Open, Accountable Government

Feb 8, 2016

Top 400 Taxpayers See Tax Rates Rise, But There’s More to the Story

As Americans were gathering party supplies to greet the New Year, the Internal Revenue Service released their annual report of cumulative tax data reported on the 400 tax r...

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Feb 4, 2016

Chlorine Bleach Plants Needlessly Endanger 63 Million Americans

Chlorine bleach plants across the U.S. put millions of Americans in danger of a chlorine gas release, a substance so toxic it has been used as a chemical weapon. Greenpeace’s new repo...

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Jan 25, 2016

U.S. Industrial Facilities Reported Fewer Toxic Releases in 2014

The Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) data for 2014 is now available. The good news: total toxic releases by reporting facilities decreased by nearly six percent from 2013 levels. Howe...

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Jan 22, 2016

Methane Causes Climate Change. Here's How the President Plans to Cut Emissions by 40-45 Percent.

UPDATE (Jan. 22, 2016): Today, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) released its proposed rule to reduce methane emissions...

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more news

Time for Miracles?

Nov 6, 2006 by Adam Hughes*

In an op-ed today in the San Fransico Chronicle, Bill Frenzel and Leon Panetta call for a "Budget Summit" to hash out the difficult budget issues:

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Fiscal Picture: the House Democrats' Agenda for the 110th

Nov 1, 2006 by Matthew Madia

Looking /node/6536 at the House Democrats' legislative agenda for the 110th Congress, a muddled picture emerges of the plan's composite fiscal outcome. The Washington Post points out today that the House Democrats propose tens of billions of dollars in additional spending for revamping the military, tightening port and border security, fully funding first responder needs, increasing college tuition deductions, promoting renewable energy, and expanding incentives for personal savings accounts.

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A Rising Tide Lifts All ... Yachts

Oct 31, 2006 by Dana Chasin

Shrill election year claims regarding tax policy in a Democratic 110th Congress may be having as muted an effect on voters as credit-taking for the stock market surge and low unemployment. Democrats are no longer talk about rolling back the Bush tax cuts on the wealthy. They are silent about whether or not to extend these cuts, which do not expire for another two years, and say they would push for higher taxes on corporations, particularly oil companies, by eliminating breaks and urging a crackdown on "loopholes," the Wall Street Journal reports.

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State-Level Minimum Wage Initiatives Meet High Approval

Oct 27, 2006 by Matt Lewis

Yesterday, Adam posted about several state ballot initiatives that would raise the minimum wage at the state level. As it happens, these are very popular initiatives. BNA ($$): Six states appear virtually certain to increase their state minimum wage, with support for the ballot initiatives ranging from 68 to 81 percent, according to the latest polls. If they are approved, nearly 70 percent of American workers would be employed in states with a minimum wage higher than the federal rate of $5.15 an hour.

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States Continue to Lead on Wages Where Feds Have Failed

Oct 26, 2006 by Adam Hughes*

While congressional Democrats have crowed about raising the minimum wage as a top priority should there be a shift in power in Congress, states continue to blaze past the federal government and enact increases in their respective state minimum wages.

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The American Dream -- an Impossible Dream?

Oct 25, 2006 by Dana Chasin

A few days ago, CNN released a fascinating poll on how many Americans feel that the American dream is beyond their reach. According to the poll, it's a majority now, 54 percent. The poll also reveals that 74 percent of Americans regard Congress as "out of touch" and 79 percent feel that big business has too much influence over Bush administrattion policies.

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FedSpending Spotlight: Skyrocketing Contracts, Less Competition

Lurita Doan, the new head of the General Services Administration (GSA), recently complained about the growth of Government-wide Acquisition Contracts (GWACs) and the loss of contracting efficiency. Data from FedSpending.org reinforces these efficiency concerns by revealing the fast growth in federal contracts and, specifically, the remarkable growth of contracts for which there was little to no competition.

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Attorney General Gives Thumbs Up to Agencies on FOIA Plans

Attorney General Alberto Gonzales issued a report last week to President Bush on the implementation of Executive Order 13392, which required agencies to establish Chief Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Officers and develop FOIA improvement plans to reduce backlogs and increase public access to highly sought-after government information. The report showers praise on agency improvement plans, in sharp contrast to an OpenTheGovernment.org review that found agencies failed to address important FOIA improvement areas.

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Bill Requires Release of Sensitive Security Information

In a positive development for open government, earlier this month President Bush signed into law the 2007 Homeland Security Appropriations Act which included provisions that mandate that all documents categorized as "sensitive security information" (SSI) be released after three years. Only a determination by the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that there is a "rational reason" to continue to withhold the information can postpone the release.

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Citizens for Tax Justice Give Congress, President Failing Marks on Tax Policy

The last six years of fiscal policy under the Bush Administration have been a bad deal for 99 percent of Americans, according to two reports released last week by Citizens for Tax Justice (CTJ). The first of the reports, The Bush Tax Cuts: Is Your State Better Off?, examines who in each state has benefited from Bush's tax policy. To more accurately represent the long-term effects of the tax cuts, the report not only shows the size of the tax breaks received by each income group, but also the disproportionate share of the increased national debt that each group must pay off.

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