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I try to avoid the poli forum but here is a question for conks, donks, zonks and whatever...

Does your state have a lieutenant governor? Is there any talk of eliminating the office? How is that lieutenant governor elected? Does your state have a seperate election for the office or does the candidate for governor run on the same ticket as the candidate for lt. governor like the President and VP do?

There is plenty of talk here in RI to eliminate the office. Any talk of it on your state?

The Lt. Gov. in MT is on the ballot with the Gov. and there is no talk about getting rid of the position that I have heard.

On a side note, our Lt. is a conk while our Gov. is a donk.

There are LOTS of positions that don't belong at all levels of government. You guys think I'm a fan of big govt, but I certainly am not, and never have been. I hate waste as much as the deepest, darkest Conk.


Edit: MOF, to Cap'n Cat, THE single biggest waste of tax dollars in our nation is County government.

I have not heard of any talk of eliminating it and would be opposed to it if they did try to eliminate it. Our elected Governor accepted a position from Obama a while back to be the ambassador to China and the Lt Gov stepped in and was up to speed on what was going on. I think you have to have a set chain of command and someone that you did get to elect take the office if one dies or takes a different position. If there was no Lt Gov, who knows what would happen if the Gov left. Ours are on the ballot together so you do get a choice in who you vote for. Does a Lt Gov do a lot? Probably not, but you have to have some redundancy and someone at least in the loop at that level of a position IMHO.

New Hampshire doesn't have a lieutenant governor. In the event there is a vacancy in the Governor's office the Senate President becomes acting governor. The acting governor would be so until any such incapacity or vacancy of the office ends. Anytime the Governor is out of state his duties fall to the Senate President, should the Senate President also be out of state the duties fall than to the Speaker of the House, than to the Secretary of State and than to Secretary of Treasury.

Maryland has a Lt. Governor. It is chosen by the candiate running for Governor, much like Vice President. They are on the ballot together.

Cap'n Cat wrote:
Edit: MOF, to Cap'n Cat, THE single biggest waste of tax dollars in our nation is County government.

Surely, county government could perform some vital function.

UNHWildCats wrote:New Hampshire doesn't have a lieutenant governor. In the event there is a vacancy in the Governor's office the Senate President becomes acting governor. The acting governor would be so until any such incapacity or vacancy of the office ends. Anytime the Governor is out of state his duties fall to the Senate President, should the Senate President also be out of state the duties fall than to the Speaker of the House, than to the Secretary of State and than to Secretary of Treasury.

Interesting post Travis. At one time our lieutenant governor presided over the state senate. Once that duty was taken away people started to question just what exactly the lieutenant governor had left to do. That is what got all the talk about eliminating the office started here in RI. Currently the lieutenant governor presides over some committees and is first in line to take over if the governor leaves office before the term is complete. However, those duties could be filled by the state senate president as it is done in NH. In fact folks here in RI have pointed to NH as an example on this issue.

In VA, there is a Lt Gov. The Gov and Lt Gov run together, but are elected seperately...so you could have a gov from one party and a lt gov from another party...

ANd I have not heard any discussion of eliminating the position...

Cap'n Cat wrote:THE single biggest waste of tax dollars in our nation is County government.

I think this is location dependent...I agree with you in large, incorporated areas...

My county here in VA is mostly unincorporated...that is, no city government...

The county is responsible for providing police and fire...zoning...and while independent, the county has a single school district that covers 95% of the county...

It is efficient here...

When I lived in Indiana (Fort Wayne area) I saw nothing but duplication and waste with county government...

Col Hogan wrote:

Cap'n Cat wrote:THE single biggest waste of tax dollars in our nation is County government.

I think this is location dependent...I agree with you in large, incorporated areas...

My county here in VA is mostly unincorporated...that is, no city government...

The county is responsible for providing police and fire...zoning...and while independent, the county has a single school district that covers 95% of the county...

It is efficient here...

When I lived in Indiana (Fort Wayne area) I saw nothing but duplication and waste with county government...

Same in Maryland. PG County has a lot of incorporated towns and the redundancy at the town level is ridiculous. But counties like Howard and Baltimore don't have any incorporated towns so the County gov't does do needed things.

According to wikipedia, the MD Lt Gov has only duties the governor gives him.

Iowa's governor and lt. governor candidates run on the same ticket just like the president and VP. It seems like it came up several years ago to eliminate it but nothing serious ever came of it.

County government in Iowa is the most dis-functional and most wasteful and it needs to be reformed.

Cap'n Cat wrote:There are LOTS of positions that don't belong at all levels of government. You guys think I'm a fan of big govt, but I certainly am not, and never have been. I hate waste as much as the deepest, darkest Conk.


Edit: MOF, to Cap'n Cat, THE single biggest waste of tax dollars in our nation is County government.

Absolutely not true. Look at your local tax bill. The smallest portion of it is your county taxes.

I pay less than $600 in county taxes a year and, in fact, receive more benefit from that money, in terms of county services, than any other portion. My county runs an expansive system of parks and recreation; delivers local health services; runs and/or supports community centers addressing various needs of the sick, infirm, and poor.

The county, being truly local, can be a far more efficient provider of services that the federal government now provides, with far greater cost and overhead, if it is run well.

Col Hogan wrote:

Cap'n Cat wrote:THE single biggest waste of tax dollars in our nation is County government.

I think this is location dependent...I agree with you in large, incorporated areas...

My county here in VA is mostly unincorporated...that is, no city government...

The county is responsible for providing police and fire...zoning...and while independent, the county has a single school district that covers 95% of the county...

It is efficient here...

When I lived in Indiana (Fort Wayne area) I saw nothing but duplication and waste with county government...

Agreed on the variability part - you can go from one county to the next and each one does some things great and some things terrible and no one county is the same. Part of what should go in to picking where you live - people look at schools and pick that way, but they should also look at local government. Not surprisingly, things like home values are higher and/or more stable in places with good local government as opposed to those without.

JoltinJoe wrote:

Cap'n Cat wrote:There are LOTS of positions that don't belong at all levels of government. You guys think I'm a fan of big govt, but I certainly am not, and never have been. I hate waste as much as the deepest, darkest Conk.


Edit: MOF, to Cap'n Cat, THE single biggest waste of tax dollars in our nation is County government.

Absolutely not true. Look at your local tax bill. The smallest portion of it is your county taxes.

I pay less than $600 in county taxes a year and, in fact, receive more benefit from that money, in terms of county services, than any other portion. My county runs an expansive system of parks and recreation; delivers local health services; runs and/or supports community centers addressing various needs of the sick, infirm, and poor.

The county, being truly local, can be a far more efficient provider of services that the federal government now provides, with far greater cost and overhead, if it is run well.

I agree with Col Hogan ( did I just say that?!), and that it is a phenomena that warrants close scrutiny in less populated regions across the U.S. Municipalities can merge their services just as they have in countless examples with merging of school districts.

So if you get rid of county gvmt, who would take over providing the services currently handled by the county, in rural and/or unincorporated areas?

JayJ79 wrote:So if you get rid of county gvmt, who would take over providing the services currently handled by the county, in rural and/or unincorporated areas?

Halliburton.

Cap'n Cat wrote:There are LOTS of positions that don't belong at all levels of government. You guys think I'm a fan of big govt, but I certainly am not, and never have been. I hate waste as much as the deepest, darkest Conk.


Edit: MOF, to Cap'n Cat, THE single biggest waste of tax dollars in our nation is County government.

Connecticut does not have county government, the entire state is divided into cities and towns. There are 8 counties, but they are just there for statistical purposes. Connecticut is a small densely populated state, I don't know if larger more rural states could run this way.