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NEWS & COMMENTARY
Dirty Politics Can't Stop Taxpayers
By John P. Krudy Petitions provide citizens an important check on elected officials, forcing politicians to abide by the will of the people instead of the will of the government. But voters trying to recall the Michigan House speaker by petition have found their opponents aren’t so concerned with the democratic process. “They’re
Free to Choose Media: Telling the Story of Freedom
By Anastasia Ealey What comes to mind when you hear the name Milton Friedman? Maybe his name evokes thoughts of capitalism or free market economics. Or maybe thoughts of liberty and monetary policy. Friedman is also well-known for his PBS television series and book titled “Free To Choose,” which address the “interrelationship of personal, political, and economic freedom.” Both the series and the book took off in the 1980s—and t
Do you know the truth in 2008?
By Christina Miller Did you know that you’re $183,000 in debt? No, it’s not your mortgage. Or your student loans. Or that credit card payment you let go. Nor is that what you owe to the IRS this year—though it may seem that way. $183,000 is your share of the national debt. That may seem like a lot, until you consider that the official debt is over $9 trillion. But wait—there’s more! That’s the official debt.
The Sam Adams Alliance Announces 2008 Sammies Awards
The Sam Adams Alliance announced the 2008 Sammies, a series of awards for outstanding citizen leadership and creativity, today.
Rage Against the Voting Machine
By Anastasia Ealey Voting can be a delicate, controversial matter. So the fact that Diebold electronic voting machines have attempted to bring relative ease to the process should be a welcome change, right? Not so fast. Unfortunately, these attempts have, in many cases, proven to be disastrous.
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BLOG
Well, folks, it’s been a fun ride. Or, more appropriately, a fun tea party. The Sam Adams Alliance Tea Party blog is officially closing. However, don’t be sad—we’re launching a new and exciting web project that you’re going to want to get involved with. It’s called Blogivists.com.
Maybe Big Brother really is watching
In California, child protection services recently took Nate Tseglin, a 17-year-old autistic boy, out of his home after a teacher filed a complaint about the arm braces he wore to keep him from scratching himself (such behavior is not uncommon among autistics). The California government forcibly removed Nate from his home and he is currently institutionalized at a hospital, labeled a danger to himself and others.
A public good is an economic commodity most efficiently provided by the government. Public goods include things like national defense and border control, the benefits of which cannot be withheld from any single consumer. That means these services are rarely marketable commodities.
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COMMON SENSE
Blazing trails can be fun and exciting. But sooner or later, along come the folks who want to put a damper on things. Regulate you. Even threaten you.So it is with the wide open spaces of the Internet, where people go to speak their minds.A website about New York politics called Room 8 received a subpoena from Bronx prosecutors, trying to force the publishers to help identify persons blogging at the site anonymously.
The shot heard round the world in 1775 was momentous. But it was only the beginning of a particular struggle to secure rights.Advocates of the right to keep and bear arms won a great victory in the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision, District of Columbia v. Heller.This ruling, too, is a momentous event, and one that will ricochet.
One of the biggest post-9/11 policy blunders was the Sovietization of airport security. Some TSA screeners try to be civil even as they grab your almost-empty tube of toothpaste, as if there were a security risk there. A few seem to be in a permanent bad mood, ready to snarl if you give the least evidence of expecting civility.You can actually be arrested just for “distracting” a TSA officer. What counts as an actionable distraction? Who knows? Let’s jus
An Affirmative End to Preferences
Do you support negative action programs?I didn’t think so. But you might be more inclined to support such programs if they’re labeled “affirmative action.” Around the country citizens have been fighting to stop government programs that grant preferences to some citizens over others on the basis of their race or sex. To me, and apparently to most voters, such preferences are simply racist and sexist.
When Congress began meddling in interstate commerce, using the most generous criteria to justify federal interference in private business and state powers, critics with common sense argued that the ultimate result would be absurdity. If Congress wasn’t made to stick to the powers Constitutionally enumerated, then there would be nothing Congress wouldn’t do!The proponents of big government said, in effect, “Don’t be ridiculous.”
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EVENTS
Join State Policy Network for their 16th Annual Meeting in Scottsdale, Arizona, on September 10-12, 2008.
TOOLKIT
Action Toolkit Theatre provides a fun spin on our Sam Adams Action Toolkit chapters. Learn how Sam Adams staff handle tasks that are important to any leadership endeavor.Scroll to the bottom of any of these Action Toolkit chapters to view the associated video clip. Spread the Word A Guide to Visual Communications
So now you know how to investigate your government. The next step is to share what you discovered. But how do you effectively spread the word? Well, if anyone knows how to sell a story about government corruption, it’s Chris Kliesmet and Orville Seymer. These two, founders of Wisconsin’s Citizens for Responsible Government Network, are experts at spreading the word once they’ve exposed the truth about corrupt, irresponsible, and unresponsive polit
Orville Seymer, one of the founding members of Citizens for Responsible Government Network (CRG) in Wisconsin, has helped his organization earn a reputation for holding elected officials accountable. With CRG’s guidance, citizen groups across the state have successfully investigated their governments and exposed corruption. Here, Orv shares some advice about how to use open records requests to do the same. The gover
How to stay current with blogs
In addition to keeping track of your issue in the news, you also need to stay in-the know about the general political climate in your state. A great way to do this is by reading political blogs in your state. Find blogsA few great places to find blogs in your state are through our state resource guides and rightyblogs.
You'll likely encounter lots of wonderful volunteers while working with your organization. However, you’ll also probably have to deal with a few volunteers that cause trouble. Here, we’ll show you the different types of “problem volunteers” and how to deal with them. "Problem volunteers" can come in many different forms. Here are some common types:Those who want to use your organization for their own agenda.Those who have lots
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ABOUT
America’s greatest strength is its foundation in freedom – a foundation that was revolutionary at the time and continues to shape the world today. America’s prosperity, innovation, and success, unprecedented in history, are firmly rooted in the freedom of its citizens and their ability to shape their own paths and goals. Unfortunately, some of our most basic rights and freedoms have been eroded in the United States—and they are not going to be protected by
Nic Hall, Alliance Department Coordinator nic.hall at samadamsalliance.org Paul Jacob, Senior Advisor paul.jacob at samadamsalliance.orgPatsy Maunsell, Accountingpatsy.maunsell at samadamsalliance.org
Sam Adams was a founding father who understood that real political change begins with strong citizen networks and local action.For over ten years prior to 1776, Sam and his network of local leaders primed the ground for the American Revolution and paved the way for the rights and freedoms outlined in the Constitution.Fast Facts about Sam Adams: Sam Adams was born on September 27, 1722 in Boston.President John Adams was one of Sam
Q: What is the Sam Adams Alliance, and what does it do?A: The Sam Adams Alliance spreads the word about government accountability, shares best practices, and offers networking opportunities for community leaders across the country. It also publishes a quarterly magazine, e-mail newsletters, holds events, and produces the radio and Internet commentary program Common Sense with Paul Jacob. Q: An
