The reviews keep rolling in of the GOP’s “No Jobs Budget.” The Chattanooga Times Free Press published an editorial laying bare the shortsighted cuts proposed by Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey and the Senate Republicans:

It’s puzzling that Republicans would prevent the state from using one-time federal stimulus money for solar technology when the state has already attracted well over $2 billion in major investments in solar plants. One has to wonder if they don’t comprehend the concept or the benefits of being a solar leader in tomorrow’s new energy paradigm, or are just poking the governor in the eye, or both.

It’s obvious what Ramsey’s budget really is: an attempt to exploit our fiscal crisis to extend his appeal to the anti-government crowd.

Among the items Ron Ramsey is trying to cut:

• Bonds for building bridges
• Funding for public defenders
• Recurring funding for pre-K education (as a precursor to cutting pre-K entirely in the future)
• Shovel-ready projects at Tennessee universities
• An industrial megasite (funded by federal money) that would bring jobs to West Tennessee