In Indiana, we seem well along the way to achieving Grover Norquist’s wet dream of a government small enough to drown in a bathtub.
The IBJ recently reported:
The State Board of Accounts no longer is auditing the financial records of Indiana libraries, conservancy districts, some public school accounts, and small towns and townships, its leader says.
The agency doesn’t have enough money or staff to perform those audits, State Examiner Paul Joyce told The Herald Bulletin for a story Sunday. Instead, it will concentrate on local governments with bonding authority or federal grants worth at least $500,000.
“I only have so many people to do a job. It’s not that I don’t want to do them,” Joyce said of the audits. “I have places that have not been reviewed in five years.”
If the Indianapolis Star noticed this, I missed it.
So let’s see….we don’t have enough money in our “low tax” state to police units of government. Will we have enough money to prosecute the people who see this as an invitation to siphon off funds for their personal use? Will we have enough money to replace the funds that get “misplaced”?
Governor Pence has been praised by law-and-order Republicans for amassing a 2 Billion Dollar “surplus.” I can run a surplus at my house, too, if I just decide not to pay for mowing the yard or repairing the roof…..
This is pathetic.
It is becoming more and more apparent that the city and state are failing in their primary responsibilities. Our infrastructures are falling apart while we fund and construct new projects with no long term plan to maintain not only the new but the older ventures as well. How much longer will this go on? Until the first crisis that impacts enough voters to drive changes? Shrinking government services, privatizing government responsibilities and deferring tax revenues have done nothing to benefit the city or state in the long term. By reducing a primary oversight responsibility like auditing accounts, the cities and state are opening the door to more corruption and criminal behavior that will further undermine the public’s trust. Then the cry will go up that government must be reduced because it is not working. It is a scam and a shame.
Did the State Board of Accounts examine Angie’s List prior to the obviously political announcement of it’s expansion with the picture of Angie and Pence on the front page of the Star today a few weeks prior to November elections? “Up to $25 million in public assistance including state tax credits and city bond revenue financing, will help Angie’s List carry out the expansion…” Also on the front page of the Star this morning in the article “Schools part of GOP plans” is the statement “Republican leaders in the Indiana House unveiled their 2015 legislative agenda Tuesday, pledging to keep a balanced budget while boosting school funding.” Does this refer to more vouchers? Or, hasn’t the State Board of Accounts had time or money to examine these obviously politcal issues? Is there transparency regarding what they have had time and money to examine? That list, and their findings, would be of great interest to the public – also prior to the November elections.
The bits and pieces of “surplus” I was able to save in my checking account from Social Security and PERF was added to amounts from savings and cashing out CD’s to spend over $10,000 in six years repairing plumbing problems. Much needed inside painting is still low on my account list (never done in 9 1/2 years I have lived here) because my Pontiac Sunfire is now old enough to vote. Afraid to use “surplus” in case she decides suddenly to give up the ghost and leave me without transportation. Of course there is also the possibility my old furnace will die before my Sunfire so I will hang onto my “surplus” and forego extras which would improve the esthetic quality of my day-to-day lifestyle.
Living in Indiana is like renting from a slum lord. Everything goes to his profit (surplus) and nothing goes to keeping the property habitable.
Conservative blind frugality is based on the world view that bad times are a’comin and need to be prepared for. And, sure enough, in business and government, conservatism brings about bad times.
Big media has been advertising conservatism for some time now and the suckers born every minute fall for it regularly as they reach quasi adulthood.
The antidote is, of course, hope and change, optimism and growth. problem solving in place of problem worship.
Humans have a long record of liberal progress and there’s no reason to believe that we’re at the end of anything. While the reality of too many of us requires the best that we are capable of to push through, we can, we can, we can.
I stand by my comment that our public institutions are applying the accountant mentality to everything.
@daleb
I would extend that taypayers and voters apply the accountant mentality to everything related to government and politics. I would separate out the politicians from the regular low level government workers on the ground level such as myself since I regularly argue with accountants, but I still have to be accountable to the accountants.
Is it because the State Board of Accounts did not audit some financial records for public school accounts the reason Pence and his administration decided NOT to apply for an $80 million education grant for preschool programs that would benefit low income students? Maybe someone should clue him – or the State Board of Accounts – in regarding this financial fiasco.
Just for the record, the State Board of Accounts is definitely still monitoring local governments. I just went through a massive intensive audit of the Emergency Solutions Grant program that I locally administer with the State Board of Accounts. Proud to say that I was in the clear. This may seem odd to say, but I want to be monitored and validated, because I do my best to do things correctly and in accordance with regulations. I also try to be as helpful as possible to my agencies when I monitor them.