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Millionaire entrepreneur Norman Braman, an auto dealer, may not be going as far as I’d like in his campaign against a proposed Miami baseball stadium. But so far as he goes, I’m with him all the way.

My question is — Why should any government entity ever be spending taxpayer money on stadiums? There are tickets and promotions and things that raise mucho dinero for franchises. Top players scoop up millions in salary. If big-time sports are not financially viable operations, what could be? And if sometimes owners lack as much money as they might like to spend on a stadium, why should a taxpayer who never watches a game have to pay for it?

Miami-Dade intends to fork over $347 million of taxpayer money plus a $35 million loan. All with no public hearings, no open discussion. No public vote on whether taxpayer money should be splurged on this. Zero due diligence.

So Mr. Braman is suing to expose the shabby politics surrounding the project.

Braman hopes to compel the city to function more responsibly. The evidence so far shows officials have been lazy at best. In one deposition, Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Alvarez admitted that he had never even seen a financial statement of the Florida Marlins. He never even requested a financial statement.

That’s strike number one. Let’s hope Braman pitches a perfect game.

This is Common Sense. I’m Paul Jacob.

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Cato Institute has announced the recipient of the 2008 Milton Friedman Prize for Advancing Liberty. The $500,000 prize is awarded every other year “to an individual who has made a significant contribution to advance human freedom.”

This year’s winner is a 23-year-old Venezuelan law student named Yon Goicoechea. Yon leads the pro-democracy student movement that played a crucial role in stopping strong man Hugo Chavez from expanding his dictatorial control through a December 2007 plebiscite.

Earlier, in May of that year, the Venezuelan government had ordered the shutdown of the country’s oldest private television station. Since then, and despite death threats and other intimidation, Yon has organized dozens of mass protests against Chavez’s assault on individual liberties.

Most observers thought Chavez would succeed in dealing the final death blows to the rule of law. Just before the plebiscite, Yon was able to appear on national television to cheer on the troops. After the question was defeated, he declared that the result was a “victory of the Venezuelan people that today defended their freedoms. . . .”

The Milton Friedman Prize has been awarded to intellectuals and even a country president. This is the first time it has been awarded to a political activist, and to someone so young. Cato President Ed Crane says he hopes the prize will further Yon’s “non-violent advocacy for basic freedoms in an increasingly militaristic and anti-democratic Venezuela.” Amen to that.

This is Common Sense. I’m Paul Jacob.

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Art imitates life. That emblematic movie, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, echoes in Michigan as I speak.

Jefferson Smith, played by Jimmy Stewart, is the boy scout leader appointed to the U.S. Senate because this political kingpin thought Smith would be easy to hoodwink. But Mr. Smith finds corruption, and he filibusters against the entire senate to end it.

Accused by one old-timer of blocking a needed relief bill, our hero retorts, “The people of my state need permanent relief from crooked men riding their backs.”

The media establishment condemns Smith, and when Smith’s scouts work to get their message out through homemade newspapers, thugs physically block, intimidate, and attack the lads.

In Michigan, similar nastiness has been directed against the campaign to recall Speaker of the House Andy Dillon. Dillon staffers have flocked into the district to intimidate those petitioning to recall their boss.

One such blocker, hired by the Michigan Democratic Party to “educate” voters, is an eight-time felon whose rap sheet includes armed robbery.  The police got involved . . . making robo-calls to residents claiming the recall backers were “extremists” engaged in an “illegal” effort. 

The Detroit News piled on, arguing that the recall, precipitated by Dillon’s big tax hike, will cost Michigan taxpayers even more dough because it requires a special election. Except that it won’t. The regularly scheduled August primary will piggy-back the recall vote — which will happen, since last week more than enough signatures were turned in.

In the movie, the good guy wins. The same may be true in Michigan.

This is Common Sense. I’m Paul Jacob.

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Every year Tim Eyman in Washington state comes up with some new initiative to limit taxes or make government more accountable.

So of course politicians and media people are furious with him.

For years he’s been a member of the Republican Party. But not long ago he joined his county’s Democratic Party. And was surprised to find himself welcomed, at home.

He admits he shouldn’t have been surprised. Sure, his tax limitation measures really vex politicians. But they don’t bother most Democrats. Indeed, one savvy Democrat explained it all to him on his first night in the party. The man said he had never known a Democrat who wanted his taxes to be higher just “so we can waste them on an ineffective government program.”

Only politicians, bureaucrats, and some crazed leftists want that.

The rest of humanity knows that you have to be careful with your money. Even in government. Imagine that!

As Eyman summarized his conversations with his fellow Democrats, “person after person, story after story, suggestion after suggestion . . . it was the same kind of stuff I’ve heard from supporters for years.”

Now, of course not everyone agrees with Eyman. One woman shook his hand, laughing, saying she opposed every initiative he’s ever done, and every one he would do in the future.

But the real truth of the matter is that limiting government is a bipartisan — no, omni-partisan — issue.

This is Common Sense. I’m Paul Jacob.

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This is a long story. And a sad one.

In the 1950s, Dorothy English and her husband bought twenty acres near Portland, Oregon. An investment in their future and their children’s future.

But in 1973, the family was shanghaied by draconian land-use regulations that stopped them from subdividing their property. Eventually Mrs. English’s lawyer counted 61 separate regulations hog-tying her property rights.

Dorothy English fought back.

In 2000, she championed a constitutional amendment to end regulatory takings abuse. The measure passed . . . but was struck down by judges who think it’s unconstitutional to prevent people from being robbed by government.

Then, in 2004, Mrs. English helped pass Measure 37, which orders compensation for victims of regulatory takings. Measure 37 survived challenge. Under its terms, Multnomah County had to waive the regulations on Mrs. English’s land or pay damages exceeding a million dollars.

By now Dorothy was in her 90s. The county knew that if she died before her case was settled, it could avoid paying her the judgment.

The county did run out the clock. The valiant lady has just passed away. Moreover, last year a deceptive ballot measure passed in Oregon that rolled back much of Measure 37.

Dorothy English died without finally regaining the rights to her own property. But she did win a legacy. Many will benefit because she refused to give up. Ever.

This is Common Sense. I’m Paul Jacob.

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I don’t live in Milwaukee County, so I’m not gasping right now. But, gasping or not, Milwaukee County residents have something the rest of us don’t. They have GASP.

GASP is the snappy acronym for CRG Network’s new Government Accountability in Spending Project. It’s an online database of information of Milwaukee County government’s finances. In the future, more local governments will go on the system. Right now, we can root around in the finances of this one county only. The search engine works like a breeze, and you can export the results of each search to a spreadsheet with an easy Export function.

CRG Network calls this “the ultimate in openness and transparency.” At crgnetwork.com it’s explained that “Scott Walker and the Milwaukee County stepped forward to be the first unit of Wisconsin government to commit” to this citizens’ resource. The project had funding help from the Sam Adams Foundation, National Taxpayers Union, and Citizens in Charge.

Hey, I’m affiliated with two of these outfits! So I guess I’m patting myself on the back.

But not really. The hard work was done by the county’s Information Management Services Division, Controller’s Office, and Department of Administration, with a lot of help from professional volunteers of the CRG Network.

If you want to see how a local government spends its billions, you can hardly do better than putting Milwaukee County onto your research agenda. Thanks to GASP.

This is Common Sense. I’m Paul Jacob.

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Hillary is up; Barack is down. Or is that vice versa? Mike is up; Rudy’s down.

Many presidential campaigns have their ups and downs, until only one remains “up.”

But the real story is: you are up.

It’s now your turn. Vote!

But as sly economists and clever mathematicians like to remind us, no one voter usually makes a difference. Our votes may be counted (if we’re lucky), but they don’t count — not like our dollars do. We voters don’t decide elections, individually. Certainly not presidential elections, which are designed to tally up preferences from huge pools of voters; it’s the ratio of the divergent streams of those pools that decide elections. Our individual votes are like drops in the bucket.

But, closer to home, our power — even as individuals — increases.

There are fewer voters, locally, so when we convince a friend or neighbor of the wisdom of X, or the justice of Y, or the pure thrilling statesmanship of Z, our influence can really amount to something.

So, if you are concerned with, say, the growing instability of our non-invested national pension system (Social Security), keep tabs on the issue, keep asking questions, keep needling the complacent. But don’t stop there. Look closer to home. Have your county, city, or state politicians enacted non-invested or even unfunded pension systems?

They have in many areas around the country. And citizens have fought back. They’ve made a difference.

You can, too.

This is Common Sense. I’m Paul Jacob.

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Shouldn’t the law apply to everyone equally?

We can argue about what the law should be, or at what rate to tax, or whether a certain regulation is needed. But once public policy is made, it ought to apply to me if it applies to thee. And vice versa.

No special deals for the “politically well-connected.”

Unfortunately, this very American notion of fair play gets tossed in the trash can with alarming frequency.

It just happened recently in High Point, North Carolina. Two big companies, TransTech Pharma and PharmaCore, are staying in High Point and expanding from 125 employees to 330.

First, congratulations. That means more money in the local economy and more tax dollars. Sort of.

I say “sort of” because city government gave over $3 million dollars in so-called incentives to the companies. The state of North Carolina wrote the companies a grant check for $6.5 million  more.

In other words: special deals for the big wheels. At the expense of every other business. Every family.

Councilman Mike Pugh voted no to the incentives. “I know it’s vital to get new industries started and to have them in your city,” he told reporters, “but I don’t believe in extortion. When multimillion dollar companies come to us while small businesses are suffering and say, ‘Give us money or we’ll leave or we won’t come at all,’ well, I think sometimes you just have to call their bluff.”

My goodness, Mike, that’s good old-fashioned American common sense. I’m Paul Jacob.

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Safe for now!

That’s the latest word from Lincoln Square, a commercial block in Chicago that was being targeted for takeover.

This summer, the Chicago Community Development Commission authorized an eminent-domain grab of 36 businesses, whose property would be turned over to an unnamed developer. The owners weren’t happy about having their property grabbed for the sake of installing a more lucrative tax base. But folks at the Institute for Justice, the Sam Adams Alliance, and many local activists also raised Cain about the city’s action. A group called Save Lincoln Square was created to organize opposition.

The activism culminated on December 5. Concerned citizens met up at Chicago Soccer, one of the shops that would have been kicked out by the taking.

A community meeting turned into a rally. The protesters marched nine blocks to the office of Alderman Gene Schulter, one of the leaders of the eminent domain plot, to demand an accounting. Schulter announced he would not vote for the eminent-domain proposal and would introduce a new plan. To take most of the businesses of Lincoln Square off the eminent-domain list and put them on a “voluntary acquisition” list instead. Heck, the eminent-domain thing was just an idea, Schulter told the press.

This seems more a holding action than a permanent victory. But you win wars by winning battles. And Lincoln Square has won a battle here.

Safe — for now.

This is Common Sense. I’m Paul Jacob.

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Hamilton County, Ohio’s Commission President Todd Portune has asked the county to “prepare for a doomsday scenario.”

Gee whiz, what’s going on? Is it terrorism? Global warming? Nuclear meltdown?

No. Nothing like that. It’s just that county voters said no to a sales tax increase. Portune and other politicians now feel honor-bound to scream that the sky will fall.

But it won’t. Instead, as NAACP president Christopher Smitherman told county government, “You’ve got to tighten your belt.”

The tax increase was largely intended to build a new jail, which residents simply aren’t convinced they need. County commissioners met this voter skepticism with shrill arrogance. They passed a new sales tax increase, even though voters just a year ago turned one down.

Looked like voters would just have to lump it. Except that didn’t sit so well with Daniel Regenold and Jason Gloyd. So, they built a diverse coalition to fight the tax increase, including the NAACP, the Libertarian Party, Citizens Opposed to Additional Spending and Taxes, the Green Party, as well as many volunteers.

Regenold started WeDemandaVote.com, which petitioned to put the tax increase on the ballot. Gloyd formed WeDemandaBetterPlan.com, which defeated the sales tax.

That’s why the Sam Adams Alliance just named the Daniel Regenold and Jason Gloyd of the We Demand coalition the 2007 winners of the Modern-Day Sam Adams award.

This is Common Sense. I’m Paul Jacob.

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Maine legislators made a big mistake with the term-limits-weakening measure they referred to voters just weeks ago: they forgot to lie.

The measure’s ballot title pretty much admitted that it would loosen the current term limits. That’s why the measure went down in flames.

Voters said no. Loudly.

No doubt that’s why, way out west, California Assembly Speaker Fabian Núñez and Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata and their respective political hacks are not trying anything so silly as honesty. Instead, they’re selling their Proposition 93 as a way to make California term limits even tougher. 

How? By slightly decreasing the years politicians can serve in both houses. But since a mere 8 percent of legislators serve full time in both chambers, the reduction is insignificant. More significant? The measure doubles how long politicians can serve in the Assembly, and extends Senate terms by half.

California bigwigs salivate at a return to leadership entrenchment and the seniority system.

Thankfully, as Maine voters were trouncing their legislature’s assault on term limits, California State Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner announced he would lead the campaign against Prop 93, contributing $1.5 million to the effort. California voters may just learn the truth about Proposition 93. And vote no. Loudly.

This is Common Sense. I’m Paul Jacob.

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Did you know that you could win cash from the Sam Adams Alliance by making a video or other media vehicle showcasing the battle for freedom?

I reported on the Sammy awards before. But darn it, not everybody catches every episode of Common Sense. And every freedom lover should know about this opportunity.

SamAdamsAlliance.org offers a top ten list about why to participate. #7 is: “Your bank account could really use $5,000. (Or $10,000!).” The website explains, “Sure, it’s not all about the money, but a job well done deserves a reward. We want to reward citizens for their efforts to defend liberty with outstanding leadership and creativity.”

Agreed. And hey: applying creativity should also be a hoot, which brings us up to #2 on the list. Sammy says: “Learning about important things is fun, but presenting them creatively is even funner.”

The #1 reason, of course, is that freedom needs our help. According to the Sam Adams Alliance, “many of the basic freedoms and rights outlined in the Declaration of Independence and Constitution are under attack by the very government that was formed to protect them. . . . You . . . can take part in fighting back. The Sammies are all about spotlighting and rewarding citizens working to defend liberty.”

And here you thought that the best you could get for your video was hits and cryptic feedback on YouTube! YouTube, shmootube — SamAdamsAlliance.org is where it’s at.

This is Common Sense. I’m Paul Jacob.

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The November 2007 election was an off-year election. Only a few states had legislative or gubernatorial races on the ballot. A few more states had statewide ballot measures, as had a number of cities and counties across America.

Still, I detected a clear message from voters on taxes: We pay enough already.

Washington state voters passed I-960, the Taxpayer Protection Act, which will make it tougher for legislators to raise taxes without voter input. Voters there also defeated a measure referred by legislators to reduce the super-majority requirements for passing school levies to a simple majority.

Meanwhile, voters in Oregon crushed an 84-cent-a-pack tax on cigarettes that would have funded health care for kids. Voters like health care and kids better than they like cigarettes, but they saw this as an unfair tax attack on smokers.

Voters sent the message elsewhere, too. I wonder if those running for office in 2008 might possibly hear it.

And speaking of receiving voter messages — When it comes to ballot measures there's no better place to get information than Ballotpedia. It’s just like Wikipedia, except for ballot stuff.

Ballotpedia.org is not the work of some expert in Washington, DC. It is a collaborative effort of hundreds and someday thousands of local political experts in communities across America, adding their unique and valuable knowledge.

No wonder the wiki resource is called “The Encyclopedia of Citizen-Powered Democracy.”

This is Common Sense. I’m Paul Jacob.

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Happy birthday, Illinois Policy Institute!

This plucky Illinois organization recently celebrated six years in the think-tank biz, spreading free-market ideas. It was started in 2001 on a shoestring budget by a "displaced" public affairs consultant, Greg Blankenship, formerly based in Washington, D.C.

Be glad the outfit he founded is still around, especially if you live in llinois. Because it's effective.

For example, recent testimony by IPI guys at state budget hearings helped expose a concocted "gross receipts tax." Blankenship says, "We had been outspoken on the dangers of taxing businesses, and were happy our information was used to make a difference." The tax was defeated.

IPI had clobbered another tax scheme a couple years earlier, a proposed "swap" of income tax and property tax. Blankenship reports, "Our main goal was to point out why decreasing taxes and limiting government is good for everyone."

I have another reason to celebrate the Illinois Policy Institute. The most recent feather in their cap is the hiring of John Tillman as their new chairman, a guy I've worked with at the Sam Adams Alliance.

John says advocates of liberty must explain the fundamental alternative of our age, freedom versus statism, in practical terms everyone can understand. For example, show how statism means you have to work 80 hours for wealth you could achieve in just 40 hours in an unhampered market, and folks are with you. As John puts it, "When the ideas are properly communicated, people choose freedom."

They do. Good point, John. And good luck.

This is Common Sense. I'm Paul Jacob.

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My car just died. It needs a new motor. Unfortunately, that costs more than the car is worth. But I don't really even care.

You see, as bad news goes, that's nothing. I'm much more focused on my felony indictment in Oklahoma – threatened with a ten-year prison term for that oh-so-violent crime of helping others petition their government.

Two years ago, I helped advise Rick Carpenter of Tulsa on a petition drive to cap state government spending. The petition company was experienced in the state. Moreover, the company checked with state officials on the rules for who could circulate a petition, and followed those rules.

But after the fact, the Oklahoma Supreme Court ruled differently: that even people living in the state for months were not considered residents unless they planned to live in Oklahoma permanently.

Now even longer after the fact, the state’s controversial Attorney General Drew Edmondson has moved to prosecute those of us working on the effort for criminal conspiracy. But we didn’t conspire to break the law, just to understand and follow it.

The goal of this prosecution seems to be to scare, to intimidate, to silence those who seek to use the voter initiative process to pass needed reforms on government. Well, it is scary. But we'll not allow our rights to be bullied away.

Maybe it's time for all Americans — conservative, liberal, populist, libertarian — to "conspire" together to take back our political system from the gutter. Before it's too late.

This is Common Sense. I'm Paul Jacob.

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Politics is a contact sport. That’s not news to Tim Eyman or Mike and Jack Fagan, who run Voters Want More Choices, the Washington State group behind the Taxpayer Protection Initiative, known as I-960 on this November’s ballot.

Thirteen years ago, these gents helped pass Initiative-601, requiring a two-thirds vote of the legislature to pass any tax increase. Says Eyman, “Despite repeated Chicken Little, sky-is-falling predictions by opponents and many in the media, I-601 has worked well. But during the past 13 years, the Legislature has punched loophole after loophole into it.”

Legislators have gone so far as to declare tax bills to be emergencies and even placed tax increases off-budget to avoid the controls of I-601.

I-960 closes the loopholes. It allows tax increases only by two-thirds legislative vote or a vote of the people, mandates public notice of any pending tax legislation, and ensures at least an advisory public vote, even when the Legislature attempts to block a binding one by declaring a tax increase to be an “emergency.”

Now, the usual suspects (politicians and special interests) are kicking up a fuss. For instance, they claim in the state voters’ pamphlet that I-960 will leave state government “vulnerable” to “recession, pandemic flu, or even terrorist attacks.”

What I-960’s opponents truly fear, of course, is vulnerability to the voters.

This is Common Sense. I’m Paul Jacob.

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One newspaper calls Leon Drolet, head of the Michigan Taxpayers Alliance, “a bully.” State Rep. Ed Gaffney calls him a “brown-shirted, knuckle-dragging thug.” The Detroit Free Press calls him “One of the most unpopular figures in Lansing,” Michigan’s capital.

What does all this name-calling mean? It means Drolet and the Michigan Taxpayers Alliance (MTA) are having a real impact.

You see, the political establishment — from politicians to special interests — want to raise taxes. The Michigan Taxpayers Alliance does not want a tax hike. The group wants state government to make do with less, just as Michigan taxpayers are having to do during their state’s recession.

But what is really getting the capitol crowd agitated is the fact that Michigan voters are now getting agitated — because Mr. Drolet is sounding the alarm on their threatened tax increase. In fact, Drolet has been using a 12-foot long, half-ton, fiberglass pink pig named “Mr. Perks” to symbolize the waste and arrogance in Lansing. Mr. Perks has visited various swing districts and is often parked outside the capitol in full view of deal-cutting legislators.

Most of all, with leadership from MTA, voters are doing some threatening of their own: the use of recall against legislators who vote to raise taxes.

Drolet is an active citizen, playing by the rules. So, just why doesn’t the political establishment like him?

This is Common Sense. I’m Paul Jacob.

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Why do they do it? These people who battle for sanity in the schools, who take on city hall, who recruit people to run for office, who challenge laws in court, who launch voter initiatives for reform.

People like 95-year old Dorothy English. She's battled for decades against local land-use regulators in Oregon for the simple right to give some of her land to her children. People like Dianna Pharr, a Texas mother taking on an unethical school district. Folks like Bryan Ault, who launched the recent online petition against Virginia's new, draconian mega-taxes slapped on certain traffic offenses.

These citizens who stand up risk attack and reprisal from the powerful and the well-connected. They incur bills. They work doing politics on some weekends when they could be playing golf. They sometimes make financial contributions they later have to explain to sometimes skeptical spouses.

I work full time in politics and public policy. It doesn't leave me a lot of extra time. Yet, the local leaders I know never cease to amaze me with how much they accomplish in addition to their real jobs.

Why do they do it? They believe in right and wrong. And they know that if they don't stand up for what's right, even when it's inconvenient, that right will not prevail. Most importantly, our right as citizens to control our government. Rather than the other way around.

This is Common Sense. I'm Paul Jacob.

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If you are like me, you may be on the fence. Hey, it would be fun to make a video and put it up on YouTube. Share ideas. Make fun of a local government boondoggle. Or pitch a political idea in a new, provocative way.

But, well, is it really worth the bother?

Now it is. This group I work with, our sponsor, the Sam Adams Alliance, has stepped in to sweeten the deal. They’re ready to give out cash for the best videos with the most creative or effective common-sense content.

They’ve introduced The Sammies.

That stands for Sam Adams, the man who brought America the Boston Tea Party. By awarding Sammies, the Sam Adams Alliance folk hope to promote what they call “Modern-Day Sam Adamses.”

Are you one? If you apply your talents to local issues, or liberty, you may very well be. Bob Costello, president of the Sam Adams Alliance, says he’s really looking forward to viewing “the creative ways people spread the word on important issues.

”The Sammies will award citizens not only for their videos, but their local-issue blog work, and campaigns. Thousands of dollars for each award; several categories.So, get off the fence. Go to samadamsalliance.org. Get creative!

And hey, even when I do get around to making my own videos, you won’t be competing with me. I’m disqualified. Close relationship with the judges. Pity, because, like you, I could use the extra bucks!

This is Common Sense. I’m Paul Jacob.

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The rush is on. It's picked up steam and is about to roll over us. Presidential Campaign 2008 has crunched into high gear.

We are going to be hearing a lot of politics for the next thirteen months. A lot of policy. A lot of rhetoric. A lot of rumination about that nearly mythical substance, "character."

And it will mean a whole lot less than it seems.

Why? It's a diversion. The presidential race is not where we, the everyday citizens, can have the most influence.

Where we can do the most good is closer to home. With our fellow citizens, our local politicians, who might actually listen to us.

And by using our initiative rights, even if that's only in our local township, we can get more than heard — we can make changes. For the good.

The federal level? That's where most of our attention goes. But it's tough, competing against the big players, the corporation heads, the union bosses, the well-paid lobbyists. The puffed-up professional politicians, who seem to listen to them, not us. Nope, the big players have mostly sewn up national politics. Oh, we can send some money to the candidates we like — say, Republican Ron Paul or Democrat Mike Gravel (you know, the guy who threw a rock in the lake) — but actual influence? I think there's more at the local level.

So don't let the presidential race become a diversion. I see more real solutions coming from you in your community than coming from our next president.

This is Common Sense. I'm Paul Jacob.

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You've heard about "speaking truth to power." How about speaking truth and getting attacked by power?
 
Dianna Pharr is a Texan who decided to get involved. The Eanes Independent School District, which governs the school her son went to, had money problems. The wealthy school district's budgets had become controversial in the community; proposed budget cuts seemed to cover everything but sports.
 
So Ms. Pharr did research. She gathered information. But when she offered to volunteer her services to put up public district information on a website, she was turned down.
 
So she put up the info on her own website. Without comment. The local library even linked to her site. 

And then the school board retaliated. The board released her young son's confidential medical information to the public during a school board meeting.
 
And they didn't apologize. No, they hired an attorney. Dianna Pharr took it all the way to Washington, D.C., defending her son pro se. And she got her judgment. But instead of obeying the law, apologizing, or changing procedures so that other children's rights were not violated, the school district appealed.
 
You know, I often say "power corrupts," but I still shake my head when a local school board decides to go rogue. Over power. Position. Secret spending.
 
WikiFoia , a website promoting Freedom of Information Act requests, presented Dianna Pharr with its Sunshine Troublemaker of the Week Award.

Keep up the fight, Dianna.
 
This is Common Sense. I'm Paul Jacob.

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ATTN: Ms. Pharr isn't done yet. She has asked the Education Department's Inspector General to look into the school district's behavior. You can make a difference in encouraging such an investigation by emailing or calling Education Secretary Margaret Spelling. Email her at margaret.spellings@ed.gov or you can call to leave a message with her office at 202-401-3000. Ask her to take action to hold the Eanes Independent School District accountable to the law. Please feel free to forward this Common Sense commentary.

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Eighty-four-year-old Nancy Breeden is not a property owner, but she's all in favor of tax cuts for property owners. As she puts it, "I just rent, but if property taxes were lowered I'd get rent relief."

Apparently Breeden didn't get the Marxist memo about how she's supposed to be on the other side of the class divide. She realizes low taxes and economic freedom are good not only for people with the most wealth and property. They're good for everybody.

Breeden and 300 Florida property owners converged on Tallahassee a few weeks ago to remind the lawmakers to cut property taxes.

Thanks to the organizational efforts of Floridians for Property Tax Reform, buses delivered demonstrators from all over the state. Governor Charlie Crist felt he had to drop by to address the crowd. "We will drop these taxes. We will get you relief," he told them. "We will make sure that you get to keep your money instead of government spending your money. It's your money."

There's always plenty of people pestering lawmakers to spend money on their pet projects. So it's always good to remind them that there's another constituency out there too. Folks not looking for a handout, but who just want to pay their own way with their own money.

Senate Finance and Tax Chairman Mike Haridopolos says: "I think there should be political pressure for us to reduce taxes."

Hey Mike, when you're right, you're right.

This is Common Sense. I'm Paul Jacob.

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He coulda been a contender. That's what I think when I hear about Tim Pawlenty, the second-term Republican governor of Minnesota.

Once, I'd have picked Pawlenty as a presidential candidate, or an astute choice for VP. But then, well, the governor was awfully lucky just to squeak back into office last year.

Pawlenty won his first term on a pledge not to raise taxes. But back in 2004, he buckled under legislative pressure to raise taxes. He floated a compromise, whereby he'd sign a 75-cent per pack cigarette tax for one of several policy changes the governor wanted. He added insult to injury by stupidly referring to the tax as a user fee.

In his defense, what there is, Pawlenty did want to trade for good stuff. Among the items he offered to swap the legislature for was establishing a statewide voter initiative process. A great idea. But come on, as politics works, Minnesota voters just ended up with tax increases.

This year, though, Pawlenty has returned to form, or maybe he's grown in office, because he vetoed 20 tax and spending increases passed by the legislature.

Of course, none of this happens in a vacuum. Thank goodness for the Taxpayers League of Minnesota, running a smart and aggressive campaign. And it sure didn't hurt to have Mr. Right, talk show host Jason Lewis, back in the state. He held a huge capitol rally against the increases.

It takes a lot of work from citizens to instill into an elected official the heart of a champion.

This is Common Sense. I'm Paul Jacob.

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In Grand Rapids, Michigan, in order to force a recall election the law requires the signatures of 16,500 registered voters on petitions.

Recently, the Committee for Positive Community Change launched a recall campaign against Board of Education member David Allen. The Michigan Education Association has reportedly assisted the group's recall campaign.

And, then, there they were on the deadline day turning in their signatures. The group's leader Kenneth Muhammad, also a local Nation of Islam leader, told reporters, "As far as we are concerned, we met our objectives."

So, just how many signatures did they get? Well, I'll tell you in a minute.

First things first: Why did they want to recall Mr. Allen? None of the reasons given made sense to the Grand Rapids Press.In a recent editorial they called the recall effort "ridiculous," "misleading," and "absurd."

You see, Allen's crime was to save the school district a ton of tax money by privatizing some transportation services and the substitute teachers. In fact, that display of good sense caused Kyle Olson of the newly formed Education Action Group to pledge his group's support for Allen.
 
Okay. So, I know you're dying to hear the number — just how many signatures did they get? A whopping three signatures. Just three.
 
If you look on the bright side, though, the group was only 16,500 signatures short.

This is Common Sense. I'm Paul Jacob.

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"Lifelong learning." It's the buzz phrase for people who realize it's never too late to learn.

The phrase is almost a cliche in business. It should be that common in politics, too. After all, even activists with an abundance of natural charisma and organizational talent can use a little expert guidance from old hands.

And that's what the Michigan Taxpayers Alliance offers: Expert guidance. The MTA has made a name for itself helping Michigan taxpayers. Now the group is collaborating with a Wisconsin outfit called Citizens for Responsible Government, conducting so-called "Recall Boot Camps." CRG Network has helped recall 15 politicians in its own state. The idea is to spread that success to Michigan, where some still recall the recalls of 1983.

Office-holders who raise taxes or engage in sneaky corruption need booting out. A boot camp to help along this booting-out process is just the ticket.

The Michigan Taxpayers Alliance also recently helped organize a march by some 500 taxpayers to the state capital. The message? "Enough is enough, No new taxes! Cut spending!" Michigan's economy has been troubled in part because of a slump in the auto industry. So you know the first thing politicians want to do is make it even harder for constituents to pay their bills.

Marches, boot camps . . . I know this sounds all very military. But if we want politicians to stick to principles, then a little discipline on the part of citizens becomes necessary.

This is Common Sense. I'm Paul Jacob.

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Open government is not the most passionate political issue. But you can't have a free society if citizens don't control their government. And citizens can't effectively control government if they can't find out what government's up to.

Information is power. The truth shall set you free.

Of course, some folks in government don't always see it this way. Sometimes they'd like to do things their own way and not have pesky citizens butting in. We can understand, but that's why there are laws to protect citizen access to information.

Let's celebrate Linda Seiler's recent victory in Old Bridge, New Jersey. But why did she have to fight so hard to get the lousy minutes to an executive session of the Old Bridge Economic Development Corporation?

Since 2005, the Washington, DC police have lost track of 1,500 Freedom of Information Act inquiries, replying to less than one out of every seven. Certainly the police should follow the law.

I like the attitude of John Ehinger with The Huntsville Times in Alabama. He thought a recent closed meeting of the Madison City Council to discuss "economic development" was lawful. But he argued that holding the meeting in secret was still a big mistake.

"If things work out, Madison will chip in millions for a shopping center," he wrote. "Those millions will come out of the pockets of the Madison citizenry. Don't people have a right to know what something's going to cost them?"

The answer is yes.

This is Common Sense. I'm Paul Jacob. 

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Year in, year out, politicians struggle to undermine or repeal the state and local term limits that apply to them.

Sometimes they pull it off. But more often it’s the citizens who succeed in defeating their representatives’ often-dishonest efforts.

In Lansing, Illinois, a measure to repeal local term limits didn’t even include the words “term limits.” It just innocently inquired whether officials should be allowed to serve as long as voters keep electing them. Thanks in part to loud objections from local official Bob Ryan, Lansing voters saw through the ploy.

In Arkansas, recent attempts to weaken term limits died in committee. Politicians complained that TV ads criticizing their attempt continued to air after the bills had expired. I can only invite enemies of term limits to better coordinate their plans with the friends of term limits.

In Canyon Lake, California, Dawn Haggarty is fighting an attempt by Canyon Lake politicians to undo term limits. After recounting all the cronyism, misspending, bad faith and other corruption she fought when she was in local government, she notes that term limits law “doesn’t keep good people away. . . . [It] gives more people a chance to experience the position, and it is really the only way to assure being able to get rid of a bad Director.”

More electoral competition. Less entrenched corruption. That’s why voters passed term limits to begin with. And why they’ll fight to keep them.

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Congratulations! You did it! And I mean you, listening to the radio in your car, or peering through your email inbox or surfing the Web to SamAdamsAlliance.org.

If you were one of the thousands who called or wrote the Target Corporation or took a flyer to your local store, asking Target not to be part of any eminent domain abuse, well, you won. We all won.

I've talked several times about the Arlington Heights, Illinois, government using eminent domain to push out small businesses at the International Plaza shopping center. You see, the village had a deal with Target to build a $19 million Super Target on that property.

But the owner and tenants of International Plaza fought. And people rallied ‘round them. The folks at the new Sam Adams Alliance began to publicize the issue nationwide, and so did this commentary program. There are a lot of good neighbors across this country. We urged folks thousands of miles from Arlington Heights to speak out to Target as customers.

It worked. Target received thousands of letters, emails, flyers and phone calls. And Target pulled out of the deal. According to comments made by the mayor when the village board also voted to terminate the deal, it was the public response that moved Target. For now, International Plaza is safe.

So, let’s shop ‘til we drop. At International Plaza. At Target. Wherever free citizens so choose. Thanks to you.

This is Common Sense. I'm Paul Jacob. 

Show Target your appreciation - and remind them to continue to respect property rights in the future! Download and print this letter, and take to the manager at your local Target branch.

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