April 22, 2005

The Tennessee Spend-O-Meter

How fast does the Tennessee state government spend taxpayer dollars? "At over $783 per second, it turns out the answer is 'too fast for the human eye'," says the Tennessee Center for Policy Research, which has produced a great new way to illustrate just how fast state government is spending your tax dollars. It's called the Tennessee Budget Spend-O-Meter, and it provides a visual picture of just how fast the state government is spending your tax dollars. The Spend-O-Meter is currently racing forwarded at $783 per second, or nearly $67.7 million per day, as the state consumes its $21 billion-plus budget.

"The Spend-O-Meter lets Tennesseans see the dizzying rate of state spending," says Tennessee Center for Policy Research president Drew Johnson. "It will also put spending in perspective for the Governor and members of the General Assembly."

Amazingly, it will soon race even faster. Despite current spending of nearly $67.7 million each day, the state government will take even more for the next fiscal year. The projected 2005-06 Tennessee budget calls for $378.3 million above current spending levels. On July 1 the Tennessee Budget Spend-O-Meter will turn $12 per second faster.