April 26, 2007

"Show Me the Spending" coalition

Date: Thu, 26 Apr 2007 16:55:33 GMT
From: "National Taxpayers Union"
To:
Subject: Tell State Politicians: Show Me the Spending!

Dear LAAG:

State governments dole out billions of tax dollars every year through grants, contracts, and other forms of spending. Where's the money going? Our newly formed "Show Me the Spending" coalition believes you have a right to know.

The National Taxpayers Union and our coalition partners are working to pass legislation in all 50 states requiring a so-called "Google government" website that would allow you to see how the state government is spending your hard-earned money. Please help us now by visiting the coalition's homepage, www.showmethespending.org , and telling your legislators to "Show Me the Spending!"

As you may know, last year President Bush signed the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act into law. Originally sponsored by Senators Tom Coburn (R-OK) and Barack Obama (D-IL), the bipartisan legislation is creating a searchable online database that the general public can use to track hundreds of billions of dollars in federal grant and contract expenditures.

Taxpayers deserve this kind of openness from state government too. The cost would be small, and the result would help to hold all elected officials accountable for state spending. While more than a dozen other states have limited versions of disclosure websites for grants and/or contracts, only one (Kansas) has created the kind of cohesive, comprehensive database envisioned in the federal legislation.

Providing an easy-to-use tool like the searchable website would enable you and your fellow residents to make sense of how your tax dollars are being parceled out, and make your own determinations of government's spending priorities.

The coalition's new website, www.showmethespending.org , features a constantly-updated legislative status center for all 50 states, model legislation for officials, research on the benefits of state spending disclosure, and a grassroots action center that gives citizens like you the ability to petition your legislators.

Conservatives, liberals, and everyone in between ought to agree that transparency of and public access to government information is vital to the health of our political system. Wherever you stand on the issues, please click over to www.showmethespending.org and speak out today!

Sincerely,

John Berthoud

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Please forward this message to at least 3 of your friends and
get them involved today!

http://ga1.org/join-forward.html?domain=ntu_action&r=27xnuWY1f4j9

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