Re-engineering government.

        Governor Quinn recently line item vetoed the funding away from regional school superintendents.  His reasoning is that they are unnecessary bureaucrats.  While I would advise a former Lieutenant Governor not to throw stones at useless bureaucrats, I can't say he is wrong.  This really is not even a good start on eliminating useless positions in Illinois government.
       Having been victimized by it more than once, I have read many books, articles, and 'zines on re-engineering companies, workers, and management.  A quick show of hands: who here, at some point, has been re-engineered right the hell out of a job?  Everyone, I see.  That is part of my point.  We all face the prospect, daily, that some re-organization or re-engineering will put us out of work.  But then, we do not work for the State of Illinois.  The workers there, as in many bloated, corrupt, good-old-boy-network, employers feel entitled to a job.  Even if it has no duties or responsibilities.
       I would humbly suggest to our august Governor that he perform a corporate style re-engineering.  And by that I mean, start at the top.  Ask first: what needs to be done?  Then: who do we have that can handle that.  Next: Assign those people to those positions.  Then proceed to the next level down.  Include in your assessment any existing or emerging technology.
       Illinois spends more than any other state, per student, on education.  Now if we had the best educated students, I would not mind one bit.  The sad fact is we have very dismal student outcomes.  Some seventy plus percent going on to college and only 26% that do not require remedial courses on arrival.  How does this happen.
       The teachers union points the finger at the bloated administrative level, and calls them unnecessary.  The Administrators say the cost overage lies with the cost of new equipment, like computers, that the students need.  The state, who mandates these, say the teachers unions and administrators earn too much.  They all point in a big circle at one another and all are right.  Despair.com has a poster depicting a drop of water hitting a pool.  It says: "No single raindrop believes it is to blame for the flood"  That is truly the case here.  All of these groups are right.  They are all to blame.  Illinois teachers do earn too much relative to the outcomes experienced.  The no-bid contracts to supply electronics exceed the cost of simply giving each student a computer.  The administrators are both unnecessary and overpaid.
       I use the schools as an example only because they are in the news.  I would much rather overpay a teacher than a sign holder on a construction crew that makes more than said teacher.  Also I would rather have too many teachers than sign holders.  I do not mean to pick on the education system.  It is a symptom of the problem, not the cause.  We have more districts than any other state.  We have more levels of government than any other state.  This does not buy us better efficiency.  quite the opposite.