Congressman John Campbell's Blog - Green Eyeshade Blog

Thursday, December 11, 2008

Posted by: John Campbell at 9:23 AM

Recently, Americans for Tax Reform (ATR) unveiled a new project called the Center for Fiscal Accountability. The project specifically strives:

To work with policymakers and activists to enhance transparency in government spending by creating searchable online databases;
To develop best practices based on experiences at various levels of government;
To highlight developments and efforts pertaining to the area of fiscal accountability;
To educate taxpayers on fraud, waste and abuse in government finance and to provide them with the tools to combat these;
To serve as a clearinghouse for information and to facilitate contact between parties involved in the effort to make government more accountable to taxpayers.

Not only does this website endeavor to hold federal government agencies accountable, it is also zeroing in on keeping state and local government accountable and transparent.

Here is a link if you’re interested in making sure your government is accountable to you.

Email It | Print It | Comments (10) | Trackbacks (0)

View in ascending order

View in descending order

Kyla writes:	Thursday, December, 11, 2008 10:32 AM
Accountability is our ONLY hope
Political office translates into money and power all too often. Transparency is the foundation and I believe term limits are needed if Democracy is to survive the pressures of a BIGGER and Larger Government in Washington, DC. The temptation is just too great, MONEY and POWER corrupt. Today many Americans are believing the lie, that government can SOLVE our problems...I believe the BIG government is the problem. That is my opinion and I pray that soon many American voters will realize that personal responsibility is the foundation for freedom.
Email It \| Print It \| Flag as Offensive

Granite Eagle writes:	Thursday, December, 11, 2008 11:13 AM
Sad.....
But Americans have to wake up!!!!!! Some people say that the US is a cynical place.....yes it is.....we have to be to see through the BS that is being shoveled every day. We are conned into voting for criminals, conned into voting for higher taxes, conned into believing that which politicians say......even though they only say things to get votes. I would like to congratulate the current congress for being exactly like the corrupt politicians they vowed to replace......Once again, a lie to get into power. We need places like this to continue to get the word out. A conservatives life is to a cause. A liberals life is politics and power. The sooner we all come to grips that people are in government only for power, the sooner we make changes.
Email It \| Print It \| Flag as Offensive

Vampire's Reflection writes:	Thursday, December, 11, 2008 11:54 AM
Why now?
Just people didn't start this initiative say, 8 years ago, or 4 years ago. A cynical person might think this is simply a political ploy to play pin the tail on the Donkey. Just saying.
Email It \| Print It \| Flag as Offensive

Keith writes:	Thursday, December, 11, 2008 12:55 PM
The Historian
I agree, but that has been the plan since Johnson started his 'war on poverty.' Actually it goes back further, but Johnson raised the rhetoric to new levels. 4 Trillion bucks later, and what do we have? Nada.
Email It \| Print It \| Flag as Offensive

Rich Not wealthy writes:	Thursday, December, 11, 2008 2:23 PM
Vampire, better late than never!
It may have taken awhile to find the data and then the money to produce the site. It is good to be cynical, but be cynical of the government moreso than the watchdogs. We all know both parties are full of crooks, we want them all in jail and out of office!
Email It \| Print It \| Flag as Offensive

The Plumber writes:	Thursday, December, 11, 2008 4:39 PM
I don't need some new-fangled
institution to show me fraud and waste. Just give me any budget bill passed into law over the last 70 years.
Email It \| Print It \| Flag as Offensive

Rich Not wealthy writes:	Friday, December, 12, 2008 9:24 AM
To hold them accountable, we have to
Fire them. Ready, Aim, Fire!
Email It \| Print It \| Flag as Offensive

Yt_Knight writes:	Sunday, December, 14, 2008 10:23 AM
FairTax removes hidden favors in taxcode
On the transparency side... How about removing all of the favors in 66,000+ pages of tax code that never make their way onto the Federal Income/Expense statement? Leveling the playing field with the FairTax removes one honeypot of temptation by politicians... Please check out http://www.fairtax.org. Peace, YK
Email It \| Print It \| Flag as Offensive

cavalier973 writes:	Sunday, December, 14, 2008 11:16 AM
I second Yt Knight's post
http://www.fairtax.org Also, http://linderfairtax.house.gov/ This tax plan is about financing the government, which is what a tax plan is supposed to be about. The tax system we have now is as much about creating social policy and manipulating the economy as it is about financing the government.
Email It \| Print It \| Flag as Offensive

Note: Fields marked with a red asterisk (*) are required.

Salutation:

First Name:

Last Name:

Email:

Address 1:

Address 2:

City:

State:

Zip:

About John Campbell

John Campbell is a member of the House Financial Services Committee, and has taken a leadership role in addressing the country's top economic issues. Campbell serves as a member of the Joint Economic Committee, and House Committee on the Budget. He has a Bachelor's Degree in Economics from UCLA and a Master's Degree in Taxation from USC.