vt.Buzz ~ a political blog

Political notes from Free Press staff writers Terri Hallenbeck, Sam Hemingway and Nancy Remsen

7.13.2009

Efficiency at work

The Joint Legislative Government Accountability Committee is meeting today in Montpelier to talk about what efficiencies can be found in state government. They face the task of finding $30 million under state couch cushions, so to speak.

They started off with an efficiency of their own. Sen. Jeanette White, D-Windham, asked the rest of the panel members if they minded whether she knitted through the meeting. They voted to allow her to knit away.

If nothing else comes of the discussion, there will at least be a knitted product of some kind.

- Terri Hallenbeck

Labels: jeanette white, politics, vermont legislature

posted by vt.Buzz | 11:20 AM |

Comments:

Perhaps Jim Douglas could create an office of PR with 2-3 staffers designed to PR all of state governemnt - they would replace the 14 or so that he has inserted throughout state government.

This should save the state about $500-700,000!

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 12:31 PM, July 13, 2009

It would have been more efficient for Sen. White and anyone else with more than a 45 minute drive to have participated via speakerphone or webcam.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 8:06 AM, July 14, 2009

I predict that the legislative "leadership" will find fake savings of $30 million so they can avoid laying off a single additional state worker, er, I mean state-employees-union-democratic-constituent-member.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 8:07 AM, July 14, 2009

How about cutting upper management and not frontline workers who actually serve Vermonters?

When Douglas enacted the reorg of teh Agency of Human Services - he actually increased the number of middle and senior managers.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 9:50 AM, July 14, 2009

How arrogant of the Douglas administration to "hand pick" the state workers to include on the Tiger Teams.

If he had any brains, he should have gone to the union and asked them to join him in his "tiger teams" and to try and work together.

Unfortunately, this just cements the idea that Douglas is out to destroy the union and to put working Vermonters out of work!

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 9:53 AM, July 14, 2009

Stop bashing Douglas and come up with solutions

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 12:45 PM, July 14, 2009

The union is doing a pretty good job of destroying itself without the Governor's help.

# Posted by:

NEK | 12:46 PM, July 14, 2009

Knitting - are you kidding me?

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 12:47 PM, July 14, 2009

"Unfortunately, this just cements the idea that Douglas is out to destroy the union and to put working Vermonters out of work!"

Heaven forbid we should ask the question of whether we actually need these state employees.

The state is not an employment service. Get a job.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 3:46 PM, July 14, 2009

How happy are union members with their union? Lets hear from them.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 5:47 PM, July 15, 2009

Gee, maybe this might partly explain why we're in the pickle we're in -- because we elect the quality of legislators who show up in Montpelier and literally do knitting.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 7:38 AM, July 18, 2009