Thursday, August 14, 2003
CONSERVATIVES...BEWARE THE COMING OF THE "QUANGO"
No, it's not an imported car, a type of bikini or an Australian animal. " QUANGO" stands for " Quasi-autonomous non-governmental organizations " and it is emerging as the hot, new idea of " Third Way " liberalism. An excerpt from The Progressive Policy Institute:
"An even more far-reaching reform would be to shift federal responsibilities to independent, nonprofit corporations -- what the British call Quangos (quasi-autonomous non-governmental organizations). Unlike PBOs, which remain government agencies, Quangos are independent but are in part publicly funded and governed by a government-appointed board. Ideally, these organizations combine the entrepreneurial spirit and competitive drive of the private sector with the public purpose of the government sector. For example, to give the federal government a catalytic role in boosting the skills of the American workforce, we should create a nonprofit National Skills Corporation governed by a board appointed by Congress and the president. ( for full article go here)
Well, that would be the ideal and most of us would support more innovative and entrepreneurial thinking in government; QUANGO's however are not required to achieve that goal nor is that their primary purpose. In practice, QUANGOs will mean, after setting up a few apolitical service organizations, quietly broadening the rubric to include the existing constellation of Left-wing and transnationalist NGOs. Once affixed to the Federal trough outright, these ideological allies of the Democratic Party will be able to use your tax dollars to lobby for greater regulation, higher taxes, less sovereignty, gender feminist social policy,more gun control, multicultural propaganda in education, animal rights..... you get the idea. Now try to imagine a conservative President trying to cut off federal funds from NOW or the Sierra Club if they achieve QUANGO status and you understand the Trojan Horse potential of this idea.
QUANGOs are completely without any legitimate pretext as Congress may create independent agencies for major tasks whose employees are subject to both ethics requirements and more importantly, the Hatch Act -neither of which would apply to QUANGO's. The educational, political and social service activities that these organizations carry out are already well served by securing tax exempt status from the IRS and soliciting voluntary contributions and grants from private foundations and the state and Federal governments for specific projects.
If liberal policies are so popular they do not need the government to reach into my wallet to fund their lobbying campaigns.
¶ 11:15 AM
No, it's not an imported car, a type of bikini or an Australian animal. " QUANGO" stands for " Quasi-autonomous non-governmental organizations " and it is emerging as the hot, new idea of " Third Way " liberalism. An excerpt from The Progressive Policy Institute:
"An even more far-reaching reform would be to shift federal responsibilities to independent, nonprofit corporations -- what the British call Quangos (quasi-autonomous non-governmental organizations). Unlike PBOs, which remain government agencies, Quangos are independent but are in part publicly funded and governed by a government-appointed board. Ideally, these organizations combine the entrepreneurial spirit and competitive drive of the private sector with the public purpose of the government sector. For example, to give the federal government a catalytic role in boosting the skills of the American workforce, we should create a nonprofit National Skills Corporation governed by a board appointed by Congress and the president. ( for full article go here)
Well, that would be the ideal and most of us would support more innovative and entrepreneurial thinking in government; QUANGO's however are not required to achieve that goal nor is that their primary purpose. In practice, QUANGOs will mean, after setting up a few apolitical service organizations, quietly broadening the rubric to include the existing constellation of Left-wing and transnationalist NGOs. Once affixed to the Federal trough outright, these ideological allies of the Democratic Party will be able to use your tax dollars to lobby for greater regulation, higher taxes, less sovereignty, gender feminist social policy,more gun control, multicultural propaganda in education, animal rights..... you get the idea. Now try to imagine a conservative President trying to cut off federal funds from NOW or the Sierra Club if they achieve QUANGO status and you understand the Trojan Horse potential of this idea.
QUANGOs are completely without any legitimate pretext as Congress may create independent agencies for major tasks whose employees are subject to both ethics requirements and more importantly, the Hatch Act -neither of which would apply to QUANGO's. The educational, political and social service activities that these organizations carry out are already well served by securing tax exempt status from the IRS and soliciting voluntary contributions and grants from private foundations and the state and Federal governments for specific projects.
If liberal policies are so popular they do not need the government to reach into my wallet to fund their lobbying campaigns.
¶ 11:15 AM
