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October 28, 2008 by
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The is offering $1,000 in cash plus flip cam prizes for shockingly good videos that demonstrate citizen activists’ efforts to protect the integrity of the voting process. From VIP’s page…
The contest’s scope is broad. VIP is looking for both ideas and action, both theory and practice. Acceptable submissions include (but are in no way limited to):
* Rants or demonstrations on how election fraud threatens the democratic process
* Documented instances of election fraud in practice or other suspicious election-related activity
* Any combination of the twoThinking outside-the-box, being creative and showcasing talents are all highly recommended. One might dress up, go out in public, dance, sing a song, or present a short narrative. Those with more serious personalities may video their vote, ask voters questions about the election process, or document a poll-watching experience. Perhaps even some real investigative work. Ultimately, anything that helps protect the integrity of voting.
Absolutely outrageous. Of course, Eapen to the charges. I hope he’s working on a deal that drags more Chicago vote fraud out into the sunshine.
In other Chicago corruption news, the that 44 new investigations were started July-September 2008, in contrast to only 8 in the same quarter in 2007.
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Let’s hope that these investigations lead to punishment for any wrongdoing, fraud, and misuse of public trust, but also serve as deterrents to people desiring to continue along the old Chicago Way of doing business.
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October 23, 2008 by
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A friend of mine that is a school superintendent always grumps and grouses when I push him to open up his school’s books to taxpayers. He’s generally a good government guy, and has even lobbied for sunshine legislation in other areas, but seems to have a real problem with demands for school transparency. My argument to him is always this: Using our education dollars wisely, including through competitive bidding and purging wasteful expenditures, increases the value each student receives through those tax monies. More efficiency = more dollars in classrooms = better education for the next generation of leaders. Apparently, I am not the only one that feels this way.
Yesterday, an titled viagra levitra cialis ran in viagra levitra cialis, calling out the Oklahoman Education Association for pushing through the HOPE ballot initiative. This initiative would, according to , viagra levitra cialis That would mean a huge increase in education spending for the state of Oklahoma.
More money is great, right? Well, not so fast.
Groups like , , , and the as well as many legislators and newspapers have come out against the initiative because they say it would bankrupt the state and put existing projects and proposals on the chopping block. Another, very important reason these groups are in opposition is because does not currently require transparency in education dollars, leaving taxpayers in the dark on how their money is spent now. No new transparency will be required with the new proposal- just more money.
The sums it up well: (I’m borrowing liberally- hope the ed board doesn’t mind…)
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If the OEA wants more credibility, they need to be open to taxpayers. If they need suggestions on how to do this, check out the and the ‘s .
Read unbiased information about the OEA HOPE ballot initiative .
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October 20, 2008 by
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This past weekend I had the opportunity to meet some of the awesome Wisconsin blogging community at SamSphere Milwaukee, which was co-hosted by . is a project of the which seeks to recruit, train, and connect free-market bloggers in hopes they will work together to enact local change. Some of this change occurs through highlighting corruption or a lack of .
Check out some local bloggers with a history of shedding some light on government actions:
There are many others… if you know of some good ones, list ‘em in comments. Thanks to everyone that participated and helped with SamSphere- can’t wait to come back up!
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October 17, 2008 by
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hosted John Tsarpalas, the COO from the , on her blog talk radio show yesterday. The pair had a great discussion that covered capitalism in current events, the role of bloggers in communicating the truth about today’s political environment, as well as the SAA’s projects , , , our very own , and much more.
Go check it out !
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October 13, 2008 by
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Local Oklahoman activist David Starkey won a battle for transparency this week when judges in Rogers County will once again allow the public into courtrooms. Starkey had documented several instances of the public turned away, including where District Judge Dwayne Steidley had posted a sign that said “Only Defendants are allowed in the court room. Family and friends must stay in the hallway.” In other words, Taxpayers: I’ll send ya the bill, but don’t expect any access to justice.
Starkey, who has a long list of grievances regarding the Rogers County courts, started a website to document abuses of power and other court-related issues.
viagra levitra cialis picked up the story:
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Presiding Judge Dynda Post ordered Judge Steidley’s sign down and scheduled a meeting to make sure judges are allowing the public into courtrooms.
Thank you, David Starkey and other activists, for helping to make these courts more transparent. One small victory for Rogers County… one giant leap for taxpayer access.
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October 9, 2008 by
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Chicago is often called “The City that Works,” but according to a report by Chicago Inspector General David Hoffman, that title should not necessarily include the city’s .
It only takes a quick review of the day’s headlines to know it’s going to be another bad, bad day for Mayor Daley, who is on the cusp of releasing a city budget that is an estimated $420 million in the red.
Chicago Sun-Times Editorial:
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Chicago Tribune:
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Shockingly (NOT!), union leaders are already crying foul, offering up a conspiracy theory that claims Mayor Daley is in cahoots with the Inspector General in an attempt to justify cutting sanitation jobs before Daley’s big red budget release.
Chicago Sun-Times:
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Downed truck. Truck between loads. Right, right, right…
Read the full for yourself- and prepare to be disgusted.
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October 9, 2008 by
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The of Ohio continues its call for transparency, asking 1,400 candidates for office to sign their transparency pledge. The meat of the cites specific objectives for transparency in every level of government.
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Check out Buckeye’s to see the candidates vowing to show you how they spend your money.
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October 8, 2008 by
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I was perusing the new and fabulous when I came upon a describing the bullying tactics is using against Riccardo A. Mora of Norridge, Illinois. Mr. Mora’s offense? Too many FOIAs, that is, he requested 21 Freedom of Information requests since February 08.
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Wow- using public information gathered from the school district to become informed on a bonding-type issue seems… radical? The school board apparently thought so, as they retained the services of the Schartz, Lipton and Taylor law firm of Chicago to deal with Mr. Mora’s FOIA requests. The firm sent a letter letting Mr. Mora know they are keeping an eye on him.
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Read the rest of the law firm’s letter .
Mis-using FOIA? What is the purpose of the ? Well, in Illinois, the purpose can be found in :
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(emphasis mine)
Sounds like Mr. Mora is doing exactly what the Act was designed to enable- citizen activism and oversight. Here’s an idea: Ridgewood High School District 234 should volunteer to be more open with taxpayers, so FOIAs aren’t necessary to see how their tax dollars are spent. (See the for ideas.)
Furthermore… schools should consider teaching children how to petition their government through FOIA requests as a way to bring civics back into the classroom. This would promote citizen involvement and allow more people to keep and eye on what’s happening behind the doors of government. After all, Responsible Citizens = Responsive Government.
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October 6, 2008 by
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Kentucky Governor is requesting feedback on the state’s new transparency site, . Gov. Beshear created the site through executive order, but likely followed the lead of visionary Secretary of State . The deadline for comments is October 17th.
Experiencing some writers block?
Shop for ideas on or check out ‘s outstanding proposals .
H/T: ATR