Quarterly FED Income Statement and Balance Sheet

To bolster transparency, accountability, and public engagement, the suggestion is for the U.S. Federal government to publish detailed Income Statements and Balance Sheets quarterly, breaking down key spending areas. This would not only demystify where taxpayer money goes but also encourage more informed dialogues on fiscal policies. Here’s a streamlined approach to what these reports could cover in terms of categories and sub-categories:

  1. Labor/Salaries:

    • Department and agency breakdown
    • Executive vs. non-executive pay
    • Contract vs. full-time employees
  2. Military:

    • Personnel Costs
    • Equipment and Maintenance
    • Research and Development
    • Operations and Missions
    • Infrastructure
    • Support and Logistics
  3. Infrastructure:

    • New projects vs. maintenance
    • Type of infrastructure (roads, bridges, public transport)
    • State vs. federal funding contributions
  4. Healthcare:

    • Programs vs. administrative costs
    • Spending on pharmaceuticals vs. equipment
    • Allocations to hospitals and research
  5. Education:

    • K-12 vs. higher education
    • Public vs. private funding
    • Capital vs. operational expenses
  6. Social Welfare:

    • Breakdown of social security, unemployment benefits, welfare programs
    • Direct aid vs. administrative costs
    • Impact measures (e.g., poverty reduction)
  7. Debt Service:

    • Interest vs. principal repayments
    • Domestic vs. foreign-held debt
    • Long-term vs. short-term obligations
  8. Research and Development (R&D):

    • Breakdown by sector
    • Public-private partnerships
    • Fundamental vs. applied research
  9. Environmental and Conservation Programs:

    • Funding for conservation areas
    • Pollution control and renewable initiatives
    • Local vs. national projects
  10. Emergency Services and Disaster Relief:

  • Federal vs. state management
  • Readiness vs. response funding
  • Recovery vs. immediate relief efforts
  1. International Aid and Relations:
  • Humanitarian vs. economic aid
  • Contributions to international organizations
  • Spending on diplomatic missions

Implementing such detailed, accessible reports will not only foster a better understanding of government actions but also aid in forming a populace that is actively engaged and informed about how public funds are managed and used. A concise and transparent reporting structure like this aims to strengthen the foundation of democratic governance.

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Ideally, an Income statement and Balance sheet organized for:

  1. all Cabinet-level positions
  2. other branches of federal government
  3. anything comprising over 5% of revenue should be broken out.

level of detail ~ comparable to what the federal government requires public companies to disclose.

Fine if some are “re-grouped” (defense & intelligence for instance)

Right now, we just see:

  • The Debt
  • Interest rates

without basic tools, politicians focus on $ they bring in and spend… not really building long-term assets which increase the productivity growth of the country.