Kamal Jain for Massachusetts State Auditor » Government Spending

Disgraced Politicians Still Costing Taxpayers

kamal — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 13:44:46 +0000

The media are reporting that the Massachusetts House of Representatives has already paid over $378,000 to the law firm of Gargiulo/Rudnick for working on the Federal corruption case against former House Speaker Salvatore F. DiMasi. The law firm was awarded their contract with the House by DiMasi when he was Speaker, shortly before he resigned in disgrace.

The only reason the issue made the news, however, is because four Representatives stopped House business to demand an audit of the charges by the law firm. In this matter, these four deserve thanks for taking a stand for transparency:

Matthew Patrick, (D) Falmouth
William G. Greene (D) Billerica
Thomas M. Stanley (D) Waltham
Lida E. Harkins (D) Needham

Their stand has forced the current Speaker, Robert A. DeLeo, to propose an outside audit and examination of the charges to the House by the law firm selected by the former Speaker. If that audit ever happens, it will be a a victory…but one which may cost the taxpayers even more.

What is lost in this discussion, however, is that it took an internal House argument to bring this matter to the light of day. This case represents a relative handful of transactions out of tens of millions each year — what else don’t the people know about?

The people would never have known that a disgraced politician was still costing them money. If we had transparency in government, the charges to the House — and therefore the taxpayers — would have been available for all to see and ask about. Access to that kind of information by the general public and the media could allow for more calls for audits of such spending.

Of course certain details need to be kept from public view to protect people’s privacy, security and ongoing investigations and such, but there is no reason the people could not see $378,000 in total charges from a vendor to the Commonwealth and see that the project code had to do with the DiMasi investigation.

The state has no reasonable argument for keeping secret its financial dealings. Every single transaction should be visible in some reasonable level of detail to anyone who wants to see them — online, when they happen, and for free. The people deserve total transparency in all matters of their government.

Kamal Jain’s Vision

admin — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 19:01:54 +0000

While many people have strong beliefs about how much money is being spent on particular government programs, some believing the amount spent being too high and others believing it to be too low, the truth is that it is impossible to have an honest discussion about such things without a true understanding not only of how much each program actually costs, but how much total government spending is. To make an honest discussion possible, the people must have a citizen portal to government spending and accountability (see article about MassTransparency.com for more information).

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.

Transparency is the ONE key to effective, responsive and efficient government

admin — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 18:49:10 +0000

Transparency is essential to making government responsive, efficient and honest. Without transparency, we cannot begin to understand the true size and scope of government, or assess its true costs. Without transparency, we cannot see where government services are inadequately serving the needs of the people, or where there is waste and graft. Without transparency, we cannot begin to peel away the layers of inefficiency that consume our tax dollars and make Massachusetts a less desirable place for people and businesses to call home.

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.