If the US government suddenly became 100% transparent tomorrow, what do you think would shock ordinary Americans the most? What do you think the public would discover about how the country is actually run?

[u/Ok-Alternative-2887]

[u/emmyblonde]

That the moon landing was real and it was cheaper then faking it

[u/Otherwise_Bug5514 → u/emmyblonde]

the budget for fake moon would be insane, like literally building whole studio in orbit just to avoid shadows looking wrong

[u/TheUpperofOne → u/emmyblonde]

It would have been harder to make the technology to fake the moon landing 😂

[u/sco77 → u/emmyblonde]

Then....is a way to reference a time in the past. Than is a way to compare two things. They are NOT the same

[u/Uncle_Bill]

How much collusion there is between agencies and interest groups to strategize around existing legislation.

[u/mo181918 → u/Uncle_Bill]

But it’s already so incredibly clear and yet people choose not see.

[u/MarginalOmnivore → u/mo181918]

Government is more transparent than it has been in living memory.

They tell you exactly what they plan to do, and who they plan to do it to.

MAGA says they were just joking. Centrists say you're overreacting. Liberals say don't worry, they can't do that, it's illegal. Leftists say the only hope is to let the country burn to the ground.

Then the plan happens exactly as described, and they all say "I told you so."

[u/mo181918 → u/MarginalOmnivore]

It is the most frustrating thing ever!

[u/Spartanlegion117]

100% transparent? Probably the black budget funding mechanisms and the black budget research stuff.

[u/HeartonSleeve1989]

What the CIA does.

[u/LumberBitch → u/HeartonSleeve1989]

Yeah that one would piss off everyone, especially Latin America

[u/vancouvermatt → u/HeartonSleeve1989]

It’s been 51 years since the Church Committee investigated the CIA… Mk-ultra, the heart attack gun, midnight climax operation, project shamrock, etc

[u/KidGold → u/HeartonSleeve1989]

Bernie talked about a lot of CIA dirt in the 2016 debates. Which I adored.

[u/No-Bed7503]

Probably how much they actually don’t know (example like accounting for all tax paying money) , or know and don’t do anything about (healthcare, affordable housing, etc.), national security could be shocking (like how much they are willing to risk wars and killing thousands of innocent civilians for basic national security), and the influence money has on public policy. These are all these we know, but likely the extent would be shocking.

[u/SharpEdgeSoda]

Imagine a tax form that tells you, in no uncertain terms, exactly what your taxes paid for in a big pie chart.

And then you can go online and get a full itemized list of things bought by the government and explain your tax contributions in those terms. 

[u/MLutin → u/SharpEdgeSoda]

1. Guns
2. Bombs
3. Subsidies for oil/gas
4. Uh, more guns ....... 13,948,579,929,101. Public Education

[u/TheLaughingWave → u/SharpEdgeSoda]

We get this breakdown of our taxes in Australia. At a very high level. X amount spent on education, x amount spent on hospitals, defence, welfare etc

[u/Yupperroo]

Blatant rampant corruption that makes the Somali fraud look like little league.

[u/KaiDigo]

How many of the "Good upstanding Christians" check off all the boxes for even the most lenient versions of hell.

[u/LumberBitch → u/KaiDigo]

How many of those "good upstanding Christians" get up to some really gay stuff. You're not in hell for fucking dudes Ladybug, it's for being a bloodthirsty POS

[u/hobard]

How competent the people doing the work are and how incompetent the political appointees are.

[u/LordNorros]

How much money is knowingly wasted or stolen

[u/Heavy_Direction1547]

Money=power=more money. The system works to make the rich richer.

[u/BernieMP]

How the overwhelming majority of the Senate, Congress, House and local governments on both sides, are all directly lobbied by the same foreign country and solely serve the interests of said foreign country

[u/Undeterminedvariance]

How intentionally dysfunctional it all is.

[u/grounndhog101]

How much money is invested in impeding progress.

[u/Iyellkhan]

this is already known, but the amount of laws that are written by interest groups is insanely high. lawmakers often dont write the bills, and their staff often doesnt write them.

theres also just how severe the influence money is on politics and the culture for politicians. even before citizens united it was rather insane. the rich people want to influence the politicians, and most politicians want to be the rich people.

[u/obbie29]

Given that 54% of American adults can't read over a sixth grade level it wouldn't matter because they couldn't understand any of it

[u/adminhotep → u/obbie29]

This is defeatist.

That 54% may not be able to understand what they should be angry about, but they might be capable of being shepherded into adversarial action against the people who have used the US government to cause so much harm.

The thing that 54% would learn is "who is to blame" - they're already primed to think in those terms- only now it could finally be accurate with 100% government transparency.

[u/ghosthacked]

Nothing. We're already aware of some of the most depraved and appalling behavior of our govt and most just don't give a fuck. I can't imagine anything that would change that. 

[u/IAlwaysSayBoo-urns]

I mean the Epstein stuff, Snowden stuff, and Wikileaks have exposed a lot, but nothing changes.

[u/Entire-Ad2058]

How much the actual people of each region have in common…and how much effort goes into stirring up “differences“ between us, to further unwarranted animosity.

[u/CanaDoug420]

Doesn’t matter. 30% or more won’t believe it anyway

[u/elastic_emu]

How much money gets funneled into Trump's associates and family (and him).

[u/OneAndOnlyJackSchitt]

How variably and inconsistently enforcement of the law is applied.

[u/ptronus31]

That the interest on our debt is now more than any other single expenditure, including military (which has been #1 for decades).

[u/LumberBitch → u/ptronus31]

I'd like to know where that military budget goes that they keep failing audits.

[u/igwaltney3 → u/LumberBitch]

Black budget projects to develop the next thing

[u/friendly-sam]

Epstein was in the Trump files.

[u/merlinn2u]

the amount of money wasted in ways that make it impossible to trace

[u/Kevin4938]

Something something lizard people something...

[u/PhilosopherOdd2612]

It’s a Kleptocracy

[u/labratdb]

The number of foreign spies embedded and amount of control mossad and Israel have especially regarding the epstein files

[u/douggold11]

People would be shocked at the lack of massive conspiracies and how the government is actually super boring. 

[u/BernieMP → u/douggold11]

Saying this just barely a year after hundreds of thousands of emails were released showing behavior from government officials ranging from: discussing sexual impropriety amongst each other at the least, and human traficking and inhumane things done to children at most

And months into an unconstitutional war started at the behest of a foreign nation, still unchallenged by any and all branches of government,

Is certainly a choice

[u/LumberBitch → u/BernieMP]

And while we're actively meddling in the Brazilian elections

[u/BernieMP → u/LumberBitch]

After having said, clearly and in no minced words: "Brazil should not be able to trade with China in their currency, and leave [U.S.] us out of the deal"

[u/Be_quiet_Im_thinking]

Epstein files.

[u/ptraugot]

How much money went directly to Trump and his family’s personal accounts.

[u/gehrlinspiel]

What are you talking about; this is the most transparent the governments ever been.

/s

[u/HomoColossusHumbled]

I feel like they’ve been “mask off” for a while now, and most everyone has just shrugged and gone back to doomscrolling.

[u/Krail]

I don't think I have a good idea of what the average person would find shocking anymore. 

I feel like people would be most surprised to find out how effective and honest it is (or... was) and how all that annoying bureaucracy is for fighting fraud. 

[u/Annual_Professional3]

If you are paying attention this government is transparent. Most Americans are in it for themselves and dngaf. This is not a glitch but a baked in feature of American culture.

[u/okimlom]

There would be a lot of people that support/hate Trump that will finally see how much he “controls” things. 

[u/shawsghost]

The Epstein files. Solid proof that Trump is a child rapist, along with many others who are high and mighty.

[u/limbodog]

I think a ridiculous amount of corruption would be shown. Not just bribery and favoritism, but all kinds of decisions made that favor some billionaire at the expense of the public. Including overlooking all kinds of crimes.

[u/shroedingersdog]

the war machine

[u/BeneficialBee6148]

That 60% of the goals listed in the Project 2025 handbook have been completed and how close they are to full control.

[u/we_are_sex_bobomb]

I think people would be shocked to learn that there are so, so, so many pedophiles running the country. Like they get caught now and then but it really gets swept under the carpet even by the news media who you’d think would be all over it.

[u/ethyl-pentanoate]

I'd say number of children the President has molested and/or murdered, but at this point I don't think it would be much of a surprise.

[u/No_Mission_8571]

Got news for America your dirt is know world wide. EVERYBODY see's what's happening. Enjoy "winning"...

[u/LumberBitch → u/No_Mission_8571]

I guarantee it's worse than what's publicly known or speculated. I mean just look at the Epstein files or old declassified CIA documents.

[u/LumberBitch → u/[deleted]]

The files are probably just tip of the iceberg. The wealthy see no justice and behave with impunity, so I wonder how many more Epsteins are out there

[u/No_Mission_8571 → u/LumberBitch]

Truly a scary thought.

[u/LumberBitch → u/No_Mission_8571]

It's not like anyone has faced consequences and where there's demand there's supply. The ultra wealthy tend to have addictive personalities, it's how they get there to begin with: an addiction to wealth and power. Pedophilia is often about power, not just over the victim but over society. For the Epstein class it's one more taboo they can flaunt and another addiction for them to satisfy.

[u/No_Mission_8571 → u/LumberBitch]

Vile society !.

[u/GameMusic → u/LumberBitch]

i expect epstein was one of many different groups that did similar

[u/No-Bed7503 → u/No_Mission_8571]

Literally didn’t answer the question. Clear everyone watches America and knows the dirt that’s public. America is literally the “world police” and their politics determine how the rest of the world moves due to several factors. You’re not saying anything new and the “enjoy winning” is giving bitter ex. Grow up and try to make the world a better place rather than spreading hate, especially since to you America is doing plenty of that already.