The Other 49
Lawmakers and the law
Teachers save "Big Apple"
IRS questions per diem expenses
Drinkers still driving
Fatherhood is legal
The Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts has ruled that "fathering" an illegitimate child in that state is no longer a crime on the grounds that the statute was sexually discriminatory. The law in question made it a misdemeanor for the male parent, but not for the female.
Let Uncle Sam do the walking
'Overequal' rights for women
BOOK REVIEW by SAMUEL K. GOVE
Dan W. Lufkin
, Many Sovereign States: A Case for Strengthening State Government ~ An Insider's Account. New York: David McKay, $7.95, 253 pp.Connecticut businessman offers prescriptions for state government
A MORE ACCURATE subtitle for this book would have been A Businessman Enters State Government and Joins the State Government Crusade. Dan Lufkin, a Harvard Business School graduate, who became a partner in a successful Wall Street investment banking, brokerage, and management firm, was the first commissioner of environmental protection in his adopted state of Connecticut. After serving in that office for two years, he returned to private life. Unlike some others in similar circumstances, Lufkin did not resist the urge to write a book.
During his tour of duty, and afterward, Lufkin obviously gave much thought to the role of the states in our complicated federal system. He is well aware of state governments' structural faults and of their generally low esteem in the public eye. He has many answers, and he does not hesitate to spell them out. He appears to be the type of person needed in state government. As Peter Drucker writes in the book's introduction, "State policies . . . need to be framed by people who can think nationally — and increasingly internationally; who can relate what seem to be purely local problems to a much bigger world and who can give true leadership in the making of policy."
Lufkin has many prescriptions for state government, some new, some not. For example, he endorses the familiar proposal for federal administration of welfare programs. On the other hand, he would have a governor (perhaps the elected chairman of the National Governors Conference) given cabinet rank and invited to participate in the federal process of domestic program development. "1 realize that one individual from the ranks of state government is no match for the legions of the legislative and executive branches. But simply because he is one man speaking and listening for the states he would have unique stature and prestige."
Other novel suggestions reflect Lufkin's business background. He would get industry more involved in state government. Specifically, he would have the top 500 corporations in the United States establish an executive sabbatical program, underwriting the services to state government of one senior executive per year in each state in which the company has a significant facility. He would limit this program to state — not federal — service. The states are, in Lufkin's own words, "becoming increasingly the focal point of 'active' public policy and administrative action .... While I [Lufkin speaking] do not seek to erase all distinctions between public and private, I believe that those differences perpetuated out of fear and distrust are hurtful to society. By making the state a laboratory for corporate executives, we will not only provide skilled public servants but we will begin to bridge the knowledge and experience gap that yawns between corporations and the states in which they are located and do business."
Lufkin also proposes the creation of an Institute for State Government by the states, foundations, and corporations involved in the executive sabbatical program. This institute would "conduct research and make recommendations for the improvement of state government based on the collective experience of the corporate executives who have served in the program."
Another section deals with differences between business and government. According to Lufkin, businessmen think that politicians should operate like businessmen. "Government, however, is not business, and the bottom line is not earnings per share. The function of government is to satisfy the real or imagined needs of a majority of the people — retaining enough power to stay in office while distributing enough to keep the opposition satisfied." One would hope that the corporate executives in state government would understand this crucial difference between the private and public sector.
Little in this book is directed at Illinois specifically, although all of the discussion is germane. Lufkin does refer to Gov. Walker "as an effective newcomer to politics" who "chose to make his debut as a star in Springfield rather than as a member of the supporting cast in Washington, D.C." Dan Walker does qualify as one of Lufkin's businessmen in government, albeit on the elective side.
January 1976 / Illinois Issues /11