The Definition of "Ham-Handed"

According to Meriam-Webster, "Ham-Handed" is a term that means "lacking dexterity or grace." As they say in the South, "bless their heart."

What it really means is "awkward, clumsy and heavy-handed. And, an example would be the Hawaii Senate. Upon receipt of a scathing audit of the Hawaii Tourism Authority's alleged lack of procurement policies and controls, the Legislature there is considering slashing the State's Tourism Budget by roughly a third. Apparently, the Authority needs to be "punished" for its alleged transgressions.

I haven't the slightest idea whether the auditors found real wrong-doing or whether they simply didn't understand how a Destination Marketing Organization works. But, that Hawaii's Toureism Economy has been breaking records would indicate that arbitrarily slashing DMO funding would be a back-assward response, n'est-pas?

Hey, you want to punish an agency? Order that they must adhere to more stringent rules. Cutting its budget does nothing but hurt the local businesses that depend upon the HTA's work.

Of course, that logic doesn't provide you with an opportunity to raid HTA funds for your pet projects, does it?

Sigh...

Comments

[Bill Baker]

This is a great example of power struggle by bureaucrats and politicians wanting to validate their roles. By all means take steps to rectify the admin shortcomings, but as you said, this has nothing to do with their core mission and the "punishment" damages the businesses and people of Hawaii.