http://associationofyoungamericans.com/blog/index.cfm The Association of Young Americans Policy Issue of the day. en-us Wed, 08 Sep 2010 23:53:36 -0400 Wed, 17 Dec 2008 15:29:00 -0400 BlogCFC http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss young_americans@hotmail.com young_americans@hotmail.com http://associationofyoungamericans.com/blog/index.cfm/2008/12/17/Constitutional-Convention 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. Activism Gov't Reform Wed, 17 Dec 2008 15:29:00 -0400 http://associationofyoungamericans.com/blog/index.cfm/2008/12/17/Constitutional-Convention http://associationofyoungamericans.com/blog/index.cfm/2008/9/10/Fanny-MaeFreddie-Mac-Bailout 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. Economy Gov't Reform Wed, 10 Sep 2008 08:46:00 -0400 http://associationofyoungamericans.com/blog/index.cfm/2008/9/10/Fanny-MaeFreddie-Mac-Bailout http://associationofyoungamericans.com/blog/index.cfm/2008/4/9/Government-Waste 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. Budget Deficits and Debt Gov't Reform Wed, 09 Apr 2008 09:38:00 -0400 http://associationofyoungamericans.com/blog/index.cfm/2008/4/9/Government-Waste http://associationofyoungamericans.com/blog/index.cfm/2007/10/29/Public-Financing-of-Elections 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. Gov't Reform Mon, 29 Oct 2007 10:30:00 -0400 http://associationofyoungamericans.com/blog/index.cfm/2007/10/29/Public-Financing-of-Elections http://associationofyoungamericans.com/blog/index.cfm/2007/8/27/Fighting-Earmarks 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. Gov't Reform Mon, 27 Aug 2007 10:31:00 -0400 http://associationofyoungamericans.com/blog/index.cfm/2007/8/27/Fighting-Earmarks http://associationofyoungamericans.com/blog/index.cfm/2007/7/31/Ethics-Bill-passes-House 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. Gov't Reform Tue, 31 Jul 2007 20:23:00 -0400 http://associationofyoungamericans.com/blog/index.cfm/2007/7/31/Ethics-Bill-passes-House http://associationofyoungamericans.com/blog/index.cfm/2007/7/10/No-Earmarks-Well-Sort-Of 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. Gov't Reform Tue, 10 Jul 2007 08:53:00 -0400 http://associationofyoungamericans.com/blog/index.cfm/2007/7/10/No-Earmarks-Well-Sort-Of http://associationofyoungamericans.com/blog/index.cfm/2007/6/25/Politics-vs-Progress--Which-is-more-important 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. Foreign policy Gov't Reform Immigration Mon, 25 Jun 2007 10:14:00 -0400 http://associationofyoungamericans.com/blog/index.cfm/2007/6/25/Politics-vs-Progress--Which-is-more-important http://associationofyoungamericans.com/blog/index.cfm/2007/4/5/White-House-Database-on-Earmarks 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. Gov't Reform Thu, 05 Apr 2007 12:52:00 -0400 http://associationofyoungamericans.com/blog/index.cfm/2007/4/5/White-House-Database-on-Earmarks http://associationofyoungamericans.com/blog/index.cfm/2007/3/20/War-Funding-and-Pet-Projects 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. Gov't Reform Tue, 20 Mar 2007 06:57:00 -0400 http://associationofyoungamericans.com/blog/index.cfm/2007/3/20/War-Funding-and-Pet-Projects http://associationofyoungamericans.com/blog/index.cfm/2007/2/15/Russian-Democracy 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. Gov't Reform Thu, 15 Feb 2007 12:00:00 -0400 http://associationofyoungamericans.com/blog/index.cfm/2007/2/15/Russian-Democracy http://associationofyoungamericans.com/blog/index.cfm/2007/2/10/Real-Lobbying-Reform 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. Gov't Reform Sat, 10 Feb 2007 15:45:00 -0400 http://associationofyoungamericans.com/blog/index.cfm/2007/2/10/Real-Lobbying-Reform http://associationofyoungamericans.com/blog/index.cfm/2007/1/19/Ethics-Bill-Passes-Senate 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. Gov't Reform Fri, 19 Jan 2007 13:15:00 -0400 http://associationofyoungamericans.com/blog/index.cfm/2007/1/19/Ethics-Bill-Passes-Senate http://associationofyoungamericans.com/blog/index.cfm/2007/1/6/House-Action-on-Earmarks 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. Gov't Reform Sat, 06 Jan 2007 10:38:00 -0400 http://associationofyoungamericans.com/blog/index.cfm/2007/1/6/House-Action-on-Earmarks http://associationofyoungamericans.com/blog/index.cfm/2007/1/2/Congressional-Ethics-Reform 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. Gov't Reform Tue, 02 Jan 2007 13:48:00 -0400 http://associationofyoungamericans.com/blog/index.cfm/2007/1/2/Congressional-Ethics-Reform