Monday, January 26, 2009

Clarity - by, Chrstopher

No, not about our many dilemmas here in Turkey. We had a great weekend together by putting aside our debates for a few days and just enjoying our time together. You'll see more coverage on our weekend soon.

I just wanted to post about a new kind of clarity. Whether you love Obama or hate him, I think it will be worth your time to pay close attention to the developments at www.recovery.gov over the next weeks and months.

This is the Obama administration's delivery on one of their key campaign promises: financial transparency. This site will be "routinely updated (by) an oversight board...(for citizens) to see how and where (their) tax dollars are spent."

I think this site will eventually be a popular stop for both Obama lovers and haters, especially since the information here will be used to support arguments on both sides.

And whether this site delivers on the promise of actual financial transparency or not, I still like the initiative and the idea behind it. I will be paying close attention to how and where this kind of information affects my perception of government spending. I'm especially interested in the potential this kind of information holds for developing my own opinions of what kinds of government spending work and which ones don't.

Bottom line: whether you are excited about the next four years or dreading them, this adimistration is attempting to do something that has never been done before; give everyone a convenient front row seat to how our tax dollars are spent. It might be a good idea to pay attention.

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