Pabulum

JOURNAL: How would you plan to close the estimated $200 million in revenues that's been projected for the next couple of fiscal years?

MARKOWITZ: I'm absolutely committed to balancing the budget — that's essential to us in Vermont. There are going to be tough times, at least for another couple of years. One of the things I've done as Secretary of State is to eliminate waste. We had a $100,000 deficit in one of our funds, and we resolved that in a matter of months. Over the years I've done more with less. The way we've done it is through performance measures. What we've done is ask what's the mission of the agency and how do we do it better and more efficiently. We need to re-look at state government and decide if it's really necessary. That kind of analysis hasn't been done. The first thing I would do is put in place performance management where the secretaries and commissioners would be required to look at their agencies and decide what we're doing — and decide if these are areas that are now outdated.

 
Andrew McKeever, editor of the Manchester Journal, asked all the right questions.
 
Given the opportunity to give tough, straightforward answers to those questions, Deb Markowitz – who would like to be governor of Vermont – took refuge in all the usual, empty formulations.
 
She will find $200 million by eliminating waste in government?  Give us a break.
 
All elections come advertised as important, critical, vital to our future health and prosperity, etc., etc.  In the case of the 2010 election, it may actually be true.
 
Vermont is blithely headed for an economic cliff and, lacking serious reforms, will sail over it into ruin.
 
It will certainly happen if voters accept the usual pabulum from candidates like Ms. Markowitz.

Comments

[Chris Campion]

Unfortunately, Markowitz is trotting out the old dog and pony show that's become so familiar when real answers are not forthcoming - eliminating waste. How is it that government budgets, state and federal, go up every year yet we're ok with whatever waste that entails, and only spring into action to realize these savings when the budget is cartwheeling off a cliff?

The answer is, she doesn't have a real answer to solve hundreds of millions in a shortfall. Neither did the legislature, that managed to avoid hard, real, painful choices through simple random circumstance in the last session. Random chance - that's our best hope for the future.

I would certainly love to hear candidates talk in real terms about changing VT's economic landscape. So far, Markowitz is whistling past the graveyard. If the "cut waste" canard is her only answer, she should avoid making any plans to move into the governor's house.

[GreggB]

I think she might win. There is no pride in being a living martyr to a failed socialist state. The border is still open.

[Bill]

From welfare state to prosperous state. The Republic of Ireland and New Zealand did it. The USA started to do it under Ronald Reagan. The GOP 104th Congress made huge strides by shoving welfare reform down Bill Clinton's unwilling throat. Spend less, tax less, allow free Vermonters to use their liberty to follow their dreams. Offer busy bodies a plane ticket--at taxpayer expense-- to Nicaragua to help those folks down there who need help even if they don't want it.