Old Project Avalon Forum (ARCHIVE) - View Single Post - A real American hero with REAL solutions regarding government accountability

whalerider · 10-10-2008, 10:30 PM

October 'Wired Magazine' has a featured article highlighting the work of Ellen Miller. Never hear of her? Read on.

Ellen Miller, founder of the Sunlight Foundation has a goal...to tap some of the internets best-known thinkers in order to make Washington as user friendly as Google. She says, "Washington Politicians like the firewall they have erected. They will have to be dragged into the 21st century".

Here are some of her current projects with links and explanations of what they do:

Earmarkwatch.org- When politicians makes sausage, they don't skimp on the pork. More than 500 volunteers have pored through federal spending bills to created this database of KICKBACKS and BOONDOGGLES.

OpenCongress.org-This site summarizes bills in EVERYDAY language and monitors related news and blog coverage. Users can also follow a legislator's voting record AND submit comments on proposed laws.

Punch Clock Map-The next best thing to putting a bell on your senator, this Google map tracks the schedules of participating members of Congress. While only 9 of 535 members of Congress have agreed to this to date, now that you know about it, write some letters or editorials and pressure ALL of them to be accountable with their time and activities.

Here are a few things she is proposing:

Crowdsourced Legislation: Why should elected officials be the only ones who get to haggle over legislation? Drafts of Bills should be uploaded to wikis, where anyone could edit them before they get debated by the House or Senate.

One-Click Government-Sure, you can find Federal documents online, but good luck making any sense of them. Her suggestion: Build mashups that seamlessly link politicians, donor, and legislation to give a COMPLETE picture of how government works and WHO is doing what and when.

Constant Real-Time Video: Encourage phonecam-weilding citizens to attend government meetings and post the proceedings on You Tube. They've been keeping track and videotaping American citizens for years. Isn't it time we had the same privileges?

10-10-2008, 10:30 PM	#1
whalerider Avalon Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Texas Posts: 43	A real American hero with REAL solutions regarding government accountability October 'Wired Magazine' has a featured article highlighting the work of Ellen Miller. Never hear of her? Read on. Ellen Miller, founder of the Sunlight Foundation has a goal...to tap some of the internets best-known thinkers in order to make Washington as user friendly as Google. She says, "Washington Politicians like the firewall they have erected. They will have to be dragged into the 21st century". Here are some of her current projects with links and explanations of what they do: Earmarkwatch.org- When politicians makes sausage, they don't skimp on the pork. More than 500 volunteers have pored through federal spending bills to created this database of KICKBACKS and BOONDOGGLES. OpenCongress.org-This site summarizes bills in EVERYDAY language and monitors related news and blog coverage. Users can also follow a legislator's voting record AND submit comments on proposed laws. Punch Clock Map-The next best thing to putting a bell on your senator, this Google map tracks the schedules of participating members of Congress. While only 9 of 535 members of Congress have agreed to this to date, now that you know about it, write some letters or editorials and pressure ALL of them to be accountable with their time and activities. Here are a few things she is proposing: Crowdsourced Legislation: Why should elected officials be the only ones who get to haggle over legislation? Drafts of Bills should be uploaded to wikis, where anyone could edit them before they get debated by the House or Senate. One-Click Government-Sure, you can find Federal documents online, but good luck making any sense of them. Her suggestion: Build mashups that seamlessly link politicians, donor, and legislation to give a COMPLETE picture of how government works and WHO is doing what and when. Constant Real-Time Video: Encourage phonecam-weilding citizens to attend government meetings and post the proceedings on You Tube. They've been keeping track and videotaping American citizens for years. Isn't it time we had the same privileges?