NASHVILLE, TN – Gov. Phil Bredesen has exposed, yet again, his arrogant attitude of entitlement toward your hard-earned money.

In an interview with Knoxville’s WVLT-TV, Bredesen expressed regret that the recent “sales tax holiday” weekend had left him with less money to spend – and that the tough economy will force him to seek to cancel one of two tax holiday weekends next year.

“It was good for you and your family, but it didn’t do anything for the state which is facing hard times,” Bredesen said. “Very tough year, going to cut $500 million from the budget, so I’m not going to be able to do much for anything as I want.

“I think if we’d known last summer how bad it was going to be, we probably would have cut it back to one week this year,” Bredesen said.

“Gov. Bredesen ought to remember that the ‘tough year’ that the state is facing is not an abstract concept to the taxpayers of Tennessee who pay the state’s bills,” said Robin Smith, chairman of the Tennessee Republican Party. “Sales tax revenue is down because a lot of Tennesseans facing a tough economy are responding by cutting back on their own spending – just as they expect the state to do.”

Gov. Bredesen, who remarked recently about how fun it is to take money from taxpayers and spend it, ought to remember that the people who saved money during last weekend’s tax-free shopping are hard-working folks who are already facing tough times, Smith said. “It’s helping their budget, not the state’s, which ought to be his priority during tough economic times. Tax-free weekends are not ‘baggage’ to be tossed over the side at the very moment the people most need them.”