Comments on: General Accounting Office has sold exclusive access to legislative history down the river to Thomson West http://boingboing.net/2008/04/14/general-accounting-o.html Brain candy for Happy Mutants Sun, 19 May 2013 18:09:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.1 By: Rob http://boingboing.net/2008/04/14/general-accounting-o.html#comment-165132 Rob Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-165132 <i>but they gave up way more than they got in the deal, and the public (including government workers and public interest groups who need to consult this data) lost big-time.</i> Did they? Call me cynical, but maybe removing public access was the reason for this. but they gave up way more than they got in the deal, and the public (including government workers and public interest groups who need to consult this data) lost big-time.

Did they? Call me cynical, but maybe removing public access was the reason for this.

]]> By: ill lich http://boingboing.net/2008/04/14/general-accounting-o.html#comment-165413 ill lich Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-165413 The US government is screwed up on so many levels it makes my head spin, and I don't think I'm exaggerating. The US government is screwed up on so many levels it makes my head spin, and I don’t think I’m exaggerating.

]]> By: mdhatter http://boingboing.net/2008/04/14/general-accounting-o.html#comment-165165 mdhatter Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-165165 they gave up way more then WE got in the deal. I swear they're just trying to distract us all so we don't have time left over to prosecute war crimes they gave up way more then WE got in the deal.

I swear they’re just trying to distract us all so we don’t have time left over to prosecute war crimes

]]> By: Metlin http://boingboing.net/2008/04/14/general-accounting-o.html#comment-165188 Metlin Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-165188 <blockquote>Should we fire someone for incompetence, or should it be negligence?</blockquote> What about stupidity? No?

Should we fire someone for incompetence, or should it be negligence?

What about stupidity? No?

]]> By: myke http://boingboing.net/2008/04/14/general-accounting-o.html#comment-165227 myke Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-165227 <b> Should we fire someone for incompetence, or should it be negligence? </b> <i> What about stupidity? No? </i> Haven't you guys been around for the last seven years? Disagreeing with the administration is the reason for being fired, er, I mean for resigning. Incompetence, negligence and stupidity just mean that we<b>*</b> are winning. I see medals in the future for all those true, loyal administrators running the GAO... * 'we' has been redefined. It's new meaning is classified for our<b>*</b> safety. Should we fire someone for incompetence, or should it be negligence?

What about stupidity? No?

Haven’t you guys been around for the last seven years?

Disagreeing with the administration is the reason for being fired, er, I mean for resigning. Incompetence, negligence and stupidity just mean that we* are winning. I see medals in the future for all those true, loyal administrators running the GAO…

* ‘we’ has been redefined. It’s new meaning is classified for our* safety.

]]> By: CarlMalamud http://boingboing.net/2008/04/14/general-accounting-o.html#comment-165756 CarlMalamud Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-165756 We filed a third records request today, which you can see here: http://www.scribd.com/doc/2544526/FOIA-Request-3 GAO did a pilot study with 1.2 million pages which were turned into PDF documents before they issued their contract with Thomson. The quality of these pilot scans probably isn't up to the standards of the current deal (the contract says Thomson will have to rescan everything that was done in the pilot phase), but we're not proud, and our records request said we'd be happy to send them a disk drive. We filed a third records request today, which you can see here:

http://www.scribd.com/doc/2544526/FOIA-Request-3

GAO did a pilot study with 1.2 million pages which were turned into PDF documents before they issued their contract with Thomson.

The quality of these pilot scans probably isn’t up to the standards of the current deal (the contract says Thomson will have to rescan everything that was done in the pilot phase), but we’re not proud, and our records request said we’d be happy to send them a disk drive.

]]> By: Agent 86 http://boingboing.net/2008/04/14/general-accounting-o.html#comment-165077 Agent 86 Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-165077 Should we fire someone for incompetence, or should it be negligence? Should we fire someone for incompetence, or should it be negligence?

]]> By: mikelotus http://boingboing.net/2008/04/14/general-accounting-o.html#comment-165078 mikelotus Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-165078 user fees, we have a deficit and got to keep those bush tax cuts user fees, we have a deficit and got to keep those bush tax cuts

]]> By: John Wonderlich http://boingboing.net/2008/04/14/general-accounting-o.html#comment-165853 John Wonderlich Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-165853 I just posted a long(ish) response on the Open House Project blog about this, available <a>here</a>. Time to go read the other FIOA they filed... I just posted a long(ish) response on the Open House Project blog about this, available here.

Time to go read the other FIOA they filed…

]]> By: Nick D http://boingboing.net/2008/04/14/general-accounting-o.html#comment-165118 Nick D Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-165118 Surely there's a lawsuit here just begging to be filed? I'm no lawyer, but I can't see how that's legal. Surely there’s a lawsuit here just begging to be filed? I’m no lawyer, but I can’t see how that’s legal.

]]> By: Erik http://boingboing.net/2008/04/14/general-accounting-o.html#comment-165119 Erik Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-165119 When you take into account that the acronym GAO no longer stands for the General Accounting Office, but the Government Accountability Office, this becomes even more poignant. Selling public data to private industry is by no stretch of the imagination ensuring government accountability. When you take into account that the acronym GAO no longer stands for the General Accounting Office, but the Government Accountability Office, this becomes even more poignant. Selling public data to private industry is by no stretch of the imagination ensuring government accountability.

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