Saturday, November 26, 2011
An Enterprise Architecture viewpoint on state government...
In the same way a parent coaches their children to save money and be fiscally responsible, I humbly believe that the federal government needs to do the same for the states and local government...
Instead of making fun of the government and its approach to enterprise architecture, today I will instead propose three ideas that can help save all of us taxpayers money. Many people know that I am a registered republican and fiscal conservative. I am also passionate about encouraging others to pray, fast and be charitable and will look at government issues through these lenses. So, here are the three ways government can save money:
Implement a volunteer police force: Consider the scenario of how much of our budget is spent on law enforcement. Now consider the fact how it could be reduced if we allowed for volunteerism to enter the equation. My own background includes being honorably discharged from the United States Coast Guard which is not only a military fighting force but the police of our waterways. I can volunteer to get shot at by foreigners by enlisting in the military, I can volunteer to die in a burning building as a fire fighter but I can't volunteer to do traffic duty at the annual Thanksgiving day parade nor sit in a parked car with my lights flashing at a construction site?
Make English the official language: Have you ever considered how much additional expenses associated with printing and translation occur to support forms in other than English? Allowing volunteers to serve as translators has several additional advantages. First, when you take someone from the community and put them into a role that helps out others, you allow the government to form a more cohesive bond and can even provide support for languages not officially supported. You also make it easier for people to get government jobs and therefore can lower the pay scale if you had less requirements related to language. For example, if you wanted a state employee who knew enterprise architecture, speaks Spanish, Arabic and COBOL then your pool is limited. Once you remove the language restrictions, the job pool is increased making it fairer to all the citizens of the government to apply.
Consolidate identification systems: In the State of Connecticut, I hold various licenses and permits. Don't you find it a big waste of process in that the State Police administer a separate photo ID than say the department of motor vehicles? Of course you are asking yourself why would the state police trust DMV to issue a permit? While there needs to be additional due diligence at initial application time, why do you need it at renewal? In the state of Connecticut at each renewal, I have to prove that I am a citizen. I was a citizen when I first applied and kinda think that the odds are pretty good especially for us folk that are born in the United States that we will be a citizen in the future. For those who will argue that I could renounce my citizenship, I guess I would ask the question of why does this even matter? After all, I already got weapons that I purchased when I was a citizen anyway.
Did you also know that in the state of Connecticut, permits related to the building trades are governed by the department of public safety who also runs the state police? Why can't I renew my electricians and radio repair permit at the same time and same location? Taking this one step further, did you know that the state of Connecticut has non-police officers at the handgun permit desk doing renewals but if you want to renew your boxing (pugilism) license, it is handled by a police officer? Does this feel backwards to you?
| | View blog reactionsInstead of making fun of the government and its approach to enterprise architecture, today I will instead propose three ideas that can help save all of us taxpayers money. Many people know that I am a registered republican and fiscal conservative. I am also passionate about encouraging others to pray, fast and be charitable and will look at government issues through these lenses. So, here are the three ways government can save money:
Implement a volunteer police force: Consider the scenario of how much of our budget is spent on law enforcement. Now consider the fact how it could be reduced if we allowed for volunteerism to enter the equation. My own background includes being honorably discharged from the United States Coast Guard which is not only a military fighting force but the police of our waterways. I can volunteer to get shot at by foreigners by enlisting in the military, I can volunteer to die in a burning building as a fire fighter but I can't volunteer to do traffic duty at the annual Thanksgiving day parade nor sit in a parked car with my lights flashing at a construction site?
Make English the official language: Have you ever considered how much additional expenses associated with printing and translation occur to support forms in other than English? Allowing volunteers to serve as translators has several additional advantages. First, when you take someone from the community and put them into a role that helps out others, you allow the government to form a more cohesive bond and can even provide support for languages not officially supported. You also make it easier for people to get government jobs and therefore can lower the pay scale if you had less requirements related to language. For example, if you wanted a state employee who knew enterprise architecture, speaks Spanish, Arabic and COBOL then your pool is limited. Once you remove the language restrictions, the job pool is increased making it fairer to all the citizens of the government to apply.
Consolidate identification systems: In the State of Connecticut, I hold various licenses and permits. Don't you find it a big waste of process in that the State Police administer a separate photo ID than say the department of motor vehicles? Of course you are asking yourself why would the state police trust DMV to issue a permit? While there needs to be additional due diligence at initial application time, why do you need it at renewal? In the state of Connecticut at each renewal, I have to prove that I am a citizen. I was a citizen when I first applied and kinda think that the odds are pretty good especially for us folk that are born in the United States that we will be a citizen in the future. For those who will argue that I could renounce my citizenship, I guess I would ask the question of why does this even matter? After all, I already got weapons that I purchased when I was a citizen anyway.
Did you also know that in the state of Connecticut, permits related to the building trades are governed by the department of public safety who also runs the state police? Why can't I renew my electricians and radio repair permit at the same time and same location? Taking this one step further, did you know that the state of Connecticut has non-police officers at the handgun permit desk doing renewals but if you want to renew your boxing (pugilism) license, it is handled by a police officer? Does this feel backwards to you?
