For Immediate Release Apr 21, 2005

For Further Information, Contact:
Drew Johnson, (615) 383-6431
info@tennesseepolicy.org

Tennessee Center for Policy Research ‘Spend-O-Meter’ Shows Dizzying Real-Time State Spending
Nashville, Tennessee--April 21, 2005

How Fast Does The State Government Spend Your Money? $24,698,492,400.00 Tennessee Budget (Fiscal Year 2004-05 )

How fast does the Tennessee state government spend taxpayer dollars? At over $783 per second, it turns out the answer is “too fast for the human eye.”

Thanks to the Tennessee Budget Spend-O-Meter, the Tennessee Center for Policy Research’s revolutionary way to visualize government spending, taxpayers and policymakers can see the real-time spending of the State of Tennessee for the current fiscal year.

With its up-to-the-moment numbers, the Tennessee Budget Spend-O-Meter informs Tennesseans of the exact rate of state government spending.

“The Spend-O-Meter lets Tennesseans see the dizzying rate of state spending,” says Tennessee Center for Policy Research president Drew Johnson. “It will also put spending in perspective for the Governor and members of the General Assembly.”

Amazingly, it will soon race even faster.

Despite current spending of nearly $67.7 million each day, the state government will take even more for the next fiscal year. The projected 2005-06 Tennessee budget calls for $378.3 million above current spending levels. On July 1 the Tennessee Budget Spend-O-Meter will turn $12 per second faster.

“Every legislator should make it a priority to trim spending and slow the Spend-O-Meter,” urges Johnson.

The Tennessee Budget Spend-O-Meter is available at the Tennessee Center for Policy Research website, www.tennesseepolicy.org.

The Tennessee Center for Policy Research is an independent, nonprofit and nonpartisan research organization dedicated to providing concerned citizens, the media and public leaders with expert empirical research and timely free market policy solutions to public policy issues in Tennessee.

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