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• The Subtle Slide into Municipal Bankruptcy
• Posted By: Mark Funkhouser |   September 17, 2012
• The insolvency that leads to local-government bankruptcy unfolds gradually. Public officials need to monitor and heed the early warnings.
• Categories:
• 7 Comments

• The Inexorable Pressure to Say Something Dumb
• Posted By: Mark Funkhouser |   September 13, 2012
• The 24-hour news cycle makes it all too easy for public officials to react too quickly. They would do better to "think gray."
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• 2 Comments

• Riots, Rebellions and the Importance of Social Order
• Posted By: Mark Funkhouser |   September 10, 2012
• Effective government is critical to the stability we need for society to function. These days, that stability is threatened.
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• 6 Comments

• Cops, Cutbacks and Crime
• Posted By: Mark Funkhouser |   August 29, 2012
• It’s clear that more police, strategically deployed, reduce crime. Cities that are cutting their police forces are risking more than public safety.
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• 2 Comments

• Government’s Big Bags of Money
• Posted By: Mark Funkhouser |   August 27, 2012
• Many jurisdictions lack good internal controls for handling the money their employees collect. A treasurers’ group can help fix that.
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• The Qualities an Auditor Really Needs
• Posted By: Mark Funkhouser |   August 23, 2012
• Being a CPA isn’t necessarily one of them. Independence, courage and leadership are more important.
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• 5 Comments

• When the Public’s Money Disappears
• Posted By: Mark Funkhouser |   August 20, 2012
• A team from the SEC has a message for public treasurers: If something "seems weird," give us a call.
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• Can a Very Determined Mayor Save Gary, Indiana?
• Posted By: Mark Funkhouser |   August 16, 2012
• The declining industrial city has tried all the usual economic-development approaches. Mayor Freeman-Wilson has other ideas.
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• 2 Comments

• Why the State Budget Crisis is Real
• Posted By: Mark Funkhouser |   August 13, 2012
• According to two new reports, states’ fiscal situation is either (a) looking better or (b) looking worse. Pay attention to (b).
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• 2 Comments

• Why Ethics Training is a Waste
• Posted By: Mark Funkhouser |   August 9, 2012
• It won’t stop the worst abuses. Making everybody in government sit through it is like fishing for minnows, but it’s the sharks that are the problem.
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• 5 Comments