Goverment & Citizens

Our incarceration rate is absurd and extremely expensive, yet no politicians seem like they want to talk about it.  Senator Webb had the courage to ask the Joint Economic Committee to meet on it. Our state politicians should have the courage take up this issue as well and start looking for solutions to the problem.  After all drug should be a state issue.

In anticipation of budget cuts, we would like to suggest that  a decision be made as quickly as possible. The sooner the percentage is determined, the less onerous the burden. When the decision is delayed, the percentage which is based on the annual budget, must be taken from an ever smaller pot - as the money has already been spent on salaries and daily operations. The sooner the decision is made, the less damaging it will be to agency functions.

In the state Recruit Management System (RMS) add a field that asks whether you are a smoker or non-smoker.  If indicated yes, for smoking, Ask if candidate would be willing to participate in a smoking cessation program if ultimately hired.  Exposing new employees that smoke to the free cessation programs provided by the Commonwealth would allow them to make a health decision that could benefit them and the Commonwealth.   On average 19% of americans smoke, if this average holds to the "incoming" workforce, then the Commonwealth could save millions of dolla

We are facing a budget crisis in our Commonwealth.  Layoffs are likely being considered.  The disruption to agencies service capacity and peoples lives notwithstanding, it is very expensive (unemployment costs, payment of leave accruals, severance, administrative costs etc) to lay people off.  When times improve it is expensive to hire them back again (recruitment, advertising, administrative costs, training).  Another cheaper and easily scalable solution that saves money immediately, preserves service capacity and retains knowledgeable workers is to allow voluntary or r

As a former store owner that had full-line lottery tickets, I would like to know why the State of Virginia STILL only pays it's vendors 5% profit on sales? That's what the profit was back in 1988, when the lottery was initiated. My idea is to double their profit margin to 10%. I don't know of any business that's still operating on a 1988 income!

I live in Bristol. Here we have 21 boards and commissions regulating State Agencies and other public programs. I can see the need for some, but a Board of Directors for Social Services? This hardly promotes fair and equal access to services. I have to wonder how much time and money is wasted by these boards. What is the point of them? Who is on them? Can't we eliminate some?  This is a pet peeve of mine.

Outsource and close all of the Virginia ABC stores.

Allow all grocery stores that sell beer and wine to sell what is now sold in the ABC stores.

This will save in the following areas:

rent

utilities

salaries

benefits

inventory and warehousing

transportation / packaging / distribution

administration and overhead

Look to California for how this has been wildly successful with decreased costs and increased revenues.

At t

Gov. Kaine, Thanks for soliciting our ideas on how to improve government performance! It's about time someone cared. Perception is everything. Explain your position on the subjects below and how you plan to implement that position. Use simple plain English, without weasel words. We need to know how government's performance, or lack thereof, will affect us.

Please follow good project managment techniques (from PMI - www.pmi.org).  Require projects to submit a ROI.  Perform Earned Value Management. 

The HOT lanes on I495 are a scam.  The contract with VA requires VA to pay the toll for HOV vehicles and busses.  The current estimate of tolls may be as high as $40 per day.  The HOT lanes owners are simply going to price non HOV out, and then make serious money on the HOV vehicles.