25 Nov 2008

Campaign Finance Reform

by | Date: 25 Nov 2008 | posted in: governance | 1 Facebooktwitterredditmail

In the United States, candidates for public office have always needed money to run for public office. To get it they have often depended on wealthy contributors expecting favors in return. In 1971, the federal government passed the Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA), in an attempt to combat this phenomenon. The FECA (which was amended several times until 1979) put a cap on the amount a single donor could contribute to a campaign for federal government, and required public disclosure of these contributions.… Read More
5 Nov 2008

Governance – Primer on Campaign Financing

by | Date: 5 Nov 2008 | posted in: governance | 1 Facebooktwitterredditmail

At the federal level: Much of the funding for campaigns comes from individuals who donate money. At the federal level, these contributrions are subject to limits, enacted in 1974 in the aftermath of Watergate.

An individual may give a candidate no more than $1,000 per election. The law also caps individual donations to a political party at $20,000.

However, corporate contributions to candidates for President and Congress have been outlawed since 1907; contributions from labor unions have been outlawed since 1943.

… Read More
30 Oct 2008

Self-Reliant Cities

by | Date: 30 Oct 2008 | posted in: From the Desk of David Morris, governance, The Public Good | 0 Facebooktwitterredditmail

Originally published in 1982, we’re making this book available as a free download since many of its discussions are as relevant today as they were 25 years ago. The first half discusses the century-long struggle by cities to gain autonomy and authority from state governments and create their own planning and service delivery capacities. The second part describes the first urban-based localization movements and the successes and challenges. As a standalone document, we’ve also included the new foreword and the book’s last chapter, The Ecological City given the current revived debate about the subject.… Read More
5 Jun 2008

Balancing Budgets By Raising Depletion Taxes

by | Date: 5 Jun 2008 | posted in: environment, From the Desk of David Morris, governance, The Public Good | 0 Facebooktwitterredditmail

This June 2008 policy brief by Justin Dahlheimer concludes that states could generate hundreds of millions, in some cases billions, of dollars in additional revenue each year by implementing or adjusting depletion tax policies. The report illustrates how current depletion tax policies, in many cases, fail to account for the full value of the natural resources, depriving state and local governments of additional revenue that could be useful in current and future fiscal years.

… Read More
6 Nov 2000

Preempt This! Michigan Cities Fight Back

by | Date: 6 Nov 2000 | posted in: governance | 0 Facebooktwitterredditmail

What does it take to get a group of polite Midwesterners riled up enough to propose an amendment to their state constitution? Michigan legislators can tell you it’s not too difficult: just pass a series of laws that weaken local authority. By Daniel Kraker… Read More
30 Jan 2000

One Government, With Free Trade For All

by | Date: 30 Jan 2000 | posted in: From the Desk of David Morris, governance, The Public Good | 0 Facebooktwitterredditmail

(The following article appeared in the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Sunday January 30, 2000.)

"Perfection of means and confusion of ends seems to characterize our age."

Thatinsight of Albert Einstein’s half a century ago aptly describes the current debate, or more precisely, non-debate, about free trade.

… Read More
15 Nov 1998

Don’t Bribe ‘Em. Buy ‘Em: A strategic proposal on how New Yorkers can create–and control–a minor baseball league of their own

by | Date: 15 Nov 1998 | posted in: From the Desk of David Morris, governance, The Public Good | 2 Facebooktwitterredditmail

Inthe next two years, New Yorkers will spend nearly $50 million dollars to build two stadiums for minor league teams in order to lure away short-season, class A ball clubs from other communities. And in ten years? New Yorkers may well have to consider building bigger stadiums for those same teams so they don’t threaten to move as the Yankees are now doing. A better idea: For the same amount of taxpayer money, New Yorkers can create–and own–a minor league comprised of several good ball clubs and still have money left over to put toward stadiums. And New Yorkers can–for years to come–root for teams that are truly rooted in their own community.

… Read More
5 Nov 1998

Place Matters Conference Summary

by | Date: 5 Nov 1998 | posted in: From the Desk of David Morris, governance, Retail, The Public Good | 0 Facebooktwitterredditmail

The Place Matters Conference, held on November 12, 1998 in St. Paul, Minnesota, drew together a mix of businesses, organizations and individuals who, by their very nature, believe that place does indeed matter. These participants were all firmly anchored in their communities, representing small businesses, financial institutions, community-based nonprofits, farmers, and local governments in Minnesota. They were a mix of people who did not normally interact, yet had much in common. They shared a remarkably similar recent history: economic and public policy trends that had made their long-term viability much more tenuous and uncertain.… Read More

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