CandidateSpeak: Jim Keet Answers the Critics
Editor's Note: In the May issue of the magazine, we featured an article from GOP gubernatorial candidate Jim Keet. The article attracted attention from several media outlets around the state, who disputed some of Keet's points. We asked Keet if he wanted to respond to these criticisms, and he sent the following article. Progressive Arkansas has no affiliation with Keet's campaign and has not endorsed him for governor. We openly invite any Arkansas politician to submit press releases and editorials for possible publication in the online newsroom or magazine, though we cannot promise to publish all submissions.
I'm running for governor because Arkansas doesn't just need another politician. We need a leader, someone who is not content to just recycle the same ideas of the past but wants to move our state forward with fresh ideas and sound management practices.
As I continue to travel around the state, I am encouraged by the tremendous support our campaign is receiving. People are demanding fiscally responsible leaders who understand the struggles that business and families alike are facing in these tough economic times.
The past four years under Governor Beebe provide remarkable insight into how our state operates. The Revenue Stabilization Act requires us to balance our general fund budget. However, this doesn't prevent politicians from spending millions of taxpayer dollars frivolously.
Governor Huckabee left the state with a $935 million surplus. When Beebe took office, some of the massive surplus was spent in positive ways, including money to help end the Lake View school consolidation lawsuit, the $36 million in matching funds dedicated to the Rockefeller Cancer Center at UAMS, and $50 million used to form a "quick action closing fund" to aid in economic development.
However, the fact that some of the $935 million surplus was spent appropriately does nothing to answer the criticism of how millions was spent in wasteful ways.
A few of the most wasteful expenditures from the state surplus include:
The “double-dipping” by state officials is perhaps the most appalling abuse of power we currently face. Governor Beebe continues to pay high-ranking state employees two salaries for one job. It is not hard to see how he took us from a $935 million budget surplus to an over $200 million budget shortfall. In a year when state employees did not even receive a cost-of-living-allowance, Governor Beebe has the audacity to stand by and allow his appointees to abuse the retirement system. This comes at the expense of the state, our retirement systems, and the state employees who dedicate their life to the service of the state and rely on our systems being solvent upon retirement. This is wrong, and must be stopped.
The recent revelation of abuse inside the state vehicle fleet is another poignant example of the lack of management that exists in our state government. The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette has reported that the state owns 8,653 vehicles. That’s an average of about one vehicle for every seven state employees. Over 2,000 of these vehicles are authorized for commuting or personal use, but we don’t know how many more are being used for personal use at the taxpayer expense.
After the numbers were released, Governor Beebe’s first reaction was to declare that the size and use of the state fleet “was not a problem”. Only recently, after several more allegations of abuse, and after his words were criticized by the media, did the governor call for an investigation of the problem. That’s not leadership.
The people of Arkansas deserve a governor who will manage our state dollars wisely, not spend money we do not have, and will work to find proactive solutions to the problems that have plagued our state for too long.
The only accurate way to predict future behavior is to base it on past behavior. Governor Beebe spent some of the $935 million budget surplus on positive things. But much of the money disappeared as a result of the inefficiencies and abuses that often occur in our state government, such as the 8,653 state-owned vehicles.
The “tip of the iceberg” in wasteful spending due to a lack of hands on management has been revealed, but many more abuses exist and must be addressed.
I'm running for governor to challenge the status quo, and spend your money more efficiently.
Mike Beebe is a good guy. I like Mike Beebe. We just can't afford Mike Beebe.
As I continue to travel around the state, I am encouraged by the tremendous support our campaign is receiving. People are demanding fiscally responsible leaders who understand the struggles that business and families alike are facing in these tough economic times.
The past four years under Governor Beebe provide remarkable insight into how our state operates. The Revenue Stabilization Act requires us to balance our general fund budget. However, this doesn't prevent politicians from spending millions of taxpayer dollars frivolously.
Governor Huckabee left the state with a $935 million surplus. When Beebe took office, some of the massive surplus was spent in positive ways, including money to help end the Lake View school consolidation lawsuit, the $36 million in matching funds dedicated to the Rockefeller Cancer Center at UAMS, and $50 million used to form a "quick action closing fund" to aid in economic development.
However, the fact that some of the $935 million surplus was spent appropriately does nothing to answer the criticism of how millions was spent in wasteful ways.
A few of the most wasteful expenditures from the state surplus include:
- The purchase of a new $5.2 million KingAir plane, used primarily by the governor for travel around the state.
- The cost of running the governor’s office (not including the governor’s salary or the cost of running the mansion) increased dramatically the first six months of the Beebe administration, and has remained at that level since then.
- There are currently over 40 high-ranking state officials who are still “double-dipping”, which means collecting retirement benefits and salary for a high-paying state job that they never left.
- The 8,653 state owned vehicles and the lack of a clear understanding on how many cars are being used for personal use.
The “double-dipping” by state officials is perhaps the most appalling abuse of power we currently face. Governor Beebe continues to pay high-ranking state employees two salaries for one job. It is not hard to see how he took us from a $935 million budget surplus to an over $200 million budget shortfall. In a year when state employees did not even receive a cost-of-living-allowance, Governor Beebe has the audacity to stand by and allow his appointees to abuse the retirement system. This comes at the expense of the state, our retirement systems, and the state employees who dedicate their life to the service of the state and rely on our systems being solvent upon retirement. This is wrong, and must be stopped.
The recent revelation of abuse inside the state vehicle fleet is another poignant example of the lack of management that exists in our state government. The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette has reported that the state owns 8,653 vehicles. That’s an average of about one vehicle for every seven state employees. Over 2,000 of these vehicles are authorized for commuting or personal use, but we don’t know how many more are being used for personal use at the taxpayer expense.
After the numbers were released, Governor Beebe’s first reaction was to declare that the size and use of the state fleet “was not a problem”. Only recently, after several more allegations of abuse, and after his words were criticized by the media, did the governor call for an investigation of the problem. That’s not leadership.
The people of Arkansas deserve a governor who will manage our state dollars wisely, not spend money we do not have, and will work to find proactive solutions to the problems that have plagued our state for too long.
The only accurate way to predict future behavior is to base it on past behavior. Governor Beebe spent some of the $935 million budget surplus on positive things. But much of the money disappeared as a result of the inefficiencies and abuses that often occur in our state government, such as the 8,653 state-owned vehicles.
The “tip of the iceberg” in wasteful spending due to a lack of hands on management has been revealed, but many more abuses exist and must be addressed.
I'm running for governor to challenge the status quo, and spend your money more efficiently.
Mike Beebe is a good guy. I like Mike Beebe. We just can't afford Mike Beebe.
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