Officially sold down the river
 

What are the chances we will hear anything about this in the main stream media..

Aug. 23, 2006, 11:46PM
Senator who put 'secret hold' on bill to open federal records is a secret, too

By REBECCA CARR
Cox News Service

WASHINGTON ? In an ironic twist, legislation that would open up the murky world of government contracting to public scrutiny has been derailed by a secret parliamentary maneuver.

An unidentified senator placed a "secret hold" on legislation introduced by Sens. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., and Barack Obama, D-Ill., that would create a searchable database of government contracts, grants, insurance, loans and financial assistance, worth $2.5 trillion last year. The database would bring transparency to federal spending and be as simple to use as conducting a Google search.

The measure had been unanimously passed in a voice vote last month by the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. It was on the fast track for floor action before Congress recessed Aug. 4 when someone put a hold on the measure.

Now the bill is in political limbo. Under Senate rules, unless the senator who placed the hold decides to lift it, the bill will not be brought up for a vote.

"It really is outrageous to do this in the dead of night as Congress is recessing," said Gary Bass, executive director of OMB Watch, a budget watchdog group based in Washington. "The public has a right to know how the government spends money."

The secret hold has prompted conservative and liberal government watchdog groups to band together to "smoke out" the senator responsible.

Porkbusters.org, for example, posted photographs of all senatorial suspects underneath a bold-faced headline asking, "Who is the Secret Holder?"

It remains unclear if the senator responsible will be able to withstand the pressure from the broad array of groups and senators supporting the bill.

"It really is a mystery, not only who did it, but what the rationale could possibly be and why they would go to the mat on this," said Ellen Miller, executive director of the Sunlight Foundation, a new Washington-based nonprofit devoted to helping the public understand Congress through the Internet. "There is no conceivable, rational explanation for killing this legislation unless they have something to hide."

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/nation/4137637.html

It's really a shame that there aren't enough people in this country to band together and say, "If ya don't want us to know how ya spend it, we're not givin' ya anymore to spend.." and follow through with it...

LOTS could be accomplished if enough folks reminded the government who they work for...

Damn, I wish I could take a bat to someones head right now.

You have all officially been sold down the river.

My guess is whichever senator has close ties to Haliburton Corp. is responsible for this hold.

My guess is that senator is now sitting in the White House considering the uncontrolled spending he is fond of.

my guess is everyone missed the point of this bump.

:thumbsup

the us government is controlled by the ultra wealthy. it always has been that way and, for as long as it exists, will always be that way.

Deal With it.