Senator Jon Tester & Rep. Gillibrand Put their Work Day on Web

[RamboLiberal]

http://blogs.phillynews.com/dailynews/flavia/

THE NEXT TIME your boss asks you to turn in your time sheet, or says you forgot to punch in, tell him, "Hey, I don't have to. Congress doesn't."

How do you think your boss would react? Face red? Fist clenched? Maybe a couple of words of profanity coming from pursed lips?

Of course, the boss would have every right to react that way, if you, the employee, refused to account for your time. Yet every day, members of Congress do... what? We simply don't know, because unlike the rest of the working world, they refuse to disclose how they spend their time to the ones who pay their salaries - namely you. Your tax dollars are what lines their pockets with healthy six-figure salaries. But do you really know what your money is paying for?

Two freshman members of the new Congress are seeking to change the way their offices do business, bringing them in line with the rest of the working world. Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.) and Rep. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) are putting their daily schedules on their website so all of their bosses can see what they do all day. Looking at Tester's site, I can tell you that on Feb. 6, just 24 hours before I penned this piece, Tester met with the secretary of the Air Force, the Dried Pea and Lentil Council, and Tom and Peggy Oates of Billings. Nothing earth-shattering there. But, if I were from Montana, it would be reassuring to know what Tester is doing, since I pay his salary.

See examples at their links. Love it!

http://tester.senate.gov/schedule_entry.cfm?id=269005&

http://gillibrand.house.gov/sunlight.shtml

[patrice]

1. Wow!!

Maybe they really are different.

:applause:

[rpannier]

2. They're doing this because???

Are they trying to be accountable to the voters???

I mean, they just got elected.
They're supposed to be coasting now.
Isn't that what these guys do?

I mean, Tester has 6 years.

If they keep doing this then it may force others to post their schedules and do their jobs.
Then what?!!!
I ask you. Then what??!!!!
They might be forced to be real representatives!!!

[roguevalley]

4. lovely. lucky states, these.

[Skink]

3. Nice to see someone working for their state.

[crispini]

5. What a brilliant idea! K&R for these smart congress critters!

[Nite Owl]

6. Thanks for this article

Gillibrand is our new congresswoman. We finally have someone to be proud of unlike the sleezy Sweeny that we had here. Kirsten has already had a Town Hall meeting and a 'meet your representative' where she met people in the produce section of different Price Choppers. She was greeted with looooong lines and many just wanted her autograph on campaign literature. She has met with us campaign workers after the campaign and is meeting with those who want to bring the troops home next Saturday. We wore ourselves out getting Kirsten elected and she is working for us.

[karynnj]

7. I think it is a great idea because it will educate voters on what Senators really do.

I don't think the article's "punch a clock" mentality makes sense though and it is frankly demeaning. Above a certain level, employees in many fields and companies do not have to identify what they did hour by hour unless the time needs to be charged back.

Senators and Congressmen are, of course, subject to having to be re-elected. Since 2004, I have followed my favorite Senator's actions and was surprised to see how every week, his committee hearing overlapped and he would go from one to another politely explaining to witnesses that he was in a (Finance, Small Business etc0 meeting and his staff had summerized their comments for him before giving his statement and asking questions.

It will be good if people see this in a non-political setting. In 2004, the Republicans cited things like Kerry missing a certain number of open Intelligence committee meetings in 1993. This would have been true for any Senator - there are times when they have 3 simultaneous meetings- that's why they have staff.

What I saw watching Kerry, is a brilliant man who spends on incredible number of hours learning about the many issues that are in front of his committees and is extremely well prepared, asking detailed questions of the various people testifying at the committees. (I also can see how important the various staffers are - it's not just the Senators.)

Although Kerry is not your average Senator, I would likely have gotten the same view watching and decent Senator. It is a very serious job that obviously requires a lot of work to do well.