When liberal State Senate President Darrell Steinberg announced that creating a new State Senate Office of Oversight and Outcomes, staffing it up with lefty ex-newspaper reporters, and then dispatching them to do their thing, looking at whatever they want, it is of course no surprise that they are not using this as an opportunity to look at how state government is functioning internally, but rather to determine if state government is adequately (to their mind) is doing a good job at being a regulator of business.
In this case, a column from David Lazurus (who if he is not a charter member of the ACLU, it is not out of lack of desire) highlights a report due out from the "Ex-Reporters On The Taxpayer Dole Blasting Private Companies" Commission today that, in essence, takes on the Public Utilities Commission for not being strict enough on telecom companies like Verizon and AT&T.
It is significant to note that their main beef with the PUC is that over the last few years, the aforementioned companies have not lost market share. Seriously. The implication, of course, is that it is the job of state government to not only completely regulate every single aspect of phone service in California — but Steinberg’s taxpayer funded ex-reporters are upset because the PUC is not producing their desired outcome — which is to literally use government to decide how large or small companies should be.
I have a great idea — how about shuttering this Committee, and taking the savings and applying it to our budget deficit. The ex-reporters can then go free-lance and attack Steinberg, since they want private sector firms to shrink, but government agencies (and Senate Committees, no doubt) to grow.
A few months ago respected columnist Dan Walters offered a fair critique of Steinberg’s pet commission that is worth a read. Certainly worth more of a read than this latest report with its utterly predicable outcome.
In closing, I wonder how long the discussion was to leave out the final prospective recommendation of the Committee — which undoubtedly would have been to simply have state government take over all phone service. No doubt that would be better for everyone, right?
July 21st, 2010 at 12:00 am
SOCIALISTS hide particularily among suprious groups,committees and commissions…never personally acountable…and, in general, just out there with incredible seminar pronouncements, lunatic “studies”, FIELD POLLS, the use of words “racist” and “discrimination” and “extremist”.
If letters used to describe:…you betcha socialists abound…..AQMD, CEQA, EPA.
So don’t get your nickers pulled too tight over an OFFICE OF SOCIALIST OUTCOMES…such foolishness will stop when the electorate is economically wiped out and finally decides to take America back to prosperity and liberty for all!!!!
For socialists…it will not be very pretty!!!