Ramsey Says He’d Handle The Budget Just Like Bredesen

13 Responses to “Ramsey Says He’d Handle The Budget Just Like Bredesen”

1. Harrison writes
   November 15th, 2009 12:51 pm

   Let’s see. Who to believe … Mark Norris? Or his master Ron Ramsey? My guess is: Ramsey is out there polling and talking to real people, who no doubt agree with Bredesen. And Norris is scheming and fussing, trying figure out how to be relevant.

2. Ryan Kristopher writes
   November 15th, 2009 5:21 pm

   Ramsey might as well have said, “I’ll agree with the governor that got 70 percent of the vote last time.” What I don’t understand is Norris complaining about the budget when he is the majority leader in the Senate in the majority party. Basically, Norris is just admitting that he didn’t have the nads to stand up to the governor last year. More likely, he knows the governor was correct last year and is just trying to make political points anyway he can (I haven’t quite figured out how on this one).

3. dontcallmemikey writes
   November 15th, 2009 5:42 pm

   It’s going to be Ramsey’s budget by next year, and all those hard choices that will need to be made are going to take a toll on the auctioneer. He’s standing by Bredesen’s budget, and Phil’s gonna present one next year that will have things in it the GOP won’t like but may have to be done. Ron’s gonna be trapped between ‘gotta do it’ and ‘piss people off.’ My guess, he’s gonna try to pass the buck, but he’s the only one in the race who has this predicament. Who does Norris back? My guess is it ain’t Ron.

4. Donna Locke writes
   November 15th, 2009 5:51 pm

   I go with the deeper cuts. For one thing, some state employees are making huge salaries for doing almost nothing.

5. Harrison writes
   November 15th, 2009 5:59 pm

   Norris may not be admitting a lack of ‘nads, but he’s certainly acknowledging (tacitly) a lack of power, influence and control within the very caucus he purports to lead. Might as well just raise his hand and say, “Hey everybody! Look at me! Because Ron and Phil and the rest of the legislature don’t give a shit what I think!”

   Fact is, Norris is more effective tweeting from China than legislating at home.

6. Donna Locke writes
   November 15th, 2009 6:27 pm

   That’s not true, Harrison. Maybe Bredesen, but not the others.

   In Norris’s Nov. 13 guest column in The Tennessean, he wrote, “Delaying the inevitable gave many a false sense of security, which may have done more harm than good. We amended the final budget to require the administration to notify each recipient of state funds in writing that cuts were coming. To date, this, too, has not been done.”

   Our governments at the federal and state levels have spent as if there is no tomorrow, so maybe they know something we don’t.

7. Ryan Kristopher writes
   November 15th, 2009 7:48 pm

   That was the point…Norris as majority leader has the ability to move the cuts up but instead sat on his hands and now blames everyone else. Poor leadership if he really felt that way. As far as notifying every person that receives state funds that cuts are coming, that would cost the state of Tennessee hundreds of millions of dollars to notify all of Norris’ business buddies that their check is going to be a little short. Millions of people and businesses receive state funds. Donna, if this is the best you have, you need to go back to bed.

8. Donna Locke writes
   November 15th, 2009 11:38 pm

   You really should read the entire column:

   http://www.tennessean.com/article/20091113/OPINION01/911130343/1007

   On that newspaper page (print), The Tennessean editorial board joined the co-interim executive director of the Tennessee State Employees Association in expressing panic that state government might not continue to be treated as a jobs program for various unqualified, redundant, do-nothing, nonessential political pals and relatives of pals and others “owed” something by the elected. My take.

   Recession or not, take a sword to the entire bureaucracy.

   Of course, all this may be moot, as expanded Medicaid under Obama is probably going to finish us off.

9. Cannoneer2 writes
   November 16th, 2009 1:45 am

   “On that newspaper page (print), The Tennessean editorial board joined the co-interim executive director of the Tennessee State Employees Association in expressing panic that state government might not continue to be treated as a jobs program for various unqualified, redundant, do-nothing, nonessential political pals and relatives of pals and others “owed” something by the elected. My take.”

   Nice sentiment, but these types were safe from the last round of cuts, and no doubt will be safe from the next round as well.

10. idgaf writes
    November 16th, 2009 5:28 am

    Another RINO.

    Where are the conseratives?

    Lets get a good conservative woman in the race.

11. Blue writes
    November 16th, 2009 8:29 am

    Has Ramsey already been elected? Should everyone else drop out of the election? Is TN so red that we are not given choices?

12. time for truth writes
    November 16th, 2009 9:52 am

    I think there are some Dems running but I haven’t heard a peep out of them. At least not in the online media. This is likely because they are lackluster and are wisely letting the current governor remain in the spotlight. Or maybe they don’t have much campaign money.

    Or maybe they are just letting presumed Republican frontrunner Zack Wamp run around the state making a fool of himself. If Zack wins, he will be a major target after all of the red meat idiocy he has spouted. This is likely the only chance a Dem has of winning the Governorship next year- by default.

    Ramsey, who has also mouthed some nonsense, is playing it safe here by aligning himself with a popular governor who brought the state back from a huge mess left by his Republican predecessor. And guess what, teabaggers, Bredesen did it WITHOUT an income tax!

13. SouthernIndie writes
    November 16th, 2009 10:42 am

    Not too sure Ramsey will find all those bipartisans
    votes he’s looking for in his remarks. Biggest
    mistakes right now are for both city and state
    dept’s being asked to cut budgets in same percentages.
    Why should prisons or child welfare agencies have
    to take same % cut as say Tourism, Wildlife resources, Planning, Executive Branch etc? Cuts in
    one dept can certainly have more adverse affects than
    larger cuts in others. I know, all have their
    defenders but life isn’t always fair at home or in
    government. Our next Governor needs to understand
    Budgets and citizen priorties as well as compromising political bs. Permanent job reductions are a necessity at this time as painful as they may be!