Republican blogger Matthew Hurtt reports today that Rep. Donna Rowland (R-13) is the most expensive legislator in the Tennessee House of Representatives.
If the cost is roughly $800, as Representative Rowland notes, then one might ask why she has sponsored more than $113,000 worth of “pats on the back” since she was first elected to the General Assembly. In her class (those who were elected in the same cycle), no other member even comes close to the number of memorializng resolutions filed as those sponsored by Representative Rowland. It should be noted, too, that I only took into account those resolutions where the member was the prime sponsor, and I did not even consider wading through the mess of co-prime sponsors and even final votes on a given resolution. The costs are in the untold hundreds of thousands of dollars.
So, breaking it down for my readers, here’s the list - reorganized - from most expensive legislator to least expensive, according to the number of memorializing resolutions sponsored between the 102nd and 106th General Assemblies:
* Representative Donna Rowland - $113,600
* Representative David Shepard - $78,400
* Representative Glen Casada - $64,000
* Representative Mike Turner - $20,000
* Representative Johnny Shaw - $18,400Crunching the numbers, Representative Rowland has spent an average of $35,000 more than the next-most expensive legislator elected in the same cycle. The range - the space between the most expensive and least expensive - is $95,200. The AVERAGE cost here is $58,880 - with Representative Rowland’s fiscal request costing $55,000 more than that!
Hurtt’s report comes a day after Rep. Rowland issued a press release defending her voting record.
Rep. Rowland tried to explain why she refuses to vote for most resolutions that honor the achievements of our children, our heroes and our community leaders. Her release has instead brought more bi-partisan scrutiny of her voting record.
Whine, whine, whine; you crybabies got nothing better to do? Donna Rowland votes the way I want her to vote: for the important matters, and against Democrats. Who cares about these memorials? They are a waste of time. I’m glad Donna Rowland is representing me. I would never hear about these ‘memorials’, and could care less.
Look to Obama’s $10 TRILLION debt load foisted off on our children and grandchildren, and at the punishing inflation that’s right around the corner. Donna Rowland votes at the state level, granted, but spending tax monies is an issue that transcends the levels. Your Party, your President, and at both the Federal and State levels, your Democrat politicos have spent far more money on worthless social programs than any Republican politicians. While at the same time you’re pushing socialism under the guise of ‘progressivism’.
Again, I have a screen shot of this. Delete it; I’ll have my dissent backed up, and blogged.
Did you get a screen shot of that ten dollar bill, too, serr8d? You should print it up and pass it around the state legislature.
serr8d, are you smoking crack? I can’t believe someone would say they support a nut unless he was … you know … cracking it. In a Biblical way.
I got news for you Serr8d, Donna Rowland is nothing more than a mouth piece. How do you defend her voting record? She abstained from voting the majority of the time… Are you saying if you were a Rep. for the people of the 34th District, you would be o.k. with not having an opinion? Or are you saying that you are o.k. with having a rep that spends more time shacking up with her boyfriend, than actually living in her own district. Serr8d, you need to do your homework before you go spouting off support for someone like Donna Rowland!
I never understand why Republicans want to throw Jesus in everyone’s face at every chance they get, then want to (as stated by serr8d) not offer any social services to anyone.
Maybe some of us don’t have kids and don’t want to pay for the stupid school buses and teachers that people like serr8d want to keep popping out.
And if you haven’t heard Donna Roland speak you know that she’s not very smart. She can only regurgitate what she has seen on Faux News.
Faux News! I like that Gene!