Grade Gov creates a stir
If you’re trying to access www.gradegov.com, be warned that it may be a little slow. There are a whole lot of people trying to get in on the action. People are chomping at the bit to share what they think of their government officials.
But with a little patience, you can see which elected officers are making the grade and who is failing. Better yet, you can fail that guy you were ranting about last night or give your favorite member of Congress an A-plus.
An opinionated populace
The recession has hit home with a vast majority of Americans. The more people have to get short term loans, use credit cards or undergo mortgage loan modification to make ends meet, the more angry they become about the economy.
Now people who are angry because of losing their jobs or being buried in their mortgages have an outlet. GradeGov.com lets users write letters explaining their grades.
About GradeGov.com
The most surprising thing, to me, about Grade Gov is that it was created by an ex-elected official. The site’s slogan — “They work for you. Remind them” — does not sound like something a former Congresswoman would come up with.
Sure enough, the site was created by Elizabeth Letchworth, who worked in the U.S. Senate for 26 years, six years as an elected official. She says of her time in the Senate:
“I saw how hard it was for the American people’s voice to break through the D.C. bubble. Americans need a simple and clear way to tell Congress what they think. That’s where I came up with the idea for GradeGov.com.”
Grading curve
Apparently no one is perfect. The highest grade I’ve seen on GradeGov.com is a B-plus. Only two people have B-plus grades: Texas Representative Ron Paul and California Representative Tom McClintock. Of course, with all the traffic flooding the web site right now that could change by the end of the day.
Don’t worry — I won’t leave you hanging on who is flunking out of Congress. New York Representative Timothy H. Bishop has the lowest F on the site. He is ranked No. 531. I am not a New Yorker, so I don’t know what this guy did to get such a low mark. However, apparently not everyone thinks he is a failure. Wikipedia says “Bishop received an ‘A’ on the Drum Major Institute’s 2008 Congressional Scorecard on Middle Class Values.”
Let your voice be heard
If you’re headed to Grade Gov, be forewarned that there are rules. You can only set up one account per person. I suppose that rule relies on the honor system. Profanity and threatening language is prohibited.
Other than that, GradeGov.com says, “You do the talking. We stay out of the way.”
It would be nice it elected officials had to recite their swearing in vows each morning until it goes from their egos into thier hearts.
That’s a great idea – and it isn’t terrifically surprising that Ron Paul got the top grade. (He’s great, probably one of the best representatives the nation has.) There seems to be the beginnings of a movement towards a greater degree of transparency in government, and that is healthy. Obviously, some secrecy is to be expected, as there are security concerns, but that doesn’t mean that our elected government should operate with impunity. A little more accountability would be a welcome change.