Archive
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.
First, find bloggers who talk about your issue. Once you know who you want to reach, think about how your issue relates to that person and their blog. Write your ideas down; you will refer to them when you write your pitch letter.
Forgive me if I over-imbibe. I tip only one drink per day, but that’s one too many...according to some folk.
I refer, of course, to Coke.
Fighting for Justice in St. Louis: Jim Roos
Jim Roos, 63, has long been concerned with issues of justice. So when the St. Louis city government snatched a whopping 24 of his real estate company's properties to put up quarter-million-dollar homes in their place, he decided to roll up his sleeves and fight back.
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.
Connecting Concerned Citizens in Wisconsin: Chris Kliesmet and Orville Seymer
Businessman Chris Kliesmet and former ironworker Orville Seymer form an unlikely partnership—“We’re like Mutt and Jeff,” Chris says. But despite their differences, they have united behind the Citizens for Responsible Government (CRG) Network to make a difference in local politics in Wisconsin—and they know that people around the country can do the same to keep their local governments accountable.
When you send out a press release, it’s very important to make sure it goes to the right people—if you send your article about tax reform to the food editor, for instance, odds are that it won’t be published. Here’s what you can do to make sure your information ends up in the right hands.
Join us for food, drink and merriment!
The Sam Adams Alliance's FreedomPalooza only happens once a month, and it's happening in the Loop this Thursday. Why miss it?
Bringing "Excellent Education for Everyone" to New Jersey: Dan Gaby
If you’ve ever played Monopoly, you know just how easy it is to rake in that pastel-colored cash when you control large swaths of the board. If your competitors have no choice but to land on your properties, you can force them, under the rules, to pay large sums of money—and, frequently, send them right to the poor house and straight out of the game.
Keeping an eye on local government: Harold Hamilton, Anoka County, Minnesota
Harold Hamilton of Anoka County, MN, initially formed his website out of frustration with the local government. Nearly two years later, his site, the Anoka County Watchdog, has already made a real impact in holding the local government accountable to the taxpayers.
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.
Good research is the foundation of any effort for community change. It’s also important to stay current once you know everything you can about your issue. One way you can do that is by tracking your issue online. Here’s how.
Good News for International Plaza: Target Backs Down!
Supporters of freedom, property rights, and the American Dream in Arlington Heights, Illinois, got some good news this week: after nearly five years of fighting, International Plaza tenants have saved the property from eminent domain abuse, at least for the time being.
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.”
Why has Illinois's governor, Rod Blagojevich, cooked up such a crazy new tax? Could it really be that he doesn't understand the first thing about economics, business, or accounting?
Governments are supposed to administer elections, with impartiality. Not take sides. Because you can't have a fair election when the referee is playing for one of the teams.
In Douglas Adams’s Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, hero Arthur Dent loses his house to his government’s hired bulldozers just as the officious Vogons destroy Earth itself to make way for a hyperspace express route. The Vogons are unsympathetic to any Earthling complaint. After all, papers for this eminent domain taking had been on public display in an office in Alpha Centauri. Can’t happen here?
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.
We often take freedom of speech for granted. We shouldn’t. And we expect those in government to serve the people, not themselves. But reality is often far different.
500 citizens storm capitol for tax rally
When 500 Michigan taxpayers stormed the capitol with an anti-tax rally, it was Leon Drolet leading the efforts to get the word out and unite like-minded citizens and groups.
As it turns out, he’s just getting started.
Blogging for Accountable Government: Staci Craig, Kansas City, MO
If Kansas City bureaucrats thought citizens weren’t paying attention to their shenanigans involving tax-increment-financing (TIF) projects, they were very wrong.
When the government comes after your tree house...
When the mayor of Clinton, Mississippi tried to force the Welch family to take down their children’s tree house, people across the community banded together to keep the play structure up.
Fifty-year open government effort succeeds in Virginia
After spending more than five decades making government more open at the state and local level, Frosty Landon's efforts have clearly paid off. Virginia is one of the top states for citizen access to public information, according to a 2002 national survey by the Better Government Association.
