"Obama’s mixed signals on openness" by Associated Press | December 7, 2009
It’s hardly the image of transparency the Obama administration wants to project: A workshop on government openness is closed to the public.
Just like the closed door negotiating in Congress, no?
The event in Washington today, which is for federal employees, is a fitting symbol of President Obama’s uneven record so far on the Freedom of Information Act, a big part of keeping his campaign promise to make his administration the most transparent ever. As Obama’s first year in office ends, the government’s record of responding to public and media requests for information doesn’t match up with the president’s words....
Don't think we don't know and are not disappointed -- most of all in the fact that he obviously does not care about us and never did. He was just saying the sweet-nothing words we wanted to hear.
On some important issues, his administration produced information only after government watchdogs and reporters spent weeks or months pressing, in some cases suing. Those include what cars people were buying using the $3 billion Cash for Clunkers program (it turned out the most frequent trades involved pickups for pickups with only slightly better gas mileage); how many times airplanes have collided with birds (a lot); whether lobbyists and donors meet with the Obama White House (they do); rules about the interrogation of terror suspects (the FBI and CIA disagreed over what was permitted); and who was speaking in private with Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner (he has close relationships with a cadre of Wall Street executives whose multibillion-dollar companies survived the economic crisis with his help). 
Nothing about 9/11, the Iraq war lies, the false flags of the past, the hidden covert agenda, etc? Nothing like that, huh?
Great job, MSM!
The administration has refused to turn over important records.
You mean, like George W. Bush.
Obama signed a law that let the Pentagon refuse to release photographs showing US troops abusing detainees.
Related: Obama's Opaqueness
And this administration, like the Bush administration before it, has refused to release details about the CIA’s “black site’’ rendition program....
Oh, so the rendition, torture, secret black site prisons and floating dungeons are STILL ACTIVE, huh?
I feel SO ASHAMED, world, you have NO IDEA!!!!
Just last week, a State Department deputy assistant secretary, Llewellyn Hedgbeth, said at a public conference that “as much as we want to promote transparency,’’ her agency will work just as hard to protect classified materials or information that would put the United States in a bad light.
Translation: YOUR GOVERNMENT will NEVER TELL YOU the TRUTH, America -- about ANYTHING!!!
"Covert action programs, a particularly secret category in which the role of the United States is hidden"
And NEITHER will your MOUTHPIECE MSM NEWSPAPERS!!!!
People who routinely request government records said they don’t see much progress on Obama’s transparency pledge. “It’s either smoke and mirrors or it was done for the media,’’ said Jeff Stachewicz, founder of Washington-based FOIA Group Inc., which files hundreds of requests every month across the government on behalf of companies, law firms, and news organizations....
I didn't realize the term "s*** fooleys" was so accurate, readers.
I'm astonishingly honored, I guess.
The San Francisco-based Electronic Frontier Foundation, a civil liberties group, said that it filed 45 requests for records since Obama became president and that agencies such as NASA and the Energy Department have been mostly cooperative in the spirit of Obama’s promises. But the FBI and Justice Department? Not so much, said Nate Cardozo, working for the foundation on a project to expose new government surveillance technologies.
Why?
WHAT DO THEY HAVE to HIDE in our OPEN DEMOCRACY, hmmmm?
Well, it's a WHOLE RATS nest of S***, readers, and they will never tell the truth, so.... go to blogs for that.
And he is NOT EVEN HELPING YOU in the HERE and NOW, Americans!!!
World, this is SO HEARTBREAKING as a citizen of this nation.
"Not much done on agenda of change; Lobbyists stymie regulatory push" by Christopher Rowland, Globe Staff | December 18, 2009
WASHINGTON - Despite being portrayed as responsible for myriad national ills, Wall Street bankers, oil and coal companies, and health industry executives bounced back in Congress this year with remarkable success, stalling or weakening the biggest regulatory threats on President Obama’s domestic agenda.
But YOU WILL GET a $1 TRILLION HEALTH TAX so the Congress can HAND it over to the INSURANCE INDUSTRY!!!
The success is fueled in part by a $1 billion combined lobbying blitz through the first 10 months of the year, as the industries fought off the changes that many thought were coming with Obama’s election. A year after the worst economic crisis in 75 years, a crackdown on lending abuses and risky trading practices has barely received a hearing in the Senate. The Senate has temporarily shelved legislation in tended to combat global warming.
Yeah, the TWO FEET of SNOW down there should get them to JUNK that DAMN CARBON TAX!
But it is part of the GLOBALIST TRIPOD of HEALTH (swine flu), ECONOMY (one-world currency and central bank), and FINANCING (a carbon tax as the elites and politicians jet all over the place on your dime) so it will be back sometime (probably when you are not paying attention, like now, Americans).
And while Obama’s cornerstone health care proposal still has momentum, the insurance industry scored a major victory this week when Democratic leaders scuttled a government insurance option. The 2009 lobbying scorecard reflects a turnaround for these industries.
Did you see a turnaround for yourself this year, America?
They were squarely in the crosshairs of a reform-minded White House in January, after Obama swept into office promising to crack down on what he described as financial fat cats and polluters. Now business leaders are rounding the corner into 2010 - an election year - having thus far escaped new, major regulations. The lobbying came amid anxieties in Congress about the recession; ideological divisions among congressional Democrats; and a packed legislative agenda. Arguments against greater regulation gained traction throughout the year as Obama’s popularity waned and deficits soared, specialists said....
It hurts just reading that section, America.
The lack of concrete results has been a major disappointment for some self-styled reformers, who were thrilled after Obama swept into office on a message of change....
And even those who were doubtful but hopeful (me).
The atmosphere in Washington is far different from when Obama arrived. Repudiating Reagan-era doctrine that portrayed government as a negative force, the new president promised in his Jan. 20 inaugural address to harness the powers of Washington for the common good....
Government -- I have painfully found out, being a former hard-lefty -- is NEVER FOR the PEOPLE! Maybe it WAS ONCE, somewhere, LONG AGO, but NOW? Where? Name a place, any place?
I mean, is that what ALL the LYING and DECEPTION is FOR?
OUR OWN GOOD?
No, we know WHOSE (rhymes with) GOOD it is FOR, don't we?
Obama’s first tasks, however, were crisis control, as he confronted the worst economic decline since the Great Depression. He won passage of a $787 billion stimulus package in what many economists regarded as a crucial bid to stem unemployment.
Related: Pelsoi Says Stimuloot a Success
Isn't that the definition of insanity (and looting)?
He engineered an auto industry bailout.
Of which you are not going to see a dime, I do not care what the lying paper reported.
I'm sorry, agenda-pushing MSM, but now you must prove you are not lying about anything and everything because you continue to lie about everything and everything.
The assumption you must make when opening an AmeriKan newspaper is that they are lying to you. They have ruined and poisoned the relationship, readers, which is why they are tanking.
His new administration also worked mightily to manage the $700 billion financial sector bailout that had been approved by Congress in 2008, including weathering controversies over large executive pay packages.
Yeah, he's a real hero for continuing the bank bonus program, 'er, bailout program.
In June, Obama’s approval ratings in polls slipped below 55 percent and have continued to fall.
Yeah, he is UNDER 50 NOW so WHY HIDE the FACT, Globe?
They hide the decline, they hide this, how many other things is the Globe concealing each and every day, readers?
In Congress, Democrats fought among themselves, struggling to muster the power of their majorities....
They are that inept, huh? They have an unstoppable juggernaut and they still are f***ing it up?
Oh, right, they are Democrats!
Besides, gimme a break, agenda-pushing MSM!
They just rammed through a health tax!
Asked about the slow pace of change on financial market rules, air pollution, and health care, the White House pointed to key accomplishments elsewhere. In addition to the stimulus package and cash-for-clunkers program, Obama won passage of an expansion of health benefits for low-income children, a credit-cardholders bill of rights, and the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which gave women greater rights to challenge discriminatory pay....
Big frikkin' deal!
Look, we peed in a pot, Amurka! Wanna sip?
Equally tough fights remain on financial regulations. Democrats managed to push new financial rules through the House by a narrow margin, but in an ominous sign for the White House, 27 Democrats joined Republicans in voting against the package. Opponents echoed warnings from Wall Street and banks: that new financial rules would hamper an economic rebound and tighten credit.
Related: Ron Paul Audit Bill Blocked By Barney Frank and Blacks
Then his audit could not have been in the bill, not as he envisioned.
Business groups have been especially opposed to creation of a new Consumer Financial Protection Agency, which would have the power to prohibit the abusive lending practices that helped plunge the nation into recession.
“Our effort this entire year has been to educate members of Congress to recognize the potential impact on access to affordable consumer credit of all these regulations, with particular interest on the CFPA, because it has the greatest potential impact,’’ said Bill Himpler, executive vice president of a key industry lobbying group, the American Financial Services Association.
Did you just hear a cha-CHING of a campaign cash register, readers?
“Lenders tend to be a conservative bunch. You add more uncertainty to the mix, they tend to get even more conservative in their lending.’’
Right, they just chop up turds and sell risky investments, blah, blah, blah.
The Senate unveiled its own package of financial rules, introduced by Senate Banking Committee chairman Christopher Dodd of Connecticut, in November. Dodd and other lawmakers, like US Representative Barney Frank of Massachusetts, chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, are still pressing for tougher financial rules.
Related: Barney Frank Goes Straight
I never heard of him amending anything, and as for Dodd .... pffft!--more--"
So what secrets are we going to get, readers?
"Obama expected to limit records being kept secret; Seeks to change rules on what gets classified" by Pete Yost, Associated Press | December 21, 2009
Sounds good, right?
WASHINGTON - President Obama plans to deal with a Dec. 31 deadline that automatically would declassify secrets in more than 400 million pages of Cold War-era documents by ordering government-wide changes that could sharply curb the number of new and old government records hidden from the public.
Yeah, except above they said NOTHING TRUE would be released.
You know, NOTHING that would put the U.S. government in a "bad light."
So WHO REALLY CARES about this, huh?
In an executive order the president is likely to sign before year’s end, Obama will create a National Declassification Center to clear up the backlog of Cold War documents.
Why are they even secret 20 years later? Because current and former criminals (and their well-connected offspring and their connections) would be exposed?
But the order also will give everyone more time to process the 400 million pages rather than releasing them without a second glance at year’s end....
Oh, so in the NAME of SECRECY the RELEASES will be DELAYED!!!
Someone want to get Orwell out of that grave because we need him to see this!!!!
The classified Cold War records would provide a wealth of data on US-Soviet relations, including the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, the fall of the Berlin Wall, diplomacy, and espionage....
At least, the government version they want us to buy.
Besides, MOST STUDENTS of CURRENT EVENTS and the WORLD KNOW WHAT HAPPENED because WE HAVE LIVED THROUGH THEM!
The government spent more than $8.21 billion last year to create and safeguard classified information, and $43 million to declassify it, according to the oversight office, part of the National Archives and Records Administration....
Is it WORTH IT, American taxpayers, to have the HISTORY YOU HAVE PAID FOR HIDDEN FROM YOU?
Even if they are all government forgeries and lies, YOU PAID FOR THEM and SHOULD BE ALLOWED to SEE THEM, no?
--more--"
For the record, world, I am for NO CLASSIFICATIONS at all in our OPEN DEMOCRACY because THEY ONLY PROTECT the POWERFUL and CRIMINAL ELITE!
Related: Breaking News: Obama Defends Dick Cheney
Woah!!!
Kick to the HEAD, 'eh, 'murka?
Oh, yeah, here is another secret:
That he was an antiwar president, because he ain't!
"Senate passes critical budget measure; jobless to get more assistance" by Associated Press | December 20, 2009
Look at the deceptive and obfuscatory way the Globe framed the piece.
What a piss-poor paper.
WASHINGTON - The $626 billion defense bill.... includes unemployment benefits for the long-term jobless, health care subsidies for those out of work, highway and transit funds, and parts of the Patriot Act.
Yeah, they just loaded it up with all sorts of things that don't have anything to do with defense (as well as little tyranny at the tail end).
The vote yesterday was evidence of the broad support for paying for troops fighting overseas and other elements of the Pentagon budget....
As the American people are BROADLY AGAINST these wars!!
--more--"
And is it NOT INTERESTING that the GLOBE CENSORS WHACKED THIS?
Confident that Republicans such as Sen. Thad Cochran of Mississippi would vote with them, Democratic leaders gave the OK for Sen. Joe Lieberman, a Connecticut independent and Orthodox Jew who caucuses with Democrats, spend the eighth night of Hanukkah with his family.
Yeah, YOU CAN GO, Joe!
Related: The Toast of the Town
Others strapped on their snow boots, grabbed their parkas and trooped to a Capitol that was engulfed in a whiteout by noon....
Kind of makes that global-warming legislation seem ridiculous, doesn't it?
I mean, IT IS NOT EVEN WINTER YET!
The defense bill, which contains $128 billion for military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan....
Yup, no end in sight, America.
The president has yet to request funds for his recently announced troop increase in Afghanistan, and there is no money in the bill for that.
Isn't that a BUSH TACTIC?
The measure also trims personnel and maintenance accounts from previous versions of the measure to pump up weapons procurement for Afghanistan and Iraq by almost $2 billion.
Oh, so it is ANOTHER WAR LOOTERS PARADISE as EQUIPMENT and PEOPLE are NOT REPLACED, huh?
Related: Occupation Iraq: What We Left Behind
Ah, what the hell, it is just YOUR MONEY, American taxpayers!I mean, YOU PAID FOR IT!
What's the big deal?
You got loads of cash for banks, war-profiteers, and Israel!
--more--"
Somehow another $10+ BILLION made it into the bill!!!
"Obama signs military spending bill" by Bloomberg News | December 22, 2009
WASHINGTON - President Obama signed into law a bill that provides $636.3 billion for the military in fiscal year 2010, including $128.3 billion for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the White House said yesterday.
About $65 billion of the war funding is for operations in Afghanistan. The administration says it will need about $30 billion more to finance the surge of 30,000 more troops that begins this month. That request is likely to come with the fiscal 2011 budget to be submitted in February....
Oh, it will be funded next year.
The bill includes about $11 billion more than the $625.3 billion Congress approved for fiscal 2009, the Senate Appropriations Committee said.
Spent on what, Glob?
--more--"
Meanwhile, you are looking at rationing of health care, America.
