Keith Ashdown
Keith Ashdown
budgetary easy federal fights footprint gorilla hard item known limit tick
We've known for years that there are some easy things on paper. But it's politically hard to limit the budgetary footprint of the federal government. Any item you try and cut, you're going to tick off an 800-pound gorilla that fights with a sledgehammer.
best change disclose discourse public review time
Transparency is the best disinfectant. If they would disclose everything and give the public time to review it, that would change the discourse dramatically.
alaska call hollywood north vancouver
You know how they call Vancouver 'North Hollywood'? Well, Alaska could become 'North North Hollywood,'
guarantee paid paying prices reviewed
I guarantee we're going to come back to this after everything has been reviewed and find we paid Nordstrom prices when we should have been paying Wal-Mart costs.
decisions good last minds money terrible
The last thing on people's minds are these good investments. We are making terrible decisions on where money goes.
acted acting air billion business force instead nearly partner silent
Instead of the Air Force acting as an independent reviewer of this nearly $30 billion deal, they've acted as a silent business partner of Boeing.
small snapshot
but it is only a small snapshot of what is going on.
harris members
If Katherine Harris put out the list, then 534 other members can do it too.
letter scarlet tattooed version washington
If you're a lobbyist, you've got the Washington version of the scarlet letter tattooed on your back right now.
hilton money paris poor program save shoe spent
It's ironic. This program was set up to save money. But because of poor oversight, it has spent money like Paris Hilton at a shoe sale.
benefit coast contracts corporate economic flow good gulf looks miles pressure stays thousands
It looks like they're going to do what they should have done in the first place. There's been a lot of pressure on them to make sure that the economic benefit of these contracts stays in the Gulf Coast and doesn't flow to corporate boardrooms thousands of miles away. So in that respect, this is good news.
blood trying
It's a challenge. We're really trying to get blood out of a stone, politically.
type
They're going to go with what they know. There is some type of relationship.
era late sort step sure
They're a little late to the parade, but I still think it's an important step to make sure this whole sort of embarrassing era has ended.