Check out the comments section in the port security story: one of the beautiful things about a free country is that someone, somewhere, has the time, energy and expertise to actually go through these budgets. Some people make it their business to be an expert in the arcane details of government accounting in the same way that DefenseTech tries to stay on top of lasers, for example.

And this is one of the great advantages we have. It's a terrible thing that the government is being increasingly secretive about what it's buying and why. The Cunningham/MZM scandal shows the importance of open, competitive bidding and transparent accounting. Too often secrecy is used merely to avoid embarrassment. Check out Reason.com today for a harsh look at what some of those DHS funds are being used for.

Posted by: James at March 3, 2006 1:42 AM