Terry

just being myself!

[Terry @Aeladia99]

OP-ED

Governments Must Match the Accountability They Demand of Citizens

By Terry F
March 5, 2025

Consider a typical taxpayer: an individual earning $32,476 annually, with $5,832 withheld for taxes and $127.43 claimed in deductions—including a $5.37 coffee as a business expense. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) tracks this citizen meticulously. It holds their W-2 from an employer, 1099 from a freelance job, and digital records of every bank transaction, payment app transfer, and charitable contribution. A $10 unreported deposit triggers scrutiny. In 2023, the IRS processed 153.3 million tax returns, collected $2.176 trillion in income tax, and recovered $64.2 billion through enforcement, employing 79,070 staff with a $14.3 billion budget. Advanced technology—artificial intelligence, real-time bank data integration, and automated audits—ensures precision down to the cent. Noncompliance demands documentation or incurs penalties.

Contrast this with the U.S. government’s financial oversight. In 2023, it expended $6.134 trillion—$4.439 trillion from tax revenue, the remainder borrowed, contributing to a $34.2 trillion national debt. This equates to $18,406 per citizen. The Treasury’s Financial Report allocates $1.107 trillion to defense, $1.669 trillion to Medicare and Medicaid, and $886 billion to Social Security. Yet these figures lack granularity. What did the $1.107 trillion in defense funding procure—specific equipment or administrative overhead? Did the $1.669 trillion in healthcare spending reach beneficiaries or inflate intermediary costs? The public receives no clear answers. The Department of Defense’s 2023 audit failed, with $3.8 trillion in assets—52% untraceable. While citizens must substantiate every deduction, government spending escapes equivalent rigor.

This disparity extends beyond the United States. In the United Kingdom, Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs monitors a £9.99 online purchase, yet the £829 billion national budget offers only broad categories. India’s tax authority records a ₹499 mobile payment, while its $2 trillion expenditure is summarized in high-level reports. Globally, governments demand exhaustive transparency from citizens but provide minimal detail on their own accounts.

Foreign aid exemplifies this opacity. The U.S. disbursed $71.9 billion in 2023, including $16.62 billion to Ukraine—$8 billion for military support and $8.62 billion for economic stabilization. The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) labels these funds “energy repairs” or “refugee assistance,” but specific recipients—whether a Kyiv utility or a Donetsk relief effort—remain undisclosed. Ethiopia received $1.8 billion, primarily for “food security,” yet the farms or distributors benefiting are unspecified. Historical precedent underscores the cost: the Government Accountability Office (GAO) reported $1.2 billion in Iraq aid “unaccounted for” from 2003-2012, including $76 million tied to nonexistent schools. In Afghanistan, 2023’s $1.1 billion—$1 billion humanitarian, $100 million security—lacks detailed allocation beyond agency assurances. Agencies like USAID, the Department of Defense, and the State Department report aggregates, not itemized outcomes.

Domestic expenditures reveal similar deficiencies. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) managed $1.669 trillion in 2023 Medicare and Medicaid funds, yet its Inspector General identified $87 billion in “improper payments” from 2018-2022—$17.4 billion annually lost to overpayments, fraud, or untracked disbursements—without detailed reconciliation. The Department of Defense’s $1.107 trillion budget included $220 billion in equipment—vehicles, weapons—lacking location records, per a 2023 GAO assessment. These agencies publish topline figures but omit vendor identities, delivery confirmations, or per-transaction accountability. Citizens face audits for $127.43; governments misplace $220 billion with scant explanation.

This asymmetry carries greater consequence than individual tax compliance. Governments control vast resources—$6.134 trillion in the U.S., £829 billion in the UK, ₹45 trillion in India—shaping security, welfare, and infrastructure. Without granular disclosure, citizens cannot assess efficacy or influence priorities. Did $8 billion equip Ukraine’s forces with verifiable assets? Did $1.8 billion alleviate Ethiopia’s hunger in measurable ways? Globally, opacity enables inefficiency and corruption, as seen in Brazil’s $15 billion Petrobras scandal or Nigeria’s $20 billion in untraced oil revenue. Agencies cite “complexity” or “security” to justify vague reporting, yet $886 billion in Social Security requires no such shield. The IRS monitors 153.3 million taxpayers; governments can account for $6.134 trillion.

A solution exists: extend to governments the scrutiny imposed on citizens. Modern systems—such as blockchain ledgers—could publicly document every transaction: $50 million to a Kyiv contractor, $5 million to a Missouri healthcare provider, fully traceable. The IRS integrates banking data for individuals; agencies could synchronize their financial flows similarly. In 2023, U.S. taxpayers contributed $215 per person to foreign aid and $13,322 to the federal budget. Globally, citizens sustain trillions—₹32,000 per Indian, $150 million in Kenyan taxes—meriting oversight commensurate with their investment. Each untracked billion represents lost public goods.

Legislatures worldwide—Congress, Parliament, and beyond—must mandate this shift. The IRS demonstrates precision, reclaiming $64.2 billion from citizens in 2023. Governments owe greater diligence—$87 billion in HHS losses overshadows any individual’s $5.37 deduction. Citizens endure exhaustive accountability; governments should exceed it. Comprehensive, transaction-level transparency is not merely equitable—it is essential.

[Terry @Aeladia99]

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[Terry @Aeladia99]

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[Terry @Aeladia99]

@Notwokenow Id say ignorance, they have been led to believe that its okay to attack white people and that blacks cant be racist.. look at whats been happening, people shpuld be speaking with their puchasing power, but not just against the wnba, the nba as well, when her career ends isto late

[Terry @Aeladia99]

Come with me and earn money while walking: https://t.co/j7foaf6yXy

[Terry @Aeladia99]

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[Terry @Aeladia99]

Go to Cuba, you seem to love it there more than America.

That alone makes your opinion retarded on Israel.

[hasanabi @hasanthehun]

yes and i am right.

[Terry @Aeladia99]

I stubbed my toed today.. and i yelled out loud! "Damn you Israel!"

I didnt know how deep Israel ran..

Crazy!

[Terry @Aeladia99]

@MarkJCarney @ZelenskyyUa Seems real effective, seems Russia is really taking your BS seriously..

When you keep trying the same bs, and expect different results, it means you are retarded.

[Terry @Aeladia99]

@elonmusk Imagine.. we used to use people for this, now it just uses previous images it has in stock to do this.. its neat, its not ground breaking.

[Terry @Aeladia99]

I used to give Jesus my leftover time, my leftover energy, and my leftover focus. I wondered why my faith felt dry.

He doesn't want a piece of your life; He wants to be the center of it.

Real peace starts when we stop treating Him like a hobby. Drop a "Amen" . 👇

[Terry @Aeladia99]

Making Jesus the center isn’t about adding Him to your busy to-do list. It’s about building the list around Him.

It’s shifting from: "God, bless what I’m doing" to "God, guide me to what You’re doing."

Less striving, more abiding. Which are you surrendering to Him today? 🙏

[Terry @Aeladia99]

Make Jesus the center of your life? Start with your morning routine:

Word before World: Bible before opening social media.

First-Fruits Prayer: Give God your first 5 minutes.

Daily Surrender: "Not my will, but Yours."

Bookmark this to reset your focus tomorrow morning. 🤍

[Terry @Aeladia99]

Stop this nonsense!

We dont need every month or day to represent everything else othet than Canada! Stop making it always about everyone else, if they are here legally, thats why we have Canada day! We dont need this nonsense

[Yvan Baker, MP 🇨🇦🇺🇦 @Yvan_Baker]

🇨🇦🇸🇴 Today, I introduced a private member’s bill that would declare July of every year in Canada as Somali Heritage Month!

I’d like to thank MP @HonAhmedHussen for co-sponsoring this bill with me and for his counsel.

I hope that all MPs will support this legislation.

Canada is home to many Canadians of Somali heritage.

Canadians of Somali descent have left and continue to leave a historic mark on Canada, with contributions that span communities across the country and are reflected in Canada’s economic, political, social and cultural life.

If passed, Somali heritage month would give us an opportunity to celebrate that heritage, the role that Canada has played in supporting Somali Canadians and their contributions to Canada.

[Terry @Aeladia99]

Which do you like best?

[Terry @Aeladia99]

@krassenstein Did you miss his blinking? Just because ypu cant see it, doesnt mean others cant

[Terry @Aeladia99]

@mark_slapinski Canada wouldnt be here without the US, so i guess ignore you, right?

[Terry @Aeladia99]

@MeganMolesworth @TheJoeySwoll @RedWolfMMA Yeah thats the difference, you hide it, he doesnt, it says more about you than him.

[Terry @Aeladia99]

@PierrePoilievre Hpw abput let people speak freelt and debate it with more speech, not criminalize it! This narrative is fucking terrible.

Go after real crimes, and get rid of speech crimes, the more speech you target for crimes, the worse it will get, this is why dialogue matters

[Terry @Aeladia99]

@HunterBiden Who has been coaching you to try bridge a divide that your side clearly helped build?

When things sound to good to be true, they usually are, especially when you dig deeper and find that you will only support one way, regardless of what you say here.

[Terry @Aeladia99]

@baseballcanada Wrong, its for those who can actually play the game decently, being a human being doednt mean you can automatically do everything