OSPIRG Addendum
As Editor Emeritus Ossie “Spiderweb” Bladine noted in a comment thread below, we’ve actually been sticking it to OSPIRG since our very first issue. This is from the inaugural edition, October 24, 1983:
[Editor Richard] Burr argued that OSPIRG’s political activities such as lobbying for state legislation violates a principle Thomas Jefferson voiced in 1777: “To compel a man to furnish funds for the propagation of ideas he disbelieves and abhors is sinful and tyrannical.”
To put it in context, the article was about the ASUO Constitution Court striking down OSPIRG’s request to have its budget reviewed every two years instead of one. The decision was largely due to the protest of Burr.
As you can see, OSPIRG always has and always will try to shield itself from actual scrutiny. That’s why it tried to have a bi-annual budget, and that’s why it recently moved to be an ASUO contracted service. Contracted services aren’t required to have a line-item budget, meaning OSPIRG doesn’t have to show exactly how it spends its money.
