In Contrast To Wisconsin, Ohio, illinois, California: Tennessee Legislature Passes The Budget Unanimously (with 3.9% spending cuts), And Goes Home

Really, ya'll. It can happen.

The November 2010 election mattered in Tennessee. The teacher's union had its wings clipped. The legislature cut spending, still leaving in some favored programs, and extra money for disaster relief.

Then they adjourned, and went home. Refreshing, is it not?

The Senate passed a $30.8 billion budget on Saturday, making it a clean sweep in the Tennessee General Assembly, with both chambers unanimously approving a budget that could have easily been a contentious battle given the state’s economic constraints.

The House approved the budget 96-0 on Friday.

Republican Gov. Bill Haslam and lawmakers benefited from recent revenue increases that allowed Haslam to restore many cuts that mattered most to Democrats, and in the end the bill was still roughly 3.9 percent less than the previous year’s budget. The state is constitutionally obligated to pass a balanced budget.

Haslam, in his first year as governor, had stated relentlessly during his campaign that the state was going to suffer massive losses of federal economic stimulus money, and his estimates on that count proved fairly accurate. All told, the state will have about $1.8 billion less in federal funds than a year ago, and of that total about $1.4 billion was attributed to the loss of stimulus funds.

Haslam, like his predecessor, Bredesen, comes from a business background, and understands math. He is a conservative, but not an ideologue.

In many previous years, with many more Democrats in the legislature demanding more spending on every pet project, or split control amongst the parties, budget battles would last until midnight July 3. The reviled Don Sundquist lied in 2000 about proposing an income tax, demanded it in 2001, and Legislative Plaza filled with thousands of truly pissed-off voters. Sundquist sent in the troopers on horseback to break them up, to no avail. Bredesen didn't even bring the subject up during his tenure.

All those folks, and many more, showed up to vote in 2004, 2006 and 2010. Especially 2010, after a two-year dose of LifeUnderObama.

Tennessee runs balanced budgets. Tennessee has noooooo income tax.

Tennessee has myriad problems, to be sure, but OS would not trade problems with Illinois for anything.