January 24, 2002

Bredesen's Right

Phil Bredesen, the leading Democrat candidate for governor in Tennessee, says the cause of Tennessee's budget deficit is, in fact, unsustainably large spending growth. During the long economic boom of the 1990s, Bredesen says, state government joined many businesses in forgetting there is still a business cycle.

Bredesen tells an audience in Greeneville, "We're a low-tax state," adding that voters seem to want that to continue and for state government that means "we have to have discipline." Bredesen singles out TennCare spending, including a rich benefit package that is far better than most people get through their private or employer-sponsored health plans, as a leading cause of the state's budget mess.