Making excuses for ine_cient, unorganized DHS
Our View
Making excuses for ine_cient, unorganized DHS
First of all, leave it up to a liberal democratic politician to come up with a half-baked assumption that the problems within the state’s Department of Human Services are because of unfilled positions, insufficient compensation and lack of diversity.
Now then, this brilliant notion comes from a state lawmaker by the name of Rep. John Walker, D-Little Rock, a member of the Joint Budget Committee, who added that those state paid employees who were given the “extra” work to cover the unfilled positions were given “insufficient” compensation.
At issue here was a request by DHS to cut some staff positions that have not been filled for some time, and to provide pay increases for DHS employees who are tasked with taking on additional work to compensate.
So seems, the eliminated positions in question have been vacant for two or more years and during that time those duties have been distributed among remaining staff.
Walker made the asinine remark that “equal distribution of too much work is still unequal distribution.”
Walker was cut short by Sen. Missy Irvin, a Republican from Mountain View, who made a motion for immediate consideration of the department appropriations. Seems Irvin’s action sparked an objection over how the motion was presented by Sen. Linda Chesterfield, a Democrat from Little Rock.
Walker reacted by saying, “It’s pretty routine in the House that when I’m speaking on controversial subjects, that some of the people move for immediate consideration. He went on to say there should be more respect for each other.
Walker also raised objections to the lack of minority representation in the leadership hierarchy at the agency, saying it appears to him that gains in recent years were now being rolled back, with only one black person on the management team, out of 13 people.
Walker made the ridiculous assumption that the DHS was “going backwards” under the leadership of Cindy Gillespie, who we all know was brought on board by Gov. Asa Hutchinson to straighten out the major problems within one of the state’s largest government agencies.
It would seem to us Rep. Walker has more insight into running DHS than Director Gillespie, feels these poor state employees with all the state benefit and perks aren’t being paid enough and that blacks are being ignored from consideration for top DHS management.
It never ceases to amaze us to listen to liberal politicians come up with such ridiculous assumptions and fail to admit the lack of legislative oversight, inept management and overspending of our public tax dollars within a government agency that has been riddled with serious problems.
It would be our observation that Rep. Walker’s rant was cut short by Sen. Irvin because what he was spouting off was absolutely ridiculous and a total waste of this committee’s time.
