Excerpt from article below:
The following article describes California's "streamlining government"
proposal. Unfortunately, the California proposal is similar to proposals and
plans in other states, all coming out in the name of "efficient, responsive and
responsible government, a 21st-century government for the future." In the
closing weeks of a presidential election, the implications of policy-making by
people never having to face the voters is sobering. Thanks to Advance
Bulletin, a publication of Freedom 21/Santa Cruz for this article.
The California Performance Review (CPR): Devolving Constitutional Government
in the Golden State
http://www.freedom21santacruz.net/advance/html/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=142
In the eyes of many elected officials, America is no longer capable
of self-government. Many Americans were stunned to learn that a small group of
Congressmen have requested the
United Nations to monitor our federal elections this November. Yet at
the same time, other elected officials are working
to ‘reinvent’ American government at the state and local levels. In California a
hand-selected panel representing the political philosophy of Governor Arnold
Schwarzenegger, have cast another vote of no confidence in the citizens. This
time, it comes in the form of a massive new plan to "streamline government" -
the California Performance Review.
The California Performance Review (CPR) began as a directive from the Governor's
office to remake California government on a new premise. The governor says this
reinvention of California government will "eliminate redundancies and save
money". The Orange County Register reported that "Schwarzenegger said he would
ignore the 'squawking' of opponents and instead work all-out 'to create an
efficient, responsive and responsible government, a 21st-century government for
the future of California.'"
The plan itself is no model of plain language and streamlined structure. Just
reviewing its 2500 pages takes real dedication. Submerged in the warm and fuzzy
words of the CPR are plans to eliminate elected representation, regionalize
local school boards, eliminate separation of powers and concentrate government
power in the office of the Governor. According to a recent article in the Orange
County Register, the CPR "[merges] 11 agencies and 79 departments into 11
departments directly under Schwarzenegger's control."
In truth, Governor Schwarzenegger's plan effectively devolves the
constitutionally based government of the State of California by creating a
series of councils, conservancies and regional governments that will create new
political systems, new methods for educating children and a new land use system
that pretends to protect nature by limiting human action in order to consolidate
economic power within an elite ruling class.
The Deterioration of California Education
The CPR plan for education is an example of the Governor's wish to limit
California's choice by eliminating representatives elected by the people. Under
the CPR, the Governor's Secretary to Education heads a new organization, the
Department of Education and Workforce Preparation. This appointee will be
granted broad powers to manage the California education system from elementary
schools to community colleges.
What does
'workforce preparation' mean? (link opens PDF) It means
government-private partnerships between schools and business; a centrally
planned economy; replacing the learning of facts with assessment of attitudes,
values and beliefs, and treating children as biological resources of the state
to create global collective citizens. This is even more alarming than changing
political mechanics. The significant change is about the purpose of education
and the premise we hold about the nature and role of children to reach and seek
their full potential as human beings.
Homeland Bureaucracy
The CPR recommends that Homeland Security become part of a very large new state
bureaucracy, the Department of Public Safety and Homeland Security. The
appointed department head of this new agency will oversee the California Highway
Patrol, and the law enforcement branches of the Department of Motor Vehicles,
Alcoholic Beverage Control and Fish and Game. In addition the Division of Fire
Protection and Emergency Management, and a new division, the Division of Victim
Services, would be placed under the Department of Public Safety and Homeland
Security.
California citizens are voicing deep concerns about the elimination of elected
representation and the creation of "super-agencies" like the Department of
Public Safety and Homeland Security that report directly to the governor. This
will make it more difficult for citizens to maintain contact with elected
representatives who are bound to hold open public meetings. The increasing
desire to eliminate elected representation and open public meetings will make
government less transparent, which opposes a stated goal of the CPR. The fact
that the super-agencies created by the CPR all report to a single person, the
Governor, underlines the true intent of the CPR -- it is a bold grab for power
and control. Systems matter. In a system with virtually limitless power,
eventually a police state will arise.
Streamlining a Power Grab
Eliminating redundancy and streamlining government are admirable goals,
provided that the scope of government does not expand beyond the constitutional
and moral scope of a legitimate government. By this standard California
Performance Review (CPR) is troublesome indeed. CPR is a method for devolving
California's constitutional government into a system of appointed boards and
governing bodies run by non-elected bureaucrats. It also seeks to consolidate
the offices of constitutionally elected officials, directing many of the
remainder to report to appointed bureaucrats, thus creating yet another obstacle
for accountability to citizens.