Wednesday, February 22, 2012

What to do with Perry's fundraising leftovers? Governor has options

In a recent editorial written by the editorial board of Statesman,  'What to do with Perry's fundraising leftovers?' they state their opinion on what Perry should consider doing with the leftover money from his presidential campaign. According to the editorial board Perry should consider donating the money to charity. 


If Perry is rejected to form his PAC then he is asking if he can send the money to his Texas campaign fund and use it for another run for governor. They fear that if Perry is rejected of transferring the money into a PAC he will end up using it to pay himself a salary, when that money could go to a charity. By forming a super PAC Perry can have the option of not running for the re-election in 2014 as long as he's using money raised beyond the amount he shifts from his campaign he can use that money to his advantage.Although Perry has not yet been approved to use that money to start his PAC the editorial board believe that it is most likely he will be approved with evidence that the FEC has allowed past campaigns to switch money over to PACs.In reality the editorial board isn't arguing that Perry should be denied of using the money for a PAC but asking that he consider spending the money more efficiently. 


The editorial is targeting an audience that is most likely not supporters of Perry or that in some way dislike him. If someone that is a firm believer and supporter of Perry would be bothered by this article because forming a PAC would be beneficial to Perry in a political aspect.  “Not only could he stay relevant nationally, but he also could stay employed after he leaves office and continue to nicely supplement his state pension at the same time”. This article by the editorial board is making sure to let people know Perry has other options. They are portraying him as selfish in a way, and are clearly against what he wants to do with the leftover money. They make sure to point out that other past politicians have used their money to donate to charities. “If Perry needs the example of a fellow politician to follow, here's one: Former Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter left office last year after deciding not run for re-election. He has since given about $300,000 left in his state campaign fund to charitable and nonprofit groups, including $10,000 to the San Antonio-based Sisters of the Holy Spirit and Mary Immaculate, which helps AIDS orphans.”

Perry should consider donating the money to charities. Although it would be beneficial to him to use it to keep him in the limelight and possibly run for re election in 2014, it would be better he donate the money for a better cause. Perry can easily raise money in the future to help form a PAC another way, but by donating the left over presidential campaign money to a charity not only would he be helping out others but essentially making himself look good. The editorial board suggests he give his leftover campaign money to the Friends of the Governor's Mansion, the nonprofit that supports one of the most historic houses in Texas considering he’s been staying in one. They also suggest that he donate to Texas' state parks that are hurting and are accepting donations from citizens to help them stay open, and then sarcastically they say ”There's always the Boy Scouts. We all know how dear that organization is to the governor's heart.”

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Texas gets B minus grade on website transparency ranking

Texas Watchdog published an article, Texas gets B minus grade on website transparency, regarding the transparency value of the information Texas state and local government agencies post online. The grade of B minus was given by The Sunshine Review. The Sunshine Review, a non-profit is "about state and local government transparency, engaged citizens, and holding government officials accountable. The Sunshine Review wiki collects and shares information about state and local transparency using a 10-point Transparency Checklist to evaluate 6,000 state and local government websites." So what does receiving a B minus mean exactly? According to the Sunshine Review “Anything less than an ‘A’ is a disservice to Texas citizens. Texans deserve a government that discloses vital information about everything from the quality of their children’s schools to how much they pay in taxes.” The government websites were ranked based on a checklist consisting of: how well they offered citizens information about budgets, meetings, lobbying, audits, contracts, public records and taxes. It's very important for our local government to provide this type of information to the people, and when it doesn't it sort of makes people question the government. It's very disappointing to hear that our state has received a B minus when it comes to releasing this type of information, are they possibly trying to hide something or why are we not being informed about state budgets, meetings, public records, taxes, etc.