Citizens in Charge

Part II of our “What’s on the Ballot in 2009” video with Paul Jacob is up on our Youtube page.  This video discusses what is on the ballot in Ohio and Washington.  You can check out the video here.

Supporters of an initiative aimed at ethics reform have accused Utah’s Lieutenant Governor of preventing them from circulating their petition by stalling on its approval. The Lt. Gov. claims he is not stalling, and will likely let the petition go through to gather signatures. I have blogged before about the many restrictions that Utah places on its initiative process.

 

We have a new video up on our Youtube page with President Paul Jacob discussing the different measures on the ballot in 2009.

This is part one of the interview, the second part will be up shortly.  You can check out the video here.

Sorry for the late blog post this evening, sometimes the internet doesn’t cooperate…the tubes get filled.

Just for kicks let’s see what Citizens in Charge Foundation President Paul Jacob was writing about last year on this date.

His Common Sense article for September 25, 2008, is titled, “Letting Citizens Vote.” In the middle of a heated presidential election year he discussed a novel idea from one Congressman. Check out the article here.

Alaska may be one of the most remote places on earth, and be nowhere near the United States mainland, but it still has the initiative process.

There’s a good blog post over at Reason Online outlining the U.S. Supreme Court and a case coming out of Colorado.  A law passed in Colorado requires any group that takes a position one way or the other on a ballot measure must register with the government and provide information on their donors.  The U.S. Supreme Court will decide next week whether or not to hear the case.  You can check out the blog post here.

 

While we don’t support or oppose any particular initiatives here at Citizens in Charge Foundation, we work with a lot of initiative activists who do. At the Grassroots Director, I am in regular contact with people involved in initiatives all over the country, and it gives me great insight into how the process really works “on the ground”. It is that insight that makes me question the logic of a bill that has recently passed the California legislature, and whether California legislators even understand the initiative process that they are meddling with.

The fight continues in Washington state over I-1033 and its placement on the November 2009 ballot.  The measure would limit state, county and city revenue increases, thereby saving the state’s residents from more tax increases.

One of the many great things that came out of August’s townhall meetings, were all the great reasons to support the right of citizens to recall their elected officials.

Citizens in Charge President Paul Jacob outlined a number of these great advertisements for recall rights in his recent Common Sense article, “Cuz You Constituents Work For Me”.

Today, September 17th, marks the anniversary of the signing of the United States Constitution back in 1787. It was signed by 37 men including: George Washington, George Hamilton and Benjamin Franklin. The U.S. Constitution was written and signed in Philadelphia, PA at the Federal Convention, and it is the shortest and oldest constitution in the world today.

The streets of Washington, DC are lined with the offices of non-profits, advocacy groups, and other organizations. Most people who live, work, or travel in DC probably don’t even notice when they go past the Heritage Foundation or the Brookings Institution, much less wonder about what those organizations do. With our offices nestled among those of orthodontists, architects and insurance agencies 25 miles outside of the District in Lake Ridge, VA,  Citizens in Charge Foundation doesn’t always fall so far under the radar.