Well, it ain’t a bandwagon, yet, but Mark Tapscott and Glenn Reynolds agree that we need to extend the Freedom of Information Act to Congress. Porkbusters is only the first of many good uses for sunshine on the dark corridors of power.
: And here’s Tom Evslin with details from the act.
Tags: foia
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January 12th, 2006 at 9:38 am
count me in. specifically should apply to meeting between lobbyists and members AND between lobbyists and staff.
January 12th, 2006 at 11:55 am
Setting up a independent polling referendum would alter the dynamic more than just reporting. Stop reporting and start organizing and get large numbers of people excited about what effects their lives.
Why do a sample of less than 75K represent public opinion at a time where 100M people have access to the internet in the US alone.
Why don’t we have a method of weighing in on issues multi-laterally via a single consolidated site.
How about egistering online and being sent a password via postal mail and now you represent one share/one vote in sense.
We can then conduct weekly referendums with no overhead of a special election.
Someone step up. If I were Mark Cuban or some other multi-millionaire, I would get behind this. Hey Robert Redford, do this, then have a glass of wine on the ranch and read a script.
Cheers.
January 12th, 2006 at 12:13 pm
Sunshine is the best disinfectant. Laws have loopholes but the sunshine lights everything.
January 12th, 2006 at 12:13 pm
“We can then conduct weekly referendums with no overhead of a special election.”
“We” of course, being the online-wired oligarchy. I’d bet Soros would be up for this, see if he will fund it.
January 12th, 2006 at 1:18 pm
I’m following and supporting.
This should be a test for the blogosphere effect on decision maker.
January 12th, 2006 at 1:49 pm
Rule by the wired? Is that any way akin to rule by property owners envisioned by the founding fathers? Seems somewhat broader, I grant you. Still requires some minimum investment of money, and more imporantly in many people’s case, curiosity. Sounds tempting to me, but of course success or failure would all lie in the details.
January 12th, 2006 at 2:38 pm
The wired are the natural aristocracy. They will be the engines of change because they are the ones who care.
Not elete by property or birth. Elete by being active.
January 12th, 2006 at 6:32 pm
Worth noting that the UK’s FOIA, which does apply to MPs and government ministers has been used to good effect to get the Deputy Prime Minister to stop sponging off the state and pay his taxes
BBC report here
January 14th, 2006 at 8:59 am
[...] A number of American A-list bloggers are calling for the coverage of the US Freedom of Information Act to be extended so that it Congress itself is subject to citizens’ requests for information. [...]