By CHRISTOPHER BUTLER General Motors has billions of dollars in cash reserves, and one would think that the company is self-sufficient and can operate without a helping hand from taxpayers — but that is not the case, especially in Tennessee. Taxpayers in the Volunteer State, as well as those in many other states, are giving [...]Read More>>

By CHRISTOPHER BUTLER Tennessee officials must start holding businesses that receive economic development subsidies to a higher standard, according to a report that a national policy resource center released this week. Tennessee has standards that are slightly below average in terms of how it monitors companies that accept state subsidies. Tennessee also does not do [...]Read More>>

By CHRISTOPHER BUTLER Officials throughout Tennessee abused or misspent $7.8 million of taxpayer money during December, according to documents that the state Comptroller’s Office released last month. Comptrollers faulted 33 different municipalities or entities for items such as expenditures exceeding appropriations, deficits, lack of competitive bidding, official misconduct, and theft. • Jackson County • The [...]Read More>>

By CHRISTOPHER BUTLER Nashville taxpayers must brace themselves. City officials are about to risk even more taxpayer money in a lawsuit that has already proven costly for the city, as well as a private real estate firm. Officials with Nashville’s Metropolitan Development and Housing Agency (MDHA) officially confirmed this week that they will appeal a [...]Read More>>

By CHRISTOPHER BUTLER Some people believe the Internet is entertainment, a form of recreation. Others, meanwhile, believe it is a vital piece of infrastructure, something society can no more do without than roads, law enforcement, or even basic sewer systems — and one that requires government intervention. Chattanooga Electric Power Board (EPB) President & CEO [...]Read More>>

by Justin Owen After the recent appointment of Governor Phil Bredesen’s top aide to head the state university system, much attention has been turned on the board that made the selection. The Tennessee Board of Regents is an 18-member board that oversees 45 universities, community colleges, and technical schools across the state. It is the [...]Read More>>

In a show of what could only be described as abject thuggery, elected members of the Tennessee House yelled down and ultimately bullied Associated Press reporter Erik Schelzig from the House floor's media area. Schelzig's transgression was attempting to take a picture with his cell phone of House Speaker Kent Williams who collapsed while presiding over a live session of the State House.Read More>>

The Bredesen administration - with some complicit Republican sponsors in the legislature - is trying to expand the scope of the Tennessee Small Business Investment Company Credit Act, also known as the TNInvestco program. A closer examination of the law, an amendment offered by Rep. Charles Sargent (R-Franklin) and the Bredesen administration’s process to award $120 million in tax credits under TNInvestco all suggest an agenda that is as much about doing government business with taxpayer dollars in secret as it is about creating jobs.Read More>>

Download Davidson County Chancellor Russell T. Perkins' ruling in the TNInvestco open records lawsuit by clicking this link, courtesy of Tennessee Watchdog.Read More>>

Here at Tennessee Watchdog, we believe bringing our readers primary documents from the public record is an important part of our job. Perhaps there is not a court case going on in Tennessee right now with more relevance to the future of government transparency than the suit to open the files on the TNInvestco program.Read More>>