THE MATCHUP: TAX CUTS VS. PORK

Well, amen and thank you to Senator Ramsey and the rest of the Republicans advocating for tax cuts instead of PORK! (But caution: there are a few East Tennessee Republican Senators who are getting wobbly on the tax cuts. Inside sources say they favor giving Governor Bredesen EVERYTHING he wants, leaving no room or hope for GOP proposals. And you’ll note as well that the following AP article on the subject is not in the Knoxville News Sentinel.)

Are you for tax cuts instead of pork? Ask your own Senator if he/she plans on giving Governor Bredesen everything he/she wants. Ask them if they favor pork projects instead of tax cuts. Be sure to call or email. Representative Bill Dunn told us in an interview at the start of this week that just 5 phone calls from a district can sway a legislator on many issues.

From today’s Jackson Sun:

Senate Speaker Ron Ramsey on Thursday said he opposes a Democratic proposal to give each lawmaker a lump sum of money to spend on local projects.

Senate Democratic Leader Jim Kyle said he wants each senator to be allotted $300,000 and each House member to be earmarked $100,000 to spend on projects in their districts in the upcoming budget year.

“It’s just amazing to me that Jim Kyle wants to give out pork,” Ramsey, R-Blountville, said after Thursday’s floor session. “Obviously that’s not going to happen in the state Senate if I have anything to do with it.”

Kyle, of Memphis, said the projects envisioned under his proposal should not be labeled pork. They would be budget amendments that would be discussed openly between the parties and the two chambers, he said.

“It is an appropriate way to supplement our budgetary process with money that goes back to our home districts,” Kyle said on the Senate floor. “You can call that pork if you want, but I don’t call that pork.”

and this:

Ramsey said his party would prefer to use one-time money from larger-than-expected tax collections to fund a sales-tax holiday on food in December. Ramsey said that proposal would cost $76 million.

“Where we are for is tax relief,” he said.

Ramsey noted that congressional earmarks ended up hurting Republicans in the last election.

“What hurt the Republicans when they lost their majority (in Congress) was the fact that a lot of people thought they’d overextended in spending,” he said.