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 Government Dumb as We Wanna Be
by Tom Campbell
November 20, 2008
As we look to 2009 and signs where our new leadership might be leading us, it might be prudent to pause and assess where North Carolina is today.
In the 1800’s, North Carolina was called the “Rip Van Winkle” state because of our sleepy, sluggish, backwardness. In 1962, National Geographic Magazine dubbed us “The Dixie Dynamo;” we had morphed into a state that attempted bold solutions to problems. This continued into the 1980’s, but looking at state government today you might call it government “dumb as we wanna be.”
Mind you, we’re not saying the people are dumb, but the decisions they are making (or not making) make us look dumb. For years running, we have faced many of the same problems like our education system that in many ways is failing our children, a transportation department and strategy that obviously isn’t working, problems in our criminal justice system that are not be addressed, and the list could go on for longer than you care to read.
In the past decade the state budget has grown by more than forty percent. We keep adding or expanding programs but it has been at least forty years since any serious effort was made at reorganizing government or prioritizing and eliminating programs. We try to fund this huge growth using an antiquated tax code that was designed when we were either an agrarian or manufacturing economy instead of today’s service economy.
And faced with growing evidence of unethical or illegal behavior, our leaders pass enough legislation to get the do-gooders off their backs but not enough to clean house. We forbid our Governor from serving more than eight consecutive years but turn our heads from legislative leaders, with considerably more power than the Governor, who remain in power for two decades.
That’s government “dumb as we wanna be,” or maybe you’d prefer it called “we’ll get around to it when we get around to it” government. What should be done?
For starters we should reorganize government. There are too many state agencies and too much duplication. Let’s begin by getting voter approval to make Council of State positions at Labor, Insurance, Secretary of State, and the Lieutenant Governor appointed instead of elected. Instead of five separate agencies handling state finances we could consolidate them to one, then streamline and eliminate duplication. Instead of six entities attempting to regulate business we could consolidate them also. Every agency should have a top to bottom evaluation and overhaul.
We must update our tax codes, eliminate tax preferences and ensure the burden is being shouldered fairly. Knowing there are limited resources we must establish priorities for what we want government to do and either eliminate or dramatically reduce funding for lower priorities. Our Governor must use the bully pulpit to insist that budgets be assembled in public and reflect priorities. It should take into account the cyclical nature of our economy and save 10 percent for years where revenues decline so as to prevent the knee jerk nature of budget cuts.
North Carolina needs to be a Dixie Dynamo again instead of a Rip Van Winkle. Government “dumb as we wanna be” is no longer acceptable.
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