Transparency
Ben Joravsky Throws Lifeline to Chicago Taxpayers Drowning in $400 Million TIF Slush Fund
In the recent movie "Rescue Dawn," a U.S. fighter pilot struggles to survive after being shot down on a mission over Laos during the Vietnam War. In present-day Chicago, Ben Joravsky, a columnist for the Chicago Reader, jokes that his experience is similar—only instead of battling in the jungles of Laos, Joravsky is fighting to save apathetic Chicago citizens from a wildly corrupt Chicago city government.
Nevertheless, both are war zones.
Creating a Movement for Reform in New Jersey
There are 1,600 different government entities in New Jersey, including 616 school districts and 600 towns--all this for the fourth smallest state in the country. Is it any wonder, then, that there is such little government accountability and transparency in this inevitable mess of paperwork?
Enter the New Jersey Taxpayers Association, a statewide group that plans to clear the way for pro-taxpayer reform in the third-highest taxed state in the country.
The Right to Know: Jan Murphy's Fight for Good Government In Pennsylvania
The average debt for a student graduating from college is about $20,000. How, then, did the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency (PHEAA), which awards scholarships to Pennsylvania students pursuing higher education, justify spending over $800,000 on trips and spa retreats for employees? Well, they didn't. The PHEAA concealed all of the records detailing the receipts and costs of these trips and sent the bill to unknowing Pennsylvania taxpayers.
A Citizen Watchdog in Texas: Jennnifer LaFleur
Although longtime journalist Jennifer LaFleur specializes in a Citizen Watchdog column for the Dallas Morning News, she says she's not alone in her field.
"I would hope most journalists are watchdogs," she says. "It's our job to dig out corruption and correct wrongdoings. When we hold government up to do what they are supposed to do, we make them accountable."
Opening the Effort for Open Records: Sara Key and WikiFOIA
Five years ago, barely anyone had heard of a “wiki” website, but today, Internet users everywhere are using the interactive, user-created sites to share information and solve complex problems.
Although wiki websites thrive on massive participation and an open platform, they also need someone to get the ball rolling so that the conversation can get started. That’s where Sara Key of WikiFOIA came in—and now the website that she built is one of the leaders in compiling information on public records laws nationwide.
The Importance of Having Persistence: Chetly Zarko's Fight for Educational Transparency
Should taxpayers know what public employees are doing with their money? Chetly Zarko, a Michigan resident and government transparency specialist, thinks it's a pretty obvious answer--"Yes." But when Zarko began requesting public records from the local teachers' union, he found out that things aren't always so simple. The Michigan Education Association, it turns out, likes to keep certain things under wraps.
Shining a spotlight on Texas School Systems: Peyton Wolcott
When Peyton Wolcott began volunteering at her daughter's high school in Horseshoe Bay, Texas she found it odd that her daughter had to raise money for her choir gown even though the school set aside money for costumes and uniforms. So Wolcott filed her first Texas Public Information Act request--and now, after years of steadfast devotion, she has become one of Texas's foremost champions of government accountability and transparency.
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.
Massachusetts Government Reaches the Masses
A lot of people work what are called "regular hours." And for these people, it's not always easy to "interface" with government.
Helping Government Officials Face the Music: Colorado's Face the State
Face the State, a new political website, didn’t take long to jump into the spotlight. Within a week of its launch, the Colorado-based site unearthed a typo-filled e-mail from State Rep. Mike Merrifield, an elected official and school choice opponent, where he said that those in favor of charter schools “deserve a special place in hell.”
Lifting the Lid off of Pennsylvania Government
Jamie Blaine, a former US Army Staff Sergeant, teacher and newspaper publisher from Avondale, Pennsylvania, had done a lot of things before this past April—but blogging wasn’t one of them. That was before he launched PassOpenRecords.org, a new website advocating for more open, transparent government.
“You shouldn’t go around touting that you balanced your budget when your deficit is $44 billion.” Good advice, no? Well, Sheila Weinberg said it first. Ms. Weinberg has taken on the world’s most yawner of a topic, accounting, and is trying to get your attention. If we don’t (or can’t) follow our governments’ accounts, politicians and bureaucrats will rob us blind.
It looks like citizens of Milwaukee, Wisconsin have a good chance of stopping a fat pay raise of the sort that politicians love to give themselves.
When is a non-profit energy company set up to save taxpayers money not non-profit and not saving taxpayers money? Short answer: when it’s the Illinois Energy Consortium.
Tell Target: Don't Bulldoze Property Rights!
Small businesses are at risk - stand up for property rights today. Click here to read more and to download a printable flyer that you can give to the manager at your local Target store.
