The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission says it can't release documents to me until it checks with the companies who are the subject of the documents.

It seems a little strange government won't disclose public information without the permission of private enterprise. I can only assume the policy is meant to encourage the companies to be forthcoming with the Safety Commission. I just hope the Safety Commission gives me an opportunity to appeal if it withholds something at a company's request.



My request, discussed in the .JPGs here, sought documents related to product recalls and safety concerns with carbon monoxide alarms.

— NC

Labels: Corporate America

Roughly half of the financial bailout money has been spent with little or no accounting of where the money has gone, according to a coalition of taxpayer and government transparency advocates.

The coalition has sent Congress a letter, a PDF of which can be found here, urging disclosure. On the journalists side, Bloomberg has been leading the charge to find where the $700 billion bailout is going.

Meanwhile, OpenTheGovernment.org is compiling a rather unique clearinghouse. It's about what we don't know about the bailout.

— NC

Labels: Bailouts, Corporate America, FOIA

I've been trying to decide whether this clip gets funnier or scarier with each failed bank. Meanwhile, as Congress continues pondering a bailout for the financial sector, an interesting debate has emerged over whether bankers like George Parr are giving us too much information.

Click here, here, and here for some good primers on this. In short, some think accounting rules, designed to provide transparency, go too far in stating liabilities and escalate concerns about banks.

And yesterday the Securities and Exchange Commission eased the "market to market" accounting rules. Here's hoping it stops the banking sector from, as Parr said, looking "as stupid as it actually was."

— NC

Labels: Corporate America