Try out the search engine for government credit card spending, PERA administrative salaries and other databases. Some of the databases are a little dated because with so many levels of government it's a time-consuming process but they are being added gradually.
Click here for databases.
Here's a few examples from one city's credit card spending. These purchases were made on public employee credit cards and public tax dollars paid the bill. Are our taxdollars being spent wisely?
| ITEM | AMOUNT | DESCRIPTION | VENDOR |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $59.68 | Meeting co-worker | RED LOBSTER |
| 2 | $167.46 | Meeting with co-worker | JOHNNY CARINOS |
| 3 | $112.69 | Interview | SIMMS LANDING |
| 4 | $208.09 | Baby Shower | JOHNNY CARINOS |
| 5 | $104.20 | Lakewood Housing Authority meeting | 240 UNION |
| 6 | $494.15 | Bankers Roundtable Luncheon | 240 UNION |
| 7 | $300.00 | Holiday Hold-Em Cooking Class | Whole Foods |
| 8 | $543.00 | Democratic Convention Commemorative Coins | Coins for Anything |
| 7 | $197.25 | Take Your Kids to Work bowling | Bowlero Lanes |
Detailed transparency really can save us a lot of money besides providing accountability to the public. In large government bodies, when employees make purchases on their own with taxpayer-funded credit cards this ignores savings that could be found in bidding out those expenditures as bulk purchases.
Video: "Property Rights and the 50% rule"
Large video click here (higher speed internet)
RTD got a law passed
allowing them to pay only 50% for a property taking. This law ignores the guarantee in our constitution which states property owners should receive "just compensation" when property is taken for a public purpose. While it's easy to understand that a publi purpose might include a public school or road, the definition of public purpose has now been interpreted to include economic gain. Many people, including myself, do not agree that a private project meant to provide profit for a private developer was to be allowed when forcibly taking someone's private property.
Small video click here (slow internet connection)
Large video click here (higher speed internet)
RTD got a law passed
allowing them to pay only 50% for a property taking. This law ignores the guarantee in our constitution which states property owners should receive "just compensation" when property is taken for a public purpose. While it's easy to understand that a publi purpose might include a public school or road, the definition of public purpose has now been interpreted to include economic gain. Many people, including myself, do not agree that a private project meant to provide profit for a private developer was to be allowed when forcibly taking someone's private property.
Click here to listen to the House testimony in which the committee passed the bill.
