Stalking Savings

... the Douglas administration has its own plan for finding efficiencies. Starting this week, 10 “Tiger Teams” from throughout state government and including outside volunteers will search for savings ...
    Freeps

Okay, we like the name.  And none would argue with the desire of both the administration and the legislature to find economies and efficiencies that might help close the very large budget gap facing the state.  Speaker Shap Smith's goal of saving $30 million this way does, however, seem a little ambitious.  If the state is spending this much money needlessly, then it must have been evident a few months ago when raising taxes was imperative since we had cut all that could possibly be cut from the budget.

Cynics could be forgiven for seeing this as the first step in an old, old routine.  First, look for ways to eliminate "waste, fraud, and abuse," though, as Milton Friedman reminded us, there is no such line-item in the budget.  Every item has a constituency that will fight hard to keep what it considers its rightful appropriation.  Remember the howls of protest, last year, when the administration proposed cuts in spending for land conservation?

So, once you have looked for ways to eliminate waste and improve efficiency and have come up with only some chicken feed stuff, you start cutting programs that are visible and popular.  You close down the zoo or the Washington Monument.

Finally, having fought the good fight and done all that could be done, you reluctantly and with heavy heart do what you were always going to do ... you raise taxes.  (Lawyers, accountants, and other providers of white-collar services ... get ready.)

Perhaps, this time, the cynics will be wrong.  Maybe there is $30 million to be saved and the ruthless Tiger Teams will find it. 

We aren't a Tiger Team, exactly, but there is a Tiger in our name.  So may we suggest starting with a couple of old standards? 

Amtrak and land conservation.

Comments

[the Gooch]

Freeze state employee hiring and salaries for 2 years.

[GreggB]

'We found a place to cut'
'What about the children? Would someone please think of the children?
'Right. We'll keep looking'
Repeat until folks stop paying attention.

[Chris Campion]

We could look at eliminating legislator pay for additional sessions, though a relatively small amount it might be. I like providing a market incentive for them to get out of Montpelier before they can cause any more damage.

[Nicole LeBlanc]

get rid of travel, room, meal reimbrusement for state legislators. and have the govornor salary be level funded at 100,000
get rid of prison health services contract, out of state contracts, reduce appointed positions. Keep APS healthcare contract. Go to 4 day work week in state govt/ school districts . consolidate supervisory untions. Cut management in education/state govt. We need more direct services-less management and paperwork!