By fitsnews – May 9, 2012
BUT DON’T EXPECT IT TO STAY THERE FOR LONG …
New S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control (SCDHEC) director Catherine Templeton hasn’t fired anyone so far this week … which is interesting because Templeton usually fires a few dozen employees before breakfast each day.
Does that bother us?
Not at all … the fewer state employees, the better. In fact we think a certain State Senator doth protest too much about some of Templeton’s firings (one in particular).
So far, though, Templeton isn’t sending any of the “savings” achieved by these firings back to the S.C. General Assembly – and even if she was, there is currently no mechanism for state lawmakers to send those savings back to the taxpayers. Fiscal conservatives like S.C. Sen. Tom Davis (R-Beaufort) are hoping to change that … but as it stands now all surplus money and so-called “savings” gets spent.
Also, let’s not forget that Templeton has hired a few people, too … and given them fat salaries, benefits and all sorts of taxpayer-funded iGadgets.
Anyway … what gives? Why has Templeton’s ax been sheathed this week?
Believe it or not, according to our sources it is “employee appreciation week.” And not just at the SCDHEC, but across state government (we’ll have a separate report on that momentarily).
Sheesh …
What a softie Templeton has become (kidding, kidding).
Hopefully heads will start rolling again next week, but more importantly we hope that Templeton will turn her “force reductions” into savings that lawmakers can then (at long last) rebate back to taxpayers.
We’re not holding our breath, but last time we checked that was the whole point of achieving efficiency in government.
***
