Message from Howard Dean (Ted Stevens)

You know the joke about how the government paid $436 for a hammer?

It's true.

So a bipartisan group of Senators introduced the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006 -- a bill that would create a public, searchable database of all federal grants and contracts. Letting the public and the press see where the money goes would be a huge step towards eliminating ridiculous, wasteful spending.

A Google-like web site to find out where your tax dollars go -- seems like a no-brainer, right?

Think again. A Republican Senator famous for pork barrel spending placed a "secret hold" that's preventing the proposal from even getting a vote. The mystery Senator has revealed himself -- it's none other than Senator Ted Stevens of Alaska, who became famous for trying to waste taxpayer dollars to build a "bridge to nowhere".

It's time to ratchet up the pressure and get this bill on the Congressional agenda. Tell Ted Stevens to give this important open government measure a fair up or down vote:

http://www.democrats.org/transparency

Under the Bush administration, fraud, corruption and abuse are worse than ever.

In fact, their chief procurement officer -- the guy who spends the money Congress authorizes -- was arrested and charged with being part of the web of Republican corruption surrounding disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff.

Under Bush and the Republican Congress, the number of contracts awarded without competitive bidding has skyrocketed, as Democrat Henry Waxman on the House Government Reform Committee has documented. There are likely thousands of examples even more ridiculous than a toilet seat out there -- money wasted, stolen or misspent under this administration.

There's only one way to find out for sure, and that's by publicly accounting for which companies are getting your federal tax dollars. Send your message demanding a vote on the bill now:

http://www.democrats.org/transparency

Ted Stevens, the most senior Republican in the Senate, don't want you to see the wasteful mess that he and his party have made of the federal budget.

From Iraq to our own Gulf Coast, dollars that could be saving lives are being held up, misspent, or wasted. Troops don't have the body armor they need, small businesses in New Orleans haven't received support, and across the country 45 million people go without health insurance.

We've seen the damage that Republican secrets and lies can do to our country, and enough is enough.

Tell Republican Ted Stevens that you demand accountability from the people who spend your money:

http://www.democrats.org/transparency

The corruption and right-wing ideology of Republican rule has created a double nightmare for taxpayers.

Republicans have created the most expensive government in history through their corruption and out-of-control spending, but at the same time they've either refused or failed to meet the challenges of governing, like adequately preparing for disasters like Hurricane Katrina.

Democrats offer a new direction. We'll cut waste, root out corruption, and reprioritize federal spending so that it works for the people -- and we'll do it responsibly.

Remember -- only one president has balanced the budget in the last 45 years, and he was a Democrat.

One lesson learned over the last six years should be clear beyond any doubt: You cannot trust Republicans with your money.

By pressuring the Republicans to give this accountability measure an up or down vote, you can make this election about the open government and fiscal responsibility Americans deserve.

Thank you.

Governor Howard Dean, M.D.

one Democrat who consistently speaks out against this administration, I wonder why he's never suggested to run in 2008?

The reason was that the DNC badly needed rebuilding and Dean has done a fantastic job fixing the problems that developed over the McAuliffe years - where McAuliffe was great in fund raising, but uninterested in any party building. In 2005, it was thought that Dean using the DNC as a platform to run from would leave the DNC without expercienced leadership just as it was needed.

Dean actually seems more comfortable heading the DNC, doing party building because he believes in it and speaking out. Dr Dean may feel that the role he's in is the best one for now - he is accomplishing something and he is allowed to be as partisan as he wants.

lots of people keep out touting Gore who has said quite clearly that he's not running. Oh, well.

- Dean PROMISED people who assumed he intended to run that he wouldn't if he got the post. They also gave a coherent reason why the person who took the DNC slot in 2005 needed to commit through the 2008 election.

-Gore has denied that he is running, but people have found a way to parse every refusal as perhaps not final. This may be just the thought that having run in 1988 and 2000, it's obvious he wanted to be President and was willing to work for it in the past.

The similarity is that it may be true that either would run if drafted by a sufficiently large group of people. I think 2008 will be a better year for a Democrat to run than either 2000 (with Clinton fatique) or 2004(terror, terror, terror) was - so there will be a fight for the nomination. There are far more people wanting to draft Gore than Dean, but this is 2006.

I hope other Dems begin to pick up this idea as a national plank and run with it. It's exactly the kind of fresh thinking that wins minds and elections. An easily accessible public database of government contracts and grants would have a profound effect on government waste and inefficiency, but it would also show those cases where the government is doing a better job and getting a better deal than the private sector.

I would expect Republicans to fight this by saying that, in these dark, scary times of TERRA! we can't afford to let the ENEMY know anything about our plans. Which is still preposterous. The database doesn't say how or where the contracted goods and services are being used, just what we're paying for them. We've lost literally BILLIONS of dollars to fraud and corruption while the Bush administration has been in power. It's time to change that, for good.