This page ©2001
Chip Brown.

M M Mind

Okay, I've taken some time off from writing. Some of you think the world is better when I don't write, but that's simply not true. When I'm not writing, I'm thinking, trust me, thinking is far more dangerous. I've been thinking about our Governor.

Here is a quote from Governor Don Sundquist -1999 State of the State Address February 8, 1999:

"You will hear from those who say we ought to preserve special breaks for some businesses and impose an income tax on working Tennesseans. That's not tax relief; it's not tax reform; it's not tax simplification; and it's not tax fairness. All an income tax does is raise the tax burden on Tennesseans and create a way to finance the easy and endless expansion of government. TENNESSEE DOES NOT NEED AN INCOME TAX." -GOVERNOR DON SUNDQUIST.

When I was a little boy mom and dad would stop by this store on vacation and we'd buy candy for the long drive. Every year my brother Darrell and myself always bought Fat Albert Tangy Taffy. It came in a box with a secret toy surprise, which to a kid makes anything taste better. Anyway, one year I grabbed darrell's box and dumped it out the window of our moving car. Seemed quite funny at the time. In fact, it still seems funny today.

So, what's all this got to do with our governor in Tennessee? I remember the fit and temper tantrum Darrell pitched after I dumped his candy. Darrell worked in tantrums the way Van Gogh worked in oils. Nobody could pitch a temper fit like my brother.

Then I met our governor. Darrell, can not hold this man a light in the temper tantrum department. Why this man, and about six key Senators, want an income tax is beyond me. But that's okay we can all make mistakes and come up with silly ideas about an income tax. So what happens? One Senator says, "Hey Don, I bet the voters would really love to have an income tax!"

Our Governor replies, "I'll bet you're right, lets just give them one."

Another Senator joins in and adds, "Certainly they want us to continue to spend like drunken sailors, how else can we, now that we've spent everything we have?"

This is how a stupid, imbecilic idea like the Tennessee Income Tax is born. Now, with that said and you all knowing how I feel about most of Nashville, I can cut them some slack. In fact we all should...they're none too bright. They shouldn't be blamed for their lack of thinking...at least not until the next election.

But what I can not let pass is the way our Governor starts cutting things. Instead of accepting defeat like a man, he starts cutting things like Parks. Why not cut some grants first? Maybe that grant that allows 1/2 a mile of road in Knox County to be four laned between two secondary roads? RE: Cunningham to Emory. Yes, I know it's a county road but state funds are also involved.

Fact is, I hope when I'm beaten in a vote on an idea I can say, "Oh well, I got beat on that one." I hope I can find it in myself not to start pitching a temper fit, closing parks and cutting funds to worthy causes, while saying, "I'll keep cutting until you reconvene and vote for my tax plan."

Remember folks, there is enough money in the budget to fund everything we did last year and a bit more. The shortfall is in what some in the administration wanted in new spending. Like I've said before, it's the same as us deciding we want a new TV and can't afford it. Instead of saving our money we march in to our bosses office and demand more money to cover the deficit in our budgets that include a new TV purchase. When our boss says no, we start saying, "Well, if I don't get my money I'm not going to do any more filing." I'm pretty sure our bosses would fix our "BUDGET PROBLEM" by giving us our walking papers...

Now there's an idea....

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