This is in response to the Sun Journal article on state government audit findings (July 28). I think there are factors contributing to the many weaknesses in state government.

— State employee reduction means not enough personnel to do the work.

— Increased workload for remaining employees with many doing work they are not trained for.

— Increased work pressure resulting in inadequate time for training and thorough performance.

— Department heads replaced by new political appointees who are unfamiliar with state systems and the history of the departments. For example, Dr. Dora Anne Mills, medical director of the Maine Bureau of Health with many years of experience and stellar performance, was replaced, along with many others. Those should not be political appointments.

Government officials wanted to save money in state operations, but did the state lose more than it gained?

Was the state penny wise and pound foolish, as in the rejection of federal funds for health care?

The state’s outdated and poorly designed computer systems have existed for years and are something that will cause problems in lost data and opportunities. Rejecting opportunities to modernize operations allows those outdated systems to put the state further behind in competition with other systems that function at a higher level.

When the going gets tough, many folks think the state should retreat into a shell of extreme austerity. But this country became great because many people were willing to put themselves out there and surge forward. We will get through this.

Marilyn Burgess, Leeds

Copy the Story Link