Wanna know by whom each politician has been bought and paid for? There's an app for that! (http://www.engadget.com/2014/06/19/greenhouse-nicholas-rubin/)
QuoteThe murky world of lobby groups bankrolling politicians is garnering more attention, but is there a way to find out which representatives are in the pocket without a lot of tedious research? A 16-year-old programmer has developed a browser plugin that, when you mouse-over the name of a US lawmaker, will serve up a list of which parties have donated to their campaign funds, and the quantities. Greenhouse (geddit?) is currently available for Chrome, Firefox and Safari -- although our lawyers have (probably) asked us to point out that the data is from the 2012 elections, so they may not be entirely up to date.
Surprisingly, this app was designed by a 16-year-old, and this is what he had to say about it (http://boingboing.net/2014/06/20/greenhouse-browser-plugin-tha.html):
QuoteIt is my hope that providing increased transparency around the amount and source of funding of our elected representatives may play a small role in educating citizens and promoting change. If you use the extension when reading about a Congressional vote on energy policy, for example, maybe you'll discover that a sponsor of a bill has received hundreds of thousands of dollars from the oil and gas industry. Or maybe you'll learn that the top donors to a member of Congress who opposes tort reform are lawyers and law firms. I use data from the last full election cycle (generally 2011-12 for Representatives and 2007-12 for Senators) and plan to update it as more relevant data becomes available. Special thanks to OpenSecrets.org for providing access to that data.
The motto of Greenhouse is: "Some are red. Some are blue. All are green." What it signifies is that the influence of money on our government isn't a partisan issue. Whether Democrat or Republican, we should all want a political system that is independent of the influence of big money and not dependent on endless cycles of fundraising from special interests. The United States of America was founded to serve individuals, not big interests or big industries. Yet every year we seem to move farther and farther away from our Founders' vision.
The app can be downloaded here: http://allaregreen.us/
Quote from: BlameThe1st on June 26, 2014, 12:59:42 PM
Wanna know by whom each politician has been bought and paid for? There's an app for that! (http://www.engadget.com/2014/06/19/greenhouse-nicholas-rubin/)
Surprisingly, this app was designed by a 16-year-old, and this is what he had to say about it (http://boingboing.net/2014/06/20/greenhouse-browser-plugin-tha.html):
The app can be downloaded here: http://allaregreen.us/
And designed by a 16 year old too? Damn. Sounds like it's worth a silver cluon to me! :)
As as software engineer I second the motion!
Sorry, guys, I was considering, but he just got outdone: http://www.dailydot.com/politics/blimp-nsa-utah-eff-mass-surveillance/