Choice detail: Using Our Tax Dollars Wisely

Choice 2: Make It Easier For Americans To See How Government Spends Its Money And What Programs Work

A better way to create more trust and accountability is to make sure politicians can’t hide what they’re doing, so that government watchdogs — like the news media, good-government organizations, and concerned citizens — can keep an eye on them and hold them accountable.


Therefore, we should:

  • Make the federal budget easier to understand. We need to simplify the presentation of the federal budget, and also require that it be placed on the Internet each year in an easily searchable form. That way, reporters and watchdog groups can easily find out what the government is proposing to spend the nation’s money on.
  • Protect whistle-blowers. Strengthen legislation that protects and rewards government employees who report wasteful or corrupt spending, so they will be more likely to come forward and bring abuses to light.
  • Strengthen watchdog agencies. Ensure that government is able to demonstrate stewardship by strengthening program accountability entities and mechanisms such as the Government Accountability Office, the Government Performance and Results Act process, and the Performance Assessment Rating Tool.
  • Shine a light on pork barrel spending. We should require members of Congress to make a formal vote for each added earmark to create a public record of their support for that additional spending. We also need an online earmark database that identifies every such project, along with who sponsored the earmark, who benefits, and which representatives voted for it.
  • Strengthen government oversight of areas such as banking and hedge funds, to protect Americans from incompetence, corruption, and greed in the private sector.

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