Transparent cronyism

Rob Robinson has linked to a Tennessean story about state troopers being used by past governors (and their families) as chauffeurs. (thinktrain » "Son, can you spare a ride?") You gotta love the quote from Don Sundquist in the article:

Free rides for him and other VIPs have gone on for a while, said former Gov. Don Sund quist, a Republican who, like current Democratic Gov. Phil Bredesen, said he approved the rides for McWherter.

"Whatever he needs, I'm for him. I think he's earned it," Sundquist said of McWherter, his immediate predecessor as the state's chief executive. "When I was in office, if he needed a car … I had no problem sending a car for him."

Sorry, Mr. Sundquist, state troopers (and any state employees, for that matter) are not the Governor's personal attaches.

And once you hear more of the details about the system, it's no surprise that it's all a little hush-hush:

House Speaker Jimmy Naifeh's full-time trooper escort had a gross salary of $102,896 in 2005, including regular pay and overtime, according to state records — putting his pay in the top 1 percent for state employees that year.

While I appreciate law enforcement, I don't think a law enforcement officer in what is probably the cushiest such job in the state deserves that kind of compensation. But I do think that Tennessee taxpayers deserve an accounting for how tax dollars are spent. Laughably, THP spokesman Mike Browning asserts that they do not maintain records of this stuff for security reasons. But maybe he's right. Sundquist might have to call out the Troopers again if word of this gets out.