Nebraska Sets the Standard on Government Accountability

[Skull Pilot]

Can you imagine, the standard for government not being set by the "progressive, educated, erudite, elite of the coastal bastions of "liberalism"?

Can we learn something from those Podunk political preschoolers in the badlands? You know where commonsense prevails as the common good and is not ignored for the common good?

Nebraska has always been a little different. We cast electors for president based on congressional districts, not winner-take-all for the state. We have a single, nonpartisan body as the legislature, the Unicameral. We also have a habit of fiscal responsibility that's kept spending in check and taxes within reason -- and has helped sustain a modestly robust economy amid a severe national recession.

Our state's unemployment consistently hovers in the 4%-5% range (the latest federal figures peg it at 4.5%, while the national average is 8.1%). The national foreclosure rate is one in every 500 homes; in Nebraska it is one in 25,500. The state currently has a record surplus. We ended the year with about $550 million in our rainy-day fund, and project a modest 1.2% growth in tax revenue this year.

Among the reasons for Nebraska's economic strength is a long history of strong executive leadership and an independent legislature. But mainly these factors exist because we have an inquiring public that demands to know how tax dollars are spent. That's called accountability, and it was the inspiration behind my effort to create NebraskaSpending.com, a searchable, public database that discloses every aspect of state government spending. By allowing the public to examine how its money is spent, we are equipping Nebraskans with great tools to hold their government accountable.

Kentucky, Missouri and other states also have established, or are establishing, similar Web sites. These sites have cost states millions. We did ours for $38,000.

There will be items uncovered that can't be explained or that some don't want made public. For example, while setting up NebraskaSpending.com we found a surprising amount of money spent on size 13 boots by the department of corrections. When officials realized their numbers were about to be put online, they updated their expenditures to reveal that the money had actually gone to guard uniforms. Once our site went live, we got calls from other agencies asking to update their numbers. They knew Nebraskans would pay attention. Over the past year, more than 400,000 visitors have dropped in on our site, spending an average of 20 minutes.

By recognizing the mistake of dramatically increasing spending in boom times, only to face a severe shortfall in down times, Nebraska has been able to avoid the cracks other states are falling into. Our governor, Dave Heineman, called for belt tightening before the markets headed south and prioritized state needs on the notion that budgeting conservatively is better than facing record deficits at a time of crisis.

The federal government has chosen a different path. In just two months, Congress has authorized more spending than the nation spent over the past eight years fighting wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and rebuilding from Hurricane Katrina. With the authorization of $787 billion in "stimulus" spending and $410 billion to fund the federal government until September, the national debt will surpass $12 trillion this year. Spending continues to increase while nothing is done to address the looming budget crisis we will face if Medicare, Social Security and other entitlements aren't reformed soon.

Every election cycle seems to bring another example of someone falling victim to hubris, avarice and blind ambition. Republicans, and I am one, have long stood for accountability, fairness and transparency. We, as a party, need to stand for these things again.

Politicians will always pledge to do good things, to be open and transparent. They will even ask to be held to account. But too often they prove deft at avoiding blame. President Barack Obama has called for a searchable Web site to track stimulus spending. That's good. Let's take him up on that, and make sure that the information is complete and detailed enough for us all to give it close scrutiny. A full accounting is only possible through transparency.

In eras such as this one, we need to enact policies that reward innovators and encourage entrepreneurship -- our job creators. Now is not a time to recklessly spend. It is a time to proceed with caution and closely scrutinize every expenditure made on the public's behalf.

Above all, we must hold to account every office holder. Leadership isn't about telling people what they want to hear or giving them another round of government programs that promise the moon. It's about a willingness to stick one's head up and one's neck out. In Nebraska, what we're finding is that fiscally conservative leadership has allowed us to enter this economic storm well provisioned, and such leadership will put our nation on a straight course to calmer seas.

Does anyone else have the urge to move to Nebraska?

 

[auditor0007]

Can you imagine, the standard for government not being set by the "progressive, educated, erudite, elite of the coastal bastions of "liberalism"?

Can we learn something from those Podunk political preschoolers in the badlands? You know where commonsense prevails as the common good and is not ignored for the common good?

Nebraska has always been a little different. We cast electors for president based on congressional districts, not winner-take-all for the state. We have a single, nonpartisan body as the legislature, the Unicameral. We also have a habit of fiscal responsibility that's kept spending in check and taxes within reason -- and has helped sustain a modestly robust economy amid a severe national recession.

Our state's unemployment consistently hovers in the 4%-5% range (the latest federal figures peg it at 4.5%, while the national average is 8.1%). The national foreclosure rate is one in every 500 homes; in Nebraska it is one in 25,500. The state currently has a record surplus. We ended the year with about $550 million in our rainy-day fund, and project a modest 1.2% growth in tax revenue this year.

Among the reasons for Nebraska's economic strength is a long history of strong executive leadership and an independent legislature. But mainly these factors exist because we have an inquiring public that demands to know how tax dollars are spent. That's called accountability, and it was the inspiration behind my effort to create NebraskaSpending.com, a searchable, public database that discloses every aspect of state government spending. By allowing the public to examine how its money is spent, we are equipping Nebraskans with great tools to hold their government accountable.

Kentucky, Missouri and other states also have established, or are establishing, similar Web sites. These sites have cost states millions. We did ours for $38,000.

There will be items uncovered that can't be explained or that some don't want made public. For example, while setting up NebraskaSpending.com we found a surprising amount of money spent on size 13 boots by the department of corrections. When officials realized their numbers were about to be put online, they updated their expenditures to reveal that the money had actually gone to guard uniforms. Once our site went live, we got calls from other agencies asking to update their numbers. They knew Nebraskans would pay attention. Over the past year, more than 400,000 visitors have dropped in on our site, spending an average of 20 minutes.

By recognizing the mistake of dramatically increasing spending in boom times, only to face a severe shortfall in down times, Nebraska has been able to avoid the cracks other states are falling into. Our governor, Dave Heineman, called for belt tightening before the markets headed south and prioritized state needs on the notion that budgeting conservatively is better than facing record deficits at a time of crisis.

The federal government has chosen a different path. In just two months, Congress has authorized more spending than the nation spent over the past eight years fighting wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and rebuilding from Hurricane Katrina. With the authorization of $787 billion in "stimulus" spending and $410 billion to fund the federal government until September, the national debt will surpass $12 trillion this year. Spending continues to increase while nothing is done to address the looming budget crisis we will face if Medicare, Social Security and other entitlements aren't reformed soon.

Every election cycle seems to bring another example of someone falling victim to hubris, avarice and blind ambition. Republicans, and I am one, have long stood for accountability, fairness and transparency. We, as a party, need to stand for these things again.

Politicians will always pledge to do good things, to be open and transparent. They will even ask to be held to account. But too often they prove deft at avoiding blame. President Barack Obama has called for a searchable Web site to track stimulus spending. That's good. Let's take him up on that, and make sure that the information is complete and detailed enough for us all to give it close scrutiny. A full accounting is only possible through transparency.

In eras such as this one, we need to enact policies that reward innovators and encourage entrepreneurship -- our job creators. Now is not a time to recklessly spend. It is a time to proceed with caution and closely scrutinize every expenditure made on the public's behalf.

Above all, we must hold to account every office holder. Leadership isn't about telling people what they want to hear or giving them another round of government programs that promise the moon. It's about a willingness to stick one's head up and one's neck out. In Nebraska, what we're finding is that fiscally conservative leadership has allowed us to enter this economic storm well provisioned, and such leadership will put our nation on a straight course to calmer seas.

Does anyone else have the urge to move to Nebraska?

How about just moving that fiscal responsibility to Washington? Of course, Nebraska is one of those Red States.

 

[auditor0007]

Take a look at which states have the biggest deficits.

Blue States and Budget Deficits… Democrats can’t manage budgets. « Gop3.com: The Triumvirate

 

[Missourian]

State of Missouri’s accountability Web site surpasses six million hits

May 13, 2008 12:00 AM, By Kristin Atwater

In less than a year since its launch, the Missouri Accountability Portal (MAP) has proved to be a popular access spot for citizens.

Missouri Gov. Matt Blunt created MAP last year to provide Missourians with valuable information about how their tax dollars are spent. “My administration has been focused on being a faithful steward of Missourians’ tax dollars while at the same time improving efficiency and customer service,” Gov. Blunt said. “The Missouri Accountability Portal holds state government accountable for its spending choices by providing a free, online tool that tracks how the state spends your hard-earned money. My goal is to ensure that state government is accountable to Missourians for every dollar we spend.”

The MAP site is said to be one of the nation’s first comprehensive databases of financial records based on real-time data. At the close of each business day, the site is updated to provide the latest figures and information about state spending. Information on the Web site includes:

* Salaries of state employees, searchable by the particular state agency, position title or employee name. Gross-pay amounts are included for the last pay cycle, as well as year-to-date salaries for each listing.

* State expenditures. View payment information for goods, services and program disbursements according to the specific state agency, expenditure category, contract or vendor.


* Tax credits. Find tax credit issuances by category, customer or legislative district. Examples of tax credit projects include real-estate development, remediation of contaminated sites, rehabilitation of historic structures, downtown revitalization, job creation and investment in Missouri.

* Meeting transparency goals Because of its ability to make government more responsive and responsible to citizens, Missouri’s MAP has been praised by policy analysts and political watchdogs...

To access MAP, visit http://mapyourtaxes.mo.gov/MAP/Portal/.

I'm very proud of my state for leading the way in the arena of government accountability.

Kudos to Nebraska for following our fine example, and doing it for less.


Link to the rest of the quoted article http://govpro.com/resource_center/gov_imp_80255/

 

[007]

Can you imagine, the standard for government not being set by the "progressive, educated, erudite, elite of the coastal bastions of "liberalism"?

Can we learn something from those Podunk political preschoolers in the badlands? You know where commonsense prevails as the common good and is not ignored for the common good?

Does anyone else have the urge to move to Nebraska?

So, an article like this BEGS the question... "why don't the feds simply emulate Nebraska?" Or isn't it that simple? I think it is. But then if Washington followed Nebraska's fine example, then the stinking, spend drunk liberals couldn't SPEND MONEY they DON'T HAVE! Oh we can't have that now...

 

[editec]

A government accountable to the people.

Imagine that.

 

[007]

Can you imagine, the standard for government not being set by the "progressive, educated, erudite, elite of the coastal bastions of "liberalism"?

Can we learn something from those Podunk political preschoolers in the badlands? You know where commonsense prevails as the common good and is not ignored for the common good?

Does anyone else have the urge to move to Nebraska?

So, and article like this BEGS the question... "why don't the feds simply emulate Nebraska?" Or isn't it that simple? I think it is. But then if Washington followed Nebraska's fine example, then the stinking, spend drunk liberals couldn't SPEND MONEY! Oh we can't have that now...