 Steve
Mozena, the principal proponent of
"Post the Finances"
initiative, and a resident of Carson, CA has
already created a stir in Carson regarding the
intiative. At a recent City Council meeting
he challenged local officials to adopt his proposal
as a way of repairing the tarnished image of
the City created by a recent bribery scandal-a
local scandal that attracted national attention.
Mozena urged the City to become
the first in the nation to promote fiscal honesty
and citizen oversight by posting all its finances
on its Web site. Within days, two Carson City
councillors contacted him and requested a meeting
to discuss the idea further in early July.
On Thursday
June 19th, about 5:30 p.m., Mozena
spoke to famed Internet journalist Matt Drudge,
who was sitting in for radio hosts John and
Ken on KFI AM 640 of Los Angeles, CA. At approximately
7:30 p.m., Mozena also talked
to "Mr. KABC" on KABC AM 790 Radio about the
"Post the Finances"
initiative.
Though Drudge,
the eternal pessimist, thought that politicians
would still be "brazen" about spending taxpayers'
money, Mozena contended that
posting the finances would make a huge difference.
Politicians and government officials would be
more careful about how they used the money they
were entrusted with. They would know that unlike
the situation now, all fiscal information would
be readily available each and every day of the
year, to any citizen from any walk of life who
chose to consult it. It wouldn't matter whether
they were accountants, taxpayer watchdog organizations,
engineers, teachers, college students, or housewives.
If in the face of this unprecedented independent
scrutiny, politicians, such as California's
Governor Gray Davis, continued to be "brazen"
in their use of public money, they may see themselves
recalled or not re-elected.
"Mr. KABC"
stated that the State of California does already
list its budget. However, he agreed with Mozena
that a daily accounting posted to the Web would
make for much more detailed disclosure. Mr.
KABC thought the Post
the Finances initiative was
great idea and welcomed action to make it a
reality.
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