Where did Boss Tweed get her plan to destroy the civil service merit selection system?

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

During last night's episode of "Survivor – GOP Presidential Primary" from Mesa, Newt Gingrich was blowing kisses to Gov. Jan Brewer aka Boss Tweed and her plan to destroy the civil service merit selection system in Arizona. From the Transcript:

GINGRICH: Finally, I agree generally with the need to reform government. I think that, if we were prepared to repeal the 130-year-old civil service laws, go to a modern management system, we could save a minimum of $500 billion a year with a better system. And if we then applied the tenth amendment, as Governor Rick Perry has agreed to head up a project on, I think we can return to the states an enormous share of the power that's currently in Washington, D.C.

* * *

GINGRICH: — this is — it is — the reason I started with the idea that came out of Strong America Now to repeal the 130-year-old civil service laws and go to a modern management system, is you change everything.

And the fact is, if we're serious — and, in a funny kind of way, Ron and I are closer on the scale of change. We'd approach it slightly different, but I think you've got to start and say what would a modern system be like?

The Strong America Now (strongamericanow.org) web site contains these tidbits:

Strong America Now is proposing that every department, agency and program in the federal government go through the waste elimination process, Lean Six Sigma. This process is a proven method of eliminating waste with a focus on speed and quality. Mike George, the founder of Strong America Now, is the pioneer of Lean Six Sigma. He estimates that at least 25 percent all government spending is waste that can be eliminated.

* * *

Each presidential candidate has been asked to sign a pledge that binds them to eliminating spending deficits and start paying down the national debt by 2017 by deploying Lean Six Sigma waste reduction methods across the entire federal government. The pledge also requires each candidate to attend two days of Lean Six Sigma training, and complete a waste reduction project prior to Inauguration. Candidates who have signed our pledge are:

• Rep. Michele Bachmann
• Mr. Herman Cain
• Former Speaker Newt Gingrich
• Gov. Gary Johnson
• Rep. Thaddeus McCotter
• Rep. Ron Paul
• Gov. Rick Perry
• Sen. Rick Santorum

Essentially the Lean Six Sigma is yet another time management/efficiency theory for businesses, just the kind of think tank idea that the big thinker of big thoughts, "Professor" Newt, would buy into.

The question is, has Gov. Jan Brewer or any of her advisers/lobbyists who designed her plan to destroy the civil service merit selection system in Arizona attended the two days of Lean Six Sigma training, and is her bill a "model bill" from this nonprofit organization?

I do not believe any of our crack political reporters has asked about the source of her bill. There are assumptions it was the Goldwater Institute and its partner in crime ALEC, but perhaps not. The public has a right to know where this bill came from and who is behind it.