Here's today's look at #OpenGov news, events, and analysis including Ben Affleck on money in politics, 1.5 years of Open Oakland, and the eternal question, "what came first, laws or corruption?"

The blog might be new, but Today in #OpenGov is staying the same! Keep reading for today's look at open government news, events and analysis including floppy disks at the Federal Register and ethics changes in Virginia.

Recent revelations suggest that Ottawa waffled between an open data competition and a traditional contractor to build their new smart phone traffic app. They eventually chose the contractor, who charged $95,000 for a disappointing product. Womp womp.

National News

• The Office of Congressional Ethics is five years old and, despite heavy criticism from both sides of the aisle, doesn't appear to be going anywhere. Click the link for more detail, but be prepared for the ad that is set to play automatically at an annoyingly high volume. (The Hill)
• Campaign finance reform group United Republic did some polling and found that support for campaign finance reform, already strong, jumps to over 70 percent when changes to the legal structure are pitched as "anti-corruption laws". (Public Integrity)
• Today in things that make you go "Did he really just say that?" Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) told an interviewer for the New Republic that he offered to go easy on Scott Brown (R-MA) in the 2012 election in exchange for a "yes" vote from Brown on the DISCLOSE Act. Brown, apparently, said no and the bill eventually went down to a slim defeat. Meanwhile, Elizabeth Warren knocked Brown from the seat in 2012. Could Chuck have stopped her if he'd tried? Your guess is as good as mine. ( Washington Post)

• Transparency International released their 2013 Corruption Perceptions Index yesterday. The report, which tracks how corrupt countries are perceived to be, shows widespread belief that countries are super corrupt, with more than two-thirds scoring less than 50 out of 100 possible points. (Tech President)
• Amsterdam, Barcelona, and San Francisco are teaming up on a new data sharing platform, called Cityzenith 5D Smart City. The cities are hoping to pool resources and share best practices. (Future Gov)

• New York State's Moreland Commission issued their report into the "pay-to-play" political culture in the state on Monday night. The report, commissioned by Governor Andrew Cuomo, focuses mainly on problems in the legislature and recommends a host of changes, many suggested by good government groups. (NY Daily News)
• A brief review of "The Foundation for an Open Source City," that looks at the topic through the lens of the author's experiences in Raleigh, North Carolina. (govfresh)

National News

• Ceasars' Casino needs to get its PAC money right, according to FEC auditors. The auditors found that the PAC had under-reported its receipts by over $150,000 and its expenditures by more than $90,000 over a two year period. (Roll Call)
• Journalists and free-press advocates are keeping up the pressure on the White House a week after close to 40 news outlets filed a formal complaint over the Obama Administration's policy limiting access to photographers. (Washington Times)

• The Spanish Senate approved a "transparency" law last week, despite widespread opposition from civil society groups and political organizations who argued that the bill ignored international standards for right to information laws. (Access Info)
• Austria and Bosnia have joined the growing ranks of countries making budget information available online. Austria's recently launched system covers all of the country's 2,356 municipalities while Bosnia's aims to help citizens understand the tax system and how funds are spread across the government. (International Budget Partnership)
• The Speaker of the British House of Commons is setting up a Commission on Digital Democracy to explore ways to further modernize parliament and government more broadly. (Global Center for ICT in Parliament)

• The Iowa Public Information Board is up and running, but it might be heading backwards when it comes to ensuring government transparency. The board has already made a series of decisions that hinder journalists and members of the public. (Columbia Journalism Review)
• New York's Moreland Commission, set up to investigate corruption in the state, is set to issue its report next week. In the meantime, the New York Public Interest Research group urged the commission to consider a series of campaign finance reforms. (Rochester Democrat and Chronicle)

Programming note: Today in #OpenGov, and its author, will be taking the rest of the week off. Have a safe and happy Thanksgiving! National News

• The House Chief Administrative Officer, Dan Strodel, is retiring after 28 years on Capitol Hill. Before being tapped to run the office that supports more than 10,000 members, staff, and employees, Strodel was a senior adviser to the House Committee on Administration. A replacement is expected to be named soon. (Roll Call)
• Today in cogitative dissonance, the Laborers' International Union of North America PAC chipped in $150,000 to the Defending Main Street Super PAC. Defending Main Street is a right leaning group started by former Rep. Steven LaTourette (R), that hopes to defend more moderate Republicans. (Roll Call)
• Happy Holidays from the FEC, a reminder that campaigns and committees who intend to send out more than 500 holiday greetings need to disclose the organization behind the card. (Roll Call)

• The Tunisian Ministry of Finance took an important step while presenting their budget proposal to the National Constituent Assembly, the country's interim legislative body. In addition to the official submission, they released an overview document to the wider public. (International Budget Partnership)
• Qingdao, one of China's major cities, just launched an open government platform that targets citizen services and information to help residents navigate city life. (Future Gov)

• Sierra Madre, California turned to OpenGov.com, a silicon valley start up, to institute a more open budget. The new system allows city employees and citizens to dig deeper into the budget. (Sierra Madre Weekly)
• A number of bills are floating around the Massachusetts state house that would institute a number of reforms to state public records laws. The bills would lower costs, make it easier to download electronic records, and streamline the process. (Lowell Sun)