TN TAX BATTLE: Influential (pro-income tax) lawmaker (bob rochelle) suspends his re-election bid

WSMV News ^ | 7/5/02 | staff

[GailA]

Wednesday, July 03, 2002

We've won. Now what?

By Bill Hobbs

The income tax is dead. Three years of efforts by the governor and some legislative leaders to impose an unconstitutional income tax on the people of Tennessee have failed. Here's an interesting question: What do we do next?

A one-year increase in a variety of existing taxes balances the state budget and pays for a laundry list of unnecessary spending for this fiscal year and leaves the next governor and legislature to solve for the long-term the conjoined issues of how much the people of Tennessee will be taxed, and how much the government will spend. It also leaves a question for the anti-income tax forces: What do we do now?

For three years, we have been on defense. The Sundquist administration and its pro-big government pro-income tax allies have been on offense, driving down the field in a series of grinding short-yardage plays. They fell perhaps a yard short of the end zone. The good news is the coach – Sundquist - is retiring, while the quarterback, House Speaker Jimmy Naifeh, has endangered the loyalty of his troops with his arrogance and his deceptive tactics. Some are suggesting the back-up (Frank Buck) get the starting role. Meanwhile, key running back Sen. Bob Rochelle may well be taken down for a loss in his re-election bid.

Soon we'll have a new coach – most likely one who campaigned against the income tax and for living within our means.

It's time our side stop playing defense and devise a plan for an all-out offensive against government waste and high taxes. While we are no longer threatened by an income tax, we remain subject to nearly two dozen various taxes and fees, none of which are capped and all of which combine in most years to produce more revenue than the state has budgeted to spend. And that surplus money – funds the Sundquist administration calls "unbudgeted dollars" – does get spent. The administration spends it without going through the constitutionally mandated process of the legislature passing a law appropriating it. Not only does that violate the state constitution, which says in Article 2, Section 24, "No public money shall be expended except pursuant to appropriations made by law," it sets a higher baseline on which the next fiscal year's budget is built.

SEE LINK FOR THE REST OF THE ARTICLE second article down What's next?

[fieldmarshaldj]

Rochelle is my state Senator, though with redistricting, I'll now be in a majority-African American downtown district (even though I'm in SE Nashville) with Thelma Harper, so I won't even be able to vote against this a$$hole. I still can't believe he won last time around after all the money that was spent against him exposing his extremist agenda. }8-(

[GailA]

I drew john ford a most throughly corrupt and immoral man. Millington is basically typical small town USA. About 13% black, growing hispanic population, probably mostly illegals. Pos 2 was given to ford. Pos 1 remains in sen Norris' although Norris is running for Bryant's seat. ford's opposition is just as corrupt as he is I've been informed.

[D. Miles]

tell wife to see if he claims that ATM income on his political disclosure statement... state secretaries office and election commission should have compalint filed if it is not on there. Also see if he reports that income to IRS...tell everyone...turn it over to the tv fraud investigator fellow in Nashville. Sorry can't think of his name...Ron something.

[joeyman]

You people in Tenn make me proud and provide an example for the rest of the nation to emulate. I am so happy you defeated this income tax movement and now your ripple effects may change the political makeup of the state. Well done!!

[fieldmarshaldj]

Ugh, John Ford... You have my sincerest sympathies. He is, without a doubt, the single biggest lunatic in the legislature. With Congressional Reapportionment, were you also similarly hit with being put in his nephew's 9th district ? The district I'm in (5th) hasn't had a GOP Congressman since the 2nd term of U.S. Grant in 1872 (and we ain't gettin' one with Clement's retirement, either). :-(

[GailA]

No thank GOD, we didn't get a double whammy. tanner is still my US Rep. bubba pleasant (tax me more) is my new State Rep. he is unopposed. BUT he still isn't getting my vote. The only way tanner gets ousted is if he dies.