Yes, you read that right. Ron Paul’s push to audit the Federal Reserve Bank and see who received how much money in the last few years has been drastically reduced. Amidst the many costly bailouts, recipients have included banks, large companies, and even foreign countries. And now it appears that much of what has happened will remain behind closed doors.
So much for transparency. So much for accountability. Remember those bright promises made a couple years ago, opening up a new era of hope and change? In fact, you can still read those promises made by our President on the official government web site. I’ll quote some of it:
My Administration is committed to creating an unprecedented level of openness in Government. We will work together to ensure the public trust and establish a system of transparency, public participation, and collaboration. Openness will strengthen our democracy and promote efficiency and effectiveness in Government.
Government should be transparent. Transparency promotes accountability and provides information for citizens about what their Government is doing. Information maintained by the Federal Government is a national asset. My Administration will take appropriate action, consistent with law and policy, to disclose information rapidly in forms that the public can readily find and use. Executive departments and agencies should harness new technologies to put information about their operations and decisions online and readily available to the public. Executive departments and agencies should also solicit public feedback to identify information of greatest use to the public.
Done laughing? (Or crying?)
