tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10290429.post8111949847043040642..comments2023-11-02T06:37:23.839-06:00Comments on daveberta.ca: bullshit detector reaches critical levels [re: auditor general].davebertahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06822739409684978316noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10290429.post-48304055370538638052009-03-21T15:40:00.000-06:002009-03-21T15:40:00.000-06:00Actually Matt, MLA's only received a cost of livin...Actually Matt, MLA's only received a cost of living (4% or so) adjustment last year. This year MLA pay was frozen completely. Personally I think they should have taken their cost of living increase this year.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10290429.post-89595688005415178712009-03-20T18:23:00.000-06:002009-03-20T18:23:00.000-06:00This is bullshit.This is bullshit.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10290429.post-75543676952560390992009-03-19T20:33:00.000-06:002009-03-19T20:33:00.000-06:00Does Jonathan Denis think that Albertans should f...Does Jonathan Denis think that Albertans should feel sorry for MLAs because they had their paychecks frozen? In 2008 the voted themselves a +30% payhike behind closed doors. I do not feel one shred of sympathy for politicians who talk to the "common people" from one side of their mouth and then talk about dipping even further into the public trough from the other. And I used to be a Conservative Party supporter!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10290429.post-67564868505399704332009-03-19T20:24:00.000-06:002009-03-19T20:24:00.000-06:00Looks like there are some trolls on daveberta........Looks like there are some trolls on daveberta.....Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10290429.post-8519976497861259522009-03-19T17:03:00.000-06:002009-03-19T17:03:00.000-06:00KBH: That is quite possibly the most fantastical t...KBH: That is quite possibly the most fantastical thing I have ever read. The very idea that Ed Stelmach is as good as an auditor general is the craziest kind of bullshit. <BR/><BR/>You do not hire an Auditor General to root our scandal (that is what opposition parties are for), you hire them to provide you clear, nonpartisan feedback on the finances of the various functions of government. Their job is to provide what amounts to constructive financial criticism to governments about the way programs, departments and ministries spend money. The better the auditor general, the tighter the financial ship. <BR/><BR/>That you are offended by the idea of an AG is a reaction to a long-ingrained narrative that one group of politicians (in this case, the Progressive Conservatives) is so trustworthy that they do not require oversight. Your shortsighted and absolute faith in someone that you do not know beyond what they have chosen to present to you publicly is one of the most dangerous ideas that you could spread in a democracy.<BR/><BR/>This is not your fault. Blame upbringing or maybe genetics, but had you been able to think critically when you first came to realize your role as a citizen in a democracy, you would likely not have so eagerly ceded your mental sovereignty to such bleak and hollow dogmas. <BR/><BR/>You cannot be saved. If you want to be a patriot of your province and nation, you should immediately disengage from the political arena altogether. Begin to ask your God for forgiveness. Do not discuss politics. Do not read about politics. Vote, but do so randomly.<BR/><BR/>When a limb has become gangrenous, it must be cut off to save the body.<BR/><BR/>May God have mercy on your soul.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10290429.post-20971862319669915792009-03-19T15:12:00.000-06:002009-03-19T15:12:00.000-06:00KBH: You can't seriously expect that Ed Stelmach a...KBH: You can't seriously expect that Ed Stelmach and Iris Evans have the time or audit knowledge to sit down and inspect the efficiencies of a $33B government budget? It is the Auditor General's job.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10290429.post-63614568227295180712009-03-19T14:57:00.000-06:002009-03-19T14:57:00.000-06:00Typical predictable Leftie whining. Give the burea...Typical predictable Leftie whining. Give the bureaucracy more money so they can find Tory scandals. Ed Stelmach is doing a great job making government effective and I bet he personally sits down with Iris Evans with a big black marker to cut government waste.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10290429.post-83893437112460902492009-03-19T14:52:00.000-06:002009-03-19T14:52:00.000-06:00Here here!Here here!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10290429.post-83268260038857376092009-03-19T14:39:00.000-06:002009-03-19T14:39:00.000-06:00Anonymous @ 11:26. It's like this: the GOA is cut...Anonymous @ 11:26. <BR/><BR/>It's like this: the GOA is cutting back on the department whose mandate is to ferret out waste, which is the purpose of an efficiency audit. If the AG had enough funds to conduct these efficiency audits, it would be able to tell who is really tightening their belts and who's not. You hire an auditor to get a clear financial picture of a company, and the same is true for government.AWGBhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16639336770467631285noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10290429.post-76809910449631780462009-03-19T12:42:00.000-06:002009-03-19T12:42:00.000-06:00Tax and spend Tories.Tax and spend Tories.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10290429.post-83961371203401926542009-03-19T12:41:00.000-06:002009-03-19T12:41:00.000-06:00Alberta has a +$30 Billion annual budget and the A...Alberta has a +$30 Billion annual budget and the Auditor General is only given $21 million for audits? With enough resources I'm sure the AG could find enough duplication and inefficiencies to bring down spending and make government more efficient. Maybe we would be running a smaller deficit (or no deficit) in Alberta if AG funding was increased?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10290429.post-35479353530747221692009-03-19T12:29:00.000-06:002009-03-19T12:29:00.000-06:00Anonymous 11:26 did indeed miss the point. He/she...Anonymous 11:26 did indeed miss the point. He/she also seems to agree with the MLAs quoted in thinking the Auditor General is part of Government - just another "department." As Michael hinted, the AG is supposed to be an independent watchdog of government waste. More audits could SAVE money. No surprise that those who could be embarrassed by the audits want to cut the funding needed to conduct them.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10290429.post-75277392561420085862009-03-19T12:13:00.000-06:002009-03-19T12:13:00.000-06:00Here's a list of the cancelled or delayed audits f...Here's a list of the cancelled or delayed audits from Trish Audette's Journal Blog:<BR/><BR/>Cancelled<BR/><BR/>Post-secondary institution facility capacity and utilization<BR/><BR/>Post-secondary institution program planning<BR/><BR/>Health High Level Systems<BR/><BR/>Deferred to October 2009<BR/><BR/>Highwood Communications and the public affairs bureau<BR/><BR/>Mount Royal College governance (follow-up)<BR/><BR/>Homeless Eviction Prevention<BR/><BR/>Food safety (follow-up under Health and Wellness)<BR/><BR/>Infection control<BR/><BR/>Deferred to 2010<BR/><BR/>Financial support for children with disabilities system<BR/><BR/>Workplace health and safety<BR/><BR/>SREM<BR/><BR/>Academic medicine (governance and accountability under Health and Wellness)<BR/><BR/>Deferred to 2011<BR/><BR/>Measuring the effectiveness of the fiscal regime (Finance and Enterprise)<BR/><BR/>Deferred indefinitely<BR/><BR/>Ensuring the collection of royalties<BR/><BR/>ERCB regulatory framework<BR/><BR/>Monitoring daycare and day home services<BR/><BR/>Horse Racing Alberta<BR/><BR/>Information lifecycle management audit (cross-government issue)<BR/><BR/>IT project management (cross-government issue)<BR/><BR/>Security awareness (cross-government)<BR/><BR/>Unauthorized devices and sofware assessment<BR/><BR/>Improving School Performance<BR/><BR/>Alberta Utilities Commission Regulatory Systems<BR/><BR/>Network Security Review (under Service Alberta)<BR/><BR/>On-schedule for April 2009<BR/><BR/>University of Alberta security services (follow-up)<BR/><BR/>Food safety (follow-up)<BR/><BR/>Water quality<BR/><BR/>Emergency preparedness (follow-up under Municipal Affairs)<BR/><BR/>Reforestation (follow-up)<BR/><BR/>On-schedule for October 2009<BR/><BR/>Education public-private partnerships<BR/><BR/>Administration of oilsands royalty regime<BR/><BR/>Climate change (Part 2)<BR/><BR/>Contaminated sites (follow-up)<BR/><BR/>Land disturbances (follow-up)<BR/><BR/>Electronic health records<BR/><BR/>Bow Valley College Capital Project Management<BR/><BR/>University of Alberta contracting (follow-up)<BR/><BR/>University of Calgary budgeting (follow-up)<BR/><BR/>Agriculture and Rural Development systems (follow-up)<BR/><BR/>Agriculture/rural development grant management (follow-up)<BR/><BR/>ATB financial core banking system<BR/><BR/>Real estate property management<BR/><BR/>AHS capital project management<BR/><BR/>IT management framework (follow-up under Municipal Affairs)<BR/><BR/>Contract management of PDDs (follow-up under Seniors and Community Supports)<BR/><BR/>Service Alberta contract management<BR/><BR/>Service Alberta performance measurement systems (follow-up)<BR/><BR/>Contract management (follow-up under Sustainable Resource Development)<BR/><BR/>Commercial vehicle safety (and more in April 2010)<BR/><BR/>On-schedule for April 2010<BR/><BR/>School board budeting (follow-up)<BR/><BR/>Regulatory oversight of financial institutions<BR/><BR/>Accountability of RHAs to Health<BR/><BR/>Health Ministry annual reports results analysis (follow-up)<BR/><BR/>Physician billings (follow-up)<BR/><BR/>Global funding (follow-up, under Health and Wellness)<BR/><BR/>Protecting information assets<BR/><BR/>Public security peace officer program<BR/><BR/>Elinor Lake (follow-up)<BR/><BR/>Capital planning (follow-up under Treasury Board)<BR/><BR/>On-schedule for October 2010<BR/><BR/>Royalty regime review process (follow-up)<BR/><BR/>University of Calgary sponsored research and trust fund (follow-up)<BR/><BR/>Revenue forecasting (follow-up)<BR/><BR/>Managing Alberta's forest landsAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10290429.post-44266990137440184682009-03-19T11:35:00.000-06:002009-03-19T11:35:00.000-06:00Anonymous completely missed the point of Dave's po...Anonymous completely missed the point of Dave's post. Increasing funding for the Auditor General will make government more cost efficient and give taxpayers a better bang for their buck. Where's the taxpayers' federation on this one?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10290429.post-64621049780427766642009-03-19T11:26:00.000-06:002009-03-19T11:26:00.000-06:00Tough times demand sacrifices, and it's unsurprisi...Tough times demand sacrifices, and it's unsurprising that a tax-and-spend liberal like you would seek to increase the size of government during these troubled times. With posts as out of touch as this one, it's no wonder your party lost so soundly last year.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com