Tuesday, June 13, 2006

DNR's "D" Grade

Well, the DNR has earned the "D" part of its moniker--in financial and general business management. And as a result, the soubriquet "Damn Near Russia" may become more realistic.

The auditor's report on DNR is out, and despite the spin-job from DNR (which the JS slavishly copied,) it ain't so pretty.

One example of the spin-cycle: The fish and wildlife program was criticized by auditors in 1998 for running up administrative costs of more than 20% of its total expenditures. Those costs have declined to about 11%, but auditors said the DNR fails to include field staff managers and administrative costs associated with its automated licensing system.

Not so fast, says Rep. Suder (R-Abbottsford.) Two consecutive Legislatures passed measures including Bureau of Fish and Wildlife expenses and the overhead for licensing in that 16 percent. In fiscal year 2004-05 had those expenses been included the actual cost of administration would have been 23.5 percent. In other words, for every dollar hunters and anglers send the DNR almost 25 cents is used to feed the bureaucracy. And guess whose filthy handprints are all over the cause of the under-reporting?

Yup. Jim Doyle (D-Casinos, PI Lawyers, and Teachers)

Not to worry. Scott Hassett, DNR Secretary, has a plan:

...the DNR Secretary stated the agency will need to find “other revenue streams”, bureaucrat speak for wanting even more money from taxpayers. In the alternative, DNR could always harass and fine more members of the public for feeding turkeys, or walking into houses (no-knock) occupied by breast-feeding moms...

HT: Fraley

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