From one of citizenJoe's readers. Thought it was posting for all to see:

I'm sitting at a small used car dealership in North Carolina and it probably seems as far distant from the hustle and bustle of financial markets and Washington D.C. as one could get. Good! It is my personal belief that we have heard every story, from nearly every angle, every perspective and every political point of view out there until we quite frankly have had our fill. What about real people, real life, and actual experience to at least get a distant glance of real world life for the "common Joe?" I know that the polls and reviews are out there trying to do just that, but really now, how much can we really glean from them?

Here then, my current wonderings and comments. Today I am amazed by the young couple that just left my office. Here are there top three questions they asked that left my head aching:

#1 If we don't make our payments you're saying the bank can take our car?

#2 If we are late on our payments does it count against us?

#3 Nobody cares if we pay those credit cards do they?

By Eric Margulies, VoterWatch Staff

This week’s edition of the Transparency Recap commences with the
implementation of a major step in the arena of governmental transparency. On
August 1^st, The Honest Leadership and Open Government Act of
2007 saw its first act of realization take place as information pertaining
to lawmakers’ assets, liabilities and lobby-related-expenditures and gifts were
posted on the House Clerk’s website.

However, a quick perusal of the disclosure database proves slow and somewhat
difficult to navigate given its complex interface. In addition, the files can
only be viewed in .PDF format meaning that for many who are without the software
required to open .PDF files, the information is lost. Dan Auble at the Capital
Eye Blog writes about the current flaws with the system of disclosure and how
the Center for Responsive Politics is already seeking to remedy them:

By Lyle Hickman and Billy Hallowell, VoterWatch Staff

Today's Transparency Recap starts way up north with our coldest state, Alaska. According to Talking Points Memo's, Republican Senator Ted Stevens was "arraigned last week on seven counts of false statements". After a federal indictment, without stagnation, Stevens regrouped and organized a rally. According to Talking Points Memo: