Desperate times call for desperate measures.

States goes online to auction goods
RedEye, Thursday, August 14th, pg 6
After slashing programs and firing workers to balance its budget, the state has a new idea for raising cash; an online auction of its surplus stuff. Call it iBay. Looking for a deal on a used Corvette? Interested in a hyperbaric chamber or some antiques? How about a collection of organ pipes? Now shoppers can go to ibid.illinois.gov to place their bids on everything from cars seized by the Illinois State Police to antiquities unwanted by the state’s Historic Preservation Agency. “This is just another way to raise money for the state,” said Michael Rumman, director of Central Management Services, the state agency charged with getting rid of surplus property. “In light of our deficit, we have to look at every.” If the program works, Rumman sad, the agency will run more auctions via cyberspace.

Ok. Great idea. But, why don’t they just use Ebay to sell the stuff and increase the chances they’ll make more money? Major companies like Dell and Disney already do. Plus with millions of people buying and selling on Ebay, the likelihood that the program will be successful increases. Why reinvent the wheel? Arrh, yes — some bureaucrat probably just wants to protect their job.