CA: Now We See Why Meg Whitman Hides From The Public

California Progress Report ^ | 2/18/10 | Robert Cruickshank

[NormsRevenge]

For months now Meg Whitman has hid from the news media as well as the general public here in California, preferring to spend millions of dollars on a TV ad blitz designed to make Californians comfortable with the idea of letting someone buy the governor's office. Whitman can control the message in a radio or TV ad; whereas she might actually have to engage with the public or the press on someone else's terms, so she has avoided doing so.

Until yesterday in Lafayette, when she ventured forth from her lair to speak at a Commonwealth Club event. It immediately became clear that she has very little grasp on the problems facing California, and even less ability to honestly confront them. Take, for example, her proposed budget solutions:

...

She said private companies may be able to do the work more efficiently. Contracting also would relieve pressure on the state's pension obligations, she said.

"I wouldn't privatize agencies, but I'd like to look at - are there certain services we can provide more cost-effectively?" she said. "For example, we have a printing plant owned by the government. I don't know that that makes sense."

It actually makes perfect sense to print in-house, since there is usually a significant cost savings to doing so. Privatized services are either of much lower quality, or of a higher cost to the public - or in many cases, both, as the contractor seeks to maximize profit by charging higher rates but spending less on the work and the workers.

In any case, privatizing a few services here and there is highly unlikely to accomplish anything useful in terms of the budget deficit. So either she is clueless, or is sowing the ground for a broader privatization push if she wins.

[capt. norm]

she has very little grasp on the problems facing California

That makes her about even with Ahnold and the existing batch of Cal. politicians.

[Valpal1]

It actually makes perfect sense to print in-house, since there is usually a significant cost savings to doing so

And the author's evidence for this is.....?

Typical progressivist cant. Nothing we cut will save enough to close the gap, therefore we should cut nothing and raise taxes to continue all these wonderful government jobs, programs and pensions.

[adm5]

If she runs Cali like she ran feeBay - then bend over, here come the taxes.

[MarineBrat]

The author seems to be rather clueless when it comes to economics.

[Deo volente]

She can’t be worse than Jerry Brown. That’s just not possible.

[PetroniusMaximus]

Well... she ain’t gonna win it on looks.

[gura]

“The California Progress Report offers an online megaphone to advocates campaigning for economic justice, global sustainability, civil rights and civil liberties, government reform and many other areas.”

[trad_anglican]

Privatized services are either of much lower quality, or of a higher cost to the public - or in many cases, both, as the contractor seeks to maximize profit by charging higher rates but spending less on the work and the workers.

What world does this guy live in? It ain't the real one.

[twistedwrench]

“It actually makes perfect sense to print in-house,”
Get’m lubed to crank out the effin IOUs

[Doomonyou]

She's a RINO at best:

FlashReport Weblog on California Politics

11-9-2009 2:22 pm

On Saturday, the San Jose Mercury News reported that Meg Whitman's personal foundation has donated thousands of dollars to protect the delta smelt - a revelation that seriously calls into question Whitman's credibility on water issues and her credibility with voters in the Central Valley.

In 2007, Whitman donated $100,000 to the Environmental Defense Fund's Center for California Rivers and Deltas. The Environmental Defense Fund is a liberal group that proudly advocates for the rights of the Delta Smelt over the rights of our farmers in the Central Valley.

A donation to the Environmental Defense Fund is bad enough, but directly contributing to the EDF's main efforts to steal water away from the Central Valley is unacceptable for a supposed "Republican" running for Governor.

It might be worth giving Whitman the benefit of the doubt on this issue if this was an isolated incident, but this isn't an isolated incident - it's a pattern.

After contributing to the EDF in 2007, Whitman went on a climate change cruise in 2008 with Van Jones and Jimmy Carter to study global warming. Following the cruise, Whitman and her liberal friends issued a joint statement calling for "substantial cuts in greenhouse gas emissions" and "actions at all levels of government."

In fact, Whitman was so impressed by the cruise and her new friend Van Jones that she went out of her way to praise him afterwards saying that she was a "huge fan" of Van Jones.

Whitman's radical environmental associations and donations makes one wonder exactly how she would govern on environmental issues...

All of these revelations, along with the recent news that Whitman endorsed and contributed to Barbara Boxer in 2004, is bad news for a campaign that continues to stumble as more is revealed about Whitman's liberal record on important issues facing the Central Valley.

http://www.flashreport.org/blog.php?postID=2009110917224436

[hennie pennie]

I beg to disagree with you. I think that a Goldman Sachs BILLIONAIRE whose BFF is Mitt Romney is a very dangerous person.

[Recon Dad]

That's what grabbed me right off.

How many employees does the government printing company have? What's the average salary and benefits?

I'm a betting man and I bet the job could be done with half the employees at 3/4 or the cost.

[ari-freedom]

“In any case, privatizing a few services here and there is highly unlikely to accomplish anything useful in terms of the budget deficit.”

so privatize a heck of a lot of everything and get rid of the massive welfare state

[ari-freedom]

hmm sounds like another Whitman we know

[ncalburt]

Why are you publishing a radical socialist newsletter to attack Whitman ? If the Cali Progressive Report Marxist writer hates her then she okay in my book ? Apparently she is a HUGE threat to the real evil here named Moonbeam Brown who could put the final stake in the heart of this state . So, What was the point of this garbage being posted here ?

[the long march]

This guy is a lefty loser who wants to dump Prop13. His knowledge of how to run a government (or anything) is ZERO. Why should I care what he has to say

[Ramcat]

It actually makes perfect sense to print in-house, since there is usually a significant cost savings to doing so. Privatized services are either of much lower quality, or of a higher cost to the public - or in many cases, both, as the contractor seeks to maximize profit by charging higher rates but spending less on the work and the workers.

I remember working as a sales engineer for a medium size mechanical contracting firm that had pretty nice offices and owned millions worth of equipment.. We didn't have a copier because nobody could convince the owner that he needed one.

[abigailsmybaby]

Her statement that she’s a BIG fan of Van Jones’ is all I need to know about NutMeg.

[scory]

It doesn’t make any difference who they elect as governor of California if they continue to reelect the leftist loons in the legislature. So long as the rats control the assembly and senate the state will continue to deteriorate. The governor does not raise taxes or cut spending or anything else. All he can do is propose things. It is the loony left legislature that has led the state to bankruptcy.