You know, we bloggers really like the salmon that swim upstream. P-Luv wrote about the GOP governor of Utah rebelling (or is is telling the truth?) against his party.. Meanwhile , we'd like to introduce you to Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen..
Bredesen is a Democrat, and he may be the only one in his party to take a bit of a stand in some less sensible areas of the economic stimulus plan. Now, don't give Ol' Phil too much credit. His state will be getting about $4.3 Billion from the stimulus plan, but he is the only Democrat to possibly turn down the $141 million to expand it's unemployment benefits program.
What is the big deal about taking money for unemployment? Well, upon taking that cash, the Feds are telling the states that they have to give benefits to people that currently do not qualify for benefits, including part time employees. What's the problem? Well, when do the states get to stop giving these benefits? When the cash runs out? EVER ???
The big problem that Bredesen, along with about five other Republican governors who think on ocassion, are faced with taking on a permanent problem with temporary money. They might take the short term cash supplied by the Feds, then be left out in the cold, with a huge obligation not created by them. Remember No Child Left Behind ? There is nothing worse than a program created by Washington with nothing to support it.
That is the problem with this part of the stimulus. If we were able to examine other parts of it, I'm sure there would be other problems, but there are 535 people in DC who owe someone somewhere something - somehow.
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3 comments:
Of course, this would all appear to be never-gonna-happen-grandstanding by all of them b/c as Shumer pointed out yesterday, the Stimulus Bill has a provision that its all or nothing, not a la carte.
I have to consider that Phil Bredesen rode inot office on the debacle of Tenncare, the state's implementation of mediscare, unseating a Republican incumbent that had more problems than were laid at David Beasley's feet.
Phil is distancing himself for re-electability, something Sanford's lame duck status doth not require.
maybe he should change parties
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