Sailorcurt has a letter from a friend to the Governator
Dear Governor Schwarznegger: When I read that you plan to shut police and fire stations and release tens of thousands of criminals onto the streets to balance the state's budget, I realized that you may be out of touch with how middle class folks manage when their expenses exceed their income. To mitigate the effects of this recession which has hit my family hard, we have reduced or eliminated all non-essential items from our budget - even worthy items. Eliminating non-essential items like cable TV and prime rib has allowed us to have money for essential items like electricity (for broadcast TV) and chicken. Now, to save the state the cost of a budget expert, I have made a list of all non-essential state offices, departments, commissions and boards whose budgets can be reduced or entirely eliminated without harming essential state services like police, fire fighters, and prison guards. There's no need to pay me yet for this work, since I am sending you a list of only the 106 departments from the letters "A" through "I". When I complete my work, you can pay me. But in the meantime, you can terminate these non-essential offices, departments, commissions, and boards. The list is below. Sincerely, Bcc: Email list State Departments, Commissions, and Departments That Can Be Closed Before Fire and Police Departments Letters A through I (because they’re useless, trendy, or duplicate federal services). 1. Access for Infants and Mothers 2. Acupuncture Board 3. African American Museum 4. California Commission on Aging 5. Department of Aging 6. Agriculture and Environmental Stewardship, Office of 7. Agriculture, Department of Food and 8. AIDS, Office of 9. Alcoholism and Drug Programs, Department of 10. Alternative Energy and Advanced Transportation Financing Authority 11. Analytical Chemistry, Center for 12. Apprenticeship Council 13. Apprenticeship Standards, Division of 14. Arbitration Certification Program 15. Arts Council 16. Asian Pacific Islander Legislative Caucus 17. Assembly Democratic Caucus 18. Assembly Republican Caucus 19. Athletic Commission 20. Barbering and Cosmetology, Board of 21. Behavioral Sciences, Board of 22. Binational Border Health, California Office of 23. Biodiversity Council 24. Biogeographic Data Branch 25. Blind, Office of Services to the 26. Braille and Talking Book Library 27. Building Standards Commission 28. Business, Transportation and Housing Agency 29. California Exposition and State Fair 30. California Broad band Initiative 31. California Commission for Jobs and Economic Growth 32. California Council for the Humanities 33. California Cultural and Historical Endowment 34. California Digital Library 35. California Institute for Regenerative Medicine 36. California Museum for History, Women, and the Arts 37. California Science Center 38. California Association of Counties 39. California State Fair 40. California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids (CWORKs) 41. California Volunteers 42. CalJOBS 43. Cal-Learn Program (Department of Social Services) 44. CalOHI (California Office of HIPAA Implementation) 45. CalVet Home Loan Program 46. Career Resource Network 47. Cemetery and Funeral Bureau 48. Central Valley Flood Protection Board 49. CERES – California Environmental Resources Evaluation System 50. Child Abuse Prevention, Office of 51. Children & Families Commission 52. Children and Family Services, Division 53. Children’s Trust Fund, California State 54. Climate Change Portal (Energy Commission) 55. Community Services and Development, Department of 56. Cosmetology, Board of Barbering and 57. Crime and Viol ence Prevention Center 58. Cyber Safety for Children 59. Data Quest (Department of Education) 60. Deaf Access, Office of 61. Debt and Investment Advisory Commission 62. Delta Vision 63. Dental Auxiliaries, Committee on 64. Dental Board of California 65. Denti-Cal 66. Developmental Disabilities, State Council on 67. Developmental Services, Department of 68. Disabled Veteran Business Enterprise Certification Program 69. Education, Department of 70. Education, Office of the Secretary for 71. Education, State Board of 72. Educational Facilities Authority 73. Electronic and Appliance Repair, Bureau of 74. Employment Development Department 75. Employment Training Panel 76. Energy Commission 77. Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, Office of 78. Environmental Protection Agency (Cal-EPA) 79. eSservices Office 80. Fair Employment and Housing Commission 81. Fair Employment and Housing, Department of 82. Fair Political Practices Commission 83. Film Commission 84. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) California 85. Geologists and Geophysicists, California Board for 86. Governor’s Committee for Employment of Disabled Persons 87. Governor’s Mentoring Partnership 88. Guide Dogs for the Blind, Board of 89. Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act Implementation, California Office of 90. Healthy Families Program 91. Hearing Aid Dispensers Bureau 92. High Speed Rail Authority 93. HIPAA Implementation, California Office of 94. Home Furnishings and Thermal Insulation, Bureau of 95. Horse Racing Board 96. Housing Financing Agency 97. Independent Living Council, State 98. Indoor Air Quality Program 99. Industrial Relations, Department of 100. Infants and Mothers, Access for 101. Information Center for the Environment 102. Information Security and Privacy, Office of 103. Infrastructure and Economic Development Bank (I-Bank) 104. Institute for Education Reform 105. Integrated Waste Management Board 106. Interagency Ecological Program
Dear Governor Schwarznegger: When I read that you plan to shut police and fire stations and release tens of thousands of criminals onto the streets to balance the state's budget, I realized that you may be out of touch with how middle class folks manage when their expenses exceed their income.
To mitigate the effects of this recession which has hit my family hard, we have reduced or eliminated all non-essential items from our budget - even worthy items. Eliminating non-essential items like cable TV and prime rib has allowed us to have money for essential items like electricity (for broadcast TV) and chicken.
Now, to save the state the cost of a budget expert, I have made a list of all non-essential state offices, departments, commissions and boards whose budgets can be reduced or entirely eliminated without harming essential state services like police, fire fighters, and prison guards. There's no need to pay me yet for this work, since I am sending you a list of only the 106 departments from the letters "A" through "I". When I complete my work, you can pay me. But in the meantime, you can terminate these non-essential offices, departments, commissions, and boards.
The list is below.
Sincerely,
Bcc: Email list
State Departments, Commissions, and Departments That Can Be Closed Before Fire and Police Departments Letters A through I (because they’re useless, trendy, or duplicate federal services).
1. Access for Infants and Mothers 2. Acupuncture Board 3. African American Museum 4. California Commission on Aging 5. Department of Aging 6. Agriculture and Environmental Stewardship, Office of 7. Agriculture, Department of Food and 8. AIDS, Office of 9. Alcoholism and Drug Programs, Department of 10. Alternative Energy and Advanced Transportation Financing Authority 11. Analytical Chemistry, Center for 12. Apprenticeship Council 13. Apprenticeship Standards, Division of 14. Arbitration Certification Program 15. Arts Council 16. Asian Pacific Islander Legislative Caucus 17. Assembly Democratic Caucus 18. Assembly Republican Caucus 19. Athletic Commission 20. Barbering and Cosmetology, Board of 21. Behavioral Sciences, Board of 22. Binational Border Health, California Office of 23. Biodiversity Council 24. Biogeographic Data Branch 25. Blind, Office of Services to the 26. Braille and Talking Book Library 27. Building Standards Commission 28. Business, Transportation and Housing Agency 29. California Exposition and State Fair 30. California Broad band Initiative 31. California Commission for Jobs and Economic Growth 32. California Council for the Humanities 33. California Cultural and Historical Endowment 34. California Digital Library 35. California Institute for Regenerative Medicine 36. California Museum for History, Women, and the Arts 37. California Science Center 38. California Association of Counties 39. California State Fair 40. California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids (CWORKs) 41. California Volunteers 42. CalJOBS 43. Cal-Learn Program (Department of Social Services) 44. CalOHI (California Office of HIPAA Implementation) 45. CalVet Home Loan Program 46. Career Resource Network 47. Cemetery and Funeral Bureau 48. Central Valley Flood Protection Board 49. CERES – California Environmental Resources Evaluation System 50. Child Abuse Prevention, Office of 51. Children & Families Commission 52. Children and Family Services, Division 53. Children’s Trust Fund, California State 54. Climate Change Portal (Energy Commission) 55. Community Services and Development, Department of 56. Cosmetology, Board of Barbering and 57. Crime and Viol ence Prevention Center 58. Cyber Safety for Children 59. Data Quest (Department of Education) 60. Deaf Access, Office of 61. Debt and Investment Advisory Commission 62. Delta Vision 63. Dental Auxiliaries, Committee on 64. Dental Board of California 65. Denti-Cal 66. Developmental Disabilities, State Council on 67. Developmental Services, Department of 68. Disabled Veteran Business Enterprise Certification Program 69. Education, Department of 70. Education, Office of the Secretary for 71. Education, State Board of 72. Educational Facilities Authority 73. Electronic and Appliance Repair, Bureau of 74. Employment Development Department 75. Employment Training Panel 76. Energy Commission 77. Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, Office of 78. Environmental Protection Agency (Cal-EPA) 79. eSservices Office 80. Fair Employment and Housing Commission 81. Fair Employment and Housing, Department of 82. Fair Political Practices Commission 83. Film Commission 84. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) California 85. Geologists and Geophysicists, California Board for 86. Governor’s Committee for Employment of Disabled Persons 87. Governor’s Mentoring Partnership 88. Guide Dogs for the Blind, Board of 89. Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act Implementation, California Office of 90. Healthy Families Program 91. Hearing Aid Dispensers Bureau 92. High Speed Rail Authority 93. HIPAA Implementation, California Office of 94. Home Furnishings and Thermal Insulation, Bureau of 95. Horse Racing Board 96. Housing Financing Agency 97. Independent Living Council, State 98. Indoor Air Quality Program 99. Industrial Relations, Department of 100. Infants and Mothers, Access for 101. Information Center for the Environment 102. Information Security and Privacy, Office of 103. Infrastructure and Economic Development Bank (I-Bank) 104. Institute for Education Reform 105. Integrated Waste Management Board 106. Interagency Ecological Program
And that's only through I.
Think about it. The State of California could exist without a SINGLE one of those programs. This doesn't mean those items do not get done, instead that means that the populace must work on their own to make it happen.
Horse racing board? The frickin' Film Commission? None of these money sucking departments are critical nor are any more important than firefighters, police, and prison guards. But those services don't bring in the kind of kickback necessary, I guess.
This is why I rail against government. Not because I'm an anarchist, not because I don't want to pay taxes, but because I don't feel it's the government's responsibility to determine the best practices for Barbers and Cosmetologists or provide guide dogs for the blind. Of course, the progressives will call me a racist somehow and claim I don't think those types of services are important without realizing that they are better served as private enterprises and charities.
Here's the other sad fact of life. Many, if not most, of those departments would simply disappear and not be replaced with anything. Economics would prevent it from happening, just like a household will have to stop eating filet mignon when times get tight. The most important things would be taken care of first. When you don't budget, then everything suffers, including the most important items.
However, make no mistake about it. The government doesn't want to be efficient. Power is not obtained by doing what is required, but by fooling the populace into believing they need everything and making it impossible to obtain. Then, the government can 'step in' and 'help'. Eventually, you end up with 106 useless or less important departments to fund while cutting out those that are essential.
And that's only going through the letter I.