Homeland security whistleblowers recently joined together in two different efforts. One group of whistleblowers issued a memo calling upon other government officials to come forward with information on mismanagement and deception. Another group released a letter criticizing the 9/11 commission's report for not attaching accountability to specific individuals. Call to Whistleblowers

Open government advocates, who have suffered for years in defensive efforts to hold back a rising tide of secrecy, just got something to cheer about. Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA) introduced a bill last week to make it easier for citizens to challenge agency denials under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) in court. The legislation would also reverse several policies and practices tied most closely to the Bush administration that undermine open government.

Both the Senate Appropriations Committee and the House of Representatives have defied a White House veto threat and voted to save overtime rights for millions of workers.

The cyclically adjusted deficit -- that is, the deficit adjusted to remove economic fluctuations -- reached an all-time high of $374 billion in 2004 according to a new report by the Congressional Budget Office. As a share of the overall economy, the cyclically adjusted deficit at 3.2 percent of GDP is at its highest levels since the early 1990's -- and has been exceeded in only 7 of the last 42 years (see chart below.)