A smaller, smarter Iowa government

Iowa government needs to be smaller, smarter and more service oriented.

In order to accomplish this, it needs to reform the way it does just about everything.

State government relies too much on press secretaries, communications directors, political staffs and middle managers.

If a department head cannot speak for him or her self, then he or she should not be a department head. Taxpayers should not be paying for the re-election campaigns of politicians. Let the politicians run for re-election on their own dime. Tax dollars should go to the people who work on the front lines like troopers, prison guards, and teachers; the people who do the actual work.

Every state worker should be cross trained. A general knowledge of the services offered by other state agencies would make each worker more productive. Workers would become citizen ambassadors; helping Iowans find their way through the state government maze. Cross training is used in business to create better customer service and greater efficiency. There is no reason it cannot work in state government.

Finally, Iowa needs a Sunset Law. Under such a law, an expiration date is placed on all new state programs. When the expiration date is reached a bipartisan citizens group meets to review whether the program is still needed. If the answer is no, the program is abolished. Twenty states have enacted similar laws.

A smaller, smarter and more service oriented government will markedly improve Iowa’s business climate and help create good jobs.