Washington watchdog groups

Ed Markey is the for proposing a taxpayer-funded Civilian Climate Corps that would hire millions of people and cost billions of dollars. The Latest The WasteWatcher. Ryan Lanier October 25, The WasteWatcher. Thomas Schatz October 21, Ryan Lanier October 18, But people cut Obama a break to the point of irrationality. Eisen was likely handed the ethics portfolio for a specific reason: He was steeped in the world of Washington watchdogs.

With Eisen on board, the administration was able to make cosmetic changes and neutralize harsh disapproval with a classic Washington maneuver—inviting potential critics to the White House for meetings. So the watchdogs have scampered up to the White House time and again, hopeful that maybe with the next election, the next initiative, maybe even the next meeting, something would change.

The following year, the presidents of two journalism societies — Association of Health Care Journalists and Society of Professional Journalists —called out President Obama for muzzling scientists in much the same way President Bush had.

Only about half responded. In fact, this president has prosecuted more whistleblowers under the Espionage Act than all prior administrations combined. And an analysis released Monday by the Associated Press found that the administration censored more FOIA requests on national security grounds last year than in any other year since President Obama took office. Even when members of his own party ask questions, the Obama White House throws down an iron curtain.

The debacle came to light when ATF whistleblowers met with investigators working for Sen. Grassley sent a letter to the Department of Justice demanding answers; not realizing Grassley already had documents that laid out the operation, officials at Justice responded with false and misleading information that violated federal law.

When Grassley pressed the issue, the Justice Department retracted its initial response but refused to say anything more, which has resulted in multiple hearings and subpoenas. Such a poor grasp of the facts could be caused by the involvement of Rep. Darrell Issa, who was ordered years ago by the Republican leadership to turn the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform into a war machine against the White House.

And if a permit is approved without appropriate provisions or in violation of state law, we take legal action by appealing the permit. Acting as a regulatory watchdog group is the prime work of Sound Action. Every bulkhead permit. Every dock permit. Every marina, float or buoy permit. Every dredging proposal and every export facility permit Each year we review more than permits and have filed dozens of appeals, with most having a positive resolution.

Zoom all the way in to put your virtual eyes on the beach then click on the red marker to see a pop-up of the general project information. The Independent Institute Enlightening ideas for public policy The Lighthouse - a weekly e-mail newsletter - is a good read InFact Challenging corporate abuse Building grassroots power Institute for First Amendment Studies a non-profit founded in to expose and counter the political activities of the radical Religious Right People for the American Way committed to defending democracy and bringing the ideals of community, opportunity, diversity, equality and fairness together to form a strong, united voice politechbot.

Topics include privacy, free speech, the role of government and corporations, antitrust, and more. Power Structure Research an approach to the study of power that highlights the unequal distribution of resources upon which power is based e.