<html><body bgcolor="#FFFFFF"><div>Simple question for Mr. Falen -</div><div><br></div><div>In your opinion, Mr. Falen, which specific state-run programs should be subject to budget reduction?</div><div><br></div><div>No need for substantiation, just your opinion. <br><br><div>Seeya round town, Moscow.</div><div><br></div><div>Tom Hansen</div><div>Moscow, Idaho</div><div><br></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469);"><br></span></div></div><div><br>On Nov 1, 2011, at 12:07 PM, "Art Deco" <<a href="mailto:deco@moscow.com">deco@moscow.com</a>> wrote:<br><br></div><div></div><blockquote type="cite"><div>
<div><font size="2" face="Verdana">So Roger is excused from backing up his opinions
with facts? Get real.</font></div>
<div><font size="2" face="Verdana"></font> </div>
<div><font size="2" face="Verdana">It is highly doubtful that any individual, let
alone any organization, public or private, operates at 100% efficiency at all
times. There is generally always room for improvement -- but the amount of
improvement possible varies extremely greatly. In fact, in my experience
there are some governmental entities that are very efficient, some public
libraries, some county and city departments, for example. There are
private businesses that are horribly wasteful and inefficient, aerospace
companies operating on government cost + 10% contracts.</font></div>
<div><font size="2" face="Verdana"></font> </div>
<div><font size="2" face="Verdana">There are also questions,
which are value questions, for both private and public entities
analogous to "Is this trip necessary?" For example:</font></div>
<div><font size="2" face="Verdana"></font> </div>
<div><font size="2" face="Verdana">"How and how much should the state budget to
raise the probability that every citizen has enough to eat?"</font></div>
<div><font size="2" face="Verdana"></font> </div>
<div><font size="2" face="Verdana">"How many days paid sick leave should a company
grant its employees?"</font></div>
<div><font size="2" face="Verdana"></font> </div>
<div><font size="2" face="Verdana">Having been an employee of and a consultant for
both private businesses and public organizations, I can attest that both have
efficiency problems which vary in both from tiny to huge, and both can at times
can do stupid things -- a fact that made my consultant income quite prosperous
at times.</font></div>
<div><font size="2" face="Verdana"></font> </div>
<div><font size="2" face="Verdana">If Roger, you, or anyone else thinks there is
waste that can be eliminated in a public entity, then give the facts that
support that claim. If you can not do that, then they and you are
fabulists.</font></div>
<div><font size="2" face="Verdana"></font> </div>
<div><font size="2" face="Verdana">I start with one for the City of Moscow.
When I came into town the other day, two city employees were pasting rectangle
white patches in a crosswalk at Main and D Streets. There were moving very
slowing, with one standing around while the other was very, very slowly
measuring. An hour or so later, when I left town, there were still there, still
working at the same pace, and it appeared that during that time only one or two
more patches had been laid. The work pace of city outside workers has long
been a problem as been observed and commented upon many times. That it has
gone on so long is not just a criticism of the workers themselves but more of
their supervisors and upper management. Until changes in
supervision/management, either education/motivation or replacement take place,
city taxpayers will continue to be ripped off.</font></div>
<div><font size="2" face="Verdana"></font> </div>
<div><font size="2" face="Verdana">But it is not just city workers that illustrate
my point. I can't believe the work pace of some construction
workers. No wonder construction/repair prices are so high. Yes, I
have also worked in construction and consulted with construction
companies.</font></div>
<div><font size="2" face="Verdana"></font> </div>
<div><font size="2" face="Verdana">If you want to be part of the solution and not
part of the problem of governmental waste and efficiency, then base your
allegations on facts, not repeat dribble from the ill-informed.</font></div>
<div><font size="2" face="Verdana"></font> </div>
<div><font size="2" face="Verdana">w.</font></div>
<div><font size="2" face="Verdana"></font><br></div>
<div style="FONT: 10pt Tahoma">
<div style="BACKGROUND: #f5f5f5">
<div style="font-color: black"><b>From:</b> <a title="mailto:jborden@datawedge.com
CTRL + Click to follow link" href="mailto:jborden@datawedge.com">Jay Borden</a> </div>
<div><b>Sent:</b> Tuesday, November 01, 2011 9:55 AM</div>
<div><b>To:</b> <a title="mailto:deco@moscow.com
CTRL + Click to follow link" href="mailto:deco@moscow.com">Art Deco</a> ; <a title="mailto:Vision2020@moscow.com
CTRL + Click to follow link" href="mailto:Vision2020@moscow.com">Vision 2020</a> </div>
<div><b>Subject:</b> RE: [Vision2020] Fw: Idaho Falls Post
Register</div></div></div>
<div><br></div>
<div class="WordSection1">
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-SIZE: 11pt">He
posted an opinion, he didn’t state it as fact.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-SIZE: 11pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-SIZE: 11pt">Is
your counter-opinion then that the state government is operating at 100%
efficiency, and there are no places for improvements?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-SIZE: 11pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-SIZE: 11pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-SIZE: 11pt">Jay<o:p></o:p></span></p></div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-SIZE: 11pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<div>
<div style="BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0in; PADDING-LEFT: 0in; PADDING-RIGHT: 0in; BORDER-TOP: #b5c4df 1pt solid; BORDER-RIGHT: medium none; PADDING-TOP: 3pt">
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Tahoma','sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 10pt">From:</span></b><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Tahoma','sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"> <a href="mailto:vision2020-bounces@moscow.com"><a href="mailto:vision2020-bounces@moscow.com">vision2020-bounces@moscow.com</a></a>
[mailto:vision2020-bounces@moscow.com] <b>On Behalf Of </b>Art
Deco<br><b>Sent:</b> Monday, October 31, 2011 1:36 PM<br><b>To:</b> Vision
2020<br><b>Subject:</b> Re: [Vision2020] Fw: Idaho Falls Post
Register<o:p></o:p></span></p></div></div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 10pt">Roger,</span><o:p></o:p></p></div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p></div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 10pt">Tell us exactly
where and exactly how much there are in those places of </span>"<span style="COLOR: blue">a lot of waste in state government and plenty of places cuts
can be made</span>."<o:p></o:p></p></div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p></div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 10pt">If you cannot do
this, then you are just promulgating more Tea Bagger bullshit. You then
are part of the problem, but not part of the
solution.</span><o:p></o:p></p></div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p></div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 10pt">w.</span><o:p></o:p></p></div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p></div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p></div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p></div>
<div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Tahoma','sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div>
<div>
<div>
<p style="BACKGROUND: whitesmoke" class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Tahoma','sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 10pt">From:</span></b><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Tahoma','sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"> <a title="lfalen@turbonet.com" href="mailto:lfalen@turbonet.com">lfalen</a>
<o:p></o:p></span></p></div>
<div>
<p style="BACKGROUND: whitesmoke" class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Tahoma','sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 10pt">Sent:</span></b><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Tahoma','sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"> Monday, October 31,
2011 11:15 AM<o:p></o:p></span></p></div>
<div>
<p style="BACKGROUND: whitesmoke" class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Tahoma','sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 10pt">To:</span></b><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Tahoma','sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"> <a title="ringoshirl@moscow.com" href="mailto:ringoshirl@moscow.com">Shirley
Ringo</a> ; <a title="vision2020@moscow.com" href="mailto:vision2020@moscow.com">Vision 2020</a> <o:p></o:p></span></p></div>
<div>
<p style="BACKGROUND: whitesmoke" class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Tahoma','sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 10pt">Subject:</span></b><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Tahoma','sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"> Re: [Vision2020]
Fw: Idaho Falls Post Register<o:p></o:p></span></p></div></div></div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p></div>
<p class="MsoNormal">I think that there is a lot of waste in state government and
plenty of places cuts can be made. I do not think that the care and treatment of
the menally ill is one of them.<br>Roger<br>-----Original message-----<br>From:
"Shirley Ringo" <a title="mailto:ringoshirl@moscow.com
CTRL + Click to follow link" href="mailto:ringoshirl@moscow.com"><a href="mailto:ringoshirl@moscow.com">ringoshirl@moscow.com</a></a><br>Date: Mon, 31
Oct 2011 07:44:55 -0700<br>To: "Vision 2020" <a href="mailto:vision2020@moscow.com"><a href="mailto:vision2020@moscow.com">vision2020@moscow.com</a></a><br>Subject:
[Vision2020] Fw: Idaho Falls Post Register<br><br>> <br>>
Visionaries:<br>> <br>> The Idaho Legislature's "cost containment" for
Medicaid programs and help for those with disabilities will prove to be anything
but that.<br>> <br>> Shirley<br>> <br>> <br>> <br>> <br>>
<br>> <br>> Idaho's ugly 'new
normal'<br>> <br>> Corey Taule<br>> <br>>
----------------------------------------------------------<br>>
<br>> Ugly, sad and potentially tragic as it was, the recent
shootout between local law enforcement and Scott Daniel Parker wasn't
surprising. The 911 call from Parker's mother indicated her son was mentally ill
and in crisis. Unfortunately, we've been down that road before.<br>>
<br>> In September 2010, a mentally ill man shot Ryan Mitchell in
the back as he left a Pocatello coffee shop. The shooter, Gerald Durk Simpson,
had been told a few months earlier that because of budget cuts, the state could
no longer afford to treat his mental illness.<br>> <br>> That
jibed with what the State Planning Council on Mental Health told Idaho's
lawmakers in February 2010. Cutting mental health funding, this panel of experts
said, would result in three things:<br>> <br>> - More
suicides.<br>> <br>> - More violent encounters between the
mentally ill and police.<br>> <br>> - More mentally ill folks
landing in emergency rooms.<br>> <br>> A check with local law
enforcement shows this panel knew what it was talking about. Bonneville County
Coroner Jonathan Walker said suicides and attempts are up, something he
attributes directly to a reduction in available services.<br>>
<br>> Bonneville County Sheriff Paul Wilde noticed his deputies
were dealing more frequently with the mentally ill. So, he checked the numbers.
What Wilde discovered was startling. From January to October of 2008, officers
responded to 61 calls concerning psychiatric episodes or suicide attempts. That
same time period in 2009 resulted in 118 calls. That jumped to 139 last year. So
far this year, officers have responded to 256 calls.<br>>
<br>> Sometimes those calls result in arrests. A severely
mentally ill inmate needs to be segregated and watched constantly. Often,
however, no arrest is made. But for their own good, the person with mental
illness needs to be hospitalized.<br>> <br>> Eight years ago,
a busy week for the Bonneville County Prosecutor's Office meant handling one or
two civil commitment cases. But when Bruce Pickett became prosecutor, he noticed
civil commitments were on the rise. So, he began tracking them. So far this
year, Bonneville County has averaged nearly four per week.<br>>
<br>> Each case must be judged by two state-designated examiners.
Because many of these folks are indigent, taxpayers bear those costs, plus
hospital and doctor's fees. The increase in cases means the Behavioral Health
Center often can't handle them all. Several times this year, deputies have
transported mentally ill folks who committed no crimes to hospitals in
Pocatello, Twin Falls and Boise. So, cutting budgets on the front end is
resulting in more expense -- not to mention a healthy dose of human misery -- on
the back end.<br>> <br>> Jessica Hill isn't surprised. A
licensed social worker, Hill said the agency she works for has fewer clients
because of budget cuts. The need for services, however, has not gone
down.<br>> <br>> But Hill sees this from another perspective.
She's also an Idaho Falls police officer and SWAT team member. Too often, Hill
said, officers encounter the mentally ill in full crisis mode. Many of these
folks, Hill said, tell police they no longer qualify for services.<br>>
<br>> "I knew this was going to happen," Hill said. "It's not a
surprise to me whatsoever."<br>> <br>> Idaho Gov. C.L. "Butch"
Otter has overseen a massive reduction in state government, something he
describes as "the new normal."<br>> <br>> Let's be clear,
then, about what "the new normal" really looks like to those who get to deal
with the consequences of the politicians' numbers crunching:<br>>
<br>> - It looks like Gerald Simpson, a man with no history of
violence, opening fire on a stranger.<br>> <br>> - It looks
like Scott Daniel Parker leaving the house armed with automatic weapons and mad
as hell.<br>> <br>> - It looks like the guy using his own
feces to draw pictures on jailhouse walls.<br>> <br>> - It
looks like the little old lady who once had a social worker to help keep her on
medications, but who now must go it alone. Sometimes that works. Sometimes a
sheriff's deputy wades through months of accumulated garbage and animal waste in
her living room so he can drive her to the only hospital with room to treat her,
in Boise.<br>> <br>> Idaho is building a considerable budget
surplus. Already, some Republicans are saying they want to hand it over to
corporations and rich folks through income tax cuts.<br>>
<br>> The first job of government, however, is to protect its
citizenry.<br>> <br>> Clearly, Otter's "new normal" isn't
doing that. Lawmakers need to fully restore the mental health budget cuts of the
past three years.<br>> <br>> Before things really turn
ugly.<br>> <br>> <br>> <br>>
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