US

Bloated Gov’t? Lawmakers Question Why Wash. State Has its Own ‘Department of Printing’

Might Washington state’s “Department of Printing” be an example of bloated government?

Some state official thinks so, and they‘re questioning the need for a special agency and 100 state employees who cater to the state’s private printing needs — especially as the state faces an emergency budget session to reduce a $1.1 billion deficit.

KING-TV reports:

Little known to most residents, the state of Washington has its own printer with a large facility in Tumwater. And some lawmakers aren’t sure why.

“Do we need a department of printing, or a division of printing in the state of Washington? I don’t think we do,” said Rep. Gary Alexander, R-Olympia.

The idea of a centralized print shop dates back to 1933 and today, the state printer has about 100 employees. When the governor prints her budget, or when agencies print everything from pamphlets to applications, they pay the state printer to do the work.

But on KING 5 News Up Front, state auditor Brian Sonntag said, it’s time to reconsider. “Certainly that’s one of those kinds of functions that I think the state could privatize easily, the state printer already contracts out for substantial part of that printing work,” Sonntag saiod.

With all state agencies having their own copiers and laser printers, and more of them publishing online, does the state still need a print shop? [...]

“If anybody has ever heard of Fed Ex or Kinkos you know that the private sector can take care of printing,” said Amber Gunn, with the Evergreen Freedom Foundation.

While the department’s Google excerpt says it is an “entirely self-supporting agency,” a recent auditor’s report uncovered by KING-TVfound the printer is losing about $120,000 a month. Still, no studies have been done to show how much money could be saved by utilizing private printers.

The department’s website says the agency was mandated by law in 1854. It currently provides “all printing and binding for the legislature, the state, and its various agencies, boards and commissions,“ but can also ”enter into agreements to perform printing and related services for other government.”

Comments (70)

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  • ARIZONA VETERAN
    Posted on December 12, 2010 at 12:24pm

    losing $120,000 a month, typical UNION THUG B.S. SHUT IT DOWN!!!! throw the union workers and thier holyer-than-thow benefits packages out on their hiney’s….

    Report Post » ARIZONA VETERAN  
  • ARIZONA VETERAN
    Posted on December 12, 2010 at 12:19pm

    this article explains why the USPS HAS LOST 9 BILLION $$$ they must print stamps……ahahhaahahah

    Report Post » ARIZONA VETERAN  
  • WhiteGryphon
    Posted on December 12, 2010 at 11:41am

    The Federal Reserve system is not part of the federal government, It is a a private owned monopoly.
    we really do need to go back to the what our founding fathers have intended

    Thomas Jefferson said,

    “If the America people ever allow private banks to control the issuance of their currencies, first by inflation and then by deflation, the banks and corporations that will grow up around them will deprive the people of all their prosperity until their children will wake up homeless on the continent their fathers conquered.”

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lXb-LrVkuwM&feature=related

    The nature of modern banking is such that the cash reserves at the bank available to repay demand deposits need only be a fraction of the demand deposits owed to depositors. In most legal systems, a demand deposit at a bank (e.g. a checking or savings account) is considered a loan to the bank (instead of a bailment) repayable on demand, that the bank can use to finance its investments in loans and interest bearing securities. Banks make a profit based on the difference between the interest they charge on the loans they make, and the interest they pay to their depositors. Since a bank lends out most of the money deposited, keeping only a fraction of the total as reserves, it necessarily has less money than the account balances of its depositors.
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fractional-reserve_banking#How_it_works

    Fractional banking or fractional lending is the ability to create money from nothing, lend it to the government or someone else and charge interest to boot. The practice evolved before banks existed. Goldsmiths rented out space in their vaults to individuals and merchants for storage of their gold or silver. The goldsmiths gave these “depositors” a certificate that showed the amount of gold stored. These certificates were then used to conduct business.

    In time the goldsmiths noticed that the gold in their vaults was rarely withdrawn. Small amounts would move in and out but the large majority never moved. Sensing a profit opportunity, the goldsmiths issued double receipts for the gold, in effect creating money (certificates) from nothing and then lending those certificates (creating debt) to depositors and charging them interest as well.
    http://www.tysknews.com/Depts/Taxes/fed_banking_fraud.htm

    The Congress shall have Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defence and general Welfare of the United States; but all Duties, Imposts and Excises shall be uniform throughout the United States;
    To borrow money on the credit of the United States;
    To regulate Commerce with foreign Nations, and among the several States, and with the Indian Tribes;
    To establish an uniform Rule of Naturalization, and uniform Laws on the subject of Bankruptcies throughout the United States;
    To coin Money, regulate the Value thereof, and of foreign Coin, and fix the Standard of Weights and Measures;
    http://www.usconstitution.net/xconst_A1Sec8.html

    http://www.usdebtclock.org/

    Interest Expense Fiscal Year 2011
    November $19,396,316,137.56
    October $24,142,491,931.22
    Fiscal Year Total $43,538,808,068.78
    http://www.treasurydirect.gov/govt/reports/ir/ir_expense.htm

    Report Post » WhiteGryphon  
  • myptofvu
    Posted on December 12, 2010 at 11:28am

    I’m just worried that they dont have their own messenger service to deliver the printed material not to mention a unionized labor force to maintain the copiers and printing presses.

    Report Post »  
  • Tri-ox
    Posted on December 12, 2010 at 11:13am

    Washington State needs its own Dept. of Printing so that they can pre-print election ballots with all of the Dem.(D) boxes checked.

    Report Post » Tri-ox  
  • mikenleeds
    Posted on December 12, 2010 at 10:34am

    just another big waste of money …. great job obama at wasting our money while people are starving

    Report Post » mikenleeds  
    • ARIZONA VETERAN
      Posted on December 12, 2010 at 12:28pm

      people are NOT STARVING!! oBowMa has succeeded in expanding FOODSTAMPS to 50 million ON THE DOLE

      Report Post » ARIZONA VETERAN  
  • lobster
    Posted on December 12, 2010 at 10:12am

    Hey, I’m Swiss-Amertican. We desperately need those guvmint printing presses to print the new money for BHO. Oh, that’s right to Treasury prints those crooked bills. Holy guacamole, batman…

    Report Post »  
  • APROUDVETERAN
    Posted on December 12, 2010 at 9:48am

    Ever notice how all the politicians talk about cutting social security, cutting medicare, cutting “entitlement(s) I like to know how SS is an ENTITLEMENT when I and my employers paid into it for YEARS….BUT THEY NEVER speak of reducing their own salaries or speak to cutting the SIZE of the government !!! All “in house” print shops unless they’re of a COMMERCIAL grade capacity always run at a loss…..its far cheaper to award printing work to outside sources rather than having any state produce their own printing work; same goes for the Federal level too.

    Report Post »  
    • chickenlittle
      Posted on December 12, 2010 at 9:58am

      Couldn’t have said it better! … except commercial grade (govt.) in-house ops run at a loss also, they just cover it up in bigger budgets. Witness the GPO… our illustrious representatives don’t NEED to print half the crap they just print in-house and mail (for “free”).

      Report Post » chickenlittle  
    • lobster
      Posted on December 12, 2010 at 10:16am

      As far as SS is concerned, I ran the numbers on it before I started getting it. Had they paid me the rate they were paying on T- bills for those forty years, between my contribution and my employer it would have been $775,000. Most of mine was before 2000. You young fellas are going to add much more to that.

      Report Post »  
    • chickenlittle
      Posted on December 12, 2010 at 11:03am

      Hey Lobster… agreed, but try being a small business operator… they take it out of my paycheck AND they take it out of my business, too! I finally filed Bankruptcy in 2002… too much regulation, too many fees, too much competition from illegal competitors. I tried (some of my employees made more than I did), but I was one of those “Big Corporations” that is bad for America.

      Report Post » chickenlittle  
  • po-boy
    Posted on December 12, 2010 at 9:32am

    Lay off cops but please don’t shut down the presses.

    Report Post »  
  • Big Toe
    Posted on December 12, 2010 at 9:30am

    Washington was one of the most beautiful states I’ve ever seen. That was 1987-88. Now it’s as trashed as NY,CA,NJ,EtC ETC ETC. Liberals and the dumb jerks who vote these pieces of cancerinto office have destroyed that state also. I wish these NON-AMERICANS would move to N Korea where they belong. You know w/all who think that way.

    Report Post »  
    • iheartusa
      Posted on December 12, 2010 at 4:46pm

      That was just after the 1986 amnesty! The NON Americans have been slowly been working their way up the Pacific Coast states, feeding on the taxpayers like locusts, then moving north. Our most powerful politicians are bleeding heart liberals from the “Dark Side” of the Cascades and they pander to illegal immigration. Both our senators have an F- record on Numbersusa.com and are supporters of the DREAM Act. Before the November elections, the illegal aliens were getting the vote out for Dems and they were both proud of it! Illegal immigration is costing our state $1.5 BILLION a year! How much is it costing your state? The facts are astounding, look at the statistics and decide for yourselves if illegal immigration is good for America. http://www.fairus.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=16723&security=1601&news_iv_ctrl=1007. It’s just ridiculous to me that our elected officials are cutting taxpayer pennies on the small stuff and paying out big taxpayer bucks on illegal activites!

      Report Post » iheartusa  
  • jowolo
    Posted on December 12, 2010 at 9:04am

    Do public unions come to mind?

    Report Post »  
  • jColes
    Posted on December 12, 2010 at 8:57am

    Actually, having a centralized printing organization makes good business sense…however, as with most government-run operations, this one can probably be made more effective & efficient…Non-sensitive materials can be contracted-out but there are documents that should remain ‘proprietary’ until released; and these should not be in the hands of people with whom the state has no confidentiality or security agreements.

    I suspect that the best outcome will be staff reductions to the Most Efficient Organization level, re-purposing of the operation into a contracting & QA office; and a minimalized printing staff to take care of those documents which should not be in the public domain until released.

    I don’t know what kinds of equipment the printing shop operates but for large, mass-circulation print jobs only high-speed, commercial presses are cost-efficient…and I rather doubt that the state print shop owns any of those…a combination of contracting-out and in-house printing will likely provide the most cost-efficient means of printing public documents.

    Report Post »  
    • chickenlittle
      Posted on December 12, 2010 at 9:36am

      It might make good business sense… IF IT SUPPOSED TO BE A BUSINESS… and it’s NOT. I had my own printing business for over 30 years, and can tell you this is just the tip of the iceberg. That‘s where the country really started to get off track in becoming it’s own little supporting enterprise. There is so much waste, fraud and backroom dealing in all phases of these quasi-official commercial enterprises run by the government, especially the national GPO. They are not limited to budget constrictions because if their managers deem new equipment is needed they just buy the best (usually foreign-made)… they have no competition, so they “charge” whatever they want. When they contract something out, they do it to their buddies for kickbacks. They allow their estimates to include the finest papers and most complex craftsmanship… even for a letterhead.

      I could go on and on and on… but think about it… if these operations, and others, were just contracted to private entities, we would have the capitalistic system we used to have. And those 100 govt. employees would be private sector employees and equipment and supplies would be purchased by private tax-paying companies.

      If every two-bit city council, mayor, governor, etc. did not have to have a 4-color, coated brochure every time they had an idea or cause to “sell” or if they really had to PAY for their desires of promotion, the public would get a grasp of how much is wasted.

      What they aren’t telling you, is all the school systems, city governments and other govt.-run operations that have their own mismanaged, “in-house” printing departments in addition to the one they are talking about here. We’re talking big bucks here in terms of employees and cost. As far as efficiency, that’s BS… there’s no need for these operations to be efficient… it’s the government… what do they care? When money is tight, they say they have to cut the police and fire departments and the teachers???? BS is what that is.

      Report Post » chickenlittle  
  • VotersOfNY
    Posted on December 12, 2010 at 8:45am

    It’s like New York City. Mayor Bloomberg says there’s no place else to cut the budget so they have to start chopping the fire department, police, sanitation and other vital services. Meanwhile, there are FIVE borough president departments that are untouched. Borough presidents have had the powers stripped for many years now but they still carry them. They do community things like cutting ribbons and showing up at parades and the like. This is more important than firemen and cops?

    These departments cost the city ONE QUARTER BILLION dollars a year in salaries and expenses. Holy Batdung, think how many service jobs could be saved by getting rid of borough presidents departments. Bloowme won’t do that because a lot of his buddies are stashed away there making tons of money and not producing anything.

    This is happening all over the country as you can see by Washington State’s printing department. This is why we are paying enormous taxes; to pay for this waste. This is where the cutting has to start. Then the crooks need to stop spending our money like it grew on trees. Oh that’s right Bernanke thinks is does.

    Report Post » VotersOfNY  
  • popeyebedford
    Posted on December 12, 2010 at 8:34am

    In banana republics, (which the USA is quickly becoming), should do the same thing that banana republics do when their dictators piss them off. They strike. Whole countrys shut their doors and stay home. No tax money for the dictator if nobody is working. It doesn‘t take long before the government weenies who don’t work understand that they need the people who do work, or they don’t get paid…

    Report Post »  
  • mrwinter
    Posted on December 12, 2010 at 8:20am

    what about the depatment of key grinding? and wagon wheel geasing? and the gov’t employees that put the flat spot on shopping cart wheels?

    Report Post »  
    • Sparkyspool
      Posted on December 12, 2010 at 8:32am

      Global warming causes the flat spots, cant blame it all on government

      Report Post »  
    • guyperram
      Posted on December 12, 2010 at 5:00pm

      Are you sure those flat spots aren’t put on by Geo Bush, Dick Chaney and their rowboat?

      Report Post »  
  • confederacyofdunces
    Posted on December 12, 2010 at 8:17am

    I’m sure there is something more to this, perhaps state democrats need personal printers to generate 2000 page bills quickly so democrats wont read them but pass them.
    Seriously they probably do more than print, Graphic design comes to mind. Remember printing wasnt the easy task it is now. I remember print shop in HS. It was slow and tedious. Its going to cost to terminate these people as well. So you end up with an unemployed person that you have to pay (unemployment, sevrence) anyway, that no longer provides a service that you have to now pay extra for. It is not so easy just to fire oeople. I’d bet they trim it down but dont close it.

    Report Post »  
  • whoisJGalt
    Posted on December 12, 2010 at 8:14am

    Queen Nasty Christeen would rather shut down the park systems or raise taxes than listen to comonsense from the public sector. Stealing money from the tax payers is nothing compared to stealing an election, and she is guilty of both.

    Report Post »  
  • Richio
    Posted on December 12, 2010 at 8:10am

    They’ll need it in the future to print scrip.
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scrip

    Report Post »  
  • NC
    Posted on December 12, 2010 at 8:06am

    Creeping socialism going all the way back to the 1930s.

    NC (waiting for the snow to creep into Mayberry)

    Report Post » NC  
  • GEW
    Posted on December 12, 2010 at 7:54am

    They will never get rid of it. Come on, first a 100 government jobs, how about a study on how much money that cost us, retirement bennies included. The studies alone will take years cause that will be done by the government, which is another bunch of gov employees …lip service to make ya think…wow they are really doing something.

    Report Post » GEW  
    • sawman
      Posted on December 12, 2010 at 12:21pm

      They will probably never get rid of it, but the local legislature should require them to be competetive with private industry. All government administrations should be required to be competetive with private companies.

      Report Post »  
  • River0
    Posted on December 12, 2010 at 7:46am

    Watch California, the Lyndsey Lohan of states, the poster child of cutting-edge ‘progressive’ Utopias. As California goes, so will the other blue states, like Washington, Oregon, and Nevada. They must be allowed to bottom out and declare bankruptcy, the equivalent of what happened to Robert Downey Jr. He got clean while in jail, found a new foundation, put his life back on track, and is making really good movies.

    Report Post » River0  
    • mcpbob
      Posted on December 12, 2010 at 8:13am

      i love that “THE Lyndsey Lohan of states” that pretty much sums up California…….

      Report Post » mcpbob  
    • Marcobob69
      Posted on December 12, 2010 at 8:49am

      A very good analogy! That is what the government(s) should have been doing all along. There should be no such thing as “too big to fail”. If it fails, someone else will try again! It’s simple, except for the people in power that want MORE power!!!

      Report Post »  
    • iheartusa
      Posted on December 12, 2010 at 3:23pm

      I live in eastern WA and we are not blue on our side of the cascade mountains. Unfortunately, I agree with your comment. A HUGE part of our economic and social problems are how our politicians pander to illegal immigration. Illegal immigration is costing our state $1.5 BILLION a year! Illegals can get a driver’s license here, then register to vote!!! Look at the statistics and decide for yourself if illegal immigration is good for America. http://www.fairus.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=16723&security=1601&news_iv_ctrl=1007

      Report Post » iheartusa  
  • pothos42
    Posted on December 12, 2010 at 7:40am

    Next they’ll be after the Departments of Collating, Stapling and Binding. When will it end?

    Report Post »  
  • NickDeringer
    Posted on December 12, 2010 at 7:20am

    May I paraphrase Bernie Sanders?

    Big Government, when is enough enough? When do we get to talk about government greed for power and control?

    Report Post » NickDeringer  
    • Reagan/Demint.deciple
      Posted on December 12, 2010 at 8:11am

      Doesn’t sound like Bernie Sanders, sorry …

      Report Post » one years food ration like glenn says  
    • BoiseBaked
      Posted on December 12, 2010 at 12:03pm

      Start cutting government… it’s the only thing left… Let’s start seeing public employment layoffs… Now that, would be an amazing thing to see… This sounds backwards but if that starts happening… there is hope for America!

      Report Post »  
    • untameable-kate
      Posted on December 12, 2010 at 1:36pm

      Seems like most of the crap they print could have been sent by e-mail anyways.

      Report Post » Untameable-kate  
  • Lydia
    Posted on December 12, 2010 at 7:19am

    My husband is a printer and is often short on hours these days, so I’m sure he would be more than happy to have some government pamphlets to print. No union, either… so I doubt his shop would get the job these days.

    Report Post » Lydia  
    • Dustyluv
      Posted on December 12, 2010 at 7:22am

      You think Big Governmwent wants to give up ANY control to small businesses? Pipe dream…

      Report Post »  
    • guyperram
      Posted on December 12, 2010 at 8:03am

      How could you deprive these overpaid, underworked, government wage slaves of their sincure? Maybe that can set up a few other important departments i.e; office of break time, office of vacation planning, or the office of thinking up new government departments.

      Report Post »  
    • 79USMC83
      Posted on December 12, 2010 at 8:17am

      I wonder who is printing the massive 3000 page bills the national “Government Stupid” is passing out to Congress. Oh that is right they do NOT read them anyways!! Hey it is time to outsource these jobs to China also!!!

      TERM LIMITS NOW !!

      FAIR TAX NOW !!

      Report Post »  
    • guyperram
      Posted on December 12, 2010 at 8:24am

      usmc Those bills have all been done for our benefit by various Soro’s supported groups, such as, but not limited to, The Center for American Progress. After all, as we all know, George loves everything about America! and the moon is really made of swiss cheese.

      Report Post »  
    • John 1776
      Posted on December 12, 2010 at 10:04am

      Well, I think they should keep it open ! ;) Soon, the time will come when each state will have to start printing their own money to keep up with their debt! Happy days are here again! Each state can then follow the lead of the fed by printing worthless paper to pay for pensions they never should have agreed on. What could possibly go wrong with this great idea??

      -Just saying….. ;)

      Report Post » John 1776  
    • chickenlittle
      Posted on December 12, 2010 at 10:28am

      Let’s really face it folks… every government employee is for the most part, a guaranteed vote for the democrats. It has always been considered beneficial for you and your family to have a government job, be it the Post Office or politics or an agency of some sort. The Public/Private sector split has been steadily moving to the government for many, many decades. Now that it is in favor of the government workers, there is no real way to save money or cut back like we need to do. How many government jobs have really taken a big hit with this unemployment crisis??? Not near as big as the private sector. The cutbacks they do make in spending just hit any contracts in the private sector more than anything else… people don’t actually get fired in government, they just go on to their pension and benefits. Before I get flamed for this, I don’t mean ALL govt. employees are unnecessary or bad people… but are they really going to vote themselves out of a job? Better we just keep inventing new agencies of the government to work for. It‘s private enterprise that’s been forced out. We‘ve passed the point when there’s enough money from tax revenue to support everybody on the government plan… oh, wait, I guess we got socialism, don’t we? How about more health care agencies? duh! Throw in a little fascism to control the idiots that still try and make it on their own.

      Report Post » chickenlittle  
    • chickenlittle
      Posted on December 12, 2010 at 10:34am

      Hey John 1776… good idea, but it’s already being done. I think they call them “state lotteries” … ever been to the local convenience store? Gives them a few more agencies to staff also.

      Report Post » chickenlittle  
    • APROUDVETERAN
      Posted on December 12, 2010 at 11:11am

      Lydia: Years ago I worked in major corporations as a Purchasing Agent. I had to constantly demonstrate to MY management why printing things IN HOUSE was just a BIG waste of corporate funds. Usually “in House ” print shops –at least when I was in “corporate” have small presses and when they have to big jobs, they dont have proper equipment to run the larger size sheets of paper that outside sources use as the norm. Factor in wages, rent, benefits etc at the corporate level and it was always far cheaper to “farm” the job out to local vendors. BTW years later I found out that the SVP that I worked for was the Uncle to the kid who ran our in house print shop —small wonder why he wanted to keep all work -in house rather than outside vendors.

      Report Post »  
    • dwh320
      Posted on December 12, 2010 at 11:25am

      Lynda you point out something this article missed. NO UNIONS. The cost of benefits and wages fro these state employees far exceeds any so called savings.

      Report Post » dwh320  
    • Deda1
      Posted on December 12, 2010 at 2:29pm

      I also bet he could do a better and cost effetive job.

      Report Post »  
    • normageane
      Posted on December 12, 2010 at 7:13pm

      Hello Chickenlittle Well my bud works for the state DOT. We hated all the “heres how you will vote mail ” we got from the union. Not sure where it was printed or who really paid for it. We are not rich nor does bud make loads of money. We could save lots of money by UA the welfare rolls. I am sure there is lots more new here

      Report Post » normageane  
    • dnaburns
      Posted on December 14, 2010 at 10:58am

      @chickenlittle FYI do you know the definition of prejudice? You know why the left has held the silentmajority hostage for the last 50 years? Because of stupid statements like the ones you posted. Yyou may be suprised to know that most firefighters, cops, prison guards, corrections and military personel are government employees and tend to vote conservative. That being said I work for the dot in the ultra liberal Washington state and guess what almost everyone who works with me is a conconservative! You want to know were the problems lie in bloated government it lies at th top in tthe offices those of us who work hard for our money are not making windfall incomes my self I make 32000 a year working on the freeway system next to cars screaming by at 70 mph now do think we get anything special if we get killed or injured on the job? No we don’t we get the same treatreatment as everyone else. Listen to what Glenn says about generalizing and think before you spspeak lest you give the left more fuel for their fire.

      Report Post » dnaburns  
    • CYCLONE
      Posted on December 14, 2010 at 2:05pm

      gold 300 dollars an ounce…

      silver 4.50 an ounce…..

      10 years ago…. this is why I like printers…..LMFAO !!!!!

      Report Post »  
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