Where your money goes

PJ Media   "One of the most irritating aspects of the carnival of fiscal irresponsibility we’ve been subjected to in recent decades is the fact that no matter how much money we send to our masters in Washington and in our state capitals and local bursaries, they always spend more, a lot more, than they get. .... Why’s that?"
....
 "A public-spirited chap called Adam Andrzejewski got fed up with the lack of governmental transparency and decided to do something about it.  Hence his invaluable website Open the Books, a project of For the Good of Illinois, Inc., a non-partisan, non-profit organization founded by Mr. Andrzejewski in 2007. The goal of Open the Books is something that the Obama administration came to office promising but never delivered: transparency.  Hence its motto: “Every dime. Online.” "

US Government Spending; Search it Now.
"From the federal to state to local government, the Books are Open… Search salary, pension and spending databases by state."
Click on any state to research salaries of public officials there.

Here are US Government salaries in Washington, DC for 2011

...."Not bad, eh?  I mean not bad for the folks collecting on your money because various unions have  the politicians in their pockets."
I hope that Open the Books will become more widely known.  There is a trove of information there about the expenditures of every state, many localities, and the federal government. It is partly sobering, partly infuriating.  Perhaps Mr. Andrzejewski will take up my idea and start a new not-for-profit called Throw The Bums Out.org.

Presidential perks for all presidents  "The president’s dog gets its own high-paid staffer: “Bo made the news when he and his handler were flown to join the president on vacation in  Maine,” Gray wrote about the Obama family dog. “It has been reported that the first family’s dog handler was paid $102,000, last year.” " I do not know about the Bush's dog, Barney and if he got to go on Christmas vacations with the First Family.