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January 29, 2009 by
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The got on the case of Barack “Most Transparent Government in History” Obama today for not following up with a promise to post all non-emergency legislation to 5 days prior to signing. This practice was designed to allow time for public comment and review. Unfortunately, President Obama didn’t follow it on his very first opportunity, the signing of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act.
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Not good…Not good at all.
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December 9, 2008 by
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Kate Campaigne asks from the Illinois Policy Institute’s , viagra online store
Good question. There has been the usual parade of outrage from public officials from both sides of the aisle, and a growing call for a special election instead of an appointment (as stated in the now) but no major elected official is talking transparency.
So the real question becomes, who will step up to the plate to take a leadership role in implement the transparency legislation needed? The IL governor’s race will be a crowded event. Candidates: Show IL voters your commitment to them (and all taxpayers) by working to pass comprehensive transparency legislation. The , , and have been local champions- seek them out, and get it done.
For non-elected officials: Look for ideas on how you can help the Sunshine Review Open Government project, and keep your politicians’ feet to the fire. Fighting corruption should be up to every citizen, not just the .
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December 3, 2008 by
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The Michigan education unions have a terrible problem. You see, education unions prefer to operate in the dark, with no real oversight, and no actual transparency or accountability to the taxpayers they rely on for jobs. It’s kind of one of those deals that if everyone gets paid, nobody gets hurt.
The folks involved in the (EAG) think it’s high time to turn the lights on to see how tax dollars are spent in schools, how funds might be maximized, and to bring it all out in the open- teacher pay vs. union negotiator pay, contract negotiations, benefits agreements, political plays by unions… all of that juicy stuff. They’ve caused quite a , which is a good thing if you pay into the Michigan school system.
Recently, to obtain emails from Wayne-Westland Education Association president Nancy Strachan’s taxpayer-funded e-mail account. EAG is curious to find out the role the union is playing in a recall election of a couple of school board members that aren’t giving the union all they want, and also information on a recent illegal strike. Today, the Michigan Education Association against the school district to stop them from releasing the emails.
Filing a lawsuit to stop transparency? So predictable. Opening up school spending to parents, vendors, watchdog groups, and taxpayers? Now that’s the (high) road less traveled. Michigan Education Association, I suggest you look for ideas.
To find out how to file Freedom of Information Requests (and really, all things FOIA), go to the on Sunshine Review.
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October 20, 2008 by
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This past weekend I had the opportunity to meet some of the awesome Wisconsin blogging community at SamSphere Milwaukee, which was co-hosted by . is a project of the which seeks to recruit, train, and connect free-market bloggers in hopes they will work together to enact local change. Some of this change occurs through highlighting corruption or a lack of .
Check out some local bloggers with a history of shedding some light on government actions:
There are many others… if you know of some good ones, list ‘em in comments. Thanks to everyone that participated and helped with SamSphere- can’t wait to come back up!
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October 13, 2008 by
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Local Oklahoman activist David Starkey won a battle for transparency this week when judges in Rogers County will once again allow the public into courtrooms. Starkey had documented several instances of the public turned away, including where District Judge Dwayne Steidley had posted a sign that said “Only Defendants are allowed in the court room. Family and friends must stay in the hallway.” In other words, Taxpayers: I’ll send ya the bill, but don’t expect any access to justice.
Starkey, who has a long list of grievances regarding the Rogers County courts, started a website to document abuses of power and other court-related issues.
viagra online store picked up the story:
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Presiding Judge Dynda Post ordered Judge Steidley’s sign down and scheduled a meeting to make sure judges are allowing the public into courtrooms.
Thank you, David Starkey and other activists, for helping to make these courts more transparent. One small victory for Rogers County… one giant leap for taxpayer access.
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October 8, 2008 by
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I was perusing the new and fabulous when I came upon a describing the bullying tactics is using against Riccardo A. Mora of Norridge, Illinois. Mr. Mora’s offense? Too many FOIAs, that is, he requested 21 Freedom of Information requests since February 08.
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Wow- using public information gathered from the school district to become informed on a bonding-type issue seems… radical? The school board apparently thought so, as they retained the services of the Schartz, Lipton and Taylor law firm of Chicago to deal with Mr. Mora’s FOIA requests. The firm sent a letter letting Mr. Mora know they are keeping an eye on him.
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Read the rest of the law firm’s letter .
Mis-using FOIA? What is the purpose of the ? Well, in Illinois, the purpose can be found in :
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(emphasis mine)
Sounds like Mr. Mora is doing exactly what the Act was designed to enable- citizen activism and oversight. Here’s an idea: Ridgewood High School District 234 should volunteer to be more open with taxpayers, so FOIAs aren’t necessary to see how their tax dollars are spent. (See the for ideas.)
Furthermore… schools should consider teaching children how to petition their government through FOIA requests as a way to bring civics back into the classroom. This would promote citizen involvement and allow more people to keep and eye on what’s happening behind the doors of government. After all, Responsible Citizens = Responsive Government.
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September 15, 2008 by
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Great transparency article from on Sept 12th. (reprinted with permission)
You can see this article as well as Paul’s other columns at :
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You might think that there’s nothing a government won’t try. You’d be right. But I was near stupefied to learn that the state of California copyrights its laws. And it’s not alone.
The state tries to control — through copyright — how you can access its laws, where and how you store them, etc. The state makes available its building codes, plumbing standards and criminal laws online, but requires you to ask for permission to download them!
The state’s out to make money. It charges $1,556 for a digital version, more for a print-out, and makes nearly a million dollars a year selling what is legally ours.
Yes, what’s ours. We are a nation of laws, not of men, and we have the right to own and reprint our laws as much as we want. The purpose of copyright is to ensure private parties can maintain some control over their intellectual property. But the laws themselves are, in point of elementary political theory, the intellectual property of all. Not of state bureaus.
Thankfully, heroic Internet technician and mover and shaker believes in government transparency. And he, unlike Al Gore, really worked to help build the Internet.
On Labor Day Mr. Malamud published the whole California code online. .
Obviously, Malamud is spoiling for a fight. Good. He should win it. He has, after all, the law (if not the state) on his side.
This is Common Sense. I’m Paul Jacob.
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August 28, 2008 by
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Bob Weeks, a free market activist in , , is fighting the development of a TIF district that will school board member and real estate developer Reverend Kevass Harding. Weeks reports that a exists for Harding, who is a member of the school board that is required to agree to the TIF, along with the county commission. Actually, the school board and county commission do not need to approve anything, but rather just not veto the proposal within 30 days.
From Weeks’ blog, :
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Although I don’t pretend to know the correct course of action in this particular situation, I do believe it’s these everyday little abuses of power and cloaked deals that make citizens disgusted with the political process. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again (and probably again, and again, and again…) public servants need to be voluntarily forthcoming with all conflicts of interest, personal benefit, and offer detailed plans to taxpayers. This is the only way to restore faith in our system and in the public officials that make taxing and spending decisions on behalf of others.