Wednesday, November 01, 2006

Nobody For Governor

Well election week is finally upon us and I've decided to open things up by announcing the first ever BMBS political endorsement.

For Georgia governor, BMBS endorses: nobody. What evidence is there that we even need a governor in the first place? Very little. I really do think Georgia would be better off without a governor.

Unfortunately, it looks like there will still be a governor after next Tuesday, and that governor will still be Sonny Perdue. Perdue is campaigning across the state asking prospective voters to come up with "Sonny Do" lists. But to be honest, I'm sick and tired of government DOING more and more things. It has such a poor track record, why give it more and more responsibilities? Everything government touches usually ends up turning to ruin. So instead, I decided to comprise my Sonny DON'T list:

- DON'T waste any more money on our broken education system. In fact, DON'T play any role in our education system at all: instead free our public schools from government bureaucracy: privitize all of them and then provide vouchers for low-income families. Public schools should be just like our public universities: they should be forced to compete with one another. So stop throwing dollars at a system that will remain inherently monopolistic and flawed.

- DON'T tax personal or corporate income.

- DON'T spend millions trying to lure companies to come here just because they "create jobs." If they want to come here, they will. If they don't, they won't. Just keep taxes low, get out of the way, and everything will take care of itself. If Jacksonville ends up getting a Chrysler Van Plant instead of Savannah, then oh darn. You can feel good knowing you didn't have to waste billions in taxpayer dollars subsidizing them.

- DON'T play a role in the transportation system any more. MARTA has been losing money for decades because there's no profit incentive. Privitize it and subject it to the discipline of the marketplace. Atlanta is one of the few major cities with a government-owned airport. Sell it off as well. Finally, let private companies run major state highways. They'll do a far quicker and better job managing traffic and expanding roads because they have every incentive to do so.

- And finally, DON'T "fight" for anybody. "Fighting" is usually code word for establishing ridiculous price supports and subsidies, unnecessary liscensing, and other economic barriers to protect powerful interest groups from having to compete like the rest of us. Stop "fighting" for farmers, teachers unions, etc. If you want to fight for anybody, how about fighting for the taxpayers whose money you do such a great job of wasting in the first place.

Oh please, Sonny don't.

5 comments:

Ryan said...

"Everything government touches usually ends up turning to ruin."

Sweet wording, Gandalf.

About these school voucher things: Are they anything like the vouchers I would get at Publix? Everytime I gave that extra 1%, they would give me a token that confirmed it with "1%" written on it. I would exchange the token for a voucher that I used to get a 6" sub sandwich.

Patrick said...

Not really sure what Gandalf is (I remember Gandalfo's - that sub place downtown), but basically the way it works is you give parents of low-income children a slip that allows them to choose where they want their kids to go to school, and it and helps pays for the tuition (if it's a private school). This introduces a lot more competition into a system that has come under increasing centralized, bureaucratic control over the last 4 decades.

Now don't get me wrong, I'm not blaming everything on teachers and poor administration, because another factor today is often that kids simply don't want to learn. But still, I think it would be a HUGE step in the right direction.

HANK said...

Pat, cry me a river.

Joe said...

The article you linked referenced T.C. Williams High School in Alexandria, VA. T.C. Williams is the home of the Titans, as in "Remember the Titans."

HANK said...

that movie created a lot of awkwardness in Coach Brackett's locker room. I presumed Remember the Titans inspired Tommy Brackett to create a "Great Society" within BC football. Tavaris sp? Brown would have none of that. BBC for Life, fool!