NJ has embraced both automation and outsourcing
What they haven't embraced is quality control and SLAs. Our unemployment systems and MVC (Motor Vehicle Commission) systems were outsourced by Gov Corzine, who had such wonderful experiences with outsourcing at Goldman Sachs (huge fines for regulatory compliance related to missing data) and MF Global (hundreds of millions of dollars that no one can find).
The results of unemployment systems outsourcing? People who legitimately should be receiving checks don't; people who shouldn't be getting them (the recently hired) keep getting them with no way to return the money.
The results of MVC outsourcing? I regularly get letters demanding that I pay tickets that I got (and paid) 15+ years ago under threat of having my drivers license revoked. I paid them (again) in order to assure my license would remain valid, but I demanded that the money be returned.
A few trips down to the MVC to work things out were fruitless. A registered letter sent to the Governors office, cc'd the Administrator of the MVC and the Newark Star-Ledger finally got my money back and a resolution in writing (in case it happens again).
By all means, please outsource and offshore more. I love chasing my tail at taxpayer expense.
