#checksandbalances — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #checksandbalances, aggregated by home.social.
-
This is very concerning and goes to the heart of #Democracy and what is meant by the term.
—-Quote
1 hour ago 11.58 AESTSecrecy bid from some of the most powerful covert operatives in Australia – senior bureaucrats
Bill BrowneEarlier this year, an Australia Institute freedom of information (FOI) request revealed that the Attorney-General’s Department had been holding back information from the public.
Their apparent motive was to escape tricky questions at Senate Estimates, the rare opportunity that democratically elected representatives get to ask questions of government officials.
Now, the secretaries who head government departments are suggesting footage from Senate Estimates should not even make it online.
In a parliamentary submission, the Secretaries Board (departmental heads) have suggested either preventing the use of committee evidence on social media altogether, or requiring committee evidence to be published without editing or captions.
They complain that public servants have been accused of “‘hiding’ things, ‘covering up’ for the government, or ‘being a liar’.”
The problem, of course, is that senior public servants do sometimes hide things and cover up – not just for the government, but to serve their own interests as well. Departments spend time and money training public servants to dodge Estimates questions. And when they do so, ridicule (though never abuse) is an appropriate response.
Last year, then Australian Public Service Commissioner Gordon de Brouwer said public servants were writing their “genuine thoughts” on Post It notes so they could never become public knowledge. The Public Service Commissioner is supposed to be the “steward” of public service integrity, but it took senators to remind him that this was an illegal breach of the public service’s obligation to keep accurate records.
Public service delegations at Senate Estimates are generally fronted by deputy secretaries or secretaries. They are the elite 0.1% of the public service, in sought-after roles of significant power and influence. It is entirely appropriate that they are subjected to public scrutiny.
In other words, there is a power imbalance when a senator questions a secretary or deputy secretary – but it is the public servant who likely wields much more power than the senator and is invariably paid more.
Of course, parliamentary questioning is not always kind or constructive. There are politicians who could do better on social media. But Senate Estimates is a key accountability mechanism for these organisations and the executive government more generally. So long as public servants deliberately hide information, open questioning will remain a necessity so the public can find out what is being done in their name.”
https://live.thepoint.com.au/#8fe433f938#AusPol #PublicService #Transparancy #Accountability #DemocraticInstitutions #LiveParliamentaryEnquiries #TheRightToKnow #ChecksAndBalances #WestminsterSystem
#Polliticians #PoliticalAppointees -
Just wanted to say, former #FedChairman #JeromePowell is a hero, and I don't think people appreciate his heroism enough.
The job of the #FederalReserve is to prevent bank-runs, #debt crises, and #inflation, by manipulating the money supply, and it's set up the way it is to ensure it's run by calm hands and not panicky #investors and #politicians with ulterior motives. People genuinely do not realize how much it protects us.
Jerome #Powell protected us from #Trump, under threat of violence and the reality legal attacks that are still attempting to put him in prison. #Trump demanded for years that he lower interest rates so he could have a quarter with more spending, which would've sent the #US #economy into long term #HyperInflation, making food and housing way more unaffordable than they are now, and had global ramifications that would last decades.
He protected us from that.
No matter what other disagreements we have with him, we can say for a fact that Jerome Powell did his duty, for the #American people, under threat. And for that, he will always be a hero.
-
#FederalAgencies will be in charge of setting up #JobProtections for their own employees that accuse them of wrongdoing, such as violating the #law or wasting money [who decides what is waste?]. That would be a change from the past, when an #independent office known as the Office of the Special Counsel [#OSC] handled #whistleblower disclosures from most civilian #FederalWorkers.
#Trump #law #labor #ScheduleF #Congress #ChecksAndBalances #authoritarianism #dictatorship #tyranny #MafiaState
-
The overhaul, released by the Office of Personnel Management [#OPM], fulfills a campaign promise for #Trump to strip #JobProtections from #FederalWorkers that his team deems to be "influencing" #government policy. It is the biggest change to the rules governing the #CivilService in more than a century. Trump called the overhaul "#ScheduleF" during his first administration.
#law #democracy #Congress #ChecksAndBalances #independence #authoritarianism #autocracy #dictatorship #tyranny #MafiaState
-
#Trump tightens control over 50,000 #FederalWorkers
The Trump admin on Thursday finalized its overhaul of the #US government's #CivilService system, according to a #government statement, giving the #president the power to hire & fire an estimated 50,000 career #federal employees.
#law #democracy #Constitution #Congress #ChecksAndBalances #independence #ScheduleF #authoritarianism #autocracy #dictatorship #tyranny #MafiaState
https://www.reuters.com/world/trump-expand-his-control-over-federal-workers-2026-02-05/ -
An Immigrant Held in #US Custody ‘Simply Disappeared’
The #Venezuelan man did not appear on a list of people sent to a prison in #ElSalvador, & his family & friends had no idea of his whereabouts.
#law #immigration #Trump #RicardoPradaVásquez #WhiteSupremacy #AlienEnemiesAct #ExtraordinaryRendition #StateSponsoredAbduction #Constitution #CivilRights #HumanRights #DueProcess #DualState #ChecksAndBalances #Judiciary #SeparationOfPowers #AbuseOfPower
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/22/us/venezuela-immigrant-disappear-deport-ice.html?unlocked_article_code=1.B08.IFW7.E0ozyGyhHps0&smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare -
Amazing truth & fact filled press conference from Sen #VanHollen on his visit to #ElSalvador & the ILLEGAL #rendition of #KilmarAbregoGarcia by #Trump
#law #contempt #immigration #AlienEnemiesAct #ExtraordinaryRendition #StateSponsoredAbduction #Constitution #CivilRights #HumanRights #DueProcess #DualState #14thAmendment #5thAmendment #ChecksAndBalances #JudicialBranch #Judiciary #SeparationOfPowers #AbuseOfPower #Trump
-
The #Trump admin’s hurried effort to deport more alleged Venezuelan gang members under the rarely used #AlienEnemiesAct is in defiance of a #SCOTUS order that detainees must be given "reasonable time" to combat the allegations against them, acc/to a court filing obtained by NBC News.
#law #contempt #immigration #ExtraordinaryRendition #StateSponsoredAbduction #Constitution #DueProcess #ChecksAndBalances #Judiciary #SeparationOfPowers #AbuseOfPower
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/trump-administration/live-blog/trump-rubio-ukraine-live-updates-rcna200877#rcrd77256 -
The 4th Circuit Court of Appeals cites news articles about #Trump telling #Bukele that "homegrowns are next."
#KilmarAbregoGarcia #law #immigration #AlienEnemiesAct #ExtraordinaryRendition #StateSponsoredAbduction #Constitution #CivilRights #HumanRights #DueProcess #DualState #14thAmendment #5thAmendment #ChecksAndBalances #JudicialBranch #Judiciary #SeparationOfPowers #AbuseOfPower
-
WOW
Judge Wilkinson writes,
"We yet cling to the hope that it is not naïve to believe our good brethren in the Executive Branch perceive the rule of law as vital to the American ethos."
Beautiful.
#Trump #KilmarAbregoGarcia #law #immigration #AlienEnemiesAct #ExtraordinaryRendition #StateSponsoredAbduction #Constitution #CivilRights #HumanRights #DueProcess #DualState #14thAmendment #5thAmendment #ChecksAndBalances #JudicialBranch #Judiciary #SeparationOfPowers #AbuseOfPower #Trump
-
Just released Judge #Xinis letter order on discovery procedure in #KilmarAbregoGarcia v. #KristiNoem et al.
https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.mdd.578815/gov.uscourts.mdd.578815.80.0.pdf
#law #immigration #AlienEnemiesAct #ExtraordinaryRendition #StateSponsoredAbduction #Constitution #CivilRights #HumanRights #DueProcess #DualState #14thAmendment #5thAmendment #ChecksAndBalances #JudicialBranch #Judiciary #SeparationOfPowers #AbuseOfPower #Trump
-
Tomorrow, Tues, April 15, at 4:00 PM ET, Judge #Xinis will be hearing a “Status Conference” on #KilmarAbregoGarcia et al v. Noem et al.
It’ll be interesting to hear how she responds to the #Trump admin’s latest filing. She has been very plainspoken in her assessment of the #DOJ’s claims.
#law #immigration #ExtraordinaryRendition #StateSponsoredAbduction #Constitution #CivilRights #DueProcess #DualState #ChecksAndBalances #Judiciary #SeparationOfPowers #AbuseOfPower
-
Aaron Reichlin-Melnick has handily outlined #KilmarAbregoGarcia’s legal #immigration history to show that no matter how many times #Trump & his thugs say it, there is no proof #AbregoGarcia is or ever was a M-13 gang member.
#law #ExtraordinaryRendition #StateSponsoredAbduction #Constitution #CivilRights #HumanRights #DueProcess #DualState #14thAmendment #5thAmendment #ChecksAndBalances #JudicialBranch #Judiciary #SeparationOfPowers #AbuseOfPower
-
In case you are wondering, the #Trump admin has missed today’s deadline to report to Judge #Xinis on what steps they’re taking to facilitate the return of #KilmarAbregoGarcia.
Can’t imagine why? /s
#law #immigration #ExtraordinaryRendition #StateSponsoredAbduction #Constitution #CivilRights #HumanRights #DueProcess #DualState #ChecksAndBalances #JudicialBranch #Judiciary #SeparationOfPowers #AbuseOfPower
-
This is absolutely terrifying.
Before press came in — but while live feed was running on #Bukele’s feed — #Trump said to him: “home-grown criminals are next. … You’re gonna need to build about 5 more places.”
#law #immigration #ExtraordinaryRendition #StateSponsoredAbduction #Constitution #CivilRights #HumanRights #DueProcess #DualState #ChecksAndBalances #JudicialBranch #Judiciary #SeparationOfPowers #AbuseOfPower
-
#Bukele says he doesn’t have the authority. #Trump says he doesn’t have the authority. Trump also says even #SCOTUS is not permitted to decide the matter. Who the fuck do these guys think does have the authority?
Absolute nonsense. Total liars. It’s all bullshit.
#law #immigration #KilmarAbregoGarcia #ExtraordinaryRendition #StateSponsoredAbduction #Constitution #CivilRights #HumanRights #DueProcess #DualState #ChecksAndBalances #JudicialBranch #Judiciary #SeparationOfPowers #AbuseOfPower
