Dear OMB Watcher, Even as 2005 draws to a close, we here at OMB Watch are gearing up for 2006, developing a game plan for the upcoming year, knowing that our work of advocating for improved government accountability and citizen participation will remain vitally important in the coming year. OMB Watch exists to increase government transparency and accountability; to ensure sound, equitable regulatory and budgetary processes and policies; and to protect and promote active citizen participation in our democracy. As the issue-specific "year in review" articles to follow show, 2005 presented daunting challenges on all of these fronts. In 2006, assaults will undoubtedly continue on regulatory protections, on government openness, on the advocacy rights for nonprofits, and on sound tax and spending policies. At the same time, we will confront these attacks head-on; because, though these issues often fall under the radar, we know that they are vitally important to our democracy. In addition to defending policies for and protections of the common good, OMB Watch is eager to move forward proactively. In a survey we conducted shortly after Hurricane Katrina, many of you said it is time to launch an investment agenda, to put our national priorities back on track. We plan on increasing our efforts toward such an initiative, identifying shared values and helping organize concerned groups and individuals around them. Many of you share OMB Watch's vision for a more just and democratic society, one in which an open, responsive government protects people's health, safety, and well-being, safeguards the environment, honors the public's right to information, values an engaged and effective citizenry, and adequately invests in the common good. Together, we can make this vision a reality. I hope you will help us continue to move forward. Take a moment to make a tax-deductible contribution today. Sincerely, Gary Bass Executive Director OMB Watch