Entrenched Bureaucrats Won’t Change (and that’s from a Democrat)

Seeking input from New Mexico government officials and agencies on how to do things more efficiently is like asking a cow for the best green chile cheesburger recipe. Despite the fact that New Mexico has more cabinet agencies than the federal government.

Yet, when Sen. Tim Eichenberg, chairman of the legislative Government Restructuring Task Force, tried to communicate with the bureaucracy to find ways to do things better or in less costly ways, he was stymied. Said Eichenberg, “Instead of suggestions (from state officials and employees), we heard impassioned defenses of the status quo.”

Of course dozens of boards could be eliminated and cabinet officials could be merged. My idea for Martinez: “Tell each of the top-level bureaucrats to find at least 5% savings at their agency or they lose their jobs.” Of course, many of these bureaucrats have the protections of civil service jobs, but many of them do not. It is high time that government bureaucrats realize they serve the taxpayers of this state, not themselves.