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How Do You Stop Reform in Louisiana? Hold A Power-Grabbing Constitutional Convention! |
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Written by Paul Hurd
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Monday, 12 January 2009 |
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It is obvious to all of those who support Louisiana’s reform movement, our new reform Governor, and our new reform legislators, that the Louisiana Reform Movement is reaching critical political mass to really change this State. It is equally obvious that the supporters of the old ways, including the old Courthouse Gang, the old-time Political Big-Wigs, and the Bureaucratic Big-Spenders, one and all, know that their days are numbered if things don’t change. And what is the old-timers’ newest proposal to stop the Louisiana Reform Movement? A full-fledged, wide open, Constitutional Convention. Let it be clearly understood that the calling of a Constitutional Convention is a well thought-out political maneuver of the Good Ole Boys. This is the last gasp of the leaders of the now defeated, big-government, populist, plantation politics of yesterday. The calling of a Constitutional Convention will allow these discredited leaders of yesterday to modify the constitution to grab more money from the voters of Louisiana. Let everyone in this State know that a Constitutional Convention is a direct threat to our infant Reform Movement and is absolutely unnecessary. If there are real reforms that need to be made to the Louisiana Constitution it already provides a direct way to make substantial governmental reforms in a single package, without a Constitutional Convention. Article XIII, Section 1.B. of the existing Constitution provides that ". . . the legislature may propose, as one amendment, a revision of an entire article of this constitution which may contain multiple objects or changes. A section or other subdivision may be repealed by reference." CLICK THE BLUE LINE TO CONTINUE READING |
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Last Updated ( Monday, 12 January 2009 )
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Mandeville taxpayers see Price of hubris |
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Written by John Roberts
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Sunday, 21 December 2008 |
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Eddie Price should have the decency to resign. What else should a mayor do when he stops putting his city first? Price has apparently chosen to no longer conduct the business of Mandeville as its mayor. According to an investigation of credit card records by the TimesPicayune, during the last five years, Price has averaged over $10,000 per year putting Mandeville on the map. Whether he was entertaining Senator Julie Quinn over wine at Arnaud's, making sure the guests at a French Quarter wedding were aware of opportunities in Mandeville or sponsoring duck hunters on the northshore, Price left no stone unturned when putting his city on the forefront of economic development. Discussing city business happened everywhere from Darryl's Deli to the French Quarer to California. Many may not see much importance in the economic development efforts of Mandeville, but Eddie Price certainly once did. Now sadly and without explanation Price has stopped his efforts in favor of Mandeville and its taxpayers. According to credit card records, from September through November of this year Price has only used his city credit card one time! What what what? His average three month spending in support of Mandeville city business during the last five years was nearly $3,000. What type of decision making would lead the mayor to stop economic development efforts during a recession no less? This is unacceptable and Mandeville will surely suffer. If Eddie Price has tired of allegedly driving a city vehicle under the influence, having a state auditor find misappropriation of taxpayer funds, failing to recognize the misuse of toys for tots funds by the city's police department and current investigations by the FBI and state attorney general then how can Mandeville's citizens expect the continued well being of the city? How can just one year of headaches stop the freewheeling successes of decades? With its mayor's hubris apparently gone the city of Mandeville suffers as never before during his two decades in office. Get back on your high horse mayor or do the decent thing and resign. |
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Last Updated ( Sunday, 21 December 2008 )
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TULA joins coalition effort for bailout transparency |
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Written by John Roberts
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Monday, 08 December 2008 |
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December 8, 2008 An Open Letter to the United States Congress: Demand Real Bailout Transparency! Dear Member of Congress: We, the undersigned advocates for open and accountable government, are writing to express our deep concern that the executive branch has provided no transparency into how taxpayer money is being spent and the decision-making process behind the financial bailout initiatives. We are also concerned that Congress has to date provided little oversight of these initiatives. We applaud your decision to turn down the Treasury Department’s request for a blank check, but nearly half of the $700 billion fund for the Troubled Assets Relief Program, or TARP, has already been distributed with very little transparency and almost no oversight. Recently, the public learned that an additional $800 billion is being spent by the Federal Reserve, which as an independent entity does not need congressional approval to lend money to banks or, in "unusual and exigent circumstances," to other financial institutions. To date, the cumulative commitment of taxpayer dollars to financial rescue initiatives is estimated to be $8.5 trillion. We urge you to use your oversight authority to make the financial bailout more accountable to the American public, and your legislative authority to make it more transparent. We ask that you work with Congressional leadership to ensure that there is effective legislative oversight over the entire program. Any credible solution to the economic crisis must be grounded in transparency and to ensure full accountability must include best practice whistleblower protection for public and private employees connected to the bailout. As suggested in a recent opinion piece in Legal Times, "the best way to protect the interests of taxpayers is by ensuring that what is done is fully disclosed to the public."1 Currently, however, the Department of the Treasury has been slow to notify the public of bailout money dispersals and has neglected to require recipients of bailout money to disclose how the money is used. We request that you direct that all reports mandated by the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 be made publicly available in a usable format, whether the law currently specifies public disclosure or not. Under public disclosure laws, citizens can only gain access to information actually collected by the government. Therefore, public accountability necessitates that you enact changes in law to require the Department of the Treasury, the Federal Reserve, and any other government entities involved in the bailout, to begin collecting information on certain aspects of how bailout aid is spent by recipients, including: • all lobbying/business contracts for firms benefitting from bailout aid; .all lobbying/business contract details for firms servicing bailout transactions; and •any securities or other instruments used as collateral for loans through the Federal Reserve. We urge that Treasury and the Federal Reserve, and any other government entities involved in the bailout, be required to make such information available to the public in a usable format. Bipartisan language to improve transparency and strengthen oversight of the bailout already exists. We urge that, as Treasury has modified its strategy away from primarily purchasing troubled assets, the Special Inspector General for the Troubled Asset Relief Program (SIG-TARP) be directed to conduct oversight on areas of the Treasury’s program not related to the purchase of troubled assets and that you grant the SIG-TARP the authority to set up an office and hire staff. Legislation by Senators McCaskill and Grassley would expand the SIG-TARP’s authority to conduct oversight of the Treasury Department’s actions and expedite its staffing process. Additionally, the Accountability for Economic Rescue Assistance Act, introduced by Senators Feinstein and Snowe, would bring some welcome improvements to transparency and accountability in the bailout by banning the use of bailout money for lobbying and political contributions and requiring firms receiving bailout money provide publicly-available detailed reports outlining how federal funds have been used. The bill would also require the establishment of corporate governance standards to ensure that firms do not waste taxpayer money on lavish expenditures and penalties for firms that violate those standards. We ask that you build on these existing proposals to strengthen oversight and require greater transparency to enact legislation in the taxpayer’s interest, including best practice whistleblower protection for public and private employees connected with the bailout. The public deserves vigorous, timely, and easily-accessible disclosure of all details surrounding any government decisions regarding financial market problems. We ask that you honor this by making sure that robust and effective oversight occurs and that all relevant records are collected and publicly available. Sincerely*, Patrice McDermott OpenTheGovernment.org Duane Parde National Taxpayers Union *Organizations listed for identification purposes only CLICK BLUE LINE BELOW TO SEE ALL SIGNATORY ORGANIZATIONS |
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Last Updated ( Monday, 08 December 2008 )
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