Poll: Americans connecting with government online

The Obama administration has really emphasized the online aspect to government and it looks like it's paying off.

The Associated Press WASHINGTON —More and more Americans are interacting with local, state and federal government offices online. They are turning to the Web to renew driver's licenses and car registrations, to apply for hunting and fishing permits, to pay parking tickets and other fines and even to track campaign contributions and stimulus spending, according to a study being released Tuesday.

In a survey of more than 2,000 American adults conducted in late 2009, the Pew Internet & American Life Project found that 82 percent of Internet users - or 61 percent of American adults - had looked up information or completed a transaction on a government Web site over the previous year.

"Recently, we've seen government agencies at all levels emphasize the use of online tools in engaging citizens in interesting ways and making data available to ordinary citizens," said Aaron Smith, research specialist with the Pew Internet & American Life Project. "Those efforts appear to be resonating."

Poll: Unhappiness with government highest in 14 years

Wonder if this is ringing any bells in the brains of the White House. Really people, they're as unhappy with a Democratic government as they were when the R's shut everything down?

Washington (CNN) – Two-thirds of Americans are dissatisfied or angry about how the federal government works, the highest level in 14 years, according to a new national poll.

But the ABC News/Washington Post survey, released Thursday morning, suggests a partisan divide, with 8 out of ten conservative Republicans viewing how the federal government works in a negative way, but nearly 6 out of ten liberal Democrats saying they were enthusiastic or satisfied.

The 67 percent dissatisfaction level is the highest in ABC News/Washington post polling since it peaked at 70 percent in March 1996, in the months after the a federal government shutdown led by Republicans.

So which political party gets blamed for this dissatisfaction? A recent CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll indicated that nearly half the public said they were angry at both political parties, with 11 percent angry only at the Republicans and 9 percent angry only at the Democrats.

Video- Politico's Scandals of 2009

Poll: Cut Congress and White House Salaries to Slash Federal Debt

Really not that surprising of a poll, I'm just putting it up because I think it's interesting how few respondents said to delay new initiatives.

Americans are deeply concerned about government spending and growth. Which of the following is the best way to address those worries?

Cut salaries for Congress and top White House officials	51%
Fund the growth with new taxes on wealthy families	17%
Return government spending to pre-stimulus levels	15%
Delay new initiatives like energy and healthcare reform	14%
Halt all new federal hiring	3%

Eliot Spitzer Mulling Comeback

Oh dear god, just stay a pundit and stop the madness.

Former New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer (D) "has been privately talking with friends about a possible comeback, and is considering a run for statewide office next year," the New York Post reports.

"Less than 18 months after he left Albany in a prostitution scandal, Spitzer has held informal discussions in recent weeks about the possibility of making a bid for state comptroller or the US Senate seat currently held by Kirsten Gillibrand, sources said."

Spitzer declined comment.

Barack Obama press conference on Freddie Mac/Fannie Mae: Liveblog

By GottaLaff

Obama addresses the Freddie Mac/Fannie Mae "intervention":

We should take action focused not on lobbyists, but whether it will strengthen economy, stabilize housing market... 3 ways:

• Protect taxpayers, not bail out investors, speculators
• Clarify status of housing policies. Investors can't invest in a heads they win, tails they don't lose situation. Washington ignored the warning signs and failed to take action that I've advocated for 2 years. No more wait and don't see approach.
• Finally, urge the administration and McCain to drop their opposition to a second stimulus package that would give immediate relief to families and struggling states. Replenish the trust fund, restore confidence in the economy.
  

Q: Are you addressing attacks on you and your campaign?
A: We've done as well as we can in the internet age where lies travel fast and truth has to play catch up.

Q: Privatize entirely, or make it a TVA type fed agency?
A: I don't favor continuation of neither fish nor fowl approach. We can't have managers and investors who soak up huge profits in boom times, but know taxpayers will bail them out. I want to wait and see what is being proposed by the administration. We haven't had enough disclosure of the assets of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac yet. Then it will be a top priority of my transition/administration, should I win.

Q: Have you been briefed on specifics of the plan?
A: I spoke to Paulson, last night. Previously, with Bernanke. Today, I spoke to my advisors. I'll reach out to Chris Dodd and Barney Frank to find out what their assessments are. Right now, Paulson is comfortable that their plan is within the powers given to them by Congress, nothing additional. Let's wait and see the details of the plan, before we pass judgment.

Q: Have Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae been forthcoming?
A: I'll let Treasury Department brief you. No doubt what took place was in many instances irresponsible, but may have been legal, and took advantage of the structure, but management didn't maike decisions designed to help them reach liquidity... management bonuses, profits led to problems. How do we make sure that special interests lobbyists are not able to block basic regulation? We must change the culture in Washington.

Political Games For Everyone!!!

These look interesting, but I think I'm already too immersed in politics.

In the mail: The Political Machine 2008 allows you to be the campaign manager for Sen. Barack Obama or Sen. John McCain. If you don't like those choices, you can work for Sen. Hillary Clinton, historical candidates or even design the perfect candidate from scratch.

Players then choose their campaign battlegrounds and are off on the campaign trail to face a host of challenges including fundraising, talk show appearances, hiring spin doctors and winning endorsements. Play against the computer or against real people across the Internet.

The game is won on Election Day by the player who gets the necessary 270 electoral votes to become President.

Or how about this?

Game puts you in control of federal budget- $3.3 trillion in tax money at your command

Hey there, arm-chair presidents. Think you could handle the federal budget better than our elected officials in Washington?

Give it a shot.

American Public Media, which produces public radio's daily business show "Marketplace," among other programs, produced an online game that puts your budgeting skills to the test.

(snip)

In the game, players are given a series of options under various budget categories. Bring troops home now or gradually.

Fund the federal No Child Left Behind program, or not. Repeal tax cuts promoted by President Bush or continue them indefinitely.

Double click on each option and you'll get an explanation of its pros, cons and consequences. Select an option and see how the national debt would be affected.

The entire federal budget is at your command, and you don't even have to answer to Congress (a president's dream come true).

'Body image' scanners ready for use in Fort Worth airport

Creepy, creepy stuff. Another reason for me to avoid Texas.

D/FW AIRPORT — Beginning Friday at two checkpoints at Dallas/Fort Worth Airport’s Terminal D, the Transportation Security Administration will begin using two "whole body image" machines that can look through your clothes and produce images of your body to detect metallic and non-metallic objects hidden under layers of clothing.

For modesty’s sake, the machine will blur your face while a remote screener looks over the rest of your body for suspicious items.

(snip)

The TSA is conducting pilot programs to evaluate various technologies in whole-body imaging to detect objects carried on persons going through airport security checkpoints. Images show the surface of the skin and objects that are on the body, not in the body. The expectation is that the machines will allow screeners to conduct inspections for weapons, explosives and other metallic and non-metallic threatening objects without physical contact. There are two major types of technology: backscatter and millimeter wave. D/FW is implementing the latter.