Archive
Today we're launching a new feature on our website: state resource guides. This week's guide profiles the great state of Michigan, and includes a list of key issues, as well as many groups and blogs that are active in the state. Future guides will be available to MySAM members only, so sign up today!
Action Toolkit Bonus: How To Chart State Spending
There's a relatively easy way for you to chart just how much your state spends every year so that you can communicate your message easier and more effectively. It's easy to do if you have a spreadsheet program like Microsoft Excel.
Sam and Paul featured on Rush Limbaugh show
How many Americas are there? Paul Jacob says there are two--and explains why in his Townhall column. Rush Limbaugh liked it so much that he highlighted it on his radio show on Monday.
TrinityVote: Giving Voters A Say In Dallas
When Dallas residents voted in 1998 on a referendum to improve the city's riverfront, they thought they knew what they were getting into: a new park system along the Trinity River. But nine years later, there's still no park and residents are getting a lot more than they bargained for-including a government-sponsored campaign to block the voice of the people.
The Right to Know: Jan Murphy's Fight for Good Government In Pennsylvania
The average debt for a student graduating from college is about $20,000. How, then, did the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency (PHEAA), which awards scholarships to Pennsylvania students pursuing higher education, justify spending over $800,000 on trips and spa retreats for employees? Well, they didn't. The PHEAA concealed all of the records detailing the receipts and costs of these trips and sent the bill to unknowing Pennsylvania taxpayers.
Action Toolkit Bonus: A Guide to Visual Communications
Want to capture people's eyes and hold their attention? Of course you do! The way you present your information visually has a lot to do with whether it will be picked up and read--or just tossed aside. Read on to learn how to use visual communication tools to create a top-notch, attention-grabbing product.
Sam meets success at NTU conference
Hundreds of taxpayer advocates converged on Washington, D.C. last week for the National Taxpayers Union’s biannual National Taxpayers Conference, and the Sam Adams Alliance was there in full-force.
Citizens Take Action for Accountable Elections in King County, WA
As Common Sense readers will remember, Paul Jacob commented on King County's democracy troubles a couple months ago—the 2004 gubernatorial election was botched by the county's elections director and although current county executive Ron Sims called for a change, in typical politician fashion, nothing really happened.
Lucky for voters, however, a group called Citizens for Accountable Elections has taken matters into their own hands—and the Sam Adams Alliance is proud to support them in their efforts to secure an accountable election process.
Hot off the presses: Sam Adams Quarterly
You've heard of the Sam Adams Alliance and the Sam-O-Gram, but how about our Quarterly Magazine? Read more to download a PDF copy of our Spring 2007 edition.
A Citizen Watchdog in Texas: Jennnifer LaFleur
Although longtime journalist Jennifer LaFleur specializes in a Citizen Watchdog column for the Dallas Morning News, she says she's not alone in her field.
"I would hope most journalists are watchdogs," she says. "It's our job to dig out corruption and correct wrongdoings. When we hold government up to do what they are supposed to do, we make them accountable."
Opening the Effort for Open Records: Sara Key and WikiFOIA
Five years ago, barely anyone had heard of a “wiki” website, but today, Internet users everywhere are using the interactive, user-created sites to share information and solve complex problems.
Although wiki websites thrive on massive participation and an open platform, they also need someone to get the ball rolling so that the conversation can get started. That’s where Sara Key of WikiFOIA came in—and now the website that she built is one of the leaders in compiling information on public records laws nationwide.
I'm cheering Alabama this week. Not the Crimson Tide -- I'm still an Arkansas Razorback fan. No, it's the prospect of political reform that has me hollering. In Alabama there's a chance for a constitutional convention.
Sam In The News: John Stossel Highlights Arlington Heights Victory
"Opponents of eminent domain finally have something to celebrate. After a public campaign, Target Corp. has decided not to build a store on condemned property in Arlington Heights, Ill.,"writes acclaimed journalist John Stossel in an article highlighting the victory and the Sam Adams Alliance.
Action Toolkit Bonus: Writing a Winning Op-Ed
It’s a classic problem: you want to draw attention to an issue, but you don’t have the cash to buy all the billboards in town or rent the Goodyear blimp. How about an op-ed? Writing an op-ed for your local paper is a great way to give your cause credibility and attention. Here’s how to write a good one.
Defending Connecticut Taxpayers: Susan Kniep
For Connecticut taxpayers, life is rough. Just ask Susan Kniep, president of the Federation of Connecticut Taxpayer Organizations (FCTO).
The Importance of Having Persistence: Chetly Zarko's Fight for Educational Transparency
Should taxpayers know what public employees are doing with their money? Chetly Zarko, a Michigan resident and government transparency specialist, thinks it's a pretty obvious answer--"Yes." But when Zarko began requesting public records from the local teachers' union, he found out that things aren't always so simple. The Michigan Education Association, it turns out, likes to keep certain things under wraps.
Major Property Rights Victory in Missouri
Thanks to the tenacity of Homer Tourkakis, Missouri property owners have a major victory on their side in the battle against eminent domain abuse.
I am trying -- trying hard -- to imagine what a "zoning emergency" might be. In Oregon, Senate Bill 823 sets out to prohibit all development on or within spitting distance of the historic Oregon Trail running from the state line to the city of The Dalles. A homeowner, for instance, couldn't even add a deck.
Action Toolkit Bonus: Website Best Practices
Putting together a website? Here are some tips...
Have you heard of the Sam-O-Gram?
You've heard about the Sam Adams Alliance, but have you heard about the Sam-O-Gram? Fresh out of our newsroom and into your inbox, the Sam-O-Gram is your weekly update the work of the Sam Adams Alliance and citizen leaders across the country.
Public servant. It has a certain ring to it, like said person might actually serve the public.
Not sue the public.
Sometimes little things mean a lot.
Like a sticker with the slashed out words EMINENT DOMAIN ABUSE that Ron Kohr wore at a sewer authority meeting in York, Pennsylvania.
