"A government big enough to give you everything you want, is big enough to take away everything you have"
Thomas Jefferson

Sunday, October 4, 2009

Leadership

Erie County Executive Chris Collins gets it!

Collins is proposing a budget that shifts county provided services to non governmental organizations who provide the same service. "Collins says he wants to streamline county government, support non-profits when possible and lessen Erie County’s legacy costs for retiree health care, now forecast at around $890 million."

His driving statement in the article - "It is my strong belief that Erie County should not be competing with local not-for-profit or community organizations that have the expertise, ability and willingness to provide these services to county residents"

His county budget proposes a spending increase of only .2%.

Refreshing leadership this guy actually believes in assessing county government functions and separating core services from those other services that can be provided more efficiently by others.

Read: Drops more services county has provided

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Collins is right on the need for local governments to reduce spending (or at least slow its growth rate) and trim the public workforce. It would be wonderful if we could afford to continue to provide existing retiree health care benefits for public employees, but we can't.

Collings is rumored to be a possible gubertnatorial candidate. If he came out in favor of same sex marriage like dede has then I would enthusiastically vote for him.

I think it's past time we had an upstate governor (can anyone remember the last time there was an upstate governor?) though I would prefer it was someone from the north country (possibly dede or maybe teresa sayward or janet duprey). Has there ever been a governor from the nc?

Danny M. Francis (Eyepublius) said...

Damnit, that's right:

1. Knock off the old geezer retirees, rid ourselves of them ... Hell, they are deadwood and non-productive anyway, why keep paying them?

2. When those non-profits or charities go broke, we ship off the "welfare Queens" to where? Ah, ha: India maybe, for a low-paying job that a lot of U.S. companies have opted to seek there (those nasty labor costs back home, you know?).

3. And, childcare, WIC? Yepper, get rid of them and away from the public trough. Who needs all those poor kids and their Moms who are probably single Moms, anyway, right?

Sounds like a plan to me.

All nice and tidy and well, kinda "compassionate" and
"Conservative."

From a "bleeding heart" lib you may suggest ... well, sorta when it comes to helping people who maybe can't help themselves, yes.

I don't like waster or fraud or abuse, either. But, being harsh on fellow citizens... and relying on charity to stopgap the role of government... something I read once about "... a more perfect Union; domestic Tranquility; common defence; promote the general Welfare ..." just empty words, I surmise?

— dmf

Anonymous said...

Here's an idea, Close the county home, (It's being run by someone else anyway) transfer all the patients to Madonna Home, SELL the parcel to a business,(don't give it to JCC) Put all Non-profits on equal footing to govt.(wages,benefits etc.) Due an in-depth study on how the economic Development agencies are rated by their state counterpart.

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