When you consider the facts, there is only one clear choice for the next Massachusetts State Auditor: Kamal Jain.

“There’s a world of difference between financial auditing and government auditing.” ~Alan Levine, Retired Partner, Ernst & Young

How many auditors does it take to audit our state government?  Well, the answer depends on which kind of auditor you’re talking about.  Here, Kamal Jain explains that there are many different kinds of auditors, and that it would be incorrect to confuse a financial auditor with a government auditor.

A lot of politicians use the word “transparency”.  Kamal Jain says they are abusing the word and cheapening it.  He is the only candidate for State Auditor to define transparency and propose specific plans on to bring about Total Transparency and Actual Accountability.

For many years our republic flourished with very little growth of government.  Most government was very local, very small and naturally transparent.  People knew what was going on and had a say in it.  Waste was hard to hide.

As the nation grew faster, so did government.  Like any bureaucracy, the larger government got, the more wasteful and inefficient it got.  But the more local government was, the more naturally transparent it generally was, because people could see the outcomes and effects of government with their own eyes.

In more recent years, government growth has been primarily at the state and Federal level, where it is, by definition, not local, and by nature increasingly opaque and hidden from the eyes of the people.  To address this concern, state and federal government established entire bureaucracies just to audit the government for waste and inefficiency.

The problem with this arrangement is obvious: Government cannot objectively audit itself any more than an individual or corporation could objectively audit themselves.  There is an inherent conflict of interest, as well as the bias and indifference that comes with spending other people’s money.

For generations, ever-expanding government was only tracked on paper, and then eventually on proprietary computer systems controlled by government itself.  Freedom of information requests were — and often still are — paper forms submitted in person or through the mail, which eventually yield paper results.

None of the information was easy to obtain or easy to consume.  The people had little choice but to rely upon government to audit itself and hope for the best.

No more — now we can have Democracy in America 2.0!

The late 20th and early 21st century have brought to the masses unprecedented access to information and technology.  Nearly all government operation occurs on computer systems which can produce information that is easy to obtain and easy to consume — and easy to understand.

Fundamental to democracy working correctly is civic engagement.  The people need to know what their government is doing, and be able to participate through the democratic process of voting.  According to polls commissioned by the Association of Government Accountants, government transparency is very important to the American people.

Here in Massachusetts we have a paradox: One of the most technically well-equipped states, with a complete lack of state government transparency.

So why no transparency?

Because most politicians and candidates do not embrace true transparency.  They have learned that “transparency” is a word they can throw around and win points with, but unless they are talking about true and total transparency, where the people can directly see the information with their own eyes, then it isn’t transparency.

Any politician who says that they will find government waste and show the people isn’t offering transparency, they’re offering to go behind the curtain and tell the people what’s back there.  That is not transparency.  No politician is immune to the influences of being in government; they cannot be objective.  And with the sheer size and scope of today’s state government, it is hubris to make such claims or promises.

Until recently, we had little choice.  But today we have the democratizing benefits of technology.

The Internet, powerful home computers, and smart mobile phones have given billions of people on the planet cheap and instant access to vast collections of news, information and wisdom.  We no longer have to go to libraries and search through card catalogs in hopes of gaining knowledge.  We no longer have to rely solely on a very small set of news outlets such as newspapers and television.

We no longer have to allow our government to operate secretly and without transparency.  We no longer have to trust politicians and rely on government to objectively audit itself.

We have had the technology and the ability.  We have only lacked the right government Auditor to make it happen.

Until now.

I’m Kamal Jain, and I am the ONLY candidate for State Auditor with a promise and a plan to bring Total Transparency to our state government.  I promise to return the power to oversee government to the people by making all financial information freely accessible and easy to understand.  I’ve made other pledges as well.

I will establish a Massachusetts version of the famed Grace Commission, which will enable volunteers from the private sector to actively audit government operations.  These things will empower the people to become citizen auditors.

No politician, bureaucrat or government department can objectively audit government or tell the people what is going on inside.  Only Total Transparency can. Only Total Transparency will return the power to rein-in government back to the people. If we want Democracy in America 2.0, we have to demand Total Transparency.

Only one candidate for State Auditor offers Total Transparency: Kamal Jain.

Please vote for Kamal Jain in the Republican primary on September 14th.

Thank you!

You see, it is the only annual report that is comprehensive enough to be compliant with the same accounting standard used by businesses.  While each fiscal year ends on June 30, this particular report is not available to the public until late December or early January following the close of that period.

Looking back at FY2008 one can plainly see that what our politicians call “the budget” was $26.8 BILLION, total CAFR spending was $50.8 BILLION — $24 BILLION more than what the annual General Appropriations Act covers.

Why the difference?  Without transparency we cannot know.  Where did the money go, and why is so much off budget?  Without accountability we cannot know.  How well-spent was the money, and who truly benefitted from it?  Without the information and tools available online to let the people do their own analysis of their government we cannot know.

What does FY2009 have for its total?  When Santa brings me my present (via the Office of the State Comptroller), that is at least something we can know.

Next year we can all look forward to lots of transparency and accountability when I get elected as our next State Auditor.

Transparently Yours,
Kamal Jain

FY2008 Spending
Budget =  $26.8 BILLION <– this is the so-called “budget”
SBFR  =  $47.7 BILLION
CAFR  =  $50.8 BILLION <– this is the real number for total spending

FY2009 Spending
Budget =  $28.2 BILLION <– this is the so-called “budget” *
SBFR  =  $49.4 BILLION
CAFR =  $??.? BILLION <– We will know in late December or early January

REFERENCES
FY2008 Budget — See total of column “FY 2008 GAA” available at:

http://www.mass.gov/bb/gaa/fy2008/app08/ga08/hdefault.htm

FY2009 Budget — See total of columns “FY2009 GAA” and “FY2009 Total Spending” * available at:

http://www.mass.gov/bb/gaa/fy2009/app_09/ga_09/hdefault.htm

* Note that “FY2009 Total Spending” is shown as $27.9 BILLION.

FY2008 SBFR — See total for 2008 on page 316 (”Ten-Year Schedule Of Expenditures And Other Financing Uses By Secretariat”) of SBFR available at:

http://www.mass.gov/Aosc/docs/reports_audits/SBFR/2008_SBFR.pdf

FY2009 SBFR — See total for 2009 on page 106 (”Ten-Year Schedule Of Expenditures And Other Financing Uses By Secretariat”) of SBFR available at:

http://www.mass.gov/Aosc/docs/reports_audits/SBFR/2009_SBFR.pdf

FY2008 CAFR — See total for 2008 on page 164 (”Ten-Year Schedule Of Expenditures And Other Financing Uses By Secretariat”) of CAFR available at:

http://www.mass.gov/Aosc/docs/reports_audits/CAFR/CAFR_2008.pdf

FY2009 CAFR — We have to wait until late December or early January.

DEFINITIONS/EXPLANATIONS
Fiscal Year — Per Wikipedia (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiscal_year): A fiscal year (or financial year, or sometimes budget year) is a period used for calculating annual (”yearly”) financial statements in businesses and other organizations. In many jurisdictions, regulatory laws regarding accounting and taxation require such reports once per twelve months, but do not require that the period reported on constitutes a calendar year (i.e., January through December).  The Commonwealth of Massachusetts has a fiscal year which begins on July 1 of each year and ends on June 30 of the following calendar year.

Budget — Expenditures and revenue plans as defined by the General Appropriations Act of each given fiscal year.

SBFR — The Statutory Basis Financial Report, typically available in late October or early November for the prior fiscal year ended June 30 (approximately 4 months after close of fiscal period).

CAFR — The Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, typically available in late December or early January for the prior fiscal year ended June 30 (approximately 6 months from close of fiscal period).

Why?  Because the other major party candidates have the same things in common, none of which the people of Massachusetts need: They all lack vision and independence from party loyalties, and they are all political opportunists seeking to reach the next rung on the political ladder, and to be a guardian for their party.  These two parties have controlled the Governor’s office and the Legislature for decades, taking turns in the driver’s seat but always moving in one direction: More spending and bigger government with NO transparency or accountability.

There is a candidate for Auditor with a clearly-articulated vision for TOTAL transparency and accountability, and the independence the people of our state so desperately need to help them know all that goes on in state government: Kamal Jain.  The people need someone inside government who is on their side.  Together we can leave no stone unturned, no agency or department unexamined.

The people of Massachusetts are smart enough to know that audits of the government by the government will never expose much of the waste and corruption.  The people of Massachusetts need the tools and information to enable them all to become citizen auditors and investigators, able to identify and examine every expenditure, every contract bid and award process, every decision made — things done in near secrecy today.  The people need transparency and accountability.

When there is a candidate who stands for transparency and accountability, the Auditor’s race will matter.

The Auditor’s race matters; there is a transparency and accountability candidate: Kamal Jain.

It should be possible for anyone to have online access to details of all government spending, including each and every transaction which adds-up to the total amount of government spending as reported in annual audited reports, such as the Statutory Basis Financial Report and the Comprehensive Annual Financial Report.  Every contract bid, response and vendor selection, as well as actual invoicing compared to the winning bid should be fully searchable online along with all financial transactions.  It should be possible for anyone to generate reports sorted by dollar amount, payee, department, etc.

A citizen portal should be comprehensive and yet easy enough for anyone to use from a 5th grader to a great-grandparent, without the need for accounting experience or sophisticated computer skills.  The technology and systems which could make such a portal possible already exist, but the establishment lacks the political will to make it happen.  Rather than waiting to take office, Kamal Jain has already begun the work to PURCHASE the necessary data from the state government (despite it being “public” information).  He has also lined-up a world-class team of technical and business professionals to help build the citizen portal starting NOW.

Furthermore, a non-governmental body should be established by the Auditor’s office to assess and identify government waste.  This body would be led and staffed primarily by volunteer experts from the private sector, much like the famed Grace Commission which identified Federal government waste of greater than 30% back in the 1980s.

The State Auditor is the only statewide, constitutional officer elected by the PEOPLE of the Commonwealth who has the authority to audit the state GOVERNMENT on behalf of the people.  No other elected or appointed official has the authority or mandate to provide the voters and taxpayers with a report card on governmental operations, policy-making and spending decisions.  The government must be at least as accountable to the people as it requires the people to be to the government.

Beyond assessing the annual operations of state and municipal government, the Auditor also has an obligation to weigh-in on day-to-day decisions about to be made by the government with regard to privatization, and outsourcing of services.  In addition, the Auditor should make clear to the people what total spending per program and beneficiary is, including analysis of overhead costs, and comparing those costs to similar functions as they are handled by the private sector.

With billions of taxpayer dollars being spent in millions of transactions every year,someone has to give the people the information and tools they need to understand what goes on.  That someone should be the State Auditor.

It would be fair to say that no one person today truly understands all government operations and spending, nor could they identify most waste on their own.  It would be impossible for any one person to know that, or even for a room full of accountants.  Transparency will provide the information and tools which will empower the people — all of the people — to become investigators of waste, fraud and corruption.  Areas of spending that are typically overlooked by most people will come to someone’s attention because millions of taxpayers will have access to ALL the information.

Transparency is a prerequisite for good government.  Transparency makes accountability and efficiency possible.  We already have everything we need to have TOTAL government transparency today, except for a State Auditor willing to not just make it a priority, but to make it THE priority.  For TOTAL transparency and accountability, there is only ONE choice for Massachusetts State Auditor: Kamal Jain.