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Economy
In reply to the discussion: STOCK MARKET WATCH -- Monday, 1 October 2012 [View all]xchrom
(108,903 posts)37. Where Have All the FOIAs Gone? A Lament for Transparency.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-09-30/where-have-all-the-foias-gone-a-lament-for-transparency-.html
One way to judge a presidents record is to assess the promises he made when he first took office. Thats what Bloomberg News did with President Barack Obamas vow to create an unprecedented level of openness in government and act promptly to make information public.
By that benchmark, Americans arent much better off than they were four years ago.
In June, Bloomberg reporters filed Freedom of Information Act requests with 57 federal agencies. The reporters sought data in a narrow (and not particularly complicated) area: taxpayer- supported travel by Cabinet secretaries and top officials. The results were dismaying. Just eight of the agencies met the 20- day window for disclosure required by law. Of 20 Cabinet-level agencies, only the Small Business Administration responded within the legal limit.
The records of five other Cabinet-level departments -- Commerce, Labor, Treasury, the Office of Budget and Management, and the U.S. Trade Representative -- were turned over to reporters past the deadline. Fourteen either havent fully complied or havent responded at all, including the Department of Justice, whose mandate includes enforcing compliance of disclosure laws. (To see a multimedia analysis, click here.)
One way to judge a presidents record is to assess the promises he made when he first took office. Thats what Bloomberg News did with President Barack Obamas vow to create an unprecedented level of openness in government and act promptly to make information public.
By that benchmark, Americans arent much better off than they were four years ago.
In June, Bloomberg reporters filed Freedom of Information Act requests with 57 federal agencies. The reporters sought data in a narrow (and not particularly complicated) area: taxpayer- supported travel by Cabinet secretaries and top officials. The results were dismaying. Just eight of the agencies met the 20- day window for disclosure required by law. Of 20 Cabinet-level agencies, only the Small Business Administration responded within the legal limit.
The records of five other Cabinet-level departments -- Commerce, Labor, Treasury, the Office of Budget and Management, and the U.S. Trade Representative -- were turned over to reporters past the deadline. Fourteen either havent fully complied or havent responded at all, including the Department of Justice, whose mandate includes enforcing compliance of disclosure laws. (To see a multimedia analysis, click here.)
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