February 19, 2010 06:27 PM UTC

Maybe the Republicans are right.

• 2 Comments
• by: DavidThi808

I want to believe we Democrats do a better job running the government. I want to believe the government, while imperfect like the rest of us, does a good job delivering services. But then I get this.

I sent an email in to DoR asking for guidance on how we need to apply the sales & use tax. (In other words, asking what we should pay – something you would hope the state has a strong interest in.)

I emailed both the State and the City of Boulder. I got a reply from the City the next day telling me who is working it and it would be a couple of days. No answer from the state. So I sent a follow up asking if they received my email and got the following reply:

From: TaxpayerService [mailto:TaxpayerService@spike.dor.state.co.us]

Sent: Wed 2/17/2010 4:00 PM

To: David Thielen

Subject: Sales Tax Question

Dear David,

Your questions would need to be written in to the Department of Revenue in Letter form to our Business Tax Accounting Section!

The Address is:

Colorado Department of Revenue

Attn:  BTAS

1375 Sherman St

Denver,  CO  80261

Nick

Why on earth do they require a written request? Is it so they then have to type it in to their system thereby guaranteeing a job for the individual who enters the requests?

Now granted, this is not a big deal. people are not starving, a child did not die, we’re not losing millions. But it does speak to the pervasive inefficiencies that appear to exist throughout the state administration.

Fellow Democrats – we’re in a world of hurt both economically, and for us as a party politically. We don’t fool anyone when we say that the government runs efficiently (at least not anyone who’s been to the driver’s license office). We (and by we I mean the Ritter Administration) needs to step up and resolve these problems.

Our argument that we Dems do a better job running the government requires that we do a good job running the government.

Evil Sith Overlords Republican brethren – yes you have a point that the government could be run better. But you can address this in a responsible manner that still gives you political advantage. Don’t use it to paint government as unnecessary but instead use it to discuss how the state can provide it’s needed services more efficiently.

And to state employees, many of you will respond that the state bureaucracy is implacable and yes it’s a mess – but nothing can be done. That’s not acceptable. Things can be improved but a key component is for you each individually to step up and push for change.

This ongoing litany of problems is embarrassing. We should all be doing a better job. And we should grant that the Repubs in the legislature have a valid point when they decry the inefficiencies in our state government. (OW! that last sentence hurt!)