Marketplace of Ideas Blog

WTN News columnist James Carlini:

With the lack of leadership and visionaries in most municipalities and states, why not look at government from Patton’s point of view. …

Could you imagine General George S. Patton in Congress? Or Patton as a Governor?

Politicians talk about raising income taxes instead of cutting spending. It seems many who work in government (both local and state) cannot comprehend cutting their budget — even 10%. They all run to the coffeepot trying to figure out how much their pension will buy them and banter that they better get that 4% raise this year even though the state has taken in a lot less in revenues. Agency administrators and department heads have been raised with the minimal administrative skills to ask for more money every year and get it. That practice has to be immediately stopped and reversed. They have to come to the realization that the well has run dry. It’s time to cut the budget.

If they cannot find 20% waste after all these years of overspending, then they are just not “skilled enough” to hold the job which they are getting paid $100,000 plus for. Eliminate them and in either case, you will have trimmed the budget considerably. Sort of like Patton’s leadership initiative, “Get the job done or be replaced.”

When you think about this, it really sets the objective clearly and leaves it up to the individual and their creativity. No creativity? Well, maybe they should have never been put into that level of responsibility or paid for it. …

In any case of state and local government agencies or school districts, the idea of cutting the budget by 20% in every government entity is a sound one. This CUT 20% rule is simple enough to understand and be implemented. It should be applied to all these "problem" states and their bloated programs as well as cities and states that are on the borderline. It may not solve everything, but it's a great and quantifiable start.