December 11, 2007

Democrat Math

Five years ago, Gov. Bredesen and his wife, Andrea Conte, told the people of Tennessee that they would renovate the state's official governor's residence for $9.5 million, of which only $1.5 million would come from funds collected from taxpayers. Now, we are learning, the cost of renovating the mansion has ballooned to $19.2 million, with taxpayers forced to cough up $11.1 million - over half the cost.

All to renovate - and add a ridiculously large and unnecessary underground party hall - a house that is worth less than $1 million.

Does this make sense to anyone - anyone other than tax-and-spend Democrats for whom failure of a government program is simply a reason to throw more money at it?

My personal opinion: Taxpayers, and the people of Tennessee, would have been better served by selling the mansion and using the money, plus the $1.5 million plus whatever Bredesen and Conte could raise from private donors, to build a new official residence designed for the 21st century.

But, some might say, "What about the history?"

As far as I can tell, the current governor's mansion is only "historic" in the sense that it is kind of old and some previous governors lived there. The mansion on Curtiswood Lane has only been Tennessee's official residence for the state's chief executive since 1949. Nothing truly historic happened there in the last 58 years.

According to the mansion renovation project's official state web page, eight former governors and their families have resided in the home.

Tennessee's First Families have entertained guests such as the Reverend Billy Graham, Elvis Presley, Minnie Pearl, Johnny and June Carter Cash, President and Mrs. John F. Kennedy, President and Mrs. Lyndon Johnson, President and Mrs. William Clinton, President and Mrs. Ronald Reagan, Vice President and Mrs. Al Gore, and numerous governors and royalty from around the world.

Spending $19.2 million, including $11.1 million of taxpayers money, to renovate a pseudo-historic house worth only $1 million simply doesn't make sense.

Update: While sitting in a traffic jam this morning I heard Lee Beaman on the radio - Ralph Bristol's show on 99.7 WTN - talking about the party bunker project and claim that it was three times the size of the the Schermerhorn Symphony Hall. "That can't be right," I thought. But he is correct - in fact,at 13,000 square feet, the underground party bunker is nearly three times as large as the 5,700-square-foot main concert hall at the Schermerhorn.

According to the Schermerhorn's "Event Function Capacity Chart," [PDF] the main hall can accomodate 400 people for a banquet seated 10 per table, or 320 seated eight per table - or 500 at a stand-up reception.

So... why does Tennessee's governor's residence need a banquet hall that can accomodate 1,000 people?

Update: Bob Krumm compares the size of the proposed underground banquet bunker to the famed Lowenbrau Beer Hall in Munich, Germany - and comments that, based on his experience as a commercial builder, there's something we're not being told about the bunker, something that has greatly inflated the price.