Posted on 05/27/2010 10:50:04 PM PDT by The Magical Mischief Tour
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Members of the Tennessee House of Representatives left Capitol Hill Thursday for the Memorial Day holiday without coming to an agreement on a budget proposal. The sticking point that created the impasse was a proposed fish hatchery.
The budget proposal would have the TWRA build the cold-water fish hatchery in Elizabethton, Carter County. That is House speaker Kent Williams' district.
The hatchery where the state would raise trout and bass had a $16 million price tag and would create 22 new jobs.
"That's the lynch pin that's keeping us from a budget agreement," according to Republican House member Glen Casada of Franklin.
Representative Casada told NewsChannel 5 Republicans feels very strongly about the budget proposal.
"We on our side, the republicans, Ron Ramsey, felt like the fish hatchery is a pork barrel project and a $16 million waste of taxpayers money and we won't give on that," Casada said.
Casada feels this just is not the time for the state to build a new fish hatchery.
"Maybe a worthy cause, but in a year when people are losing their jobs, unemployment's at 10% and we have flood victims that have lost everything," Casada added.
Most democrats disagree with the republican notion that this is a bad time to invest in 22 new jobs.
"If this isn't the time to help the people of the State of Tennessee, somebody tell me when is. Are we going to wait until times are good and the economy is booming before we start spending money," said Democratic Representative Mike Turner from Old Hickory.
"Fish is the new pork in Tennessee," according to Justin Owen.
Owen is part of the Tennessee Center for Policy Research in Nashville. They are a government watchdog group.
Owen said the price tag for the fish hatchery project does not pay off in the number of jobs it creates.
"You do the math. That's about $768,000 a job. Obviously the people who work there aren't going to get paid that. The rest is government waste," according to Owen.
Many democrats feel the fish hatchery delay is just a case of election year politics.
"I think Ron's (Ramsey) trying to set himself up where it won't be so hard on him his first year as governor. I think that's why he's doing. I think we're playing politics here," Representative Turner said Thursday afternoon.
Capitol Hill insiders say the fish hatchery could stall budget talks for more than a week.
By law, the state budget has to be in place by July 1 or the government will shut down.
A $22 million dollar waste of money for a power-hungry fake republican’s district which would provide only 22 jobs? No thank you.
Does it mean it needs a million to create one job? They don’t need to spend more energy on this issue. Just choose the 22 people they like, and give one million each.
Yup, our jackass DIABLO State House Speaker here in TN wants a multimillion-dollar fish pond and is holding our state hostage to get it. And you think your state is bad ?
Gosh darn, if only we could repeal the 17th amendment and let STATE LEADERS like that guy choose our representation in Washington for us, all our national problems would go away. Your state house speaker is obviously the kind of guy the FOUNDERS envisioned to run government (and if not, if you simply pay closer attention to your state elections, the entire legislature will be replaced by a decent, limited-government constitutional one next November)
< / idiotic "repeal the 17th" talking points off>
YES!
Heh. :-P
It only costs a dime to raise a trout to 11 inches long. Even less to raise one to 9 inches.
It’s really too bad it’s impossible to remove him midterm.
I’m concerned what he might try to pull this year, it’s paramount to defeat him in the general election. If he ends up serving next year as an Independent (and we have the narrow margin, now roughly at 51-48), he might find a way to bribe a couple of weak RINOs (who previously supported Boss Hogg Naifeh) with Chairmanships and have the Dems all vote for him again just to keep our party from organizing with the duly-elected party leaders. The Speaker-presumptive, Jason Mumpower, who worked so hard to get us our majority, is retiring this year rather than go through that crap again next year (however, it must be said he also happens to be in Lt Gov/Sen. Ron Ramsey’s district, and if Ramsey gets his promotion to Governor, Mumpower will get kicked up to the Senate via appointment and before long may get the consolation prize of Lt Governor).
“Jason Mumpower”
Speaking of stolen elections.
I hope it works out and he gets the Senate seat. (More importantly I hope Ramsey wins the primary).
Williams won’t face a(nother) democrat in November correct? There was a race like that in Wisconsin in 2008. DIABLO traitor “independent” versus Republican in a strong Republican district.
I would doubt the Dems would run somebody, although I wish one would (for obvious reasons). An (official) Dem hasn’t run in that district in some time, and that’s my big problem that we need to close the primaries and keep Dems from stealing the primaries. We had an excellent Asian-American Conservative in that seat that Traitor Kent defeated in ‘06 (and again in ‘08). I’m not sure if that man is running again for another rematch, but Kent won’t be able to run with the GOP label (although the party has vacillated, trying to reach a deal with him, which is unbelievable given Kent’s treachery and deceit). It’s astonishing that a mere 2nd term member could’ve created so much havoc as he did, and absolutely appalling.
We had an excellent Asian-American Conservative in that seat that Traitor Kent defeated in ‘06
Jerome Cochran.Born in Vietnam. Do you know anything about his background?
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