One Bright Spot

Over the years, I have noticed that local media in my hometown of Nashville tend to mimic the doctrinaire party line of the national dinosaur media. Last night, one of the anchors on our NBC affiliate, WSMV, was especially hostile toward the GOP with her introduction of a report on the Republican budget proposed as an alternative to that offered by our Democratic Governor Phil Bredesen. The talking head, Demetria Kalodimos, said that the budget offered by Bredesen included pay raises for state workers but that what the Republicans counter with removes this "one bright spot". Why, one might ask Ms. Kalodimos, would state workers gaining additional compensation be a bright spot for the vastly larger number of Tennesseans who do not work for the state but would bear the burden of funding these pay increases? How can we afford this increased cost and pay for flood recovery too at a time of national economic dislocation and high unemployment across our beleaguered and battered state? Why is it good news that state workers whose actual pay now exceeds that of the average non-governmental workers without even factoring in the generous taxpayer funded benefits they also receive would need raises in a period where the US government claims inflation is under control? Why in a time of private sector job losses should private employers be forced to further subsidize our former public servants who are rapidly becoming our masters? Finally, I just have to ask why Ms. Kalodimos has such animus to the Republican Party who after all are only trying to look after the interests of the citizens of Tennessee and what does Demetria have against Tennessee taxpayers? Demetria, your bias is showing.