![[F]](5967_files/site.gif) New York Times on the Web Forums
 Science
Technology has always found its greatest consumer in a
nation's war and defense efforts. Since the last attempts at a
"Star Wars" defense system, has technology changed
considerably enough to make the latest Missile Defense
initiatives more successful? Can such an application of
science be successful? Is a militarized space inevitable,
necessary or impossible?
Read Debates, a new
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 (5966 previous messages)
lunarchick
- 11:59am Nov 19, 2002 EST (#
5967 of 5975)
Audit-GERMANY
""Public debt and auditing of public finances. Apart
from levying taxes to finance public expenditure, the
government can also borrow money. Especially in the 1970s
and since reunification, the federal and state finance
ministers – despite drastic economy measures – have been
drawing increasingly on the capital markets. In 1999, the
country’s total public debt came to a record DM 2.291
billion, or almost DM 27,907 per inhabitant. In 1999,
federal new indebtedness totaled DM 51.3 billion. The
longer-term goal of Government financial policy is to
achieve a balanced budget by the year 2006 and without any
new borrowing requirement. After 2006, Government
indebtedness must be gradually reduced. This is the most
important contribution financial policy can make to
solidarity across the generations.
Auditing of federal and state administration of
public finances in Germany has been assigned to the
Federal Court of Audit and the 16 state courts of
audit. This is in keeping with Germany’s federal
structure and the constitutional principle that the
Federation and the states shall be autonomous and mutually
independent in their budget management.
As an independent body of government auditing, the
Federal Court of Audit examines the accounts of the
Federation and determines whether public finances have been
properly and efficiently administered.
It submits an annual report of its audit findings to the
Federal Government as well as to the Bundestag and the
Bundesrat. This report is also used by Parliament to approve
the accounts for preceding years.
The Federal Court of Audit has furthermore been given
the task of making recommendations on the basis of its audit
findings and of advising the bodies under audit and
Parliament.
lunarchick
- 12:04pm Nov 19, 2002 EST (#
5968 of 5975)
http://www.bund.de/Service/English/Superior-Federal-Authorities/Federal-Court-of-Audit-.6150.htm
rshow55
- 01:12pm Nov 19, 2002 EST (#
5969 of 5975) 
Can we do a better job of finding truth? YES. Click
"rshow55" for some things Lchic and I have done and worked for
on this thread.
If you want a sense of how good the NYT Missile Defense
thread is -- sample lchic's work ! - (search lchic, and
lunarchick) - - . You'll find a wealth of thoughtful,
wide-ranging citations.
I think she's the most valuable mind I've ever
encountered.
Search lchic on other NYT threads and on the Guardian Talk
threads, too. You'll be impressed.
Lunarchick and I are partners on the NYT Missile
Defense thread - and she is much the better half !
http://talk.guardian.co.uk/WebX?224@@2cb4d7cb@.ee7a163/289
http://forums.nytimes.com/webin/WebX?224@168.AL04aqgHWCw^0@40679d@.f28e622/7418
rshow55
- 01:12pm Nov 19, 2002 EST (#
5970 of 5975)
Can we do a better job of finding truth? YES. Click
"rshow55" for some things Lchic and I have done and worked for
on this thread.
The notion of disciplined beauty would be useful to
a number of staffed organizations, in NATO, Iraq, and
elsewhere, now.
5438-5441 rshow55
11/1/02 12:00pm
"transparency" is an interesting search on this
thread, as well.
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