Okay, so ECD is cutting 58 jobs. That kind of thing happens. Cutting 1/3 of a department's staff seems a little bit steep, but it is what it is.
However, let's talk about what those 58 people did. They were essentially the economic development staff for about 56 counties in our state that cannot afford their own staff. How in the world are these counties, many of which are already losing population as it is, supposed to even try to tread water without assistance from the state?
The state government has had no problem with intervening in local governance against various localities' will (see HB600 and HB1805, among others), but when local governments need the help of the state, our Republican government cuts their legs out from under them.
There are counties right now that are smaller today than they were in 1900. It is very nearly immoral to blithely sign away the hopes of any further growth in the rural areas of our state.
Ned McWherter built roads to give our rural areas a chance and directly created jobs. Bill Haslam cuts staff that serve rural areas, letting them wither on the vine with no evidence of such a move creating jobs in any real way.
You get what you pay for, Tennessee.
