Comments on: The costs of inefficiency, bloat and corruption http://www.brewedfreshdaily.com/2009/the-costs-of-inefficiency-bloat-and-corruption Locally owned and operated from Cleveland, OH since 2002 Fri, 09 Dec 2011 22:07:18 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: lmcshane http://www.brewedfreshdaily.com/2009/the-costs-of-inefficiency-bloat-and-corruption/comment-page-1#comment-3572 lmcshane Wed, 13 May 2009 07:32:59 +0000 http://www.brewedfreshdaily.com/?p=1856#comment-3572 Thanks Ed--that the PD is finally picking up this story is good news. There has to be some real political house-cleaning in this town. Thanks Ed–that the PD is finally picking up this story is good news. There has to be some real political house-cleaning in this town.

]]> By: Rick Bohan http://www.brewedfreshdaily.com/2009/the-costs-of-inefficiency-bloat-and-corruption/comment-page-1#comment-3566 Rick Bohan Tue, 12 May 2009 00:19:52 +0000 http://www.brewedfreshdaily.com/?p=1856#comment-3566 Maybe it's stray pixel my computer screen but I think I see a dot at about the same distance out the X axis (population)as Cuyahoga but way up above it on the Y axis (public employees). See it? You gotta wonder which county THAT is! Maybe it’s stray pixel my computer screen but I think I see a dot at about the same distance out the X axis (population)as Cuyahoga but way up above it on the Y axis (public employees). See it?

You gotta wonder which county THAT is!

]]> By: John Polk http://www.brewedfreshdaily.com/2009/the-costs-of-inefficiency-bloat-and-corruption/comment-page-1#comment-3563 John Polk Mon, 11 May 2009 01:13:55 +0000 http://www.brewedfreshdaily.com/?p=1856#comment-3563 A key element of the highly-touted "public-private partnership" which has had perverse unintended consequences was indeed that implicit bargain with area elected officials, from DC down to Cleveland City Hall. Essentially, the GCP's predecessor organization assured elected officials that, if they would be supportive of efforts to bring home the pork, the business community would give them a pass on just about anything else. (This was something which rendered back-in-the-day COSE so controversial. By being aggressive lobbyists on behalf of small business interests, and attempting to hold elected officials accountable for their decisions on business issues related to taxation, regulation, etc, we bruised the feelings of some elected officials, and of some corporate leaders who felt that if we made Lou Stokes mad [for example], he'd quit bringing home highway funds. As time has gone on, and as elected officials have become the primary financiers of local "economic development," the dynamic has become still more dysfunctional. After all, how does one hold elected officials official for being wrong on taxation, regulation, or on corruption or government inefficiency, if they're the same bunch of yahoos who have to vote "yes" for the public outrage du jour to benefit the corporate looter class?... This is yet another shameful attribute of the current regime: both by tolerating political corruption (both illegal and not technically illegal) as part of the cost of doing business and protecting elected officials from any semblance of accountability, our corporate institutional leaders have contributed mightily to the current banana republic-style of government operation, and abandoned an important role for the Chamber as an advocate for business reforms which could remove many obstacles to economic development. How can one take a tough stand on County government reform with one hand, and expect help in scamming the public with the other, without making folks...uncomfortable?...And after all, which is more important: efficient, cost-effective government (which would merely benefit the taxpayers and promote a healthier development climate), or the next big "public-private partnership" project which might benefit a few entrenched private interests?... A key element of the highly-touted “public-private partnership” which has had perverse unintended consequences was indeed that implicit bargain with area elected officials, from DC down to Cleveland City Hall. Essentially, the GCP’s predecessor organization assured elected officials that, if they would be supportive of efforts to bring home the pork, the business community would give them a pass on just about anything else.

(This was something which rendered back-in-the-day COSE so controversial. By being aggressive lobbyists on behalf of small business interests, and attempting to hold elected officials accountable for their decisions on business issues related to taxation, regulation, etc, we bruised the feelings of some elected officials, and of some corporate leaders who felt that if we made Lou Stokes mad [for example], he’d quit bringing home highway funds.

As time has gone on, and as elected officials have become the primary financiers of local “economic development,” the dynamic has become still more dysfunctional. After all, how does one hold elected officials official for being wrong on taxation, regulation, or on corruption or government inefficiency, if they’re the same bunch of yahoos who have to vote “yes” for the public outrage du jour to benefit the corporate looter class?…

This is yet another shameful attribute of the current regime: both by tolerating political corruption (both illegal and not technically illegal) as part of the cost of doing business and protecting elected officials from any semblance of accountability, our corporate institutional leaders have contributed mightily to the current banana republic-style of government operation, and abandoned an important role for the Chamber as an advocate for business reforms which could remove many obstacles to economic development.

How can one take a tough stand on County government reform with one hand, and expect help in scamming the public with the other, without making folks…uncomfortable?…And after all, which is more important: efficient, cost-effective government (which would merely benefit the taxpayers and promote a healthier development climate), or the next big “public-private partnership” project which might benefit a few entrenched private interests?…

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