Group alleges state and local government waste

The City Paper reports on the Tennessee Center for Policy Research's "pork report" that includes about $260 Million in government waste at the state and local level. The report comes on the heels of an announcement by Governor Bredesen that he may have to find as much as $500 Million in additional cuts to the state's budget.

You can read the entire report here at their site. TCPR is providing a valuable service in keeping a close watch on government spending. At a time when there is inadequate funding for social services, we have to subject the budget to this level of scrutiny. But that doesn't mean the report is without some troubling quirks.

Interestingly, the report attacks funding of the arts, in particular plays and films that deal with sexual themes. This sex-baiting is unfortunate. Even if a few productions or films lacked merit, the report focuses on the ones with sexual themes. They don't mention the ones that apparently (if they liked any of them) possessed artistic merit. The effect is to cast doubt on all state funding on the arts, which is counterproductive to our state's economic development. The North Carolina Arts Council notes that in "2006 arts industry wages alone infused more than $3.9 billion into North Carolina’s economy, according to research by Regional Technology Strategies (RTS)."

It might be helpful if TCPR suggested a review of arts funding criteria rather simply use sex to whip taxpayers into a frenzy about government spending.

State workers and the Wikipedia scandal

http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2008/apr/13/state-workers-their-wikipedia-correct/

The AP has picked up a story that originally ran as a WSMV I-Team report. I had the misfortune of seeing the original on the news. Basically, we're being whipped into a frenzy because a few state workers are spending a lot of time editing Wikipedia entries.

In a year with budget shortfalls, there certainly is at least an appearance issue here. And it also looks as if some of the employees did violate state internet use policies. However, I think it's important to ask in specific cases whether the violators were getting their work done well and on time. The other question is whether the work of state employees is being adequately managed. Are there departments that don't have enough work to do? And aren't there probably departments that are overworked?

All this is troubling in a year in which we face the spectre of no raise or almost no raise for state employees. But I think the issues would be present even if no state employees ever visited Wikipedia.