Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Cost/Benefit: Give Up the Fiefdom and Featherbedding!

The usual crap. But what the Leggies don't understand is the implications of Walker's budget-repair bill for State purchases. No surprise. Leggies like their little fiefdoms.

Gov. Scott Walker's budget proposal would eliminate a law requiring state agencies to study the costs and benefits of outsourcing work.

That provision and others in the GOP governor's 2011-'13 budget drew questions from both Republicans and Democrats at a briefing Tuesday before the Legislature's budget-writing committee.

Well, yah. The law--passed by the micro-managers of the Legislature--is a pain in the .....nose. And, if you haven't figured it out, it's also "protection" for the AFSCME.

Current law says agencies must compare the costs of having private contractors do work costing more than $25,000 against what it would cost to have state workers do the job.

Speaking to the Joint Finance Committee, Administration Secretary Mike Huebsch said that the law was cumbersome and required an analysis of contractor costs to be done even in cases where state workers couldn't do the work.

"We did a cost-benefit analysis on the cost-benefit analysis and found it was costing us money," Huebsch told the committee.

In other words, the State is required to demonstrate that ANY outsourcing is "cost-justified", no matter the question.

It's stupid. It's featherbedding. And with the new bargaining rules, it's antiquated, because under the new rules, performance, not seniority, counts. You screw up, you get demoted.

"Accountability" is the game. Real "management" will take place in State agencies.

Would be nice if Luther Olsen (R-Ethanol) could catch up.

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