OPEN THE BOOKS A LECTURE IN HARVARD
America needs a “Transparency Revolution!” Recently, we made the case at HARVARD LAW SCHOOL… please watch our presentation here.
“Sunlight is said to be the best of disinfectants; electric light the most efficient policeman,” wrote Louis Brandeis in 1914.
Today, the Freedom of Information Act and internet make it possible to post online all spending at the federal, state, and local levels. This kind of radical transparency can transform U.S. public policy.
Since 2011, American Transparency, a nonprofit, has built and operated OpenTheBooks.com, the largest private repository of U.S. public-sector spending. The ultimate goal: post “every dime, online, in real time.”
To date, OpenTheBooks has captured 4 billion government-spending records, including nearly all disclosed federal government spending since 2001; 47 of 50 state checkbooks; and 15 million public employee salary and pension records across America.
In 2016, OpenTheBooks.com exposed the $20 million luxury-art procurement program at the Department of Veterans Affairs, which forced a public apology from the V.A. Secretary and the adoption of new rules to stop the abuse.
In 2017, OpenTheBooks launched the following oversight reports:
- Sanctuary Cities – $27 billion in federal payments flowed into America’s 106 ‘Sanctuary Cities’ during fiscal year 2016. Covered by NBC News, CNN, and FOX News.
- Ivy League, Inc – $42 billion in government subsidies, special tax treatment, and payments were captured by the eight Ivy League colleges during a six year period. Covered by The Wall Street Journal, FOX News and C-SPAN.
- National Endowment of the Arts and Humanities – $8 of every $10 in federal arts and humanities grants flows to asset rich ‘nonprofit’ organizations. They should pay back the taxpayer. Covered by The Wall Street Journal and C-SPAN.
- ‘Gender Hiring Gap’ – in the top-paid positions of federal government, congress and the five largest states, it’s still a man’s world. Politicians decrying the private sector for a ‘war on women’ are hypocrites. Covered by COX News – Washington Bureau, Real Clear Politics, and the New York Post.
OpenTheBooks.com’s discovery of many other government corruption scandals has led to congressional hearings, subpoenas, accountability audits, and corrective legislation.
Many thanks to Harvard Law School’s GOP Club and Casey O’Grady for hosting our event on campus!
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