Hawaii DOE- Look to Waste and Fraud for Budget cuts!

Hawaii DOE Should Look to Waste, Fraud, and Abuse in Budget Cuts!

Grassroot TV features video of press conference and suggests that fake workers comp claims be investigated. Sept. 26, 2008 --- The Grassroot Institute of Hawaii, a free-market think tank based in Honolulu, has released selected video highlights from the recent press conference where Hawaii Department of Education (DOE) Superintendent Patricia Hamamoto discussed the pending budget cuts requested recently by Governor Linda Lingle. Due to tax revenue shortfalls, all state agencies have been asked to prepare 10 percent, 15 percent and 20 percent budget cut proposals for their 2009-2011 discretionary budgets. Superintendent Hamamoto gave a live television address and then held a press conference, which Grassroot TV correspondent Tom McAuliffe attended. In her talk Hamamoto proposed $31.5 million in budget cuts or less than half of the $69 million in cuts that may be required. "It's a start but still a fraction of the agency's total annual budget of $2.4 billion," said McAuliffe, who also serves as the Communications Director at the Institute. Furthermore, it's puzzling as to why the DOE doesn't address the $66.9 million in workers comp claims that did not have "sufficient evidence" to justify the claim, as addressed in the 2007 audit. This is almost equal to the entire amount of budget cuts required," he said. "If true, how can this sort of fleecing of the Hawaii taxpayer be allowed and why is it not being aggressively pursued as one of the first steps in reigning in the budget?" "Unfortunately, the Department of Education is not a beacon of financial transparency. We call on the DOE to put its entire financial 'checkbook' online so that Hawaii's citizens can see how their money is being spent, and can help to suggest other ways in which the Department can cut spending without jeopardizing our childrens education," added Grassroot Institute President Jamie Story. The mission of the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii is to promote individual liberty, free market economic principles and limited, accountable government. Please visit www.grassrootinstititue.org

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• grassroots
• outreach
• Hawaii
• DOE
• gotcha!
• Budget
• cuts
• Superintendent
• Patricia
• Hamamoto

[GrassrootHawaii]

Thanks very much!

Grassroot Hawaii

[vonahsen]

oops... I meat Grassroot (not Grassroots)

[vonahsen]

Good job Jamie... and everyone at Grassroots. Keep up the good work.

[anyusmoon1]

Here's a TIP- ABOLISH No Child left Behid! It sucks, because it undermines the Constitutional Republic, intended by the founding fathers.

Sorry the systems is BROKE (like every other system that has grown out of the socialist coup overtaking our country since 1930's) 4 information see my vlog 4 a playlist on an interview by Norman Dodd, and the Reece Commission which he was in charge of to study the tax-exempt foundations goals to overtake our education system to align with Soviet Union model.