Shiny, Happy Old Friends
It’s always good to see old friends — or read about them.
I’m perusing a publication by Americans for Tax Reform called “State, Federal and Local Efforts to Increase Transparency in Government Spending” and bumping into old friends.
Now, I knew that our buddy Tom Coburn, U.S. Senator from Oklahoma, had worked with Barack Obama on transparency at the federal level. But here I read that Coburn teamed up with Brandon Dutcher, a really bright guy I know at the Oklahoma Council for Public Affairs. And they succeeded in bringing more openness to state government by getting a bill passed to set up a state website: OKopenbook.gov.
Well, I’ll be . . . the sponsor was none other than state Senator Randy Brogdon, the taxpayer’s best friend.
And here it looks like Missouri Governor Matt Blunt didn’t wait for legislation. He took the initiative and his administration created the Missouri Accountability Portal (or MAP) to disclose state spending. The website is MapYourTaxes.mo.gov.
Now here’s something about Minnesota. Hmmm. A bill passed this session requiring disclosure of all government grants and contracts worth more than $25,000. Wow. Want to know the sponsor? My old friend Erik Paulsen, the very state representative who has pushed for years to bring voter initiatives to Minnesota.
Good folks. Glad to know them. And I’m not too surprised they’re pushing for voters to be able to find out what’s going on with their government.
This is Common Sense. I’m Paul Jacob.
