Monday, February 20, 2012

Transparent Budget Writing and Presentation

A budget is a website in itself. All portions of the budget are easily navigated by links forming a seamless presentation of data in order and importance chosen by the reader. The website is presented in a 3rd grade reading and math vernacular. Keep it simple.  KISS. KISS. KISS. Keep it easy, easy, easy to read and navigate.

No external linking is allowed or necessary. Reader can view all information and data presented on one singular website with no change of format. The website has a simple user’s guide (help) link, complete table of contents, a search feature, a webpage navigator, and an exhaustive index to “handlers”. The reader chooses order and importance of presentation by easily navigating webpage links.

Budget sales pitches are not allowed. Budget justifications and comments clog and frustrate information flow. It’s Joe Friday “just the facts” FBI budget presentation.

The structure is a simple “checkbook” structure. All budgets are divided into three parts, “money in”, “money out”, and “handlers”. "Handlers" are persons or agencies with spending/re-allocation authority over the "money in" or "money out" described links.

"Money in" and "money out" dollar amounts are all web links. All dollar amounts are presented as web links to successive lower pyramid levels. All dollar amounts are eventually linked to the “handler” of the money accounted.  For example $1,000,000 “money in” collected in social security tax would be a highlighted link to the “handler” federal agency that collected the money. A second example: $50,000 "money out" spent on pencils by the pentagon would be a highlighted link to the “handler” pentagon agency procuring the pencils.

A national budget is a huge pyramid website starting with three links, money in, money out, and handler index. The pyramid progresses to expanding lower levels to the base where eventually every dollar is traced to a money "handler".  All money dollar links lead eventually to “handler" responsibility information.  "Handler” information links provide complete contact information (email, phone, website, etc.), personnel information, and complete agency description (flowcharts and all).  An extensive guide to index “handler” links is provided. “Handlers” links are searchable by partial agency name, personnel name, description, keyword, and all etc.

The first sentence of the budget is two links: a “money-in” link and a “money-out” link. It reads: This budget presents $xxxxxx1 dollars “money-in” and $xxxxxx2 dollars “money-out”. The second sentence reads: This link is to the index of money handlers.
The first level “money-in” $xxxxxx1 dollar link is to a second level balanced accounting subdivision. This second level subdivision is a logical labeled list of linked dollar amounts that add up to $xxxxxx1, the origin level dollar link. 

Linked dollars on the second level are to a third level balanced accounting subdivision. The third level subdivision is a logical labeled list of linked dollar amounts that add up to the second level dollar link.
Linked dollars on the third level are to a fourth level balanced accounting subdivision. The fourth level subdivision is a logical labeled list of linked dollar amounts that add up to the third level dollar link.
This process is repeated until every dollar in the budget is traced, not to a category or title, but to a responsible person or agency “handler” documented in the index of “handlers”.

All linked dollar amounts in the budget lead to a balanced subdivision of dollar links, or directly to a "handler" description.

The webpage will also be equipped with a running navigator bar describing exactly where, in the pyramid budget structure, the current viewed webpage exists. This navigator bar should be displayed in a way that facilitates understanding (a mapping) of the currently viewed webpage location in the budget.

This is a simple outline for a complex budget presentation. Federal budget website presentations are published and certified by the unbiased 200 member supreme court (third justice branch).  Federal reserve "fresh printed dollar" money revenue should also be included in a federal budget ("off budget" money).  This is another issue, altogether. Suggestions are always welcome. Details are an exercise in transparency. May the #c12000+9 force be with you.

When service in a restaurant suffers, more waiters are needed. When fire breaks out everywhere, more fire fighters are needed.  When crime becomes rampant, more police are needed. When democracy morphs to elected oligarchy and America lacks governance, send help to the few surviving democratic representatives.  More representatives are needed.  More presidents are needed. #c12000+9 democracy shares power.  #c535+1 democracy hoards power. Step it up, America.  Be proactive. Check out plan-b.


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MART is a Democracy Marathon

MART is a Democracy Marathon
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