
Country Music Hall of Fame $1M
Public TV $3.2M
Grizzlies parking garage $25M
Warriors State park golf cart crossing $260,000 (this was only $247,000 in last year's budget)
Wild flowers in medians $1.5M

ETSU Sherrod library renovation $10.3M (This was only $9.99M last year)

NESTCC New humanities bldg $13.990M
Paris landing kitchen renovation $1.290M
ETSU golf Practice area $250,000

APSU McCord bldg renovations $6.840M
WSCC college center renovation $4.380M
DSCC--LLC Eller & Glover addition/renovation $6.90M
UTK Glover bldg renovation/addition $24.3M
UTMHSC college of pharamacy bldg $32.9M
ESTU Greek row $9.250M FRAT HOUSE
ETSU Tennis facility $1M

MTSU Greek row development $17M FRAT HOUSE
housing renovations $15M
obsovatory relocation $500,000
NEW sports museum $1M
recreation fields replacement $4.150M
property demolition $350,000
parking lot $600,000
Nursing bldg addition $4.15M
Women's soft ball locker room $500,000

State Museum new planning phase 1 $150,000 (State Museum already gets $2.4M)

MISC spending goes from $21,533,400 to a WHOPPING $176,438,800 with no listing on what it is being spent on.

Black Enterprise conference $400,000
Womens conference $92,000
warbler and elk land purschase $10M
Electronic library $1M
Public TV $3.223,600 (and they want $6.6M more to go digital)

This does NOT include the governors 3 new ED programs. $10M reading coaches $11.1M catch up for 7-9th grade for the new Gateway test

[GailA]

Valentine's budget report BUDGET

Note the GROWTH of the various depatments over last year's budget.

[Digger]

Seems the people could devote time & run the state better than the paid hacks. This situation has been the most encouraging acts by the sheeple in yrs & restores some confidence back that changes can occur. Thank you all in Tenn.