Washblog

One powerful way in which to move the bureaucracy in a direction of more efficient utilization of funds would be to get our state and national legislators and our governor moving against the DRA.

Deficit Reduction as legislated by Hastert and Frist Republicans has been nothing more than the same sort of long term self-interested witlessness about how not to help needy and willing citizens get back on their feet.

In Pacific County former employment bulworks like Weyerhaeuser are  hemorrhaging laid off workers driving the unemployment compensation rosters through the ceiling.

Unless the economy rapidly turns, when that UC runs out, they'll have no choice but to come to me.

In the past two months my case load has already doubled.

DRA mandates have been fearfully prioritized by a management that blindly and willfully wastes hours of my day in tracking and reporting what amounts to hour-by-hour participation by welfare recipients required to earn their assistance.

I have no time to help or motivate them toward regaining economic independence or self-sustainability.

I'm too busy tracking and reporting whether or not they sat at a computer in the WorkSource office 7 hours or 8.

... as if that were the ultimate reason why people seek work ... to meet welfare-mandated hours.

And don't get me started on how mindlessly complex and time-consuming the timid bureaucracy has made its process of terminating those who refuse to participate and "earn" their monthly cash  assistance.

Bureaucracy often reveals itself as blind and handicapped by a lack or fear of critical thinking about what the voters want from it as a functioning entity.

Instead they are left somewhat guessing as to determine what the highest good of all concerned is.

Don't believe me? How about all those $1 checks mailed last week along with the cost of those mailings?

It seems as if our bureaucracy is left to interpret legislation that in some instances has blindly ignored common sense and established legal requirements based on party politics.

I can't count the number of times I've fantasized about how I - as a state employee who is also a civic minded, civically active Washington voter - would love to read the riot act to a legislature that does not seem to understand how blindly intimidated state bureaucrats are.

I would think they could use the honest opinion of someone who literally is one of those who have to implement the legislative mandates they write after those mandates have been filtered through a bureaucracy dominated by guesswork. Wouldn't my legislator want to know the truth from right where the rubber hits the road?

Bring in the feds and it is literally bureaucratic hand-wringing time.

That's where state managers are reluctant to hook up the hoses and start the water from the hydrant to put out the fire ... no ... let's make sure the hydrant meets federal standards and mandates for blowing water out its ass.

Want to save state budget funds or get better mileage from it's bureaucratic engine?

Get our state and national legislators in on the action.

Repeal or replace the Deficit Reduction Act of obsolete Bush Era Reflublicans as soon as possible.