Updates from the states

A couple of few interesting updates…

* Our friends at Americans for Tax Reform posted a strong admonishment to Arizona Governor Jan Brewer and state Senate President Bob Burns on the ATR blog this morning. Burns recently discharged Senator Thayer Verschoor (R-Gilbert) and Senate Majority Whip Pamela Gorman (R-Anthem) from their leadership positions after the senators voted against the Governor’s ill-advised legislation to increase AZ’s sales tax. Americans for Tax Reform set up an action page citizens can visit to speak out against the tax hike.

* Bob Weeks over at Voice for Liberty in Wichita points out that Sedgwick County, Kansas has placed its check register online. Inquiring minds can sort data by function, category, fund, or vendor.

**MORE UPDATES!!!**

* The Ocean State Policy Research Institute is tracking RI stimulus spending through their newest website, RIStimulus.org.

* Duval County celebrated its “A-” rating from SunshineReview.org, which was the highest grade given in the state of Florida, and the only county that had complete information about lobbyists on its Web site. Only one Florida county, Suwannee County, should be embarrassed by not having a web presence.

Weeks to Sedgwick Co commission: No transparency, No TIF

Bob Weeks, a free market activist in Sedgwick County, KS, is fighting the development of a TIF district that will benefit school board member and real estate developer Reverend Kevass Harding. Weeks reports that a conflict of interest 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, Voice for Liberty in Witchita:

The best solution is for Reverend Harding to withdraw his request for the creation of the TIF district that benefits his development. Then there is no problem with conflicts of interest. This is also congruent with Reverend Harding’s votes to increase taxes while a member of the school board. His business would pay the same taxes he demands others pay.

Failing that, one way we could handle this situation is that the city could ask the school board to agree to pass a resolution agreeing to the TIF, even through they aren’t required to do this. Then Reverend Harding could publicly acknowledge his conflict of interest and step aside.

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.

Corruption and Voter Registration

There are few abuses that boil my blood more than improper or fraudulent voter registration. Signing citizens up to cast their inaugural ballot is a sacred privilege that too many groups do not respect. Not only are these cesspools of corruption bilking deserving candidates out of winning elections, but they are also defrauding all voters, and even all citizens, out of a free and fair election system.

Louisiana
The group “Voting Is Power” has a goal of signing up 70,000 new Democrat voters before November 2008.
The Times Picayune has the story:

While Voting Is Power has sent in batches of applications for months, registrars have begun to see a disturbing pattern of misinformation on the forms, including duplicates, cards filled out with different colors of ink, or using the names of pets or dead people. In Jefferson, DiMarco sensed something amiss when a new registration card recently crossed his desk.

The card, partially filled out, had his name and listed his office’s post office box on Citrus Boulevard as the address. It also listed him as a male, a Democrat and African-American.

“And I can tell you I’m only one of those,” said DiMarco, who is white and Republican…”

Kansas
Kansas Meadowlark rants about the ease voters in Kansas and Missouri have in duplicate voting. KS Gov. Sebelius recently vetoed a photo ID bill that would have addressed these concerns. Meadowlark also writes about this issue here and here.

California
Sec of State Debra Bowen prosecutes for voter reg fraud. Twelve people have been charged with the offense- nine have plead guilty.

Missouri
Eight ACORN reps plead guilty to voter registration fraud in St. Louis.

More on this topic to come…