Constitutional Convention December 17, 2008 3:29 PM
Mobilize.org and the National Constitution Center are hosting Constititional Convention: Building Democracy 2.0 this January 9-11 at teh National Constitution Center.
"This event gives Millenials around the country the opportunity to network with other Millenials, engage in discussions about the election and American democracy [...], as well as renowned experts in the fields of history, politics, constitutional law, and political management."
If you are interested in participating, register here, but hurry as space is limited.
-- Association of Young Americans
Activism, Gov't Reform | Comments (0)
Fanny Mae/Freddie Mac Bailout September 10, 2008 8:46 AM
This Sunday the federal goverment took over the two lenders in what Yahoo News described as "one of the largest government interventions in the financial sector in history." Now Senators and both Presidential Candidates are calling for the 'retirement packages' for two former executives to be reduced. The New York Times reports that "Mr. Obama, the Democratic presidential nominee, asked that any "inappropriate windfall payments" to the chief executives and senior managers of those agencies be voided, in a letter to Treasury Secretary Henry M. Paulson Jr. and the director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, the new regulator for Fannie and Freddie. Together, Daniel H. Mudd of Fannie Mae and Richard F. Syron of Freddie Mac are eligible for as much as $24 million in severance, retirement benefits and deferred compensation. Senator John McCain, the Republican presidential nominee, has said on the campaign trail that the government rescue of Fannie and Freddie should not turn into a bailout for their top executives and Wall Street investors."
What do you think about the government bailout of the lenders? Executive 'golden parachutes? Share your thoughts in the Open Forum.
-- Association of Young Americans
Economy, Gov't Reform | Comments (0)
Government Waste April 9, 2008 9:38 AM
The Government Accountability Office released a report this week that detailed improper expenses incurred by government workers. "The review of card spending at more than a dozen departments from 2005 to 2006 found that nearly 41% of roughly $14 billion in credit-card purchases, whether legitimate or questionable, did not follow procedure either because they were not properly authorized or they had not been signed for by an independent third party as called for in federal rules to deter fraud. For purchases over $2,500, nearly half or 48% were unauthorized or improperly received. Out of a sample of purchases totaling $2.7 million, the government could not account for hundreds of laptop computers, iPods and digital cameras worth more than $1.8 million. In one case, the U.S. Army could not say what happened to computer items making up 16 server configurations, each of which cost nearly $100,000," reported the USA Today. A copy of the report is available here.
Share your thoughts on the GAO findings in the Open Forum.
-- Association of Young Americans
Budget, Deficits and Debt, Gov't Reform
Public Financing of Elections October 29, 2007 10:30 AM
Today's Christian Science Monitor editorial page contains an article advocating for public financing of elections. "Only six one-hundredths of one percent of voting-age citizens provided nearly 60 percent of funding for the 2000 presidential primaries. Such extreme concentration of influence resembles oligarchy, not representative government. It makes money a proxy for popular will," the editorial, co-authored by the editor of the Ethical Humanist Society of Philadelphia, noted. "Voters wouldn't support "welfare for politicians"? We already do, in government of, by, and for the lobbyists. Last year Congress blew $591 per voting-age citizen on earmarks and offshore tax havens alone. Full public financing for all House, Senate, and presidential races would cost less than one percent of that wretched excess $5.27 per voting-age citizen per year, according to Common Cause and five other voting-rights organizations. Three in 4 voters surveyed last year across party lines support a voluntary public financing system."
What do you think of a system of public financing for national political elections? Do you support the idea that donating money to campaigns is protected free speech? As the 2008 campaign shifts into high gear with upcoming caucuses and primaries, share your thoughts in the Open Forum.
-- Association of Young Americans
Fighting Earmarks August 27, 2007 10:31 AM
While many in Congress (and those running for a spot there) deride the practice of "pork-spending" or "earmarks", at least one House member, according to the LA Times, fights against the practice with as much vigor as many talk about it. "Thousands of earmarks worth millions of dollars still cling to this year's spending bills like barnacles. But partly as a result of [Rep. Jeff] Flake's relentless nagging -- not to mention recent earmarking scandals -- congressional leaders have pledged to reduce the number of earmarks and open the process to more public scrutiny. Flake's gripe is that projects are slipped into bills, often at a lobbyist's behest, without much, if any, public justification. 'The earmarking process is fraught with a lack of transparency, fiscal responsibility and equity for taxpayers, 'he said, 'all too often rewarding the districts of powerful members of Congress in the Appropriations Committee at the expense of the rest of the body.'" Learn more in the whole article here. Share your thoughts on earmarking, and Federal government spending in the Open Forum.
-- Association of Young Americans
Ethics Bill passes House July 31, 2007 8:23 PM
By an overwhelming majority the House passed changes to ethics rules today. "The bill require lobbyists to disclose more of their activities, including the campaign contributions they raise from clients, friends and relatives, a key source of their influence. It would require lawmakers to disclose the special-interest items they slip into bills - a process, known as earmarking, that has figured prominently in congressional scandals. And it would deny congressional pensions in the future to lawmakers turned felons," reports the LA Times. Learn more about the measure in the full LA Times article. What do you think needs to be done to improve the manner in which business is conducted in Washington and the perception of how business is conducted? Share your thoughts in the Open Forum.
-- Association of Young Americans
No Earmarks, Well Sort Of... July 10, 2007 8:53 AM
After candidates rallying against the practice of 'earmarks' and vowing to limit the practice during the 2006 election, the new Congress passed a spending bill in February, which Senator Harry Reid lauded as being "without a single earmark." As the LA Times reports however, following that bill's passage, "Lawmakers from both parties including Democrats ranging from the most senior, such as Sen. Robert C. Byrd of West Virginia, to one of the most junior, such as Sen. Jon Tester of Montana - pressed agencies to grant their spending requests, according to correspondence obtained under the Freedom of Information Act by the Center for Investigative Reporting."
Earmarks, also called to as 'pork', refer to the practice of individual members of Congrerss inserting pet projects, which funnel federal dollars back into their districts/states, into larger bills. The practice has come under increasing public scrutiny over the last few years as the number of earmarks has risen. Do you think that earmarks are an appropriate way for individual members of congress to help their district/state or an inappropriate mechanism to distribute tax dollars? Share your thoughts in the Open Forum.
-- Association of Young Americans
Politics vs. Progress - Which is more important? June 25, 2007 10:14 AM
Underlying the immigration reform debate is the question of motivation for those opposing the "Grand Bargain" bill. Are those Senators opposed staking out a position based on principal or on a political pragmatism motivated by their base? When is it acceptable for our leaders to vote in a manner that ensures them re-election vs voting according to their own beliefs (if the 2 are opposed). This is not to say that either side of the immigration debate has it correct, only that we now routinely question the reason our elected representatives vote and the motivation behind it. As the U.S. News & World Report said about Republican efforts, "the debate is alienating Hispanic voters." Discuss Immigration reform and the role public opinion should play in politics in Open Forum.
-- Association of Young Americans
Foreign policy, Gov't Reform, Immigration
White House Database on Earmarks April 5, 2007 12:52 PM
Yesterday the White House launched an searchable online database listing earmarks for the 2004-2005 fiscal year. Earmarks are "funds that lawmakers funnel to projects, programs and sometimes even specific recipients without going through the normal budget review such as the $25 million provided to California spinach farmers in the recent Iraq spending bill. The amount of earmarked money has tripled in the last decade," reports the LA Times. "The database, which allows the public to search for earmarks by state and by agency but not by name of the sponsoring lawmaker, is the most comprehensive list produced by the government. But Democrats pointed out Wednesday that it did not include the earmarks the president and his administration requested. The list includes 13,496 earmarks. [...] Members of both parties defend earmarking as a way for Congress to put attention on local concerns when executive-branch agencies are unresponsive. They are also important to congressional leaders in building their power as well as luring campaign contributions." The database is available on the Office of Management and Budget website. What do you think of this new batabase and the practice of legislative earmarks? Share your views in the Open Forum.
-- Association of Young Americans
War Funding and Pet Projects March 20, 2007 6:57 AM
A vote is set for next Tuesday on the bill to approve additional funds for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. "House Democratic leaders are offering billions in federal funds for lawmakers' pet projects large and small to secure enough votes this week to pass an Iraq funding bill that would end the war next year," reports the Washington Post. "To get them off the fence and on the bill, Democrats have a key weapon at their disposal: cold, hard cash. The bill contains billions for agriculture and drought relief, children's health care and Gulf Coast hurricane recovery. For Rep. Sam Farr (D-Calif.), there is $25 million for spinach growers hurt by last year's E. coli scare. For three conservative Democrats in Georgia, there is $75 million for peanut storage. For lawmakers from the bone-dry West, there is $500 million for wildfire suppression. An additional $120 million is earmarked for shrimp and Atlantic menhaden fishermen. So far, at least in public pronouncements, the $21 billion in funding beyond President Bush's request has earned Democrats nothing but scorn."
What do you think of such additions to bill about the funding and future of the War? Is this simply the way business has to be done, or should a proposal stand or fall on its own merits? Share your views in the Open Forum.
-- Association of Young Americans
Russian Democracy February 15, 2007 12:00 PM
An interesting article in today's New York Times discusses some developments in Russia's electoral process.
- "Here, as on the national level, Mr. Putin's Kremlin has left little to chance or surprise. At the Kremlin's urging, Putin foes and independent analysts say, Parliament has raised the threshold for parties to win seats, eliminated minimum turnout requirements, abolished district elections in favor of party lists, and eliminated the option of voting 'against all.' A new law on extremism would ban a candidate from criticizing his or her opponent, or anyone actually in office."
- "The Kremlin has also made it more difficult for political parties to form and register. [...] That measure, like most of the others, has an ostensibly reasonable and democratic purpose: to simplify and clarify the rules of elective politics. To critics, though, the Kremlin has simply assured the smooth re-election of pro-presidential parties."
- "The Kremlin hopes to create a loyal counterweight in Just Russia, a party created by the merger of three smaller parties and led by a staunch Putin supporter, Sergei M. Mironov."
Do these developments in Russia make you consider the processes by which elections are held in the US? What are the appropriate rules and requirements for including a political party on the ballot? What do you think of the option to vote "against all"? Share your thoughts in the Open Forum.
-- Association of Young Americans
Real Lobbying Reform February 10, 2007 3:45 PM
Following the Democratic takeover of congress the new majority promised lobbying reform and passed a lobbying reform bill. The New York Times reports, however, that "it did not take long for lawmakers to find ways to keep having fun while lobbyists pick up the tab." Under the new rules "some outings involving personal entertainment or recreation for lawmakers could [...] run afoul of legal restrictions on the personal use of campaign money if they were paid for by a lawmaker's re-election campaign. But they are allowed, and increasingly common, because of a combination of loopholes. First, the ethics rules restrict personal gifts but not political contributions, so paying to attend a fund-raiser is still legitimate. Second, the 'personal use' restrictions apply to lawmakers' re-election campaigns but not to their personal political action committees, which can spend money on almost anything." So lobbyists make donations to official's PACs, the PACs sponsor fundraising events and apparently it's all legal.
Do you think such activities still raise the potential for abuse? Do you think there are additional measures which would remove the potential for abuse? Be heard in the Open Forum.
-- Association of Young Americans
Ethics Bill Passes Senate January 19, 2007 1:15 PM
The Senate passed an ethics bill 96-2 yesterday. "The ethics bill that passed last night would bar gifts and free travel from lobbyists, require lawmakers to pay more for travel on corporate jets and increase the publicizing of earmarks. It also restricts lobbying by the spouses of sitting members, increases the time before a former lawmaker can become a lobbyist, requires more disclosure by lobbyists, and denies pensions to lawmakers convicted in the future of serious crimes," reported the Washington Times. Share your thoughts on the necessity and comprehensiveness of these measures in the Open Forum.
-- Association of Young Americans
House Action on Earmarks January 6, 2007 10:38 AM
On ethe second day of the new session of Congress, the House of Representatives passed legislation regarding disclosure of earmarks. "The new rules will not end earmarks, but will force legislators to disclose their actions publicly and certify they have no financial stake in their earmarks," reported the LA Times. "The number of earmarks exploded in the last decade from 1,439 in 1995 to 15,268 last year, according to a Senate estimate. They have been blamed for spawning a troubling culture on Capitol Hill that saw a dramatic rise in the number of lobbyists and some notorious corruption scandals." Share your thoughts on the House action and other ethics reform proposals in our Open Forum.
-- Association of Young Americans
Congressional Ethics Reform January 2, 2007 1:48 PM
There was much talk about ethics reform and corruption leading up to the November 2006 election. Democrats, set to take power tomorrow, will be judged by the stand they esposed in the election. In a Washington Post editorial, E.J. Dione writes that "At stake initially are new ethics and lobbying rules. Over time House and Senate leaders will have to prove their commitment to bringing more democracy to the way Congress is run. A country that claims a mission to democracy and transparent government in the rest of the world needs to get its own institutions in order." What ethics/corruption reform measures do you think are needed in federal our government? Share you ideas in the Open Forum.
-- Association of Young Americans
Close of the 109th Congress December 29, 2006 8:17 AM
The 109th Congress concuded it's session without passing 9 of the 11 appropriations bills to fund the federal government in 2007. The Christian Science Monitor reports that, "The bulk of the government was left to subsist on a stopgap spending authority called a continuing resolution. That allows the departments to spend at the same rate and for the same purposes as last year. That is not without cost. Agencies can't start needed new programs, nor scrap unneeded old programs. The Justice Department can't hire needed new attorneys and may have to furlough some of its current employees. The Energy Department may have to lay off 960 employees. The FBI may have to lose 500 agents. The Department of Veterans Affairs is $3 billion short of what it needs to maintain current services." Visit our Open Forum to share your thoughts on Congress' leaving the majority of 2007 appropriations bills for the next congress.
-- Association of Young Americans
Ethics Reform November 26, 2006 9:11 AM
With corruption and ethics being one of the top issues for voters this past election, Congressional leaders are talking a good deal about reform. Democrats, set to be the majority party come January, are "divided over whether to create an outside investigative office to review ethics complaints or leave enforcement to members," reports the Wall Street Journal. Additional measures under discussion include "bans on gifts and meals from lobbyists and lobbying organizations, and more frequent reports by lobbyists disclosing for whom and what they are working. In disclosure reports, which lobbyists currently are required to file with Congress at least once a year, they also spell out how much they have been paid for their efforts." What reforms in the way Congress does business would you like to see implemented? Share your thoughts in the Open Forum.
-- Association of Young Americans
Deadline to Register to Vote is TOMORROW! October 9, 2006 12:46 PM
-- Association of Young Americans
Redistricting limits Competitive Seats September 20, 2006 7:14 AM
After the Census data is released state legislatures are tasked with dividing their state into the necessary number of districts to reflect the number of congressional seats in the state. The process is typically highly partisan. "Nearly all states have maps for their legislatures and congressional districts drawn by incumbents, to protect incumbents," states the Wall Street Journal. There have been unsuccessful efforts to take partisanship out of the district drawing. "Last year, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger called on voters to approve an initiative that would leave the redistricting of state and federal districts to a nonpartisan commission of retired judges. [...] But the ballot initiative, like redistricting itself, was "the one area where bipartisanship prevailed -- both Republicans and Democrats opposed it," Mr. Panetta recalls. A bipartisan bankroll financed the media campaign against the initiative, and it was easily defeated. Do you think congressional districts should be draw based on the partisan bias of the population. Be heard in the Open Forum.
-- Association of Young Americans
Online Database of Gov't Spending September 14, 2006 1:51 PM
The Senate passed, and the House is expected to pass later today, a bill which would cause government contracts to be listed on the internet in a searchable database. "The bill, sponsored by Sens. Tom Coburn (R) of Oklahoma and Barack Obama (D) of Illinois, requires the White House Office of Management & Budget to maintain a database on some $1 trillion in US spending. New entries will be logged within 30 days of funds being disbursed," reports the Christian Science Monitor. Do you think such a database will help reduce earmarks or "pork" spending? Do you think such a measure is even necessary or do you think more should be done? Share your views in the Open Forum.
-- Association of Young Americans
Congress' August Recess August 5, 2006 10:24 AM
As reported in the New York Times, "In the aftermath of a partisan impasse Thursday night over Republican efforts to merge an increase in the minimum wage and a cut in the estate tax into a single piece of legislation, leaders of both parties promised a vigorous effort over August to blame the other guy for that stalemate and gridlock on Capitol Hill." Do you think such a focus on "blaming the other guy" is necessary to explain differences between candidates to voters, or symptomatic of a broken system where lawmakers direct more attention to winning elections than governing the country? Be Heard in the Open Forum.
-- Association of Young Americans
Any Lobbying Reform at All? July 28, 2006 1:00 PM
Despite lots of uproar early in the year, when news of the Jack Abramoff scandal filled the news, Congress has yet to pass a major lobbying/ethics law. The Washington Post reports that "the two chambers cannot agree over a number of provisions [and], as a result, Congress may adjourn this year without agreeing on legislation to tighten restrictions on lobbyists' dealings with lawmakers." Do you consider ethics/lobbying reform to be a non-issue, essentially distracting elected officials from real policy areas? Do you think that lobbying and/or campaign finance pervade every issue and thus are central to governement working properly. Share you views in the Open Forum.
-- Association of Young Americans
Internet Database of Gov't Contracts Gains Momentum July 20, 2006 3:27 PM
A Senate bill with bipartisan sponsorship "would allow online users to search for all the US contracts, grants, and other payments made," reports the Christian Science Monitor. Senator Obama stated that "We need help doing oversight. This will empower citizens and organizations." Share your thoughts in the Open Forum as to whether you think such a searchable database would actually have any impact on government spending.
-- Association of Young Americans
Disclosure of Gov't Contracts on Net July 3, 2006 10:41 AM
Senator Coburn (R-Okla), along with Sen. Obama (D-Ill) want, "to create a public database, searchable over the Internet, that would list most government contracts and grants exposing hundreds of billions in annual spending to instant desktop view," reports the New York Times. The proposal has bipartisan support, though when it was included as an amendment to a lobbying reform bill earlier this year, it was defeated on procedural grounds. Some dispute whether such a database would make much difference because the information is already available, thought not in the searchable form proposed. If such a searchable database was created would you use it? Share your ideas in the Open Forum.
-- Association of Young Americans