Do try this at home...A how-to guide for monitoring federal spending

From the e-mail bag: The CATO Institute's latest Tax & Budget Bulletin is a how-to guide for the average citizen with an interest in monitoring federal spending.

The bulletin refers to three Internet-based data systems (Federal Assistance Award Data System, Federal Procurement Data System and RAND Database of Research and Development) that help citizens monitor federal spending.

On a related note, Tapscott's Copy Desk posts on his effort to have Tom Coburn's S. 2590, the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act passed. The bill would require the U.S. Office of Management and Budget to begin putting federal spending on a searchable public database on the Internet.