We need a new cabinet-level secretary.. Department of AUDITING

[SoCalDem]

Every level needs a thorough going-over. It's no wonder that no one seems to even KNOW how bad things are.. If anyone is even trying to audit things, they must be hiding their findings..

This stuff is NOT rocket-science.. It's plain old MATH..

How long would YOUR family be solvent if you applied the same principles of bookkeeping that the government seems to be using??

People steal..
People cheat..
People lie..

Those three are a given, (not EVERY person, but many, when given an opportunity).

Every organization, committee, business, whatever, that HANDLES, or is responsible for MONEY....must be audited..harshly and often..


Republicans mis-handle money..EVERY time they get a chance.. Don't we all know this by now??

They would say that dems do as well, but look at the ways the money is spent. Traditionally, when dems spend money, they do it on programs that tend to benefit large numbers of people (with emphasis on people who have less)..republicans tend to lavish their largesse on the people who don't really "need" much, but always WANT more..

The lack of stewardship is a hallmark of republican rule.. It always has been, and always will be..because that's the way they operate. Once in charge, they revel in secrecy..Secrecy allows them to get away with this stuff..over and over and over.

Hoover did it
Reagan did it
Bush1 did it
BushII did it..

[RufusTFirefly]

1. Interesting idea. Here's my nominee

[AlCzervik]

3. Seconded.

[Solly Mack]

2. the govt. would just get an Arthur Andersen style auditor

[SoCalDem]

4. They need to find auditors from some local banks.. Those guys are TOUGH

the ones I came acrosss did everything but count your paperclips:rofl:

[RufusTFirefly]

5. Technically, the GAO is already supposed to do this

But they're an arm of Congress. I'm not sure whether having an auditor controlled by the Executive Branch would make things better or worse.

[SoCalDem]

6. It actually should be independent of either..so maybe a cabinet status is not what we need after all

Maybe something akin to the Independent Council thing..

[lutefisk]

7. The GAO does a really good job. I'm surprised Bushco hasn't found a way...

...to shut the GAO down.

[lutefisk]

8. A comprehensive public access web site should be part of it- updated daily

Everything transparent and in the open. Like what Jimmy Carter proposed for the post-Katrina government funding.

Of course that didn't happen- too hard to let cronies steal when someone's watching... kind of like Iraq, pallets of money, etc...)

[Grey]

9. In Canada (sorry, I just love saying that)

We have an Auditor General that answers to no one but she does report to Parliament. She has a sizable staff and thats all they do.
Is that the sort of idea you had in mind? some of the kinder things she has been called, bulldog, incorruptible, working mother, unbending,
Won't listen to reason, You get the idea. My kind of Hero.

[SoCalDem]

10. Yup. that's it..exactly

Could we borrow her??

[Grey]

11. Sorry, With the harper government,

we need her here. I have no doubt that you have some really well qualified people with no ties to government that would be more than happy to be given a free hand to look at any set of books they asked to see. I really like that She is unstoppable.