BillHobbs.com is a frequently updated blog of original reporting and commentary by Bill Hobbs, a longtime Nashville journalist and media relations adviser. I am currently serving as communications director for the Tennessee Republican Party, a job I began on Oct. 29, 2007.
Four years ago next month, the members of the Tennessee General Assembly heard an important speech about the future of TennCare. Here's a few graphs from that speech, "Saving TennCare," delivered Feb. 17, 2004:
"I want to begin with a story, the story of the biggest house in the neighborhood.
Once upon a time there was a family, with a mother and a father, and a son and a daughter. They were a fine, loving family, and some years before the time of our story, they had stretched to buy a great big, expensive house - the biggest house in the neighborhood. It had everything they dreamed of; a pool, game rooms, enormous yard, bathrooms for everyone with some left over.
Every month, when it came time to pay the bills, mom paid the mortgage, the property taxes, mom paid the heat, and light, and repairs on their huge house. And each month when she got done, there was practically nothing left for anything else.
They talked about family vacations, but they never could actually go, there wasn't any money left after paying the house bills. The son and the daughter dreamt of someday going to college. But it wasn't likely, they were saving nothing for college. Just keeping up the biggest house in the neighborhood was taking it all.
I want to break this story here, as I'm sure it is obvious where I am going: TennCare is just like that great big house; it's got everything, it's well-intentioned, but we can't afford it, we're in over our heads, and scrambling to keep up with the bills means we starve to death other things that in the end are equally important - like education.
... I'm here tonight to ask you to do the same thing that we did together last year: to apply the commonsense principles of a family budget, this time to TennCare."
Who said it? None other than Gov. Phil Bredesen - who, four years later, at a moment in history when the state is facing a growing revenue shortfall and fiscal crisis, is hell-bent to spend more than $10 million dollars fixing up the Tennessee governor's mansion, including approximately $8 million for a lavish underground ballroom and banquet hall, a project that will make the mansion the biggest and most expensive house in its neighborhood.
Comments Policy: Your comment is subject to deletion if it is off-topic or includes foul language or personal attack. Readers, please email me if you find comments that include egregious violations of this policy. Comments may not post immediately - do not post twice!
Four years ago next month, the members of the Tennessee General Assembly heard an important speech about the future of TennCare. Here's a few graphs from