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You dont understand the irony in this, or the 2006 bill do you?
It takes a Congressional bill, to create a website, then it takes another Congressional bill, to actuall approve to improve (i.e. fix) the original website that was constructed.
"The new bill will increase the transparency of federal contracts by posting them online. Previously, only descriptions of the contracts have been available. "
For many that do not understand the irony, webmasters can create a website in about 30 minutes, we dont need Congress to authorize their creation, or their improvements, the department thats responsible for maintaining the website just does it..
Ahh, but yes, lets all sit on a forum website and applaud the fact that something is getting done.. woo hoo, way to go!!
But the transparency issue was what had to be hammered out, which is pretty disgusting.
The bill is intended to approve an earlier measure, informally known as the “Google for Government” act, backed by Obama, McCain, Coburn and Carper in 2006. That measure created a website — USASpending.gov – that allows the public to track down details on “all entities and organizations” receiving federal money.
That's what happens when ya don't read page 2! I take back some earlier woo-hooing.
Nevertheless,
“It’s a tribute to both of them,” he said. “Obama walks the words he says on the campaign trail by doing things differently. He didn’t have to have on McCain as a co-sponsor. The same can be said about McCain. McCain deserves credit, even though he may not have been involved in the crafting of the bill, he deserves credit for jumping on board.”
I very clearly read what this bill does. Its a bill to create a WEBSITE. Since when does it take a Congressional BILL OF LAW, to create a government website?
Do you think it took a congressional BILL OF LAW to create goarmy.com? No, the army created it on their own. Do you think it took a BILL OF LAW to create whitehouse.gov? No, the Whitehouse created it.
Why does it take a BILL OF LAW to create a website, and then another BILL OF LAW to fix and upgrade the previous website?
Why does it take a BILL OF LAW to create a website, and then another BILL OF LAW to fix and upgrade the previous website?
A website that congresspeople can have input to, that displays information to the pubic about money, is going to be obstructed and harassed, picked at and picked over, claimed and abandoned by all sides, see the torturous path to passage of the bill that created the bill to create the website. Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
I dont know if this is ironic or not:
The legislation delegated responsibility for creating the website to the Office of Management and Budget. Around the time of the Act's passage, OMB Watch, a government watchdog group, was developing a site that would do essentially everything the legislation required.[19] Gary Bass, director of OMB Watch, contacted Robert Shea, associate director of the OMB, offering to help with development of the new site. Shea was initially reluctant to collaborate with Bass, in part because OMB Watch is typically critical of the OMB, but eventually it was determined that the government site would be based on what OMB Watch was developing, with the group being paid $600,000 for their technology. [19]
As of early 2008, the government's site, USASpending.gov, offers the same data, API, and (for the most part) documentation as the OMB Watch site, Welcome to FedSpending.org.
I very clearly read what this bill does. Its a bill to create a WEBSITE. Since when does it take a Congressional BILL OF LAW, to create a government website?
Do you think it took a congressional BILL OF LAW to create goarmy.com? No, the army created it on their own. Do you think it took a BILL OF LAW to create whitehouse.gov? No, the Whitehouse created it.
Why does it take a BILL OF LAW to create a website, and then another BILL OF LAW to fix and upgrade the previous website?
Yes. In order to create a searchable database of government contracts, it requires a law. In order to expand the contents of that website (which gives us more access to how your our tax dollars are spent - a good thing!), it requires another law. This version is an improvement on the 2006 law, which itself was a monumental improvement in the public's ability to track their own tax dollars. Welcome to our government, the least bad form of it.
I suppose you want your tax dollars spent at the whim of whomever, not debated by your representatives?
A website that congresspeople can have input to, that displays information to the pubic about money, is going to be obstructed and harassed, picked at and picked over, claimed and abandoned by all sides, see the torturous path to passage of the bill that created the bill to create the website. Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Thats not really true. Right now hundreds of thousands (Ok, I dont really know the real number, just making this up) watch CSPAN and already have access to all of the bills on the web. Sure, it would be nice to have them all in one nice tidy place, but shouldnt this be done by the Congressional records committee as a matter of their job, not because the government mandates it by law?
Thats not really true. Right now hundreds of thousands (Ok, I dont really know the real number, just making this up) watch CSPAN and already have access to all of the bills on the web. Sure, it would be nice to have them all in one nice tidy place, but shouldnt this be done by the Congressional records committee as a matter of their job, not because the government mandates it by law?
It should but it's about money so it's sensitive to the piggies responsible.
I updated the earlier post with a paragraph you may find affirming and amusing.
Yes. In order to create a searchable database of government contracts, it requires a law. In order to expand the contents of that website, it requires another law. Welcome to our government, the least bad form of it.
I suppose you want your tax dollars spent at the whim of whomever, not debated by your representatives?
What I want is the department who handles record keeping to create the website, and expand that website, simply because its a matter of their job.
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