Report: Government Secrecy Grows, Costs more

[beetbox]

Report: Gov't Secrecy Grows, Costs More


Sunday September 4, 2005 1:46 AM

By MICHAEL J. SNIFFEN

Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) - The government is withholding more information than ever from the public and expanding ways of shrouding data. Last year, federal agencies spent a record $148 creating and storing new secrets for each $1 spent declassifying old secrets, a coalition of watchdog groups reported Saturday.

That's a $28 jump from 2003 when $120 was spent to keep secrets for every $1 spent revealing them. In the late 1990s, the ratio was $15-$17 a year to $1, according to the secrecy report card by OpenTheGovernment.org.

Overall, the government spent $7.2 billion in 2004 stamping 15.6 million documents ``top secret,'' ``secret'' or ``confidential.'' That almost doubled the 8.6 million new documents classified as recently as 2001.

Last year, the number of pages declassified declined for the fourth straight year to 28.4 million. In 2001, 100 million pages were declassified; the record was 204 million pages in 1997.

The report also noted the growing use of secret searches, court secrecy, closed meetings by government advisory groups and patents kept from public view.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-5254148,00.html

[TheFriar]

1. nothing to see here

move along. This has been the hallmark of bushco, as we all know. Maybe if the dems actually fight for a change and win they'll start an investigation. And pigs will fly...

I have no party :cry:

[ClintonTyree]

2. All the secrets are going to come down in a torrent.........

upon the bush cabal. I hope to see them drowning in their own secrets. What's that old saying the Reich-wingers have. "If you have nothing to hide, there's no problem"? It would appear the bush cabal has PLENTY to hide, and the American people have a right to know. Starting with Cheney's "energy task farce" moving to 9/11 then to the FEMA debacle and everything in between.
We have a right to know what our government is doing!

[mom cat]

3. Shhh! Don't tell anyone!

[hollowdweller]

4. Didn't Clinton Declassify a bunch of documents?

[wli]

5. Most prominently VENONA.

There's some very interesting stuff in there.

[slay]

6. What are they hiding?

I thought Republicans were for open, honest govenment. So my question is - who the hell are these guys that are running our country? :scared:

[UpInArms]

7. It's obvious to the most casual observer that these criminals

have a lot to hide. They operate in darkness like thieves in the night - destroying lives and countries.

[goforit]

8. Hmmm...willthis era ever end?