All Things Reform Netvibes Universe public page

I'm excited to share a new place to communicate and read the latest political news headlines: All Things Reform Netvibes Universe page. It is free and open to the public to use 24 hours a day/ 7 days a week. I've spent quite a bit of time adding/dropping modules, rearranging them, changing colors, module sizes, etc.; I consider our public page now out of "beta" stage.

The purpose of All Things Reform's Netvibes is to encourage free and easy ways to communicate online to share the government reform message, and to easily keep up with the latest news headlines from the best sources.

Communications features:

• a "Wall" module to leave short messages on the page
• Meebo.com Rooms chat with video player module
• Meebo.com Instant Messaging module for several apps
• David Weller's Facebook.com page module
• David Weller (poetspirit) Twitter.com posts timeline
• Webware.com internet technology news

Political news features:

• Activist reminders
• All Things Reform action alerts
• GovTrack.us introduced legislation
• OpenCongress.org bill information
• washingtonpost.com news
• POLITICO.com news

Of course, the internet is always evolving with the introduction of new technologies, so I reserve the need to update the page as required. However, it is now ready to use at your leisure to help you in your political reform activism. Enjoy!

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Announcing the Congress Reform team lineup!

Well, today is the big day, when All Things Reform's Facebook has determined the current lineup for our Congressional Reform team.

We have two "starting" levels: the All-Stars, and the practice squad. Here are the lineups:

Congress Reform All-Stars

• US Rep. Majority Leader Nancy Pelosi
• US Sen. Russ Feingold
• US Sen. Majority Whip Dick Durbin
• US Rep. Jeff Flake
• US Sen. Jim DeMint
• US Rep. Dennis Kucinich
  

Congress Reform practice squad

• US Sen. Minority Leader Mitch McConnell
• US Sen. Ted Stevens
• US Rep. Jack Murtha
• US Sen. Larry Craig
• US Rep. William Jefferson
  
• US Sen. John Ensign

There you have it, the Congressional Reform team! Check out the pictures and the strengths/ weaknesses of these players at All Things Reform Facebook page right now!

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The 2008 Congressional Pig Book from Citizens Against Government Waste is published

The 2008 Congressional Pig Book Summary is here!

This morning Citizens Against Government (CAGW) shared with the American people the names of those in Congress who are responsible for the 11,610 pork-barrel projects costing you $17.2 billion in the fiscal 2008 budget. They were joined by leading opponents of this congressionally earmarked spending, including Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) and Reps. John Campbell (R-Calif.), Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), Tom Price (R-Ga.), and Paul Ryan (R-Wis.).

Topping this year’s list of outrageous special-interest projects are:

* $4,840,870 for wood utilization research;
* $1,529,220 for the Appalachian Fruit Lab;
* $984,400 for Idaho's strategic plan for managing noxious weeds; and
* $98,000 for a walking tour of Boydton, Va. (population 474).

Earmark reform is a hot topic in Washington these days, yet Congress' taste for spending on personal projects stays. There has been a decrease in earmark spending in the last few years, but over $17B is still a lot of waste in a secretive budgeting process.

For a donation of $25 or more, Citizens Against Government waste can mail you a copy of their annual book. Your contributions also help the work of this non-profit in its fight for fiscal discipline in DC.

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Tell your two US Senators to vote YES on Fair Elections

It's now time again to contact your two US Senators and ask them to vote YES for public financing of congressional campaigns. A bill addresses this, called The Fair Elections Now Act (S.1285). Fair Elections is a major campaign finance reform issue, and passing it would undercut alot of questions relating to legislators' possible favoring of their private campaign contributors.

You can reach your senators through Yahoo! CapWiz, or, you can call the Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121. Thank you!

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Pork requests flooding Appropriations Committee right now

It looks like business as usual for Washington, DC, as a flood of earmark requests is deluging upon the Appropriations Committee as we speak. Diligence is the word for fiscal discipline activists from several public interest groups.

From Americans for Prosperity's blog:

" We just received this forwarded e-mail from a source on Capitol Hill - it looks like a "massive influx" of pork requests has essentially crashed the Appropriations Committee's site. As a result, they're extending the deadline for pork requests from today until Monday - good news for the porkers, but bad news for the taxpayers:

----- Original Message -----
From: Nabors, Rob
Sent: Wed Mar 19 15:06:17 2008
Subject: URGENT -- EXTENSION OF DEADLINE FOR APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE REQUESTS. PLEASE DISTRIBUTE TO APPROPRIATE STAFF.

Dear Member Offices:

As a result of the massive influx of requests being submitted today, the Appropriations Committee website is experiencing unavoidable access and processing delays.

In order to accommodate Member offices attempting to input data, any request submitted by 11:59 p.m. on Monday, March 24th will be considered as having been submitted “on time” for purposes of consideration by the Committee.

Sincerely,

Rob Nabors

Staff Director and Clerk

House Appropriations Committee "

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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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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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Comptroller David Walker is leaving his post at the GAO (Government Accountability Office)

An outstanding public servant is stepping down from an influential federal government agency of reform. David Walker has run a non-partisan department (GAO) that usually responds to a Congressional request for an investigation or research effort so that we all can learn more about an issue, a concern, a topic. The Government Accountability Office is an arm of the Congress.

He has been travelling the nation bringing the urgent need for fiscal reform during this time of deepening budget crisis. He will be sorely missed.

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Ask the presidential candidates where they stand on reform issues

Common Cause is forwarding a Midwest Democracy Network survey to all of our major presidential candidates, asking them where they stand on some political reform issues. If you would like to participate, please go here. Common Cause says in its email action alert:

" The presidential candidates have gone on the record with their plans for health care, their ideas to improve the economy and their strategies for dealing with Iraq.

But, despite repeated requests, only one of the remaining candidates has answered the Midwest Democracy Network's questionnaire about democracy and government reform. "

Thanks for taking action!

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Tune in tonight to Election Defense Radio show for latest elections news and commentary

Election Defense Radio will be broadcast live this evening, Tues. Feb. 19. It is a weekly live internet radio show by Election Defense Alliance. 8:00 - 9:00 pm Eastern / 7:00 - 8:00 pm Central / 5:00 - 6:00 pm Pacific.

To "tune in" via the Internet, go to http://www.toginet.com and click on either of the two Audio Players (Flash or Windows Media) you will see in the upper right corner.

Call in with your questions, too, at 877-864-4869

Shows are replayed on Sundays 1 - 2 pm Eastern at the same location on your internet dial (recorded, no call-ins)

Downloadable audio files of each show are available at the Toginet site and at EDA's radio page the next day.

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ABA passes resolution supporting redistricting reform

The recognition of the need for a more fair redistricting process has created a groundswell among organizations across the political spectrum and has led to the creation of Americans for Redistricting Reform - an initiative of the Campaign Legal Center scheduled to launch later this year.

The ABA (American Bar Association) passed a resolution at its midyear meeting urging states to utilize independent commissions for redistricting in order to remove the process from politically self-interested state legislators and incumbents.

In his role as a member of the ABA’s Administrative Law Section, Campaign Legal Center's J. Gerald Hebert helped draft the resolution that was approved. Hebert stressed in his statement that redistricting decisions are too often made for purely partisan purposes and ultimately it is the voters of both parties who suffer. “Democrats and Republicans alike have gained and lost seats unfairly through the heavy-handed tactics of state legislatures that gerrymander districts such that the electoral outcome is foreordained,” Hebert emphasized. The result has been the elimination of competitive districts and with it the elimination of more moderate representatives who are more likely to be attentive to a broader community.

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Will John McCain have a campaign finance conscience this election season?

Public Campaign posted today that, now that Pres. Bush has recognized John McCain as the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, he has forwarded his "list" of big money donors he enjoyed when he was a candidate. This is quite disturbing, as we can see the corruption and secrecy from the administration that is inherent in exuberant campaign fundraising. George W. Bush put the F in fundraising by encouraging and rewarding the bundling of contributions from politically active companies.

Where has the R gone in reformer for McCain? The following several months of candidacy shall reveal the truth.

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Congressional earmark database complete for FY 2008

Taxpayers for Common Sense has completed its database of fiscal year 2008 appropriations bills earmarks.

Congress inserted 12,881 earmarks worth $18.3 billion into this year’s spending bills, $14.8 billion of which were disclosed by lawmakers. This represents a 23 percent cut in total earmarks from the high water mark of 2005, but a smaller cut than the 50 percent reduction House leadership initially set as its goal.

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Democracy Day is June 5th

On June 5 in Minneapolis (MN), FairVote is joining with Common Cause, Public Campaign and Liberty Tree to host Democracy Day - a gathering in the spirit of last November's Claim Democracy conference and a lead-in to Free Press's huge media reform conference taking place that weekend. Visit ClaimDemocracy.com as details develop.

Tentative Schedule:

• Plenaries by Leading Experts in the Pro-Democracy Movement
• Workshops on Topics Ranging from voter protection, structural electoral reforms, and democracy focused movement building
• Democracy Film Festival Featuring Why Democracy? Film Series

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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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Audio clip on helping make election work more accurate

The BRAD BLOG has a very informative audio clip-- an interview with Tom Herman of Vocalo.org about how the general public can help see that the polling place during election day is effective and their ballot counting is accurate. Listen to the clip and get inspired to volunteer for a democratic process the is the best in the world. It's 14 minutes long.

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Hard choices for the federal budget as long-term difficulties approach

The Concord Coalition, a nonpartisan, grassroots organization dedicated to balanced federal budgets and generationally responsible fiscal policy, states in its latest press release that President Bush's 2009 Budget Proposal is not realistic for the short or long term. Although he is planning to create a surplus in the federal budget in 2012, he assumes several factors that are likely not to happen:

1. A revenue windfall from the Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT)

2. A sudden drop in new funding for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan (from nearly $200 billion in 2008 to zero in 2010)

3. Substantial programmed cuts in Medicare physician payments, and

4. Annual reductions in non-security appropriations beyond 2009

In addition to "pay-as-you-go", the Concord Coalition in this press release offers a couple of other things that can be done in a bi-partisan matter immediately to ease budget concerns.

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Concord Coalition: Make financial stimulus package near-term to avoid long-term deficit abuse

According to the January 23rd press release of the Concord Coalition, a federal budget reform organization, under reasonable assumptions about spending and tax policies budget deficits could easily exceed $6 trillion over the coming decade. Given that a fiscal stimulus package would further expand the deficit, Concord urged that any such legislation be carefully designed to have its maximum effect in the very near future, minimize costs in later years, and provide the greatest stimulus for the amount of spending or tax relief.

Presently, the White House and Congressional leaders are developing a financial stimulus package to help ward off an economic recession in the U.S. And there appears to be a political consensus around fiscal stimulus that is 'targeted, temporary and timely.' If those criteria are scrupulously followed, a fiscal stimulus bill would not present long-term concerns.

We must never lose sight of the larger picture, however; that is, the long-term fiscal condition of our nation. Read the Concord Coalition press release for further insights on expected budget deficits for the coming decade and later.

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Lies, lies and more lies-- the U.S. Executive branch leading to the Iraq War

The Associated Press reports on a study done by the Center for Public Integrity and the Fund for Independence in Journalism. It collected and analysed false statements made by many leaders of the U.S. Executive branch for the two years following the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center, leading up to the war with Iraq.

Named in the study along with Bush were top officials of the administration during the period studied: Vice President Dick Cheney, national security adviser Condoleezza Rice, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, Secretary of State Colin Powell, Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz and White House press secretaries Ari Fleischer and Scott McClellan.

Bush led with 259 false statements, 231 about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq and 28 about Iraq's links to al-Qaida, the study found. That was second only to Powell's 244 false statements about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq and 10 about Iraq and al-Qaida.

The center said the study was based on a database created with public statements over the two years beginning on Sept. 11, 2001, and information from more than 25 government reports, books, articles, speeches and interviews.

UPDATE: Check out the CPI report, which includes a database.

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