The state audit showed that while more than 9,000 Coloradans called a national gambling addiction hotline; not a single person took advantage of the state run (and funded) gambling counseling program – most of the funds went toward marketing the program.  On top of that, the embattled Department of Human Services paid for 23 counselors to receive training to receive a professional accreditation in gambling counseling, only five of those people went on to earn the accreditation.  Remember that the next time you hear left wing politicians crowing about the need for more state funded job training programs.

We are not sure how much longer such an expensive and influential state agency can be left out to dry under the failed leadership of Reggie Bicha.  For those of you who do not keep track of the bloated puzzle palace of state agencies and their routine mismanagement, DHS has been under the microscope for quite some time, and its inept leader seems to be a magnet for well-deserved criticism.  Earlier this year, Bicha was the focus of a rare letter of concern signed by almost every state lawmaker and delivered to the governor.

For some reason, Hickenlooper is keeping Bicha around – leading a state agency that is more than 5,000 bureaucrats strong.   With all of these audits showing that the government is entirely ineffective at delivering services and all-too-effective at wasting taxpayer dollars, is there any wonder why Coloradans don’t think giving the government more tax dollars is a good idea?