"POGO" is short for "Project On Government Oversight." POGO is a national, nonprofit organization focused on "good government." If you click the link, you will be transported to POGO's website, where you can find out more about the organization.
Here is POGO's brief statement of purpose, copied from the POGO website: "We investigate corruption and abuse of power in our government, exposing systemic problems that endanger our democracy." One of POGO's recent investigations documents how lobbyists tied directly to our current president keep providing their clients with "no bid" contracts with ICE.
I have supported POGO for many years, and thought it would be good to provide an endorsement of POGO's work. I do endorse the work that POGO does, but I also want to comment on the first couple of sentences in one of POGO's recent fundraising appeals - a fundraising appeal I received during the first week of November:
Dear Gary,
You believe in an America where government serves the people, not just the powerful few. Where your tax dollars are spent wisely, not wasted on fake emergencies and political stunts...
POGO is certainly correct about that. I definitely want our government to respond to the needs of everyone, not just "the powerful few." More than that, though, I want us all to realize that our idea of "self-government" requires us to realize - requires us never to forget - that "we, the people" ARE the government. We need to realize that we're not just "customers," who should be satisfied with "good service." It is easy to get confused about "self-government" when the focus turns to the kind of "services" that the government provides us.
We do need good service from our government, but the way to get that result, in a nation committed to "self-government," is never to forget that our whole idea of "self-government" is that we "run the place."
https://www.pogo.org
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