Is Tennessee ready for what’s coming?
There’s an old saying that warns, “Be careful of what you wish for because it might come true.”
That statement now applies to Tennessee. For all the people who have proclaimed we must reduce the size of our state government — and limit the services offered — that unfortunate wish may soon come true.
State legislators are now working on several budget options which will slash state spending and cripple a number of existing programs. This will mean less of a burden on taxpayers, but it will also mean we get less in return.
Depending on exactly what legislators decide to do, it could get fairly rough on the local level. It’s fine to want fewer services — that is until you need an ambulance and one is not available because of cutbacks.
It’s commendable to want to trim employees, consolidate services and run government more efficiently — but eliminating the Department of Tourism and closing state parks won’t help the state generate sales tax revenue.
It’s fine to want less taxes — until the price of college tuition skyrockets and little Billy doesn’t get the scholarship he was hoping for.
The question lawmakers must ask themselves is how much longer are they going to drag out this senseless game while holding the state’s future in the balance. In this day of forward thinking, it’s imperative to ask what happens next year.
Horn-honkers and tax protesters are going to storm Capitol Hill fighting to avoid any form of a tax increase. That’s never going to change.
All the people who constantly argue government should be run like a business should also know any business which hopes to be successful has at least a short-term plan for the future.
So what’s the state’s short-term plan? If the state budget is slashed and thousands of state employees are left out of work, then what happens next year?
Tennessee is still going to be faced with the same financial problems next year. The only difference is the state will be further down the dead-end street its currently traveling.
It’s also of vital importance to realize government can never be run like a business or a household. If a family is short on money, the answer may be eating at home and watching TV instead of dining out at restaurants and going to the movies.
If government is short on money is it supposed to suspend police service for a week? Surely the solution is not to let everyone out of jail for a month. Are we supposed to send children to school only four days a week?
When examining services, Tennessee is the 16th largest state in terms of population but the size of our state government workforce ranks 41st in the nation. And, according to the U.S. Census, Tenneessee ranks 50th in terms of tax revenue that’s collected.
Cutting services and streamlining government is a novel concept and one which should remain an overwhelming priority. But when there’s nothing left to cut, our lawmakers need to pass permanent tax reform which will fund the services most of us depend on every day.
If the time to do what’s right isn’t now, is that time going to magically appear next year or will lawmakers continue to fire employers and disband departments under the guise of not raising taxes?
The taxes will be there — if not at the state then the county level. By saying there won’t be new taxes, lawmakers are being dishonest to their constituents while ruining the state.