Sizing Down Government
Delegate Kenneth R. "Ken" Plum
 
Recently I received an automated "robo" survey call on my home telephone from Lieutenant Governor Bill Bolling.  After a brief explanation that Governor Bob McDonnell was seeking to reduce the size of state government, the recording of Lt. Governor Bolling posed the first question:  Do you agree with Governor McDonnell that the size of state government should be reduced?  My answer choices were either "yes" or "no."  I like the question; it is one I could debate either side at length.  I replied "no."  That clearly was not the answer the surveyors wanted to hear, for after asking my gender - for whatever reason that mattered - the call ended.  If I had responded yes, the follow-up questions would probably have picked at the agencies of state government to see where I would agree to reductions.  Given the complexities of state government and its many functions, I wonder how informed the responses were to the questions.
 
Budget cutting with the economic recession has reduced the size of state government.  Currently there are nearly 54,000 positions authorized for Virginia government to be paid for by tax revenue.  The unit of government with the most tax-paid employees is public safety with just over 18,000 employees.  That number includes the 14,421 prison guards and others who operate the adult and juvenile prisons and correctional facilities.  That number also includes nearly 2,500 state police.
 
The next highest number of tax-paid state employees is in higher education with 17,597 employees who staff our colleges and universities.  Public school teachers and administrators are local and not state employees.  The third highest category of general fund state employees is in health and human services with nearly 9,000 employees who run the state mental health hospitals and mental retardation facilities.  These three services constitute 80 percent of state government employees.  The remaining units of government employ fewer than a thousand taxpayer-paid employees each.
 
There is a total of 61,000 additional state employees who work in programs that through fees or contracts pay for themselves including 35,000 in higher education alone.  Eliminating these positions also eliminates the source of revenue that supports them with no net gain to the budget.  In the instance of the Alcoholic Beverage Control system, eliminating the 1,078 positions in the agency would eliminate the nearly $150 million in annual revenue provided to local government from the profits of the ABC system.
 
For those who got the same robo telephone survey as I did and who voted in favor of reducing state government, please let me know where you would make the reductions beyond the belt-tightening done recently with the economic recession.  Send your suggestions to me at kenplum@aol.com, and if feasible I will lead the effort to reduce government in those areas.  I hope there is agreement that we need our prison guards, state police, college professors, and support personnel, as well as our mental health workers.

 

 

 

 

Ken will be calling constituents on the telephone on Thursday, September 16, at 8:00 p.m. to discuss state issues.  You will get a brief recorded message announcing the purpose of the call.  Please stay on the line to participate in the live meeting.  Ken will be taking calls, answering your questions, and receiving your comments about your interests and concerns.  You will also be able to register your opinion on several issues by using your telephone keypad.  To ensure that you are called, please e-mail your phone number to Ken at kenplum@aol.com or leave it on his answering machine at 703.758.9733.

 

 The General Assembly will likely be called into special session this fall to consider some government reorganizations.  Let Delegate Ken Plum know your opinion on these issues by taking his 2010 Special Survey.  Go to www.kenplum.com and click on the link to the survey.  Email kenplum@aol.com or call 703.758.9733 with your name and home address if you would like a paper copy of the survey to be mailed to you.

 

When it comes to water management and reducing waste, the most cost effective place to begin is replacing fixtures such as toilets and faucets.  Such improvements include dual-flush valves, motion sensors, and low flow faucets.  A single faucet dripping once per second can waste 2,700 gallons of water a year!

 

Shorten your shower.  Every minute you cut from your shower is roughly 5 gallons of water.  The less time your shower takes, the lower your impact on the environment.  You will use about half as much water taking a shower as you would taking a tub bath.

 

Interested in an old-fashioned holiday fruitcake?  Reserve one from the monks at Battle Creek Abbey in Berryville, Virginia, by going to www.monasteryfruitcake.org.  The website also tells the fascinating story of the half-dozen Holy Cross monks and their bakery business that began in 1955.

 

The Virginia State Corporation Commission (SCC) has added the ability to file corporate annual reports and pay corporate annual registration fees to its SCC eFile website.  This addition is part of the Commission's commitment to make it easier and quicker for Virginia and foreign corporations to fulfill their corporate filing requirements, via the Internet.  SCC eFile - the website used for the submission of the most common business entity filings handled by the Clerk's Office of the Commission - launched in December 2009.  The initial implementation allows businesses to change their registered agent and office information online.  A web-based business entity search feature is included as well.

 

Fairfax County residents are encouraged to avoid waiting in line at the Government Center and pay their 2010 Personal Property Tax bills online at www.fairfaxcounty.gov/dta, or by mail with the enclosed envelope in their bill.  Bills are due on October 5.  For information on other convenient ways to pay your bill, call 703.222.8234, TTY 711.