Federal Spending: the Naked Truth

Now here's an idea I think we all can agree on (emphasis mine):

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Sometimes an idea comes along that is so neat you wonder why no one thought of it before. In that vein, Sen. Tom Coburn, an Oklahoma Republican and chair of the Homeland Security Subcommittee on Federal Financial Management, has introduced a bipartisan bill to create a Google-like online searchable database of all federal spending. Currently, said Coburn, there is no way for taxpayers to find out what the government is paying individuals, groups, localities, and contractors. "This bill will empower citizen investigators to root out waste, fraud, and abuse," said Coburn, a leading opponent of pork. The bill has some heavyweight sponsors, including Republican Sens. John McCain and Rick Santorum and Democrat Barack Obama.

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Hattip Marginal Revolution.