A look at fiscally controversial 2007 Farm Bill by Taxpayers for Common Sense

The 2007 Farm Bill (H.R. 2419) is yet to be finalized. It is a popular bone of contention to fiscal reformers who see way to much waste and antiquated spending clauses in the annual spending bill. Taxpayers for Common Sense gives us an analysis of what it included in this year's bill being legislated on right now, and suggests ways to correct it and bring it under fiscal control for the American taxpayer.

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President Bush accepting undisclosed big money contributions for his presidential library while in office

The Sunlight Foundation blog has a post today on a much neglected ethical breach participated by the Bush administration-- he is, right now, accepting undisclosed very large financial contributons from people, corporations and other countries for his developing presidential library! This is an open door to corruption right now as we speak, because at this same time he is holding the nation's highest public office. There is at least one bill addressing this problem in Congress-- the Presidential Library Donation Reform Act of 2007 (H.R. 1254), which requires the disclosure of contributors to the libraries.

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Tell your US Senators to vote FOR Consumer Product Safety Reform Act of 2007

Public Citizen wants us to tell our US Senators to vote FOR on a bill to reform the Consumer Protect Safety Commission (CPSC) - and protect us from defective and dangerous products. They are expect to vote on it next week. If you are having difficulties with the webpage, or would like to call them instead, the Capitol Switchboard number is 202-224-3121.

Although the Consumer Product Safety Reform Act of 2007 (S. 2663) will give the CPSC much-needed muscle, it could be stronger than it is. For example, the maximum fine for violating the Act has been reduced from $100 million to $10 million, or $20 million in "aggravated" circumstances, a pittance for multibillion-dollar corporations. However, the current bill makes valuable improvements over current law that must be defended.

TAKE ACTION: Urge your senators to vote FOR the Consumer Product Safety bill and strong, consumer-friendly amendments and AGAINST amendments that put industry interests before consumers! Thank you

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2007 National Government Ethics Survey released by the Ethics Resource Center

On January 29th, the Ethics Resource Center released the National Government Ethics Survey (NGES). 774 federal, state and local government employees were interviewed by telephone for NGES from June 25- August 15, 2007. From its press release:

" Slightly less than one-third (30%) of federal workers surveyed believe their organizations have well-implemented ethics and compliance programs, which ERC has found greatly reduce the incidence of misconduct. Only one in 10 said there is, indeed, a strong ethical culture in their federal workplace. But the results were considerably less impressive at the state level (where only 14% saw strong ethics programs and a mere 7% perceive a truly ethical culture) and in local government (where the figures were 14% and 9%, respectively).

Almost two thirds of local government employees (63%) said they observed at least one type of misconduct in the previous year. At the state level, the rate of reported misconduct was 57%, while 52% of federal workers had witnessed ethics breeches. In the aggregate, 57% of public servants surveyed had observed misconduct in the past year. There has been no improvement since ERC's last survey of government employees in 2005, and the rate is worse than that of the biennial survey in 2003.

Local government had the highest level of workers who witnessed misconduct but did not report it – 34%. That compares with 29% at the state level and 25% within federal agencies. "

This free downloadable report requires registration with ERC. Also, related webcasts, articles and other information is available at http://www.ethics.org/.

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Free "Ceasefire! Bridging the Political Divide" forum webcast on political reform

Presented by the Center on Communication Leadership at the USC Annenberg School for Communication, Ceasefire! Bridging the Political Divide is a forum for exploring ways to improve political dialogue and decision making at all levels.

Convened by Mayor Mike Bloomberg and Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, the conference features a keynote address by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. The program also features remarks by Governor Janet Napolitano, chair of the National Governors Association and two important panel discussions featuring key journalists, political strategists, philanthropists, and non-profit community leaders.

Free webcasts are still available for internet viewing for the June 18-19, 2007 Los Angeles forum.

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U.S. Rep. John Murtha is 2007 Porker of the Year

Well, it's been voted on by you, the citizens at Citizens Against Government Waste-- U.S. Representative John Murtha (Dem.-PA) is the "coveted" (by Murtha) 2007 Porker of the Year!

You saw him throw a temper tantrum and threaten fellow appropriations committee members where his earmarks are often made last May, and voted him Porker of the Month.

But he didn't stop there. Rep. Jack Murtha has long been known inside the Beltway for using threats, power plays, and backroom deals to control spending decisions. There is an area of the House floor known as “Murtha’s Corner,” where the legendary appropriator dispenses earmarks.

Get more of the sordid details of this legendary porkmeister at a webpage devoted just for this "coveted" prize at Swine Line blog.

UPDATE: Judicial Watch's Corruption Chronicles blog shares with us the annual appreciation dinner for Rep. Murtha by the same contractors that enjoy the free federal money known as earmarks:

" To show their appreciation, the contractors hold an annual payback dinner for Murtha at a fancy Washington-area venue. This year’s event (“an evening with Jack and Joyce Murtha”) is scheduled for February 27 at the Ritz-Carlton Pentagon City in Virginia, across the Potomac from Washington. Diners (earmark recipients) will pay $1,500 a person to eat with Murtha and his wife.

Of interesting note is that the invitations to the costly dinner were sent out right before the annual deadline for earmark applications. Murtha ended up getting more earmark dollars than any other legislator in the massive 2008 military spending bill. He secured 48 earmarks for a total $150.5 million. "

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Presidential candidate fundraising in 2007

The Campaign Finance Institute has issued a press release on this election cycle's presidental candidate fundraising, and how it compares with the odd year of previous cycles. The data includes all of 2007, up to the latest from the Federal Election Commission (FEC).

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Citizen's guide to financial state of U.S. government

The U.S. Department of the Treasury's Financial Management Service has released the "Summary Report of the 2007 Financial Report of the United States Government" . This is a citizen's guide to the financial health and prognosis of the federal government. The report is in pdf format (free Adobe Reader required.)

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Check your state for electoral reform bills in legislation

FairVote has "Roadmap for Reform - 2007", a page of bills introduced in the states in 2007 on electoral reform. Many of these bills are still in the legislative process, so check out your own state to see how your state is doing; then, call on your state representative and state senator to make your own opinions heard.

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Vote for 2007 Porker of the Year

Swineline blog from Citizens Against Government Waste has opened an online poll for 2007 "Porker of the Year". Yes, now you can have your say on who was the most egregious earmark spender among the U.S. Representatives and U.S. Senators in our hallowed halls of Congress! Vote now!

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Tell your Senators to vote YES on improved government transparency

.gov Watch blog reports a new government transparency bill: S2321, titled the "E-Government Reauthorization Act of 2007". It updates an earlier Act, and makes government wesites easier to search on search engines like Google. If you agree, please contact both of your U.S. Senators and tell them to vote YES on the bill.

.gov Watch says the following about this improvement in government searchability on the web:

Government information is about to become easier to find. By some estimates, 50% of all Government web pages on the Internet are invisible to search engines. By searching on Google, Yahoo, or MSN you are missing half of what your Government is posting online. Yesterday, the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs sent the E-Gov Reauthorization Act to the Floor. Besides renewing the original E-Gov Act for 5 years, it requires that "publicly available online Federal Government information and services are made more accessible to external search capabilities".

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Tell your Congressmen YES to "plain language" government documents

Josh Tauberer writes in Legislative Analysis Community Blog at GovTrack that there's a bill in both houses of Congress mandating "plain language" government documents. The U.S. House bill is HR3548; the U.S. Senate's is S2291. If you agree with this legislation, please contact your Representative and two Senators and ask them to vote YES on the "Plain Language in Communications Act of 2007".

Here is what Mr. Tauberer says about this important bill for improved government openness and transparency:

We all know that government documents can be hard to understand. Tax forms and legalese befuddle the best of us. Finally, Congress is poised to pass good legislation to outlaw government gobbledygook.
The Plain Language in Government Communications Act of 2007 (HR3548/S2291) will require government agencies to write many future documents in plain language: language that is clear, concise, and easy to understand.
Specifically, it mandates plain language for new government documents related to:
Government requirements
Government programs
Obtaining government benefits
Obtaining government services

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Top Ten Ethics Scandals of 2007

CREW has released the "Top Ten Ethics Scandals of 2007" list; it is in pdf file format and requires the free Adobe Reader software. Most of these stories you may remember, as they impact the quality of business in our nation's capital city.

Thanks go to all of our dedicated public interest groups, as shown in the left-hand column, for keeping these scandals at bay and to a limited number; it is always a struggle to keep ahead of breeches of rules and conduct, even at the highest levels of our government.

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Tell your Congressmen YES to restoring presidential public financing

Public Citizen has launched a netroots campaign for public financing of elections. The "Presidential Funding Act of 2007" (HR 776 and S 436) brings the presidential public finance program, which started in the mid-1970's, up to date. Although it has worked for a few decades, it needs to be restored in its ability to support those candidates who wish to avoid the day-to-day big money fundraising that many of today's candidates go through. If you agree, please take action here or go directly to your Representative's and two Senators' websites through this service. Here's what Public Citizen says in its new drive:

White House: NOT for Sale!
The 2008 presidential candidates are engaged in never-ending race for campaign contributions – relying more than ever on bundlers and big donors, who attain special access and plum appointments as reward for their support. It was not always like this. For years, the presidential public funding system worked to level the playing field by setting limits on campaign spending and prevented candidates from becoming indebted to major contributors. Since the Bush/Gore race in 2000, it has failed as an alternative to big special interest money because it has not kept up with the costs of modern campaigns. Champions of fair elections in both houses of Congress have introduced the “Presidential Funding Act of 2007” to update the system. This legislation would make the funding system a viable alternative in today’s political environment. Please take a minute to add your own words to the letter below and tell your members of Congress to co-sponsor and help pass the fix for funding presidential elections.

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Election Assistance Commission withholds provisional balloting reform report from the public

VoteTrustUSA has an almost complete, leaked copy of a "provisional balloting reform" paper presented to the U.S. Election Assistance Commission. It appears the EAC has withheld the document from release to the general public. VoteTrustUSA has the downloadable report and a statement of the circumstances surrounding this withholding by the federal commission.

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Tell your Senators to RECALL Nancy Nord of the CPSC

Public Citizen has issued a netroots alert for the recall ("firing") of Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) interim Chairwoman Nancy Nord. I am much too happy to support this campaign, as Nord is totally blind to the ethical breeches she has committed already in her "leadership" role. Here is more alert information from Public Citizen; if you agree, please take action from this website or send your message on your own to your two US Senators:

While parents were in panic over the lead paint on their children's toys (like "Robot 2000"), what was the head of the government agency in charge of protecting us doing? Traveling - on the dime of the very industries she is supposed to be regulating.
Nancy Nord, the interim Chairwoman of the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), has not shied away from that fact that she accepts lavish trips from the industries she regulates and even claims that it is perfectly ethical.
The CPSC is charged with monitoring thousands of products that we use everyday, including toys, but has been systematically gutted by lack of funding and industry-friendly political appointees. A proposed bill, the CPSC Reform Act of 2007, would help fix that. It would more than double the agency's funding, give it new powers to punish those who sell dangerous products, and offer protection to government whistleblowers who courageously report wrongdoing within the agency.
Guess who isn't a fan?
Nord. She is also opposed to a bill that would make her agency more effective and better protect consumers from dangerous products. Could her position having anything to do with a recent free trip to New Orleans? Or maybe she is just more interested in protecting industry profits than consumers.
You can tell your senators to "RECALL" Nancy Nord and to PASS the CPSC Reform Action of 2007 with additional ethics reforms to prevent staff from accepting industry-sponsored travel.
Posted by Daniel De Bonis on November 09, 2007 at 05:48 PM

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Tell your Senators to vote YES for two Farm Bill amendments

The Council for Citizens Against Government Waste has an urgent action request. The Senate will soon vote on the 2007 Farm Bill. Tell your Senators to put the interests of taxpayers and consumers first by voting in favor of amendments that would bring about true reform of Depression-era agricultural policies! Below is their request details; if you agree, please take action at this website or send a message on your own:

Dear _,
I urge you as strongly as possible to tell your Senators to support TRUE REFORM in the 2007 Farm Bill. The Senate will begin debating the Farm Bill tomorrow, so it is urgent that you send a message to your Senators right away!
The federal government’s Depression-era web of agricultural subsidies, price and supply controls, and import restrictions long ago outlived their justification. Rather than assisting small family farms, federal agricultural policies overwhelmingly benefit the wealthiest farmers and mega-agribusinesses -- to the detriment of those farmers most in need. Today, 60 percent of farms receive either no subsidies or less than $2,000 annually, while the top 10 percent of farm subsidy recipients collected 72 percent of total payments in 2003.
What’s more, this handout to well-heeled, politically influential agribusiness is financed on the backs of American taxpayers and consumers like YOU!
At a time when agricultural income is at record highs and commodity prices are soaring, taxpayers have been paying an average of $20 billion annually for the most expensive farm subsidy payments in history. Sugar price supports alone cost us all $1.9 billion each year in higher prices at the grocery counter, not only for sugar, but also for sugar-containing products, like cereal, baked goods, and candy.
The Farm Bill passed by the House of Representatives in July not only failed to reform existing agricultural policies, it increased subsidy payments. The Senate Agriculture Committee made this bad bill even worse by raising taxes on U.S. businesses in order to pay for yet another disaster assistance program for farmers.
As the full Senate takes up the 2007 Farm Bill, Sens. Richard Lugar (R-Ind.) and Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.) will offer an amendment to replace existing farm subsidies with an insurance program that would enable farmers to mitigate weather and market risks. This would provide a real safety net for farmers, instead of doling out excessive payments to the wealthiest farmers whether they need them or not.
Sens. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) and Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.) will also offer an amendment to cap annual subsidy payments at $250,000 per farmer and close the loopholes that allow mega-farms to get unlimited payments by creating a complex web of multiple entities. Right now, some farmers receive taxpayer-provided subsidies in excess of $1 million annually!
Please tell you Senators to support taxpayers and consumers and bring TRUE REFORM to federal farm policy by voting in favor of the Lugar-Lautenberg and Grassley-Dorgan amendments!
Sincerely,
Thomas A. Schatz, President
***The Council for Citizens Against Government Waste (CCAGW) is the lobbying arm of Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW), the nation's largest taxpayer watchdog organization with more than one million members and supporters nationwide.

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Remember to vote Tuesday, November 6th

The League of Women Voters are the first people to look up for assistance in voting in the next election. They have local and national groups always ready with a wealth of information to make your voting experience the most productive. As many states around the country are having elections next week, LWV sends their greetings and their willingness to help:

It's fall election season! Many jurisdictions have elections on November 6, 2007. Visit the League's VOTE411.org site to find all the election information you need! Your voice will help shape important issues in your community, so please go vote on Tuesday, November 6th. Throughout the year, League members work to register, educate and inform voters on the issues that affect them. Providing quality, nonpartisan voter education remains one of our most important and well-known activities. Go to VOTE411.org to get registered, get educated, and get informed. Better yet- add VOTE411 to your list of online "favorites"!

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Study assesses each state's campaign disclosure laws and programs

Grading State Disclosure is a study of the Campaign Disclosure Project, which seeks to bring greater transparency and accountability to money in state politics through assessments of state disclosure laws and programs.

Some states provide better and more complete access to information about the money that fuels campaigns than others, through both a strong campaign disclosure law and high-quality Internet access to disclosure reports. The purpose of the Campaign Disclosure Project’s Grading State Disclosure 2007 study is to provide an overview of how each state measures up to a set standard for disclosure programs, as well as to show how each state compares to others around the country. Check how your state is doing!

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NTU releases taxpayers ballot guide for 2007

The National Taxpayers Union (NTU) has released their ballot guide for 2007. They’ve identified 29 measures in seven states that concern taxpayers. For example, Oregon’s Measure 50 would boost the state cigarette tax from the current $1.18 per pack to $2.025 per pack. Proceeds would be funneled toward health care for uninsured children and smoking prevention programs, but the impact of the tax on cross-border sales could result in lower-than-expected revenues. California, Idaho, and Nevada would levy significantly lower cigarette taxes.Another interesting one: Texas’ Proposition 11 would stipulate that each vote on the final passage of most bills must be recorded and made publicly available on the Internet for a minimum of two years.Check out the guide to see if your state has a taxpayer-related ballot measure.

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