Dirty Politics Can't Stop Taxpayers
By John P. Krudy
Petitions provide citizens an important check on elected officials, forcing politicians to abide by the will of the people instead of the will of the government. But voters trying to recall the Michigan House speaker by petition have found their opponents aren’t so concerned with the democratic process.
“They’re using lies and any means necessary to stop us,” said Rose Bogaert, Chair of the Wayne County Taxpayers Association. Bogaert and her friends began an effort to recall Representative Andy Dillon (
Free to Choose Media: Telling the Story of Freedom
By Anastasia Ealey
What comes to mind when you hear the name Milton Friedman? Maybe his name evokes thoughts of capitalism or free market economics. Or maybe thoughts of liberty and monetary policy.
Friedman is also well-known for his PBS television series and book titled “Free To Choose,” which address the “interrelationship of personal, political, and economic freedom.” Both the series and the book took off in the 1980s—and today, the Free to Choose legacy lives on in the Free To Choose Media organization, a non-profit public foundation that delves into the possibilities of “freedom and wealth creation through expert storytelling and high quality presentation.”
Do you know the truth in 2008?
By Christina Miller
Did you know that you’re $183,000 in debt?
No, it’s not your mortgage. Or your student loans. Or that credit card payment you let go. Nor is that what you owe to the IRS this year—though it may seem that way. $183,000 is your share of the national debt. That may seem like a lot, until you consider that the official debt is over $9 trillion.
But wait—there’s more! That’s the official debt. The actual debt is about five times that.
The Sam Adams Alliance Announces 2008 Sammies Awards
The Sam Adams Alliance announced the 2008 Sammies, a series of awards for outstanding citizen leadership and creativity, today.
Rage Against the Voting Machine
By Anastasia Ealey
Voting can be a delicate, controversial matter. So the fact that Diebold electronic voting machines have attempted to bring relative ease to the process should be a welcome change, right? Not so fast. Unfortunately, these attempts have, in many cases, proven to be disastrous.
By John P. Krudy
It’s not often that an activist group uses a government report to take on the government. But that’s exactly what Tim Eyman is doing right now.
Making the Government Fear the People
By Brandon Holmes
Thomas Jefferson once said, "When the people fear their government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty." Chris Kliesmet and Orville (Orv) Seymer of the Citizens for Responsible Government (CRG) Network are busy helping Wisconsinites achieve the latter in their state. Chris describes their “action tank” efforts as “getting involved in helping citizens engage their government.”
Action is certainly something they haven't been short on.
Campton Hills: A Struggle for Limited Government
By Drew Veeneman
Last April, the area now known as Campton Hills, Illinois voted to incorporate as a village with the goals of preservation and “no new taxes”—now, however, concerned citizens fear the village itself may be the principal threat to both.
Advocating for California Taxpayers: The Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association
By Christina Miller
We all want to keep more of our money. That’s pretty much a given. Even people who vote for higher taxes really want to keep more of their money. (Like a lifelong liberal who used to have stuff mailed to our house so he could escape Massachusetts’ shipping tax.) Each year on April 15, we grunt and groan as we calculate percentages and sign forms and look frantically for tax deductions. When it’s all over, we sigh, “If only I didn’t have to pay these taxes!”
This is especially true in California, which “boasts” one of the most liberal state legislatures, very high tax rates, and the most expensive zip code in the Union. And if you think it’s bad now, imagine what it would be like without the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association. Since its founding in 1978, the HJTA has saved California taxpayers over $528 billion, which means savings of $57,000 for the average California family.
Sammy Winner: Stefan Sharkansky
If there’s one thing Stefan Sharkansky—the winner of the Sammy Sunshine Award—has learned from his experiences using open records, it’s that persistence is imperative.
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