By GottaLaff
Wikileaks is "a non-profit project, sponsored by transparency groups and investigative journalists world wide." And guess what they're doing!
[T]hey are releasing over $1 billion dollars' worth of reports gathered by the Congressional Research Services (CRS). These reports are provided to members of the US Congress and are legally in the public domain. However, they are only released to the public with the permission of Congress in a complex system of permissions and protocols and ass-covering politicians. Needless to say, attempts to free this information from the 'red tape' that keeps it from actually being released to the public have been met with resistance. Well, leave it to Wikileaks to strike a blow for transparency.Think of the fun we'll have:
The 6,780 reports, current as of this month, comprise over 127,000 pages of material on some of the most contentious issues in the nation, from the U.S. relationship with Israel to the financial collapse. Nearly 2,300 of the reports were updated in the last 12 months, while the oldest report goes back to 1990. [...]A few of the subjects covered:
Each time the topic of opening up the reports comes up, it runs into walls erected by opposing lawmakers such as Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska), who "like many members of Congress, views CRS as an extension of his staff,". If the reports were made public, "every time a member requests a particular document, the public may infer that he's staking out a particular policy position." (Aaron Saunders, Stevens' spokesman, Washington Post, 2007)[4].
These reports cover a broad range of subjects, including reviews of domestic and foreign policy, military operations, liability for disasters and conflict, taxes, alternative fuels, SEC, telecom, banking, adult education, literacy, FEMA, domestic surveillance, global warming, offshore banking - to name only a fraction.A list of reports by date.
An alphabetical list of reports.
Knock yourselves out in the name of the American people. Here are a few samples of what you'll find there:
Title: President Bushs 2003 Tax Cut Proposal: A Brief Overview
CRS report number: RS21420
Author(s): David L. Brumbaugh, Government and Finance Division
Date: May 12, 2003
- Abstract
- On January 7, 2003, President Bush announced the elements of a new tax cut plan intended to provide a fiscal stimulus to the economy by encouraging consumer spending and promoting investment. As initially announced, the stimulus package contained an estimated $670 billion in tax cuts over 10 years, and included acceleration to 2003 of tax cuts scheduled to be gradually phased in under the tax cut enacted in 2001; elimination of individual income taxes on corporate-source dividends and capital gains; and an increase in the expensing tax benefit for business investment. On February 3, 2003, the Administration released FY2003 budget documents providing a more comprehensive outline of the Presidents tax proposals. The budget proposes tax cuts totaling an estimated $1.46 trillion over 10 years. This amount includes the already-proposed stimulus package, a set of additional tax cut proposals characterized as tax incentives, and a proposal to make the expiring provisions of the 2001 tax cut permanent.
Publisher: United States Congressional Research Service
Title: Pakistan-U.S. Anti-Terrorism Cooperation
CRS report number: RL31624
Author(s): K. Alan Kronstadt, Foreign Affairs, Defense, and Trade Division
Date: March 28, 2003
- Abstract
- This report reviews Pakistan-U.S. counterterrorism cooperation, including issues for Congress, law enforcement and intelligence, military operations, arms sales, and security cooperation. It also addresses domestic political repercussions for Pakistan and their possible effects on future Pakistan-U.S. relations.
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