BY RUSSELL TURNER
GOVERNMENT AT THE PEOPLE
Every now and then I hear a quote by someone that sticks in my mind. Most of the time it is a profound statement that has an impact on our everyday lives. A few days ago I read an article about the Oklahoma Tax Commission; because of the budget shortfall they were in the process of hiring 40 additional auditors to make sure that the taxpayers of this state were paying every penny of tax that the government was entitled to. The actions of the Oklahoma Tax Commission reminded me of a quote by former presidential candidate Ross Perot. Ross Perot made the observation about government during his presidential bid, instead of having a government of the people we have a government at the people.
I find it ironic that our state government is intent upon making sure that the taxpayers have to jump through hoops to prove they are paying their fair share, but they don’t seem to be willing to meet the people who pay their salary half way. Since our state government deems it necessary to hire 40 additional auditors, I think it would be a nice gesture if they would allocate enough money to the State Auditor and Inspector’s office to hire an additional 40 auditors in that department and instruct them to do performance audits on all of the state agencies in our state. It might interest most people to know that a few years ago there was a bill before the legislature that would have given the State Auditor the authority to do performance audits, it also might interest most people to know that bill did not pass. This budget crunch has the effect of showing the people of this state how far the government will go just to keep the party going a little longer. Too many of our government agencies do not want the transparency that the hard working taxpayers of this state deserve.
Over the past several years I have read the finding of many of the audits on state agencies, most of them have shown the frivolous way our taxpayer money is being used. I have found that the main impediment to a good and frugal government is politics. We have gotten to a point where the taxpayer cannot pay for all of the inefficiencies and outright fraud that many of the state agencies have become accustomed to. I have found from personal experience that there is an art to being able to balance a budget. I have also found that it is easier to balance a budget by cutting expenses instead of raising rates. In my own personal business if I have some hard times I cannot simply pass it on to my customers in the form of higher prices. If I took that approach all I would accomplish would be to lose my customers.
I realize that there are countless agencies in our state government and it is impossible for legislators to review every one at length; it is also impossible to look at every tax return. With that being said, if it is fine to scrutinize the taxpayer I think it would be fine to hire some more auditors and take a good look at the way our money is spent.
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