« To Be or Not To Be | Main | Plan B »
May 19, 2009
Professional Fiduciaries Bureau Threatened
 |
| Image: What rolls downhill? Below is just one of many cost cutting and revenue increasing ideas suggested by the Governator's May budget revision (see Arnold's ideas here). H/T MPrime. See the related ER story here. $1.982 billion—Borrowing from Local Government. The May Revision contingency plan proposes to borrow eight percent of the property tax revenues received by cities, counties, and special districts in 2008-09 as authorized in Article XIII of Section 25.5 of the Constitution. Repayment must be made within the next three years. Legislation also is proposed to create a joint powers authority to allow local agencies to borrow against the state repayment as a group. The Governor's office estimates that California's General Fund will be short something like $15 billion for this year. And another $5.8 billion will disappear if today's ballot propositions fail to pass (1A-1E). Cuts in school spending, from college on down are suggested, as are reductions in support for legal non-citizens. Also on the chopping block are fee caps for veteran's homes residents. Increasing withholdings by 10% is suggested, although I'm not clear from the language if this is on estimated quarterly payments or all employee withholdings. I suspect the former. That means a higher tax on self-employed people, and small/large businesses. Hey, that's me! Whoooo-hoooo. The most hair-raising of state budget cuts are related to the realignment/consolidation of government bureaus. Here are some examples. Eliminate the Bureau of Naturopathic Medicine. Eliminate the Telephone Medical Advice Services Bureau. Consolidate the Board of Geologists and Geophysicists with the State Mining and Geology Board. Consolidate the Professional Fiduciaries Bureau under the Board of Accountancy. Consolidate the Board of Behavioral Sciences, the Board of Psychology, the the duties of the Board of Vocational Nurses and Psychiatric Technicians to oversee psychiatric technicians, into a new Board of Mental Health. Consolidate the Hearing Aid Dispensers Bureau under the Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology Bureau. Consolidate the nursing oversight functions of the Board of Vocational Nursing and Psychiatric Technicians with the Board of Registered Nursing. Elimination of the Court Reporters Board. Elimination of the Inspection and Maintenance Review Committee and transfer its functions to the Bureau of Automotive Repair. Elimination of the Landscape Architects Technical Committee and transfer its licensing duties to the Architects Board. Tax me more, increase my kid's class size to 300, or get rid of fire and police protection first. But if you even suggest that I won't have the Professional Fiduciaries Bureau to evaluate my fiduciaries then I'll suggest it's time for a revolution. And what about the Hearing Aid Dispensers Bureau? Who's going to oversee the dispensation of hearing aids? The Contact Lens Location After They Fell Out Bureau? Like those guys have the time. We formed the Hearing Aid Dispensation Bureau for a reason. It was a damn good reason. Nobody remembers it, but it was damn good. And think of how much money we'll lose in government efficiency when all the hearing aids disappear. Government employee: What? You want your reference spec'ed? Citizen: No, I want my refund check! Government employee: The font is dachshund flecked? Citizen: Refund check, refund check! Government employee: Reefer tech? You need to see the Bureau of Hydroponics. Citizen: Keep it, I'm moving to Nevada. Government employee: Have fun grooving to Nirvana. I wasn't going to vote today. But after seeing the list of bureaus and consolidation suggestions above I think government needs to downsize. The best way to do that is make sure they don't have the money to fund all of the stupidity they seem to fund. So this morning I'll try to vote before I take my kids to school. No on 1A though 1Z. Let them eat cake. Update: I was the first voter today for precinct 2201. I forgot that ballot prop. 1F was out there. That's the one where no pay raises are allowed for elected officials if the state's General Fund is showing a deficit. That gets a Yea. |
 |
Posted by Lon at May 19, 2009 6:12 AM
Comments
"And what about the Hearing Aid Dispensers Bureau? Who's going to oversee the dispensation of hearing aids? The Contact Lens Location After They Fell Out Bureau? Like those guys have the time. We formed the Hearing Aid Dispensation Bureau for a reason. It was a damn good reason. Nobody remembers it, but it was damn good. And think of how much money we'll lose in government efficiency when all the hearing aids disappear."
Wow. Lon, As a wearer of hearing aids, I find your comments a bit offensive and misguided.
Many elderly people get taken advantage of by shysters that sell wildy overpriced hearing aids, or sell the additional services or options they don't need. There have been dozens of nationwide scams on hearing aid sales to the elderly. And as an engineer Lon, you should know that giving someone a hearing aid with too much gain, will solve the hearing loss problem temporarily, but damage hearing further in the long run.
That is the reason for the bureau's existence and every state in the country has a similar entity. They exist for the same reason automobile sales are licensed. If they aren't, somebody will take advantage of people. Shysters and scam artists don't care who.
I agree that we should consolidate and remove duplication of services, and that these mergers, including the hearing aid bureau probably make sense. However, your snark about hearing aids illustrates you just don't understand the problem, or the reason behind such an entity.
You and I can figure out specs on amplifiers etc, and spot shysters a mile away. But can your grandparents?
Posted by: Anthony at May 20, 2009 7:55 AM
Well, thanks for standing up to Mary last night, she was unbelievable. Every day she reminds me more of Ellen Burstyn in "Requiem for a Dream."
And Ann needs to learn how to be a mayor. She keeps letting Mary get out of control. And she wasn't exactly in control of herself last night either. It's funny how they accuse us of getting ugly, boy, then they get ugly.
I don't care how Holcombe voted last night, he was still a jerk. Thanks to Tom and Larry for pursuing a reasonable solution. yeah, sometimes you got to work things out. Ann and Mary were being plainly unworkable, that's not their job.
I have met some of the nicest people at these meetings. I hope they will continue to come to meetings. Except Randy, I hope he will stay home in future. In fact, maybe he will make good on his promise to leave town now that we have blasphemed the park and Annie Bidwell's memory.
Well what a nice day. We will have to stop at 32 on the way to work and huck a round to celebrate.
Posted by: juanita at May 20, 2009 8:06 AM
Anthony,
It's only a matter of time before I offend everyone. I suspect there's a professional fiduciary out there that understands better the need for the profession fiduciaries bureau than I do.
I guess I shouldn't make light of medical problems, even to point out that state government can't be all things to all people.
I don't believe these bureaus are necessary. They are costly and replace private industry, or act as a nanny protecting citizens from educating themselves and taking responsibility for their own lives. The fact that these consolidations are only now being considered when there is a $15-$45 billion dollar short fall is an indicator of how screwed up things are.
Car licensing has now moved from ensuring "safe" cars to determining which cars you can drive. Instead of lookig out for us the government is now directing our purchase decisions. Now the government is going to own major car manufacturers. I'm not a fan of these things.
Lon
Posted by: Lon at May 20, 2009 8:48 AM