The Christian Science Monitor has just unveiled a different kind of "election 2008" web site, called "Patchwork Nation". Instead of the common "red state/ blue state" analysis of the nation's voters, it focuses on 11 different types of communities, based on census data and demographics. You can find out with your zip code where you are and follow local blogs up to general election day this November, 2008; statistics are given on what each community looks like.
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Showing posts with label local. Show all posts
Showing posts with label local. Show all posts
Monday, March 17, 2008
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Write a letter to the editor in support of Sunshine Week 2008
I wrote a short letter to the editor for my local newspaper. It is in celebration of Sunshine Week 2008, upcoming around the country next week. I invite you to do the same today, to get the word out on, perhaps, the most important issue of these times...
To: Editor, Abilene Reporter-News
In these times of peril, when our nation is under assault by a closed organization, we come to Sunshine Week 2008 March 16- 22. One of the great strengths of our own society has been openness; a national journalist association has founded this week of celebration. Many activities will take place around the country and in Washington, DC-- check them out at www.sunshineweek.org!
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Check if your Congressmembers' websites include local appropriations (earmarks) forms
According to a recent Americans for Prosperity blog post, at least three Congressmembers have online earmark request forms! That's right, if you are a constituent of these public servants, you can request federal money for non-legislative, locally-based projects online: Florida Senator Bill Nelson: http://www.billnelson.senate.gov/contact/appropriationsfy09.cfm Montana Representative Denny Rehberg: http://www.house.gov/rehberg/approps.form.shtml [Page not found] Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown: http://brown.senate.gov/ohio/constituent_services/spending_request/ Check your own two US Senators' and US Representative's websites to see if they presently offer this same online constituent appropriations "service". AFP in its post suggests we taxpayers hijack these online forms "to make a statement about just how big a problem earmarks have become (wink wink, nudge, nudge) and to demand transparency for earmark requests before earmarks make it into appropriations reports." I don't know how this may (legally) be done, but we are the owners of this country, and our representatives work for us... it is up to us, ultimately...
Tuesday, March 04, 2008
Get involved locally with WhatDoTheyKnow.com and GroupsNearYou.com
mySociety.org is introducing two new citizen activist websites: www.WhatDoTheyKnow.com and www.GroupsNearYou.com. Both focus on local activities, from your neighborhood, street or town. Meet and keep in touch with your neighbors and issues, and improve your quality of life. Even though mySociety.org is based in England, they are encouraging people around the world to: (1) find out what your local government bodies know about what is happening in your area, and (2) join or start a local citizens group and to add it to their online directory.
This is a chance for you to make a difference in your local community.
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
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 www.ethics.org.
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Ask your local, state and federal candidates where they stand on open government
Sunshine Week, which is March 16-22, has begun compiling an unprecedented Web database that will chronicle the positions of candidates running for president and Congress on issues of government openness, access and secrecy.
Sunshine Week Campaign database planned
From David Westphal, and Pat Yack, co-chairs of ASNE's Freedom of Information Committee:
Sunshine Week has begun compiling an unprecedented Web database that will chronicle the positions of candidates running for president and Congress on issues of government openness, access and secrecy. We're calling this the Sunshine Campaign.
Our aim is a one-of-a-kind repository that will inform voters on where candidates stand, and will serve as a touchstone for measuring the winning candidates' performance in office.
We need your help in asking candidates their views on Freedom of Information issues. Many of you will have the chance, over the next 14 months, to grill candidates in editorial board meetings, debates, town-hall meetings and on-the-road reporting. We'd like to suggest that these are golden opportunities to ask what we think are among the most important questions of the campaign.
We've put together a list of questions we hope will get to as many candidates as possible, but we encourage you to formulate your own as well. We also hope you'll take this model and apply it to candidates at the state and local level.
We know there's never enough time to ask all the questions that need to be asked, but access to government information lies at the heart of our democracy. At a time when world events have prompted strong pleas from some to expand secrecy in government, it is fundamental to the public interest to know where the candidates stand — just as we need to know their views on war and peace, jobs and the economy.
Getting candidates to address openness issues is the big challenge. But we ask your help as well in getting their answers to Sunshine Week Coordinator Debra Gersh Hernandez, who will compile this searchable database. Simply e-mail transcripts or clips — from your reporting or from others' that you spot — to Deb at dghernandez@asne.org.
Visit Sunshineweek.org for more of the story.
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