No WhiteWash!

The 2010 Tennessee Pork Report is out.  Below are some examples of waste that is mentioned in the report.  Click on the link below to see the full report. 

Click here to see the media attention the report has received thus far.

State and local government officials in Tennessee should be scouring their budgets to slash spending in order to help restore some semblance of fiscal sanity. The Pork Report offers dozens of such examples, including:

• $15 million for an aquatics center in Kingsport;
• $3.95 million in excess fees collected by professional regulatory boards;
• $1.6 million washed away on the fairways of the 11 state-run golf courses in 2010;
• $1.5 million to help smokers kick the habit;
• $510,000 for dog parks in Knoxville and Knox County;
• $48,600 in incentives to bring film production to Tennessee; and
• $34,000 to advertise the U.S. Census in Clarksville.

KINGSPORT DROWNS ITSELF IN POOL DEBT (page 7)

In October 2009, the Kingsport City Council made a splash when it authorized $15 million for a new aquatics center. “Bathing suits have been getting moldy waiting on this thing to be built,” noted Alderman Valerie Joh in support of the project.  Kingsport residents should thank their grandkids when they bust out those moldy swimsuits and head to their new government-run swimming pool this summer, because the project was funded as part of a $41.1 million bond issuance by the city. This adds to the city’s enormous debt, which has doubled from $110 million to $218 million over the past five years. Whether they get to take a swim in the pool or not, this debt will undoubtedly be paid off by future generations of Kingsport residents.

Read the entire report at 2010 Tennessee Pork Report

Last night the Kingsport, Tennessee Board of Mayor and Alderman voted to borrow $41.1 million for various projects.  According to the Kingsport Times-News quote below, the total debt has doubled in the last five years.  I might add that this has occurred during Mayor Dennis Phillips terms as mayor and John Campbell as city manager.

With this bond issuance, Kingsport’s total debt has doubled in the past five years, from $110 million in fiscal year 2006 to $218 million in fiscal year 2010, according to city records. Kingsport’s general fund debt will increase from the current amount of $92.6 million to $103.4 million for fiscal year 2010, while total city debt will go from $173.5 million to slightly more than $218 million.

Read more via Kingsport BMA approves $41.1 M in bonds – Kingsport Times-News Online.

Things must really be in bad shape for the city because they are borrowing $200k to replace a roof on the Renaissance Center and financing it for 20 years.  Borrowing money to replace a roof should be a maintenance item that is planned for and funded from within a yearly budget.

It would not surprise me that Kingsport will be the subject of many discussions by other cities on Kingsport’s management practices or lack thereof. 

Mayor Phillips, when can we expect the property tax increase?

Below is the spending that was approved

The recession has hit Tennessee with business and personal Bankruptcies.  Below in the table is the bankruptcy by chapter and type for 2nd quarter of 2009.  Note the rank that Tennessee has by clicking on the highlighted link in blue. In the data below, Chapter 13 personal bankruptcy is the third worst in the nation in Tennessee.

Elected officials should think twice about raising taxes, funding a pet project at taxpayers expense.

**Source: Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts

The 2009 Tennessee Pork report is out……this is a must read!! Click here to go to the report.

2009 Tennessee Pork Report Uncovers Over $500 Million in Waste and Abuse of Tax Dollars

Taxpayers pay $9 million for Governor’s “Party Bunker,” $2.3 million for golf courses as deficit grows

NASHVILLE – The 2009 Tennessee Pork Report, released today, exposes over $500 million in waste, fraud and abuse of tax dollars. Authored by the Tennessee Center for Policy Research, Tennessee’s free market think tank, in partnership with Citizens Against Government Waste, the nation’s premier taxpayer watchdog, the 2009 Tennessee Pork Report is the only extensive examination of the waste of taxpayers’ money committed by politicians and bureaucrats at all levels of government in Tennessee.

In total, the Pork Report uncovers nearly 100 examples of wasteful and questionable spending by state and local governments, including $7.4 million to finance government-approved art, including a grant to an author of sex novels and support for a film festival showing “porn-influenced sexual encounters,” and $482,572 to fund the “Barge to Nowhere,” a ferry that carries fewer than 17 passengers per day.

Other examples of questionable expenditures include:

• $9 million for the “Party Bunker,” an underground entertainment facility buried in the front yard of the Governor’s Mansion;
• $6.5 million to “eradicate” boll weevils, even though Tennessee’s cotton fields are already more than 99 percent free of the pest.
• $2.3 million to bailout 11 insolvent state-owned golf courses;
• $1 million to study mice genes; and
• $39,816 to pay for phone lines in state offices that went unused.

“The government waste uncovered in the Pork Report shows a blatant disregard for taxpayers and their hard-earned money,” said Tennessee Center for Policy Research President Drew Johnson. “By rooting out the waste, fraud and abuse of tax dollars uncovered in the Pork Report, Tennessee’s policymakers have an opportunity to show their commitment to responsible spending and address the state’s budget shortfall.”

The fourth annual Pork Report exposes many areas in the state budget where wasteful spending can be eliminated, providing a valuable resource to legislators and taxpayers.

Examples of government waste, fraud and abuse of tax dollars in the Pork Report come from the State Budget, appropriations bills, audits, media reports and independent research conducted by the Tennessee Center for Policy Research.

The 2009 Tennessee Pork Report is available online at: http://tennesseepolicy.org/media/2009_Pork_Report.pdf

The 2009 Congressional Pig Book Summary gives a snapshot of each appropriations bill and details the juiciest projects culled from the complete Pig Book. (.pdf)

Recognizing Dogged Perseverance
in the Mad Pursuit of Pork

2009 Links:   Summary | Oinker Awards | State Rankings | Historical Trends | Video More Oinkers:  2009 | 2008 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002 | 2001 | 2000 | 1999 | 1998 | 1997 | 1996

The Log Rolling Award
for $4.5 million in wood utilization research in 10 states by 19 senators and 10 representatives.

The Porky Le Pew Award
to Senator Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) for $1.8 million in swine odor and manure management research in Ames Iowa.

The Narcissist Award
to Senator Senator Pat Roberts (R-Kan.) for $2 million for the Pat Roberts Intelligence Scholars Program.

The Taxpayers Get Tattooed Award
to Representative Howard Berman (D-Calif.) for $200,000 for a tattoo removal program.

Pork:  The Final Frontier Award
to Representatives Danny Davis (D-Ill.) and Jesse Jackson, Jr. (D-Ill.), and then-Representative Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill.) for $900,000 for the Adler Planetarium and Astronomy Museum in Chicago.

The When Alternate Pigs Fly Award
for $465 million for the Joint Strick Fighter alternative engine.

The Dim Bulb Award
to Michigan Senators Carl Levin (D) and Debbie Stabenow (D), and Representative Carolyn Kirkpatrick (D) for $951,500 for downtown Detroit energy efficient street lamps.

The Mighty Windbag Award
to Representative Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.) for $47,575 for the Harlem United wind power project.

The Pork-a-saurus Award
to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) for $143,000 for the Las Vegas Museum of Natural History.

The Super Thad Award
to Senator Thad Cochran (R-Miss.) for $653 million in total pork.

The Taxpayers Get Shelled Award
to Alabama Senators Richard Shelby (R) and Jeff Sessions (R), then-Representative Terry Everett (R), Representative Mike Rogers (R) for $413,000 for tri-state joint peanut research.

The Highway Robbery Award
to Senator Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.) for $9.5 million for Corridor H.

The Tour de Pork Award
for $9.4 million for 14 projects for bike paths and trails.

The Water Taxi to Nowhere Award
to then-Representative Chris Shays for $1.9 million for the Pleasure Beach water taxi service project.

(Washington, D.C.) - Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) today released the 2009 Congressional Pig Book, the latest installment in the group’s 19-year exposé of pork-barrel spending.  The Pig Book revealed 10,160 earmarks worth $19.6 billion.

“Everyone in Washington has promised a new era of transparency and restraint in earmarks, from President Obama to the leaders of both parties in Congress,” said CAGW President Tom Schatz.  “Sadly, the hard numbers from the 2009 appropriations bills tell a different story.  The current Democratic congressional majority is following the same trajectory as their Republican predecessors.  They came into power promising to cut earmarks, and made a big show of it during their first two years.  However, as the 2009 Pig Book amply illustrates, pork-barrel spending is growing fast.”

While the number of specific projects declined by 12.5 percent, from 11,610 in fiscal year 2008 to 10,160 in fiscal year 2009, the total tax dollars spent to fund them increased by 14 percent, from $17.2 billion to $19.6 billion.

Much has been made of reforms that require members of Congress to identify earmarks they request and the intended recipients of earmarked funds, but CAGW uncovered 221 earmarks worth $7.8 billion that were funded in circumvention of Congress’s own transparency rules.  These stealth earmarks were particularly prevalent in the 2009 Defense Appropriations Act, which included 142 anonymous earmarks worth $6.4 billion, a staggering 57 percent of the earmarked tax dollars.
The Pig Book Summary profiles the most egregious examples, breaks down pork per capita by state, and presents the annual "Oinker" Awards.  All 10,160 projects are listed in a searchable database on CAGW’s website www.cagw.org.   Examples of pork in the 2009 Pig Book include:

• $3.8 million for the Old Tiger Stadium Conservancy in Detroit;
• $1.9 million for the Pleasure Beach water taxi service in Connecticut;
• $1.8 million for swine odor and manure management research in Ames, Iowa;
• $380,000 for a recreation and fairgrounds area in Kotzebue, Alaska;
• $143,000 for the Greater New Haven Labor History Association in Connecticut;
• $95,000 for the Canton Symphony Orchestra Association in Ohio; and
• $71,000 for Dance Theater Etcetera in Brooklyn for its Tolerance through Arts initiative.

Citizens Against Government Waste is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement in government. 

King College laid out their plans for a $150 million school of medicine to be located in Kingsport and Bristol.

They stated that they were looking for $50 million from Kingsport, Bristol, and Sullivan County, $50 million coming from the state of Tennessee and $50 million in private donations.

Mayor Dennis Phillips stated if Kingsport were to fund $40 million for the project, property taxes would have to be raised 25 cents.  He also said that if this project isn’t really sold to the citizens, there won’t be a board member here two years from now.

Could it be that Mayor Phillips out of control spending is getting himself in a tight spot over funding.  What is Mayor Phillips willing to give up or does he want to the fund the college and all of the other planned pet projects that are on the drawing board in the future.

Is Mayor Phillips willing to give up on the MeadowView Convention Center Expansion that will cost about $15 million?  What about the Aquatic Center, is the Mayor and his gang willing to give up on the new tourist pool?  Is the Mayor willing to give up on the expansion of the library and the Justice building?

Mayor Phillips, what about the $34.7 million in new bonds that you recently got funding for?   A little old $34.7 million didn’t stop you then for projects that would not have any or very little return in profits.

The solution to the above money dilemma is very simple!  Let the voters decide on future spending projects by the city.  I am sure that there are many voters that would like to re-visit the MeadowView expansion and stop pouring more money into something that does not make money.

Read the Kingsport Times-News article

Read the Comments for the Kingsport Times-News article

Famous Quotes from the Kingsport Board of Mayor and Aldermen

Mayor Dennis Phillips – ‘We need MeadowView to keep from reducing fire, police protection, and reducing trash pick-up to every two weeks.” October 21, 2008

Mayor Dennis Phillips –“We need to annex so we don’t have to raise taxes”  February 5, 2008

Alderman Munsey – “We need to do the MeadowView expansion to keep from raising taxes” September 15, 2008

Alderman Munsey – Debt is neither good or bad,”   June 3, 2008

Vice Mayor Mallicote – “I do not believe all of the doom and gloom about the economy”.  June 3, 2008

Mayor Dennis Phillips – “If the taxpayers wanted the city to cut the spending, then we could collect garbage every other week”  June 3, 2008

Mayor Dennis Phillips – “If there were no money to spend, then you would not need politicians”  October, 2007

Taxing Tennessee blog has a post and petition that may be of interest to the citizens of Kingsport, TN.  Check out the link and also look at the petition.

The Springfield Board of Mayor and Aldermen just decided to put $3 million of NEW DEBT on the backs of Springfield taxpayers. The City does NOT need to be borrowing more money when the economy is in shambles. Under TN Law the citizens of Springfield can force a vote on this new debt but time is short.

On February 2 and 3 BMA meeting, there will be a vote on a humongous bond issue.  If you are interested in what the city is spending your money on, plan to attend the meetings.

Work Sessions are held each 1st and 3rd Monday of each month at 4:30 p.m., City Hall, Small Board Room, 2nd Floor.

Regular Business Meetings are held each 1st and 3rd Tuesday of each month at 7:00 p.m., Large Court Room, 2nd Floor, City Hall.

The public is cordially invited to attend meetings of the Board of Mayor and Aldermen.

Kingsport, Tennessee  Mayor Dennis Phillips who is running for re-election needs to come clean and tell the citizens what the plans are for future spending.

A recent review by Standard & Poor’s, a credit rating firm made the following statement below.

The five-year capital improvement program through fiscal 2013 includes planned issuance of additional GO debt of $5 million-$8 million annually, to help fund total general fund projects of $50.8 million.

The City of Kingsport provided Standard and Poor’s information such as financial data so Standard and Poor’s could give Kingsport a credit rating.

Mayor Phillips, what is the above $50.8 million going to be used for? There should be no secrets, and no surprises about future spending.

If you see the mayor, ask him about this $50.8 million and any other spending he has in mind.  What about the $70 million figure that has used for King College Medical School if they decide to locate in Kingsport?  The voters need this information!

Comments are welcome