The arrogance and hubris of the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine has grown–one would not have thought it possible–even more pronounced. We Californians, who are borrowing to pay for their high salaries and other fat cat ways, even though California has become Greece without the Acropolis, are not welcome at a hearing to determine how the rest of the $2 billion CIRM has a legal right to spend will be directed. From the invaluable California Stem Cell Report:
The California stem cell agency said yesterday it will bar the public from three days of the most sweeping hearings ever into how well it is spending $3 billion in taxpayer funds. The blue-ribbon assessment of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine will be the first such in the agency’s five-year history and will be critical in determining how CIRM will spend its remaining $2 billion. The sessions also represent the most exhaustive review of the agency’s past performance. CIRM has already committed more than $1 billion to 364 scientists and institutions.
Although CIRM directors have been told that the review will occur, the public has not been notified via CIRM’s Web site or other means that the assessment will take place. Nor has the agency publicly solicited from citizens or other interested parties comments or suggestions of issues to be addressed. CIRM has repeatedly come under fire from state officials for its lack of transparency. An influential state lawmaker said last February that the agency is “essentially accountable to no one.” The ban on the public at the October review also appears to fly in the face of a state constitutional amendment adopted in 2004. By an overwhelming 83 percent, voters altered the constitution to guarantee the public a broadly construed right of access to what state government is doing.
John M. Simpson of Consumer Watchdog of Santa Monica, Ca., a longtime observer of CIRM, said that conducting the “entire process behind closed doors shows an agency with leaders who are completely unaware of their responsibility to the public, or worse, don’t care.” (The full text of his remarks can be found here.)
Unaware? No. They just don’t give a fig!
Simpson also stated the agency acted like an “insider’s club.” Gee, ya think?
September 24th, 2010 | 1:06 am
Wow!! Really arrogant!! What are they afraid of anyway? It is disturbing to hear that such an organization would want to “hide” behind closed doors what tax money is being spent on.
So often the money we pay in taxes seems to disappear into some governmental “black hole” never to be heard from again. Accountability is crucial to insure that our tax dollars are spent wisely and used to fund programs that are beneficial to our society as a whole.
September 24th, 2010 | 5:42 pm
CIRM should follow the lead of the US Dept of Defense which spends $700 billion each year. Does the Dept of Defense hold open meetings encouraging citizen input before they spend each $2 billion?
Wesley J. Smith Reply:
September 24th, 2010 at 6:14 pm
Objection. Irrelevant. Sustained.
September 24th, 2010 | 8:39 pm
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Vince Humphreys, Stand In The Gap, Julian Hawksworth, Stem Cell Blogs, Wesley J. Smith and others. Wesley J. Smith said: CIRM to Californians: Mind Your Own Business About How We Spend Your Borrowed Money » Secondhand Smoke http://t.co/IxQX4VT [...]
September 24th, 2010 | 11:19 pm
To Jeffery:
Actually, the DoD’s budget has to be approved by Congress. We, the people elect Congress and therefore have the right and means to let our elected representatives know how we want them to vote on issues.
September 24th, 2010 | 11:31 pm
Also wanted to add that anyone can look up the DoD budget justification page on the DoD website. Here’s a link if Mr. Smith doesn’t mind me putting the link here.
http://comptroller.defense.gov/defbudget/fy2011/FY2011_Budget_Request_Overview_Book.pdf
The point is anyone can look at it. It seems as though some organizations like CIRM have the idea that they are exempt from being open about how they spend tax dollars.
Wesley J. Smith Reply:
September 25th, 2010 at 12:40 am
It’s all still irrelevant to the post. See how one non sequitur comment can take things down bunny trails?
September 25th, 2010 | 1:02 am
I was just saying that I didn’t see Jeffery’s reason to attack the DoD. Wasn’t the point of the CIRM article that they arrogantly receive tax dollars and don’t think the lowly taxpayers should “trouble their heads” with what the money is being used for? Also I gathered from the article that CIRM was intentionally keeping the public in the dark by holding meeting(s) at which the general public could not attend. Sorry if I offended anyone. I just thought Jeffery’s comment was off the topic.
Wesley J. Smith Reply:
September 25th, 2010 at 10:15 am
Raven. It was off topic. Which was why I sustained my objection to it being irrelevant.
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