Attack on open government – Bush and Secrecy
Bush Administration Secrecy Report
In case you don’t believe my claims in the previous entry about Bush’s doublespeak when he discusses his "transparent government", it is worth your while to take a look at Rep. Waxman’s extensive report on the subject of secrecy in Bush’s government as well as enacted and proposed legislative changes to dramatically increase the opacity of our government.
In just one area, withholding information requested by Congress itself, the report talks about the following:
"On numerous occasions, the Bush Administration has withheld information requested by members of Congress. During consideration of the Medicare legislation in 2003, the Administration withheld estimates showing that the bill would cost over $100 billion more than the Administration claimed. In this instance, Administration officials threatened to fire the HHS Actuary, Richard Foster, if he provided the information to Congress. In another case, the Administration’s refusal to provide information relating to air pollution led Senator Jeffords, the ranking member of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, to place holds on the nominations of several federal officials.
On over 100 separate occasions, the Administration has refused to answer the inquiries of, or provide the information requested by, Rep. Waxman, the ranking member of the House Committee on Government Reform. The information that the Administration has refused to provide includes:
Documents requested by the ranking members of eight House Committees relating to the prison abuses at Abu Ghraib and elsewhere;
Information on contacts between Vice President Cheney’s office and the Department of Defense regarding the award to Halliburton of a sole-source contract worth up to $7 billion for work in Iraq; and
Information about presidential advisor Karl Rove’s meetings and phone conversations with executives of companies in which he owned stock."
The full report is available for perusal and download. Highly recommended.
Waxman: "Taken together, the actions of the Bush Administration have resulted in an extraordinary expansion of government secrecy. External watchdogs, including Congress, the media, and nongovernmental organizations, have consistently been hindered in their ability to monitor government activities. These actions have serious implications for the nature of our government. When government operates in secret, the ability of the public to hold the government accountable is imperiled."
The shinnanigans of this moral-less administration leave me speechless. I had heard stories from my Mother about how things were “back then” which is pre-Depression, The Great Depression, post-Depression, and WWII. I understood that things were much “worse” and that times had been tough in a way I truly could not comprehend until recently,but, I was still so very unprepared for the truth of today. I find myself “soughing” frequently, like some old Willow. I BLOG, I protest, I send endless e-mails and faxes, I contribute what meager sums I can gather to the Dems, KerryGear, NOW, etc….and, I feel helpless. We must not lose this election, or, truely, all hell will break loose.
BTW, thanks for the visit to my Amenalynn site.