State House Majority Leader Glen Casada Commentary: Tennessee’s Economic Boom is on the Ballot This November

by State House Majority Leader Glen Casada (R-Franklin)

 

It won’t be listed with the candidates’ names this November, but Tennessee’s economic boom will most certainly be on the ballot.

Tennesseans have an important choice on Election Day: we can either back Donald Trump’s agenda of economic prosperity or fall for the Democrats’ plans to take it all away with far-left policies that failed us in years past.

The choice is clear — and our state’s future economic growth depends on it.

Backing the President’s agenda means backing Marsha Blackburn to replace Bob Corker in the U.S. Senate. A vote for Phil Bredesen, her Democrat opponent, is a vote to replace wealth and prosperity with hardship and division.

In the past 20 months, thanks to President Trump, Tennessee has seen an unprecedented economic boom, and the state economy is growing at a faster rate than the nation as a whole.

Tennessee currently has the lowest state unemployment rate on record, led the nation in small business growth last year, and Tennessee now has the lowest debt per capita of any state in the nation.

Nationally, middle-class income hit an all time high, and our GDP growth is higher than the overall unemployment rate for the first time in a decade.

Where did this economic boom come from?

Experts agree that President Trump’s Tax Cuts and Jobs Act played a major role in sending our economy into overdrive.

But it wouldn’t have been possible without Congressional Republicans like Marsha Blackburn, who took on Democrats to pass the historic legislation that ignited our economy.

Marsha is the right choice for Tennesseans who want to keep this economy firing on all cylinders.

She stood with Donald Trump throughout the 2016 election, and will continue to stand with President Trump to pass his America First agenda.

If, however, her opponent gets elected, Phil Bredesen will fully support Chuck Schumer, Nancy Pelosi, and socialists like Bernie Sanders — not the voters of Tennessee.

Bredesen has said President Trump’s tax bill was morally wrong. He would have voted against the tax cuts that are increasing take-home pay for all income levels and expanding manufacturing in the Volunteer State.

Bredesen’s opposition to tax cuts would be bad news for our businesses.

After FedEx announced $200 million in increased compensation for its workforce and $1.5 billion in additional pension contributions due to the GOP tax cuts, the Memphis-based company unveiled a $1 billion upgrade of their world hub in Memphis. FedEx CEO Fred Smith said President Trump is “certainly a man of his word.” The tax bill, he says, “was very, very good policy” for businesses.

But if Bredesen’s record tells us anything, it’s that he will undo this progress and take away Tennessee’s prosperity if given the opportunity.

As the mayor of Nashville, Bredesen supported property tax increases —multiple times.

During his time as governor, Bredesen raised taxes by nearly $1 billion. He hurt Tennessee workers when he increased taxes on employers $245 million a year to prevent the state’s Unemployment Trust Fund from going broke.

During this time, at the peak of Bredesen’s tenure, Tennessee’s unemployment rate skyrocketed to a level not seen in recorded history because of Bredesen’s radical, far-left agenda.

Time and time again, Tennessee was crippled by the notion that the government spends your money better than you do.

Tennessee simply can’t afford this kind of thinking in Washington. The state deserves better.

Bredesen’s track record is clear — massive tax increases are what he believes will create a strong economy. On the other hand, Marsha Blackburn and President Trump believe that you spend your money better than the bureaucrats in Washington and that you deserve to keep it.

Tennessee has been thriving under a pro-worker, pro-business, pro-growth philosophy and we cannot afford to lose now.

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Glen Casada serves as House Majority Leader in the Tennessee General Assembly. He represents House District 63, which includes the eastern portion of Williamson County. He has worked in animal pharmaceutical sales for the past 30 years and is a proud father of four and grandfather of five.