ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book intends to provide a means for government at all levels to focus on what is most important, and to provide value, efficiency and effectiveness in what our government agrees to provide. It offers a framework for a day in the not-too-distant future when a quality audit can provide a uniform and valid "benchmark" report card on every government agency in America that is a companion to the annual audit of the financial books. The book poses the proposition that the efficiency and effectiveness of government agencies depends on elected leaders sharing responsibility and working collaboratively, and that their failure to do so may be the largest reason that efficiency and effectiveness is not achieved. It proposes that legislators be denied the right to run for re-election if their agencies' performance does not achieve a minimum audit score.
