“Obama will require Cabinet officials to have periodic 21st Century Fireside Chats, restore meaning to the Freedom of Information Act, and conduct regulatory agency business in public.”
“Our work is not done. We will continue to work toward an unmatched level of transparency, participation and accountability across the entire Administration.”
Oh, President Obama’s reached an unmatched level of transparency, all right. It’s just not in the direction he promised. An Associated Press report reveals that Barack Obama is refusing Freedom of Information requests in even greater numbers than George W. Bush did.
“That’s not change. That’s more of the same!”
i’m not confident that he’s going to change his ways from corporate champion to public citizen now. What a disappointment . . .
Not only are FOI requests being denied in a greater number, but the number of requests have dropped, so the percentage of requests denied has gone up substantially. As an Obama supporter, and I do still support his agenda, I am becoming more and more dissatisfied with his administration. Despite all of the rhetoric about “Change” I don’t see as much of it as I had hoped for, especially in the way the government operates on a daily basis.
great essay about what’s going on:
http://www.alternet.org/story/146005/we_stand_on_the_cusp_of_one_of_humanity%27s_most_dangerous_moments