The Governor has dismissed calls by Democratic lawmakers to bring the legislature back into session in order to deal with the ever-increasing tuition rates that are putting a strain on college students and working families who want a decent education for their kids:
“I’m not sure I see the wisdom in having a knee-jerk special session right now when there a so many things on the board for us to consider when it comes to the budget,” said Haslam, who also serves as chairman of the Board of Trustees. “I don’t think that would be wise planning for the state.”
What’s not wise planning for the state is doing nothing in the face of rising tuition costs for Tennessee’s college students students. Tennessee already lags behind the nation in terms of college graduates, and if Tennesseans are to succeed in a 21st century economy, they’ll need to have a college education to thrive in an increasingly competitive environment.
Governor Haslam sticking his head in the sand on this issue, as well as the need to reduce the tax burden on working families struggling to put food on the table, is the wrong approach for our State. It is part of the overall failure of leadership that Haslam and the Republican Legislature has shown with regards to the Middle Class.
The Republicans bent over backwards the past two years to reward their wealthy contributors with tax breaks and special favors and cater to the radical right-wing with pointless debates on conspiracy theories and extreme legislation. Now they are apparently too busy going around to their special interest contributors to collect checks in order to take the time to relieve the financial pressure that working families are experiencing in Tennessee today.
