Therefore we should do things like:

• 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 “whistle-blowers” (government employees who “blow the whistle” on wasteful or corrupt spending) so they’ll come forward and bring abuses to light.

• Shine light on “pork-barrel” spending. When members of Congress add spending bills for pet projects to an existing piece of legislation this is called an “earmark”—also known as “pork.” Right now, members of Congress simply vote for the bill as a whole, without needing to cast individual votes for any “earmarks” that have been added – even if they have absolutely nothing to do with the original legislation.

  Instead, 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.