AUDIT OF DOIT PROVES NEED FOR AUDITS OF ALL STATE DEPARTMENTS

By Ron George Annapolis, MD — The recently released Audit of the Department of Information Technology exposes more proof of the state misusing and wasting federal dollars. As Charlie Taylor of Maryland Reporter explained, DoIt “did not maintain adequate internal controls in managing a $158 million project to upgrade and expand Maryland’s high-speed fiber optics infrastructure that was funded predominantly by federal stimulus dollars,” as well as created a contractor payment structure that “generally was impermissible in all DoIT contracts.” This is more proof that we need independent audits of how state tax dollars are spent. Federal stimulus dollars must be audited by law, but since no one is watching how the state spends state tax dollars, the same kind of waste and fraud uncovered from the state’s spending of federal spending goes undetected. “No one believes for an instant that state officials cheating with federal money are being more frugal with state money,” said Delegate Ron George, a candidate for governor. “We need independent audits of all departments and agencies, including health care and welfare disbursements, to identify and eliminate the fraud and waste endemic in our state government.” Ron George, a two-term state delegate from Anne Arundel County, is a small business owner and Republican candidate for governor. Promise Three of his Ten Point Promise is to balance the state budget by requiring independent audits of all departments and agencies, cut the government waste and direct funds to their intended target, instead of wasteful spending.