Being sensible

Gov. Bredesen wants US to be sensible about his bunker.

“Somebody sees this as an opportunity to rub a little dirt on her [Mrs. Bredesen], a little dirt on me,” Bredesen told reporters. “But in the end, I think people will be sensible about this.

“It’s not for her own purposes. She’s trying to do the right thing here and to leave something for the state to be able to use effectively for a long time in the future.” Nashville City Paper 2007-12-18

Be assured that for my part it's not about flinging dirt. It's all about the money and the fact that it could be better spent in dozens of ways that would be more beneficial to Tennesseans. It's about the fact that he and his wife have failed to fully account for the money being spent (that will be spent) in this effort, have failed to consider the desires of the adjoining property owners and provide any sort of proof that the other excellent venues in Nashville are completely unsuitable. And yes, she'll leave something for the state (that's you and me) for quite some time such as upkeep on an unnecessary facility, likely the payment of damage to some homes as a result of the blasting and we'll suffer the effects of whatever shenanigans occur in this very private venue.

And now Bill Hobbs points out what the rush is. The blasting laws change at the first of the year. So not only do we have our elected executive, whose first job is our welfare, ensuring that his wife's project doesn't have to be subject to the crucible of public debate it's also looking like he's going to stick it to the near neighbors, again, by ensuring that this pet project doesn't have to be be subject to the new, more stringent blasting regulations. That's not very neighborly--oh, that's right, he's never actually been a neighbor. A and B on this map are the governor's mansion and the governor's mansion.

It's time, it's past time, for the Governor to be sensible himself. They've done the right thing in rehabbing the mansion. For that they both have my thanks. But that's enough. Move on to more important issues. Move on to legitimate state business.