There are millions who do not know this simple link:

http://thomas.loc.gov

And they decide that whatever blowhard they're hearing has the facts - when, in fact, they do not.

Pass the word. That's the Library of Congress Web site, which contains the actual text of every bill before the House and Senate, all of those passed previously, all Executive Orders, the Congressional Record and all Federal government rules and charters.

When you know what these things say, you can call your local charlatan when s/he lies to you.

Yeah, I don't think the problem here is that this stuff is secret. (NSA/CIA excepted).

The problem is that the U.S. public doesn't listen and the Senators and Representatives don't listen to the U.S. public.

Look at C-Span. The health care debate was on TV. People objected, and it was still passed even with the public objecting at the ~55-60% rate.

As with the United States, most of the bureaucrats in Japan should have their fiefdoms abolished to save money. The ousted bureaucrats can then seek lucrative careers in the custodial arts, fast food, and so on.

As for the health care bill, Congress knows what's best for us, so all shut up and take your soma.

(I hope that didn't need a sarcasm tag.)

Hey, there's still the Chinese method: execute your executive criminals.

There's no cost to shelter and feed the felon, and they won't be back on the street selling influence.

Well, Raddy, if Caveat Emptor isn't actually written into our constitution, it's because the founding fathers knew that anyone with the balls to live here should understand it as a law of human nature anyway.

Listen, I think corporate management sucks, as a rule. These are not especially nice men, or especially honest ones, or especially socially-minded ones. (And that includes Carly "Hand Gestures" Fiorina and Meg Whitman.) And while far from wiped out, I lost a lot of wealth over the last ten years as the largest sector of our economy (financial services) proved to be populated by dickless shitwits.

But I should have known where that money was when I bought those mutual funds. I should have read those prospectuses (prospecti?) carefully, and thought about the people in my own life who were truly equipped to create value.

Eventually, a sensible system must trust people to give their attention to the things that mean the most to them. The fact that a lot of people –even myself, at times– are inclined to whine now & then doesn't mean we were passive victims in this crisis. We played a part, by assuming that smiling salesmen were honest, and giving our wisdom to lesser projects.

Radwaste, who has the time? The media used to do it, but now they are mostly just advocates of one side or the other.

Nobody cares about you but you. There's no such thing as government money. One way or another, you are paying.

I learned that early in life, and have seldom been surprised. That doesn't mean become an antisocial curmudgeon, it means be aware. It also doesn't mean that I've never been taken advantage of, but I make sure it never happens twice because my business goes elsewhere, forever.

The problem in the U.S. lies not nearly so much with bureaucrats as it does with Senators & Representatives - and voters.

The elected are famous for adding extras to budget bills beyond what the administration in power (whether D or R) requests. Also, beyond what government agencies professionals request.

And many voters think extra spending or "pork" is just plain is wrong - unless it benefits them directly and/or somehow assuages the harshness of experiencing the vicissitudes of life. Or unless the "pork" is routed to their state or district. Most Senators and Congresspeople figure if they don't do this they won't be reelected.

There is no bigger liar than the quack - but his patient.

Who has the time?

Why, the people eager to manipulate you. Have a nice day in that barrel.

I thought that the Japanese were fastidious savers. Did that not translate to their elected officials?

Cheers for this content, I will probably add this website to my own rss feeds, a friend basically told me about this yesterday. this may be the greatest..