US Senate & House Create YouTube Channels 199
eldavojohn writes "Following an election in which online videos played an important role, the United States House of Representatives and United States Senate have opened YouTube channels (or 'hubs') advertised to be a 'backstage pass to your government.' Ideally this will bring transparency to citizens and inform them of their senators' & representatives' positions and ideas."
Re:oh goodie (Score:3, Informative)
Cspan and this is not meant to be popular. But government transparency. So you know there is a bill on something you feel strong about you can watch the debate, see who is for it who is against it. And not just go those damn republicans or damn democrats. But see who of those voted where, and if the opposition actually gave a good reason or not.
I doubt everyone will watch it like a TV show, but if something you feel important then you just may watch it.
Re:oh goodie (Score:4, Informative)
Why let something as silly as a little TOS stop you, when it's so utterly pointless and stupid given the ease of acquiring a copy of the video. No one is going to begrudge you for trying to be a better citizen. Except for the politicians perhaps.
For those curious about how to download videos from youtube, this site [blogspot.com] will give you an easy method of doing so.
Re:I'll be impressed (Score:5, Informative)
If that's what you're waiting for, than you might want to have a look at this article [theatlantic.com] about http://www.usaspending.gov/ [usaspending.gov]... It's an eye opener...
Re:oh goodie (Score:3, Informative)
Although your link notes that his method yeilds a higher-quality video than coping from cache.
Re:oh goodie (Score:5, Informative)
There is a bill being aggressively pushed by DownsizeDC, the Read The Bills Act [downsizedc.org], which requires not just that the congressmen read the bill, but requires each bill to be read aloud in session before it can be voted on. This ensures that all congressmen voting on the bill will have heard its text, and it will also do a lot to cut the size of these monstrosities.
In addition, the bill must be posted online 7 days in advance, and no changes may be made without resetting that 7-day period, ensuring that the public can see and react to exactly what will be passed.
Everyone whose heard of this thing (and is not in the political class) is for it, and there's been enough pressure that the House Minority Leader requested the 7-day full-text posting of Obama's stimulus package. It's a great step, and it shows that the pressure from the electorate's phone calls and messages is working, but there's no reason that it should only be applied to a single bill.
The other bill they're pushing for, which I'll mention here because it also represents another process to improve our quality of legislation, is the One Subject at a Time Act [downsizedc.org]. It's pretty self-explanatory, and would end the use of "riders" - sneaking unpopular chunks of legislation (or pork) into other popular or necessary bills.
If you want to see these changes made, one of the best things you can do is to raise awareness of these bills, call your congressmen, and convince your friends and family to do the same.