GRASS IN REVIEW
GRASSROOT INSTITUTE OF HAWAII
Nurturing the rights and responsibilities of the individual in a civil society.
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WEEKLY GRASS IN REVIEW - August 15, 2007 |
Google Your Government!
By Paul Jacob
 Last year Google started Google U.S. Government Search, a Web service designed to make finding information about the federal government easier. A few months ago the western states of Arizona, California and Utah, along with my home state of Virginia, announced that they were partnering with Google to make it easier for citizens to search their sites.
A law sponsored by Senators Coburn and Obama passed last year, directing that info about federal grants and contract disbursements be put online. Four states of the union have similarly opened up their books to taxpayers online: Minnesota, Oklahoma, Kansas and Texas.
And now Hawaii has joined the bandwagon, with both of its legislative chambers passing House Bill 122. For some reason, governor Linda Lingle didn't sign the bill. But she didn't need to. The support for spending transparency was that high.
It might seem like a little thing — after all, putting up online the information you've already prepared for other purposes is not that technically demanding — but it may yield big consequences.
Like what? Well, Barack Obama argues that "'Googling' the government will not only help expose and eliminate waste, but dispel misconceptions about the scope of our commitments." I like the bit about eliminating waste. Maybe with misconceptions dispelled, we can reduce government's scope, too.
Less controversially, Andrew Moylan of the National Taxpayers Union called transparency "vital to good governance."
I agree. But it's vital only if you go and google your government!
Paul Jacob is on the GRIH’s Board of Advisors, as well as Senior Advisor at the Sam Adams Alliance and host of the national radio show “Common Sense.” |
IN THE NEWS - HIGHLIGHTED COMMENTARIES
Grassroot Institute is regularly featured in news articles and broadcasts around the state. Here is a sample of some of our recent articles, research stories, and other articles of interest.
Rail Decision is No Time for 'Truthiness'
By Cliff Slater
The arguments made in John Williamson’s recent The Honolulu Advertiser op/ed (6/22) in support of rail transit are the epitome of “truthiness” — the Merriam-Webster Dictionary’s recent ‘Word of the Year’ recently coined as "the quality of preferring concepts or facts one wishes to be true, rather than concepts or facts known to be true."
(To read more, click here.)
Book Review: Going to Pieces: The Dismantling of the United States of America
By Michael R. Fox, Ph.D.
Going to Pieces: The Dismantling of the United States of America is a frightening book which details the large and growing menace of the Native American problems in the U.S., which at this point is unknown to most Americans. We all should be grateful for this massive investigative effort and the warning that this book provides.
(To read more, click here.)
GRASSROOT CORRESPONDENCE
We Don’t Need Feds to Assure Our Control
By Dick Rowland
Mark Fergusson concludes in a letter to the Advertiser that "we should be the ones in control, not government". He makes a great point. Yet, earlier in the letter he decries "The lack of required labeling..." He wants to demand government action to assure "we" are in control?
(To read more, click here.)
FRESH PERSPECTIVE
Opportunity for Young Adults:
Grassroot Institute of Hawaii created the Fresh Perspective column exclusively to publish the work of high school and college students. In addition to work appearing on GRIH’s website, their work is also submitted to Hawaii Reporter. Submissions are welcome from any interested young adult, and we will publish work that is clearly written and grammatically sound. For earlier Fresh Perspectives please click here.
Contact: roz@grassrootinstitute.org for more info.
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TRY OUR BLOGS
Use these links to access various topics.
The Mystery of Hawaiian History>>>Blog Archives>>>Hawaiian Apartheid: Ken Conklin radio interview
Dash of Calabash>>>Blog Archives>>>The Misuse of Taxpayer Money
Read what others have written or add your own thoughts. Click here for more blogs.
LIBERTY NETWORK
Grassroot Institute of Hawaii is a member of an extensive international liberty network of organizations that promote more individual autonomy and less governmental involvement in human affairs.
UPCOMING EVENTS
All of the Institute’s events, research publication dates and speaking engagements are available on our website.
SAVE THE DATE!!! Saturday, November 3, 2007
Grassroot Institute of Hawaii Annual Meeting and Dinner
5:00 - 9:00 PM
Hale Koa Hotel, Waikiki
The keynote speaker for the evening will be Paul Jacob, a member of the GRIH Board of Advisors and Senior Advisor at the Sam Adams Alliance and Foundation. An acclaimed multi-media commentator, Paul hosts an online, radio, and print opinion program, Common Sense, which reaches a growing list of over 15,000 e-mail subscribers and is aired daily by more than 150 stations in 48 states. For more information about Paul Jacob, click here.
Paul Jacob's article "Hide the Debt!" was featured in the May 2nd edition of Grass in Review. Click here for links to all of Paul Jacob’s Grassroot Perspective articles.
More information regarding the annual meeting and dinner will be available on the website shortly. |
How fast does the state spend your money?
State spending is out of control. Watch the dollars fly out the window.....
Have an Institute speaker at your next meeting!
From taxation to education, from health care to transportation, the Institute’s staff is ready to address your group regarding the important policy issues facing all citizens of Hawaii. Call (808) 591-9193 to check availability and make arrangements, or e-mail us at roz@grassrootinstitute.org.
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CRABGRASS
About 350 million people in Asia speak English, roughly the same number as in the U.S., Great Britain, and Canada combined.
(Source: International Herald Tribune)
An estimated 11 million U.S. residents are not fluent in English, up from 6.6 million in 1990.
(Source: U.S. Census Bureau)
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
“Morality is moral only when it is voluntary.”
-- Journalist Lincoln Steffens (1866-1936)
“It’s only when the tide goes out that you learn who’s been swimming naked.”
-- Investor Warren Buffett |
