Remember the Obama “Cash for Clunkers” or the free cell phones. Apparently the Knox County Mayor has gathered up a surplus of our county dollars. A surplus is when the government takes more money than they need to operate. Now the County Mayor is going to run around giving out our money to curry favors with a couple thousand county employees and special interest groups in hoping they will feel obligated to support his next candidacy (whatever, whenever that is)

A $1 million bonus will be spread out among Knox County employees (excludes Knox County Schools employees, because they won’t support County Mayor) It is $500 for about 2,000 employees and is timed to be a Christmas bonus, with the employees receiving it in late November. The he will go around with a big fake check and giving the Knoxville Volunteer Rescue Squad $200,000, the Karns Volunteer Fire Department $75,000, the Boys & Girls Club of the Tennessee Valley $100,000, the Karns community also receiving $50,000 for a small park, also spending $274,000 for equipment and technology upgrades (again excluding the Knox County Schools).

Apparently the Knox County Clerk has remembered to collect the 2015/2016 hotel /motel tax revenue, so the County Mayor will give $916,000 to the Knoxville Zoo, the Visit Knoxville film office will get $30,000 and the Beck Cultural Exchange Center will get $50,000

Too bad all these one time dollars are not used as a one time contribution to reduce the county debt instead of being used to carry favor and secure commitments for political debt to the County Mayor.