News and Views from AFP Georgia

The Real March Madness – Share with a Friend!

Everybody's talking about March Madness, the NCAA Tournament. But the Real March Madness is what happens off the court when lobbyists for public universities exploit a gaping loophole in Congressional ethics rules that exempts them from the new gift ban. This loophole allows public-university lobbyists, along with other taxpayer-funded government lobbyists, to skirt the gift ban and give free trips and Final Four tickets to Members of Congress, often in an attempt to facilitate wasteful pork-barrel earmarks. Taxpayers end up paying for both the lavish gifts and the pork-barrel earmarks the government lobbyists are usually pushing for!

What can you do?

1. Share this catchy and entertaining YouTube video with a friend: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LnW9kybpRWI
2. Go to the "Real March Madness" web page: www.TheRealMarchMadness.com
3. Contact your U.S. Representative to support and co-sponsor legislation introduced by U.S. Rep. Jeff Flake (6th Dist. - Ariz.) that would close this unfair loophole through our easy-to-use online Taxpayer Action Center.
4. Write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper using our online Taxpayer Action Center.

Grassroots Training from East to West Georgia in March

In a focused effort to get outside the metro Atlanta donut, Americans For Prosperity held two grassroots training seminars so far this month at opposite ends of Georgia. Not surprisingly, we're finding that Georgians - east, west, inside or outside the donut - agree that we must band together to fight wasteful spending and excessive taxation at every level of government.

The first Saturday in March found us in Cedartown, which borders the Alabama state line. The next Saturday was spent in St. Mary's, a beautiful and friendly coastal town right at the Florida line. Both groups were enthusiastic and are now equipped with the information needed to contact their elected leaders with the message, Yes, we care about fiscal policy! And we know where to find your budget, too."

No Grassroots Training in your area yet? Get a group of interested people together and let's go for it! With April 15 right around the corner, you're sure to hear about some taxpaying activists looking for a better way. Challenge them to get trained so their concerns will be heard by those who can do something about it. Call Virginia Galloway at 404-736-1465 or e-mail her at vgalloway@afphq.org to set up training in your town next.

Zero Based Budgeting bill passes State Senate

SB 12, the Zero Based Budgeting bill, passed the Georgia Senate with a unanimous vote of 52-0 and is awaiting action in the House. This commonsense bill requires that every budgeted entity justify its existence every four years with measurable data, and justify each dollar spent (as opposed to the current "How much more do you need this year" method). Each agency would be required to submit budget requests at three funding levels and a list of organizational priorities. To read the bill, please click on http://www.legis.ga.gov/legis/2007_08/fulltext/sb12.htm.

On your mark, get set, OK, not until next week….

The Georgia General Assembly has been on a two week recess while legislators deal with funding issues for the Peach Care program. I hope you've taken this opportunity to get in touch with your state legislator and let them know of your personal, abiding interest in responsible fiscal policy.

As Session resumes next week, please watch your e-mail for legislative alerts. We expect the remainder of the Session to be fast and furious, so we will let you know when and who to call on specific bills like the Zero Based Budgeting bill. Your call to your State Senator and/ or Representative is important! Don't let good legislation get lost in the shuffle. Here's the link to find your State legislator: http://www.legis.state.ga.us/