More moves toward transparency and accountability

So the news is still full of bad stuff, but I detect a change in people’s reactions to the bad stuff, in that calls for transparency and accountability keep mounting.

Gang of Six and Battered Woman Syndrome

Why, oh, why, has the Gang of Six–the six Senators working on the Senate Finance Committee’s version of a health insurance reform bill–why on earth, why in heaven’s named, would they do anything (as they have) to accommodate him and his wingnuts?!?

Battered Woman Syndrome.

We really must have transparency and accountability

Having been clear, I hope, in presenting my progressive/liberal credentials, I’ll say that for some things there simply is no middle road. Transparency and accountability are among those things.

President Obama has so far signaled, if not outright opposition, at least considerable foot-dragging when it comes to undoing some of what can be undone of Bush’s legacy, and pursuing accountability for Bushies who may have committed crimes.

TVA Disaster

Most of my time lately is still spent getting used to my two new knees, but I keep watch on matters bureaucratic when I have the opportunity between the day job and rehab sessions.  Now having the time for a post, I find I do have a problem with deciding which stories to focus on, [...]

Getting the approval of 15 different agencies

The Gulf Port, MS, Sun Herald reports today on both the problems and progress of the Missisippi Development Authority (MDA) in its post-Katrina rebuilding efforts. Officials from the Mississippi Development Authority paint a picture of vital Hurricane Katrina-relief projects still snared in federal bureaucracy almost three years after the storm. But members of the MDA [...]

You know you’ve lost control when…

Here’s a hoot: it appears some one or more State Department career-types—meaning non-Bushies—have been having a bit of fun in the State Department hallways. This is from the blog Nukes & Spooks: Outside the State Department ‘s press briefing room on the department’s 2nd floor hang large official photos of Bush, Rice and Vice President [...]

Thumbs Up to Oak Lawn Bureaucrats, Thumbs Down to Illinois State Bureaucrats

This is just too typical, funny and sad all at the same time. Town ends comical ‘Stop’ signs like ‘Stop! In the Name of Love’ 1 day ago OAK LAWN, Ill. (AP) — Oak Lawn has removed comical remarks in octagonal shapes it placed under stop signs in an effort to get motorists to obey [...]

Catching Up

Recovery from knee surgery is going really well, but it has set me back on posting here, which is a tad frustrating with so many relevant things going on. This post will consist of snippets and links to a few of those stories. Beginning with last week, there was the story about federal bureaucrats spending [...]

Sunshine and other updates…

Sunshine, sunshine everywhere? Ah, were it only true—even the sort that one of these days will melt the snow in my yard and draw toward it the sharp green shoots of daffodils and tulips. As for political sunshine: I’ve refrained thus far from joining the fray about former Gov. Spitzer, which all came about shortly [...]

Which bureaucracy flubbed the records search? US rendition flights stopped on UK soil

Today’s GuardianAmerica carries a story about US flights on “extraordinary rendition” missions—i.e. transporting terrorist suspects to and from secret prisons where “enhanced interrogation,” aka torture, was used—that had twice landed on British soil.  Tony Blair’s government had assured Britons that no such flights had ever landed on British soil, that Britain had not participated in the US [...]