Tennessee Republicans like to boast about the state's booming economy, but most Tennesseans aren't getting a share in that bounty.
Governor Bill Lee and the GOP supermajority knew state revenues were down going into the 2024 session, but it didn't stop them from handing a $1.6 billion tax giveaway to the state's largest corporations, or from trying to push through private school vouchers paid for by looting local school funding, even though Tennessee teacher pay is 45th in the nation.
Meanwhile, nearly one-half of Tennessee working households don't earn enough to meet basic expenses, and we're 8th-highest in the U.S. in the number of minimum-wage workers. The average wage is $52,820 a year, while the costs of food and housing are soaring.
Rental costs in Tennessee jumped by almost 13 percent last year, among the highest increases in the nation. The median house price is $394,000, up 44 percent since 2019.
Tennesseans told Lee and the GOP loud and clear what we want: safe streets, well-funded neighborhood schools, family wages, affordable housing and access to healthcare by expanding Medicaid.
We were not only ignored, we were gleefully mocked, locked out of the Capitol and even arrested for "petitioning for redress of grievances" from our elected representatives.
This August and November, vote for representatives who will listen and respond to our needs.
Vote for Democrats in numbers too big to rig and too real to steal.
Judy Walton