DC confidential : inside the five tricks of Washington / David Schoenbrod with foreword by Governor Howard Dean and Senator Mike Lee ; illustrations by Stephen Fienberg.
The Left and the Right Agree on One Thing: Congress Misrepresents -- How Congress Is Supposed to Work--and Long Did -- When the Five Tricks Began -- Four Tricks of the Legislative Trade--and How They Deceive Us -- The Ricks Harm Us Now -- The Tricks Will Ruin Us Later -- A Trick Even for War--and How It Deceives Us -- The Honest Deal Act -- An Action Plan for Us.
Summary:
"You think you know why our government in Washington is broken, but you really don't. You think it's broken because politicians curry favor with special interests and activists of the Left or Right. There's something to that and it helps explain why these politicians can't find common ground, but it misses the root cause. A half century ago, elected officials in Congress and the White House figured out a new system for enacting laws and spending programs--one that lets them take credit for promising good news while avoiding blame for government producing bad results. With five key tricks, politicians of both parties now avoid accounting to us for what government actually does to us. While you understand that these politicians seem to pull rabbits out of hats, hardly anyone sees the sleight of hand by which they get away with their tricks. Otherwise, their tricks wouldn't work. DC Confidential exposes the sleights of hand. Once they are brought to light, we can stop the tricks, fix our broken government, and make Washington work for us once again. The book explains the necessary reform and lays out an action plan to put it in place. Stopping the tricks would be a constructive, inclusive response to the anger that Americans from across the political spectrum feel toward what should be our government"-- Provided by publisher.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.