Is continuous forensic auditing of public resources, a stupid idea?

State Auditor Hector Balderas argues that, if taxpayers give him enough resources to forensically audit state government spending, he will save taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars every year; over and above the cost of the auditing.



In every organization, there are standards and accountability. If the standards are high enough, and the accountability is inescapable enough, there is no corruption, and there is no incompetence.

Accountability is fatal to corruption and incompetence.
If 100% accountability can be had, it will be 100% fatal.

Every audit of the leadership of the APS has pointed to significant findings with respect to standards and accountability. One audit in particular pointed to the fact that administrators routinely falsify data to preserve the reputations of their schools. The same audit revealed that the leadership of the APS routinely ignores audit results and cannot point to policy changes that addressed the audit findings.

If APS is forensically audited, according to Balderas' estimation of a 3-5% annual loss to corruption and incompetence, taxpayers will save as much as $65M.

APS Superintendent Winston Brooks has no intention of conducting such an audit, and no intention of explaining, defending, denying or even acknowledging that he will not.







School Board heavy hitter, Paula Maes said, she would never agree to any audit that named the names of the corrupt and the incompetent in the leadership of the APS.








School Board President Marty Esquivel refuses to conduct an open and honest public discussion of standards and accountability in the leadership of the APS. link








School Board Policy Committee Chair, David Peercy refuses to allow an open and honest discussion of executive and administrative role modeling of the student standards of conduct.








School Board Audit Committee Chair, David Robbins is denying due process to more than a hundred SilentWhistle whistle blower complainants, for no reason except to prevent an open and honest discussion of Winston Brooks' obligation to step up as the senior most administrative role model of the Pillars of Character Counts!




Assistant Superintendent Linda Sink has not stepped up to her responsibility as a senior role model of the student standards of conduct.









Assistant Superintendent Brad Winters, has not stepped up to his responsibility as a senior role model of the student standards of conduct.









APS Chief of Police, Gil Lovato said,
if the truth ever gets out,
there won't be a single APS senior administrator left standing.

Of course, that was two years ago.





Things have gotten better now;
the good ol' boys have seen the light.
They have institutionalized the standards and accountability
necessary to protect the public interests.

They just won't allow an independent auditor to investigate and
report upon them, because ...?

They will argue that we can trust them with another $650M,
and that there is no need for any impartial audit.


Right, and a pint of HaagenDazs serves four.




photos Mark Bralley