Arkansas Blog

Any idea how many of those are heavy SUV's or large gas guzzler passenger cars and how many of them are hybrids? Why do we even allow state/local/county governments to purchase cars like Crown Victoria's, when they could easily get four staff members in a Prius and save the gas. When I see folks from the guv's office pull up in their black suburbans (this may be a thing of the past, if so, I apologize for being behind) it makes me wonder if it's necessary when only two people get out.

Was recently at a convention press event at the State House Convention Center...lots of dignitaries...including the Governor. After walking through the booths on the Trade Show Floor, I was schlepping my way out to parking and saw 4 of our State Congressionals piling themselves into a Capitol Police Car...now, tell me...since when does the Capitol Police provide taxi service for legislators? How can that be? I stomped myself to the parking garage where all the mere mortals have to park, paid my parking bill and fumed all the way back to the office.

Remember when there were no cell phones to speak of? Not that long ago.<<<

Yes, I remember when there were no computers in state and county offices. Microfilm was the technology of the day and very few used it.

I remember when Republicans were something strange and rarely found in state government.

Why does John White's FLAGSHIP campus need more vehicles than ASU, UALR, UAPB, SAU, UAM, Tech, Henderson, and UCA combined? Does each of the 536 Vice Chancellors really need a car?

i think i really good comparison would be corporate vehicles. how many cars do various corporations own for their size. i know alltel has some parking lot by loca luna's with only fifteen or twenty cars and a few vans. don't know about the rest.

of course, it's likely just another bureaucrat goin' it ain't my money and buying whatever the heart desires.

I'm shocked that liberals wouldn't support union labor and insist on purchases of American made cars...

>>>Any idea how many of those are heavy SUV's or large gas guzzler passenger cars and how many of them are hybrids? Why do we even allow state/local/county governments to purchase cars like Crown Victoria's, when they could easily get four staff members in a Prius and save the gas. <<<

It ain't easy purchasing a hybrid through the state system... Just went through a bit of this replacing one of our fleet vehicles with a hybrid Prius, and initially had it turned down two or three times because the Governor's (Beebe's) office thought they cost too much to make up the difference between buying a regular sedan off the current state contract.

Our agency has a number of Ford Excursions, used for trips when you need to pack 8 or 9 geologists and their gear for a sampling trip. Most of the rest are the smaller Neon, Cirruses, and a handful of Taurus station wagons. Current policy is to seek to replace the fleet with hybrids, though... while still rasslin' with the Governor and the purchasing office.

Friends in San Francisco recently sold their car and now participate in a car sharing club/ program.. Three cars and one large pickup truck are parked less than a block from their front door and for ten bucks an hour (including paid parking and full insurance coverage). The four vehicles are available to a limited number of people so they have never had a problem with access anytime they wanted to use a car..they have an auto or truck at the ready 24/7.. I would have been delighted to pay that rate twenty years ago for such a service... Car sharing should be considered much more.

In addition to fuel efficient cars shouldn't the State be buying and using all available bio fuels now produced in places like Helena, AR? Shouldn't the State be getting the best bang for its buck and buying Toyotas or Honda or Subaru etc.? Crown Victorias and Suburbans are comfortable but not built to last nor will they hold a resale/trade value.

I'm shocked that liberals wouldn't support union labor and insist on purchases of American made cars...<<

They did once upon a time and before the Republicans decided working people no longer mattered, in other words, since Raygun.

"I'm shocked that liberals wouldn't support union labor and insist on purchases of American made cars..."

I'm NOT shocked that a conservative would make a completely irrelevant remark unsupported by any facts in evidence. Maybe Severus viewed a different report than I did, but I couldn't find anything to indicate where the vehicles were made.

"...now, tell me...since when does the Capitol Police provide taxi service for legislators?"

ANSWER: SINCE TIME IMMEMORIAL.

Does each of the 536 Vice Chancellors really need a car?<<

The report says "vehicles." The UAF campus is large. Campus security has a dozen or more. Many of those vehicles are utility types, like trucks and vans. Many agri research stations across the state are run from the UAF campus. Other research programs across the state are operated from Fayetteville.
When I took geology at UAF we did an experimental thing and took 3 UA vehicles on the trip. Most of the Ark Archeology Survey uses UAF vehicles. Lots of other reasons.

Max, does White still have a student-chaffeur? Used to be a work-study gig.

If we still lived in a city with good public transportation (and from what I can tell Little Rock's is not that good) I would love to be part of a car sharing program. I read about those a few months ago and just the thought of all the money you save not having a car made me jealous of city dwellers....until i looked out on the woods behind us.

"Max, does White still have a student-chaffeur?"

MF, could you possibly mean "chauffeur"? And why do you ask? Are you thinking of trying to get that pouty little republican boys club to hire one for you?

Oh, congrats for managing to post without discussing douching. Maybe you can overcome that fixation yet. Good boy.

That's a good 'un, V4H. You're waaaay too good for the Advance Monticelloian!

There is no private sector company in the world that would manage vehicles the way state government does.

The worst abuse is that large agencies have hundreds of cars but they are also paying millions in mileage to employees for use of a personal vehicle at work. The personal vehicles are used while state vehicles gather dust in parking garages. It's ridiculous and it makes no sense.

I also have never understood why a state employee managing a state agency in Little Rock needs a state vehicle to drive from home to work. Anyone in the private sector uses their own car for the same trip.