Since I have been following politics one of the common election year common sense promises is to improve the efficiency of government and attack government waste. I have lived in states in the last several years with revenue shortfalls. The politically successful argument in this situation is to argue during elections that taxes do not need to be raised. Instead, the assumption is that the government wastes money and the same quality and quantity of services can be maintained while the fat can be cut out of the budget.

One of the premises of the book published by the Clinton/Gore 1992 campaign (Putting People First) (I believe) was that the government needed to be trimmed of personnel and that government could be improved if efficiency in spending money was part of personnel reviews.

Anyway, I never see any results from all of these promises. I think it is because there is too much reward in allowing government waste to continue and almost no reward for improving government efficiency.

I was hoping people could think of specific examples of people who have implemented federal or state programs that saved a lot of money. I cannot think of one such hero but I would like to become familiar with some of these people so we can send them to loftier places.

Any nominees or examples? Make them as specific as possible. By this I mean if it happened in the Bush #1 administration great, but where specifically did it happen, and who implemented or designed it.

I can give you one example from my state of TN. Over the past 4 years we have been fighting the legislature's attempts to enact a state income tax. The governor at the time (republican), who by the way campaigned and got elected partly because he swore to oppose an income tax, was one of the main proponents of the tax. We heard how dire our financial situation is and how we need more money. All the dept heads kept saying that they cannot cut any spending, they have already cut to the bone. Anyone who suggested further cuts was "radical" or "hated children", particularly our 2 local "conservative" talk radio hosts. We now have a new governor (democrat) who says that he is going to lay off 3000 state workers that were added after the income tax battle! And the media says he is a genius for suggesting to run the gov't "like a business." I have to give him credit for doing what has to be done, but it seems kind of ironic that he gets praised for doing the very things that a lot of citizens were chided for suggesting over the last few years. Talk is cheap though, it remains to be seen if he will really go through with it.

Clinton/Gore's attempt to streamline federal government operations using business practices in the first term. If I remember correctly, the primary practice was TQM (Total Quality Management) where internal and external customers are identified, levels of service quantified, processes documented, and meetings controlled for efficiency. The trouble with that attempted effort is that TQM seldom succeeds in business due to--you know it--politics.

Douglas Bruce and his TABOR amendment in Colorado. TABOR basically caps spending increases and requires a vote of the people for any tax increase. The Republican state government now whines about TABOR restrictions during these hard economic times.

I must register my disgust with the euphemism, "government waste." It is government graft, plain and simple. A few are profiting from the efforts of the many. Well, that's capitalism too, but graft has an illegal or at least shady character to it. It knows no political affiliation either.

Our fiscal heroes have yet to come forth, but I bet the front line will be mud-raking journalists who expose government graft. The times are becoming ripe for another round of mud-raking.

Well said!

stotty,



Sharpening the tines on my rake, you betcha , but we have some highly motivated young locals who remind me of the great Chicago rakers from earlier last century. Check out www.csindy.com

While I wish we had many more independent muckraking journalist these days I am aiming more at people who are already "the man" as it were and have the power to be corrupted but actually put more efficiency in government.

I need heroes. Incoming governor Phil Bredeson does not yet qualify. I live in Tennesee and while he has given in to the political climate that will not allow an income tax to come to Tennessee (we do have a sales tax that is just shy of 10% though) and he is going to make the cuts in government that balance the budget. But to b "fair" he is going to make across the board cuts.