Tonight’s State of the Union Address raised even less transparency issues than we expected. (See the text at the end of this post.) President Obama called for a ban on insider trading in Congress, and proposes to ban lobbyists from bundling contributions, and to ban bundlers from lobbying. The insider trading ban is a proposalRead… Read more »
This is part three of a four post series regarding Ken Miller’s great book Extreme Government Makeover. In Part 1 we learned that government is like a house in that most of the important work goes on in pipes hidden from public view behind walls. The problem with improving the performance of government does notRead… Read more »
As we now let the eloquent words of President Barack Obama sink in about the state of our country and our plans for the future, I can’t help but think about the true example of leadership this poses for all Americans. Forget about all the party line rhetoric, the purpose of this message was toRead… Read more »
As House Republicans reopen efforts Wednesday to win approval for the Keystone XL energy project, new lobbying records filed over the weekend reveal a lopsided spending battle over the controversial proposed pipeline. The Keystone pipeline has become an emblematic fight for those who see the pipeline as a North American job creator versus those whoRead… Read more »
In any job it is easy to get caught up in the details – the what and how of what we need to do, day in and day out, to deliver the outputs demanded of us. Whether it’s writing a brief, building a website, managing a social media channel, responding to a crisis or someRead… Read more »
It was a while there and I couldn’t speak–so upset was I that countless, thoughtless bloggers were telling us the Worst and Best Degrees–and we’re already feeling an uncertain future. I’m calm now. Okay, I’m back and re-posting. I had to go count, name all the Presidents, then all the State Capitols until I stoppedRead… Read more »
From the Eno Center for Transportation: “Applications are now being accepted for the 2012 Public Lands Transportation Scholars Program – Click here to apply. The Eno Center for Transportation is proud to partner with The Paul S. Sarbanes Transit in Parks Technical Assistance Center (TRIPTAC) on the Public Lands Transportation Scholars Program. TRIPTAC is lookingRead… Read more »
This week the BuyAccessible team attended the IDEAS 2012 conference. At our booth, people told us that the technical language in the GPAT was difficult to understand. That language comes from the Section 508 standard, so we can’t change it. But… a long time ago we created a resource called Quick Reference Guide that wasRead… Read more »
MPAA head lobbyist Chris Dodd threatened Congress and the President last week, suggesting that lawmakers should remember that they’ve been bought, and that if they want to continue to enjoy their piece of the entertainment industry’s largesse, they should mind their leash: “Candidly, those who count on quote ‘Hollywood‘ for support need to understand thatRead… Read more »
Policy Fellow Matt Rumsey wrote this post. Here is Tuesday’s take on transparency-related news items, congressional committee hearings, transparency-related bills introduced in Congress, and transparency-related events. News Roundup: Government The collapse of SOPA and PIPA, after protest from the tech industry and general public last week, has opened the door for alternative legislation being proposedRead… Read more »