The Budget Battle

Senate Democrats pledged to fight the job-killing budget cuts proposed by GOP. Here’s what people are saying:

Knoxville News Sentinel:

Republican senators moved Wednesday to eliminate revenue-producing provisions from Gov. Phil Bredesen’s tax legislation while adding about $100 million to his proposed budget cuts.

Sen. Jim Kyle:

We think it is the wrong thing to do at the wrong time. The governor has tried to govern us through a very difficult economic situation. But you can’t stop what you’re doing in government. You can’t quit educating people. You can’t quit trying to create jobs.

Kingsport Times-News:

House Speaker Kent Williams said he expects a bipartisan House budget proposal to make less drastic cuts. The Elizabethton Republican was dismissive of the proposal advanced by his GOP colleagues in the Senate.

“This is an example of why we need pre-K in Tennessee,” Williams joked.

Liberadio:

[A]ll Democrats should be united against the proposed cuts because they take an axe to the very foundation of what Democrats stand for – education, health care, and jobs.

Roane Views:

I’m having a tough time imagining a more short sighted group than Republican legislators at the moment.