矽谷接管加州
【邱鴻安】矽谷的企業(例如Google、蘋果)和產品 (例如晶片、iPod、iPhone)征服全球，改變了無數人的生活方式；矽谷的最新方向─綠能汽車和太陽能科技，也成為了全國經濟的新希望。矽谷那麼成功，但加州政府卻一團糟，剛結束的519特別選舉更徹底暴露了它在面對預算赤字時的癱瘓無能。如果可以，由矽谷接管加州，加州一定會更好。
2010年的州長選舉是矽谷接管加州的大好機會，至少已有三名矽谷人宣布參選─包括前電子灣執行長惠特曼(Meg Whitman)、矽谷一家公司的創辦人波茲勒 (Steve Poizner，他2000年時以10億元出售自己創辦的公司)、以及前史丹福大學商學院教授坎貝爾 (Tom Campbell)。
矽谷過去只重營商，但新一代的矽谷人，在征服企業界後，也開始對政治產生興趣。這些矽谷人都喜歡說，州政府喪失管理能力，令他們難以忍受，因此希望以矽谷企業的管理方式，去改變州政府的癱瘓現狀。
以惠特曼來說，她本月初在舊金山的一次演講中就說過，「要以管理企業的方法去管理加州」 (run the state like a business)。在她的設想中，州政府必須像企業那樣講求效率，要以成效 (achievement)作為目標，但現在的州政府開支超過收入，所以必須削減開支；州政府現在的公務員數目也過於龐大，所以也要裁減 (史瓦辛格上周宣布裁減五千公務員，惠特曼說應裁三萬人)；最重要的是，州政府應用有能力的人，重點不在人多。
那麼，惠特曼等是否真的可以接管加州？很難。第一個難關是明年的州長初選，惠特曼三人都是共和黨人，他們在初選要爭取共和黨保守選民的支持，才可得到黨內提名，但這些保守選民只喜歡聽反加稅和反同性結婚等意識形態的宣傳，對務實管理沒有多大興趣。第二個難關是明年的大選，共和黨選民在加州不到四成，但民主黨的選民卻多達六成，而且民主黨的州長提名人可能是前州長布朗(也是前屋崙市長)，惠特曼等不見得是他的對手。
第三個難關是：就算惠特曼等矽谷人當選州長，他們仍然難以施展矽谷的管理模式，因為州議會的兩黨意識形態之爭根深蒂固，民主黨人 (在工會支持下)必反對削減開支，共和黨人則極力反對加稅，雙方必相持不下，導致癱瘓政府。在這種情況下，矽谷人要說服兩黨放下意識形態，去推行矽谷的管理模式，將極為困難。
矽谷要接管加州，雖然困難，但這仍是不少人的希望。試想想，如果州政府像蘋果公司，由喬布斯去管理，情況會有多好─州政府將充滿追求創新精神，不斷推出令人叫好叫座的服務 (有如iPod、iPhone)，而且再無赤字，只有盈餘，加州的學校因此可以得到充分投資，從此擺脫在全國只排第48名的尷尬。(世界日報，5.26.2009)
California is a state, NOT a company. How can you run a state with Executive, Legislative, Judicial, Unions, Chinese, Latinos, Blacks, Whites....and more than 50,000 employees compare to a company with a few CEOs and 1,000 employees? You tell me!
倒是共和黨的信徒 Jariel 非常專制，不共和。
的確像分析所說加州是民族黨的天下、要共和黨的侯選人當選是相當困難的、但保守的少數人只對意試形態的宣傳有興趣而對務實的管理沒興趣？這是極端錯誤的判斷、就如惠特曼的政策是很務實的不是嗎？
可惜加州人口種族複雜、龐大的社會副利開支、大都數的人只為自己福利着想，目光短淺都想依靠政府補助、要消極弍的縮減、積極的改革的確有相當的因難、
矽谷接管加州不失是一線希望！
hahahaha...come on now, you know I will say something...whether you guys like it or not.
1)an early executive of eBay [Steve Westly],
2)former eBay chief executive [Meg Whitman],
3)head of a tech company Snaptrack and current insurance commissioner of California [Steve Poizner]
4)a former Stanford business professor who represented the area in Congress for five terms [Tom Campbell],
And former Hewlett-Packard chief executive Carly Fiorina, is considering a challenge to Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer.
As Mr. Chiu said it...they are all "Republicans",
and they are tired of the way that California is ruined by the Democrats for the past 30-40 years.
I am not sure if you readers actually can sense the frustrations coming from Mr. Chiu?
Mr. Chiu is on one hand, happy to see some "business types" seeking to fun,
but on the other hand ....
Mr. Chiu is also very frustrated with the fact that these candidates are "Republicans".
Mr. Chiu kept saying..."但這些保守選民只喜歡聽反加稅和反同性結婚等意識形態的宣傳，對務實管理沒有多大興趣...blah blah blah.."
It is Mr. Chiu himself that holds the biggest ideology of them all. You readers never hear Mr. Chiu complains about how incompetent the Democrats are do you? The Democrats that ran California for the most part of last 40 some years. No, he only degrades "Republicans" and the voters who voted down high taxes.
you just put you finger on the fundamental problem that policy makers in Sacramento just don’t get, that you(Californian) are in a very competitive global economy now. And California is losing the big race. I mean, you’ve gone from the 6th largest economy in the world five years ago to the 8th largest economy now. you are shrinking in size and losing market share at a rapid clip. 3,000 people a week, pick up and leave the state of California. These are taxpayers just moving to Nevada, Arizona, India and China. you are completely out of sync. And the deal that was cut in Sacramento, the budget deal, was a terrible, terrible decision, it only makes matters worse. your economy is suffering because you’re so out of sync, your unemployment rate is two points higher than the national unemployment rate. To raise taxes by $14 billion dollars is a monumental, colossal big mistake.