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Obama Administration Promises "Thorough Review" of USTR Policies
After all of the uproar surrounding some of the Obama administration's recent decisions, trade officials have promised a thorough review of the USTR policies regarding transparency. In an effort to ensure that the review includes all possible angles, the USTR is urging groups to make other proposals as well. "KEI is very impressed with the USTR decision to undertake a review of USTR transparency efforts. They are taking this much further than simply reviewing policies on the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), or recent controversies over the secrecy surrounding the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) negotiations. The review offers the possibility of more transformative changes, including pro-active measures to enhance transparency, covering all aspects of USTR operations, including multilateral, plurilateral, regional, bilateral and unilateral trade policies and negotiations. We are also grateful that USTR is offering to have a continuing dialogue on this issues. KEI will offer additional suggestions on transparency to USTR, and we encourage others to do so also."
From ustr.gov:
The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) is an agency of over 200 people, a highly committed group of professionals who have decades of specialized experience in trade issues and regions of the world. They negotiate directly with foreign governments to create trade agreements, resolve disputes and participate in global trade policy organizations. They also meet with governments, business groups, legislators and public interest groups to gather input on trade issues and explain the president's trade policy positions. The agency was founded in 1962 and has offices in Washington, Geneva and Brussels.
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KEI: Knowledge Ecology International
USTR: Office of the United States Trade Representative
Yeah, like that thorough fucking review of the money you just gave out to AIG and BOA and all the rest?
The review needs to come from the people. Time for a change is right... not time for the same old DC claptrap and underhanded back room deals.
Unfortunately, there really wasn't much difference between "every single fucking thing" and "really egregious shit".
I'd say that this is worthy slashdot material. USTR probably spends a lot of time on only-vaguely-peripherally-related-to-slashdot steel and potatoes stuff; but they are also, as with ACTA, one of the likely candidates to be writing the (horribly dystopian) IP-related international agreements that are going to strongly affect a lot of topics of interest to slashdot.
I haven't really heard much "uproar" over anything the Obama administration has done (have they actually done anything yet, really?) In fact he still seems to have a pretty high favorability rating. I admit, however, I don't listen to Rush Limbaugh, so my experiences might be somewhat biased towards reality.
Your name is quite ironic. Step back a sec and let's take a look at this:
Your question on Bush - well, that might be somewhat subjective, but you can easily judge that for yourself by looking around /., yeah?
I also see a really serious disconnect between the content of TFA and your doom-laden proclaimation of "typical posting ... he's the same old boss." Yes, the dept. blurb is provocative. But it's, you know, not always the most serious part of the posting.
When "the other side," whomever you perceive them to be, close ranks; do not question the boss; blindly support; and generally don't watchdog their own: isn't that some of the crap we've all been screaming about for, um, ever? Yes, it's good to keep an eye on those who you feel are opposed to you. Y'know what, it's even more important to reality-check the ones who you put your hope in. And i think FOIA requests, frex, are well within the established interest zone of this site's denizens, innit? Or are you suggesting we just sit back and Trust Everything's Gonna Be Okay..? That's the path that leads to "America - love it or leave it!" T-shirts.
I worry when anyone takes criticism of a public figure too personally. And i feel, thus far, your worry is unwarranted:
Squirrely things have been noted in contrast to promises of transparency; pressure was applied; steps are being taken; watchdogs are being invited to participate.
Isn't that how it's supposed to happen?
That which does not kill us makes us... st
...to define all those TLAs and FLAs PDQ, or anyone reading this article summary are SOL. LOL.
Use it dammit! If you are gonna insist on not spelling out TLA's for us, at least spell them out using the proper HTML!
That said, it is only polite to spell out your damn acronyms. This audience knows WTF "WTF" stands for and I dont have to spell out HTML either, but KEI? Is that like "Key Enterprise Induction", "Keynan Earned Income", or "Krusty's Entertainment Industry"? Who knows!
I'm sorry, but you didn't spell out what O.W.N. means. Does that stand for "Obama's Winning Number" or "Omaha Women's Network"?
You are as bad as the editors here. Please define your terms before using them.
(dare I leave off anything suggesting this isn't snark?)
Pick something you support.
If you are a liberal, label all arguments against your cause as biased crap from a conservative media. Make sure to point out their greed and lack of being right. Make sure to point out how from this day forward you will boycott them.
If you are a conservative, label all arguments against your idea as biased crap from a liberal media. Be sure to point out their general illogic and lack of being right. Make sure to point out how from this day forward you will boycott them.
If you are a Ron Paul supporter, you also must point out the media is actually scared of you. Point out that they are a monopoly and if ${GOVERNMENT} busted them up, Ron Paul would win*. Make sure to point out how from this day forward you will boycott them. Also, make sure to flood their phones, blackberries and other electronic devices with profanity laced letters. That will teach them.
In other words, all media that is against ${YOUR CAUSE} is ${BIASED}.
* and do this with out any hint of irony, what with asking for the government to intervene with a private entity...
[quote]Blah blah. Fill in typical slashdot posting about how he's the same as the old boss, etc.
What the fuck is with this site? Was there this much focus on every single fucking thing the Bush administration did? Or did the coverage then just focus on the really egregious shit?[/quote]
I'm reposting something someone else wrote on this subject to answer you (with his permission):
George W. Bush had something going for him his last term. Those who hated him had written him off. There was no need to pay attention to what he was doing because everything he was going to do was going to be steeped in failure. By the time this recent Presidential Election got started, he only had the hearts and minds of 1/5th of the country. And one has to assume that many of those are probably party loyalists who feel it is their sworn duty to support ANY Republican President. It seemed like somewhere along the way, a majority of Americans, though they loathed W's performance as a President, decided, "Meh, we'll just wait him out", and then tuned out in favor of Dancing with the Stars.
So now we have this new guy coming in. And in some sense, he still is a relative unknown, when you compare him to the typical life-span in DC politics. It's clear that there are many who desperately want him to succeed. I suspect even some of the fifth who still like W, would love to see Obama succeed, thought they'd be loathe to admit it in public. There is a collective weight on our shoulders in the form of this failing economy. We desperately want someone to come along and lift it. We want someont to come along and succeed in lifting it.
But the key will be remembering that this is our burden to share with him. The biggest role we have is to support his efforts. That is, to support them by paying attention. We cannot allow this "Hope for Change" to become insulation. We cannot put so much trust in Obama that we stop paying attention. Holding his feet to the fire when he walks astray will be our best contribution. And we know the fifth will do that anyway. The rest of us need to represent the rational and reasoned response.
At least, that's how I see it. - Reverend What's-His-Name?
Liberte, Egalite, Fraternite (TM)
Do you not realize that it was the current administration's own offices that put the bonus payouts IN the bill as it was passed? You didn't catch that the writers were told by the treasury dept that it needed to go in?
Obama: It's easier to beg forgiveness and feign concern than to ask permission or right a wrong.