What you don't know can hurt us - The Carpetbagger Report - The Diigo Meta page

• 21 Feb 08
  

  Randal X

  politics

• 16 Feb 08
  

  approxy

  for:opaha bush politics

• 14 Feb 08
  

  mrmoogshoes

  bush election obama politics

  • What you don’t know can hurt us
  • The U.S. economy is faltering.
  • Conservatives have attempted to deflect attention from the crisis, by blaming the media’s negative coverage and insisting the United States is not headed toward a recession, despite what economists are predicting.
  • Forbes has awarded EconomicIndicators.gov one of its “Best of the Web” awards.
  • This site is maintained by the Economics and Statistics Administration and combines data collected by the Bureau of Economic Analysis, like GDP and net imports and exports, and the Census Bureau, like retail sales and durable goods shipments. The site simply links to the relevant department’s Web site.
  • the political costs of making embarrassing data easily accessible to the public
  • Alas, as the economic conditions worsen, the administration decided to shut down this “necessary” website, citing “budgetary constraints.”
  • instances in which the Bush administration would hide inconvenient data

  • In March, the administration announced it would no longer produce the Census Bureau’s Survey of Income and Program Participation, which identifies which programs best assist low-income families, while also tracking health insurance coverage and child support.

     

    * In 2005, after a government report showed an increase in terrorism around the world, the administration announced it would stop publishing its annual report on international terrorism.

     

    * After the Bureau of Labor Statistics uncovered discouraging data about factory closings in the U.S., the administration announced it would stop publishing information about factory closings.

     

    * When an annual report called “Budget Information for States” showed the federal government shortchanging states in the midst of fiscal crises, Bush’s Office of Management and Budget announced it was discontinuing the report, which some said was the only source for comprehensive data on state funding from the federal government.

     

    * When Bush’s Department of Education found that charter schools were underperforming, the administration said it would sharply cut back on the information it collects about charter schools.

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