President Obama Orders Behavioral Experiments On American Public

POTUS, announced a new executive order on Tuesday giving authority to federal agencies to conduct behavioral experiments on U.S. citizens. so they, can advance government initiatives? Some of the initiatives are improvements in public welfare, program outcomes, and program cost effectiveness,” as well as to “develop strategies for applying behavioral science insights to programs and, where possible, rigorously test and evaluate the impact of these insights.” develop nudge programs that help individuals, families, communities and businesses “access public programs and benefits.

President Obama announced a new executive order on Tuesday which authorizes federal agencies to conduct behavioral experiments on U.S. citizens in order to advance government initiatives. “A growing body of evidence demonstrates that behavioral science insights — research findings from fields such as behavioral economics and psychology about how people make decisions and act on them — can be used to design government policies to better serve the American people,” reads the executive order, released on Tuesday.

The new executive order, is from a 2013 policy proposal the White House floated called “Strengthening Federal Capacity for Behavioral Insights.” That just don't sound right. Menacing? lol Okay where the idea sprang up:

According to a document released by the White House at that time, the program was modeled on one implemented in the U.K. in 2010. That initiative created a Behavioral Insights Teams, which used “iterative experimentation” to test “interventions that will further advance priorities of the British government.

Sounds like some CIA moves. Could they be leading the experiments? Is this all fair play? Probably, all the agency's are involved DHS, NSA, on down the line?

The initiative draws on research from University of Chicago economist Richard Thaler and Harvard law school professor Cass Sunstein, who was also dubbed Obama’s regulatory czar. The two behavioral scientists argued in their 2008 book “Nudge” that government policies can be designed in a way that “nudges” citizens towards certain behaviors and choices. The desired choices almost always advance the goals of the federal government, though they are often couched as ways to cut overall program spending.

Advancing the goals of the Federal Government... What's the goals, we don't hear about? Your guess is as good as mine.

In its 2013 memo, which was reported by Fox News at the time, the White House openly admitted that the initiative involved behavioral experimentation.

“The federal government is currently creating a new team that will help build federal capacity to experiment with these approaches, and to scale behavioral interventions that have been rigorously evaluated, using, where possible, randomized controlled trials,” the memo read. That document cited examples from the U.K. which showed that sending out a letter to late taxpayers which read “9 out of 10 people in Britain pay their taxes on time” led to a 15 percent increase in compliance.

To jump-start the programs, agencies are encouraged to recruit behavioral science experts to join the federal government and to develop relationships with researchers in order to “better use empirical findings from the behavioral sciences.” A fact sheet sent out by the White House on Tuesday shows that researchers at numerous universities and think tanks — from MIT, Harvard, and the Brookings Institute, to name a few — have signed on to the program. The initiative also urges agencies to tinker with how information is presented to individuals, consumers, borrowers, and program beneficiaries. The “content, format, timing, and medium by which information is conveyed” should be taken into consideration as those characteristics affect “comprehension and action by individuals.

So do you mind participating in these experiments? Fair Play? Do you agree with the order? Is it harmless Gov. behavior? Do you think the government knows best about choices for us, rather than us making them?

You can read more here if you like.

a reply to: C21H30O2I

Big Brother takes a giant step into directed social engineering.

Now you can understand why government wants to get its fingers deep into the educational system. Young minds are the ticket to maintaining an entrenched government.

'Nudging'... to increase participation in government programs.
To advance in...
The Cloward-Piven Strategy.

What's so sick about it is WE fund it.

As if their influence and questionable programs weren't already affecting U.S. citizens in this manner.

This is a surface level program to support everything they are already doing secretively

a reply to: C21H30O2I

This is intended to increase revenue for one or more corporations. I promise you that. Almost everything the USG does is traceable back to one or more corporations.

I would guess it's Pharma.

a reply to: C21H30O2I

Notice that no secret experiments on the public have been authorized; instead it is making funding available to behavioral researchers who are trying to figure out how to create incentives for the public to pay their taxes on time, stop smoking, obey traffic regulations and so forth. You can read more about Thaler and Behavioral Economics here:

New York Times "puff piece."

It's all crazy to me. To spend all the money and resources to keep tabs on us? They need to keep tabs on each other! ya we fund this madness and big corporations get insight. That's why the NSA needs that huge Data Center in Utah. It's all in plain site!

originally posted by: C21H30O2I
It's all crazy to me. To spend all the money and resources to keep tabs on us? They need to keep tabs on each other! ya we fund this madness and big corporations get insight. That's why the NSA needs that huge Data Center in Utah. It's all in plain site!

This is not about keeping tabs on anyone, it's about trying to figure out why people do the things they do, whether those things are good for them or bad.

a reply to: DJW001

Thanks DJW001, I'll check it out.

Well wording is pretty key here, even if the system does not planning on using it right. Looks like they're trying to show a move for behavioral "research" but they're throwing around the word "experiment" two different things and totally different scale. Not saying I'd like to be a part of ether one, just saying they're different.

research

noun
1. diligent and systematic inquiry or investigation into a subject in order to discover or revise facts, theories, applications, etc.: recent research in medicine.

experiment

noun
1. a test, trial, or tentative procedure; an act or operation for the purpose of discovering something unknown or of testing a principle, supposition, etc.: a chemical experiment; a teaching experiment; an experiment in living.

2. the conducting of such operations; experimentation : a product that is the result of long experiment.

originally posted by: DJW001

originally posted by: C21H30O2I
It's all crazy to me. To spend all the money and resources to keep tabs on us? They need to keep tabs on each other! ya we fund this madness and big corporations get insight. That's why the NSA needs that huge Data Center in Utah. It's all in plain site!

This is not about keeping tabs on anyone, it's about trying to figure out why people do the things they do, whether those things are good for them or bad.

So we aren't free to make bad decisions? The United States is supposed to be a free country.

Who defines what's good and bad? Lately our government hasn't been acting very moral.

This isn't far removed from a mass mind control program. Tyranny at it's finest.

Do we get a choice to opt-out of their "experiments"?

Based on the shape of our country, I wouldn't trust anyone in charge to determine what good/bad choices are.

a reply to: DJW001

1. They removed discipline from the home

3. They turned our country to the hand out government; come one, come all policy.

4. They dropped "to PROTECT & serve" motto".

5. They actively watch and record our every moment,

I can save everyone, including the POTUS, plenty of time and money, the results are in..........

originally posted by: DJW001
This is not about keeping tabs on anyone, it's about trying to figure out why people do the things they do, whether those things are good for them or bad.

Well, the source IS the Daily Caller (Breitbart has a similar sensationalistic story about conducting experiments on US citizens).

I DO wish people read the original source instead of these Rags.

Actual Executive Order

Basically its manipulation.

Which takes American politics to a whole new level.

Since social 'services' will be entirely designed around 'behavioral' engineering.

That' is so past Orwellian it's not even funny.

a reply to: Benevolent Heretic

Thanks,

Here is the Order for people that can't go to the site.

EXECUTIVE ORDER

- - - - - - -

USING BEHAVIORAL SCIENCE INSIGHTS TO

BETTER SERVE THE AMERICAN PEOPLE

A growing body of evidence demonstrates that behavioral science insights -- research findings from fields such as behavioral economics and psychology about how people make decisions and act on them -- can be used to design government policies to better serve the American people.

Where Federal policies have been designed to reflect behavioral science insights, they have substantially improved outcomes for the individuals, families, communities, and businesses those policies serve. For example, automatic enrollment and automatic escalation in retirement savings plans have made it easier to save for the future, and have helped Americans accumulate billions of dollars in additional retirement savings. Similarly, streamlining the application process for Federal financial aid has made college more financially accessible for millions of students.

To more fully realize the benefits of behavioral insights and deliver better results at a lower cost for the American people, the Federal Government should design its policies and programs to reflect our best understanding of how people engage with, participate in, use, and respond to those policies and programs. By improving the effectiveness and efficiency of Government, behavioral science insights can support a range of national priorities, including helping workers to find better jobs; enabling Americans to lead longer, healthier lives; improving access to educational opportunities and support for success in school; and accelerating the transition to a low-carbon economy.

NOW, THEREFORE, by the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, I hereby direct the following:

Section 1. Behavioral Science Insights Policy Directive.

(a) Executive departments and agencies (agencies) are encouraged to:

(i) identify policies, programs, and operations where applying behavioral science insights may yield substantial improvements in public welfare, program outcomes, and program cost effectiveness;

(ii) develop strategies for applying behavioral science insights to programs and, where possible, rigorously test and evaluate the impact of these insights;

(iii) recruit behavioral science experts to join the Federal Government as necessary to achieve the goals of this directive; and

(iv) strengthen agency relationships with the research community to better use empirical findings from the behavioral sciences.

(b) In implementing the policy directives in section (a), agencies shall:

(i) identify opportunities to help qualifying individuals, families, communities, and businesses access public programs and benefits by, as appropriate, streamlining processes that may otherwise limit or delay participation -- for example, removing administrative hurdles, shortening wait times, and simplifying forms;

(ii) improve how information is presented to consumers, borrowers, program beneficiaries, and other individuals, whether as directly conveyed by the agency, or in setting standards for the presentation of information, by considering how the content, format, timing, and medium by which information is conveyed affects comprehension and action by individuals, as appropriate;

(iii) identify programs that offer choices and carefully consider how the presentation and structure of those choices, including the order, number, and arrangement of options, can most effectively promote public welfare, as appropriate, giving particular consideration to the selection and setting of default options; and

(iv) review elements of their policies and programs that are designed to encourage or make it easier for Americans to take specific actions, such as saving for retirement or completing education programs. In doing so, agencies shall consider how the timing, frequency, presentation, and labeling of benefits, taxes, subsidies, and other incentives can more effectively and efficiently promote those actions, as appropriate. Particular attention should be paid to opportunities to use nonfinancial incentives.

(c) For policies with a regulatory component, agencies are encouraged to combine this behavioral science insights policy directive with their ongoing review of existing significant regulations to identify and reduce regulatory burdens, as appropriate and consistent with Executive Order 13563 of January 18, 2011 (Improving Regulation and Regulatory Review), and Executive Order 13610 of May 10, 2012 (Identifying and Reducing Regulatory Burdens).

Sec. 2. Implementation of the Behavioral Science Insights Policy Directive. (a) The Social and Behavioral Sciences Team (SBST), under the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) and chaired by the Assistant to the President for Science and Technology, shall provide agencies with advice and policy guidance to help them execute the policy objectives outlined in section 1 of this order, as appropriate.

(b) The NSTC shall release a yearly report summarizing agency implementation of section 1 of this order each year until 2019. Member agencies of the SBST are expected to contribute to this report.

(c) To help execute the policy directive set forth in section 1 of this order, the Chair of the SBST shall, within 45 days of the date of this order and thereafter as necessary, issue guidance to assist agencies in implementing this order.

Sec. 3. General Provisions. (a) Nothing in this order shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect:

(i) the authority granted by law to a department or agency, or the head thereof; or

(ii) the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals.

(b) This order shall be implemented consistent with applicable law and subject to the availability of appropriations.

(c) Independent agencies are strongly encouraged to comply with the requirements of this order.

(d) This order is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.

BARACK OBAMA

THE WHITE HOUSE,
September 15, 2015.

-----------------------------

As I pointed out be for research and experiment are different. Not once is the word "experiment" used in the order. The word "research" is used at least twice from what I saw.

I kind of thought they where already doing this, not really sure why there needed to be an order for it. Unless he thinks they're going to get in to trouble for something that might cause a lock down on the snooping.

Just beat me to it making this thread.


Here is a direct link from the Article to the source.

www.whitehouse.gov...

Stay strong and vigilant everyone!

I saw this news clip recently but right before, this news clip came up....


Google Life Sciences just hired the government's top mental illness expert

I'm thinking they might go hand in hand? Things that make you go... Hmmmmm

Insel has served as NIMH's director for 13 years. He wrote in his statement,

"The [Google Life Sciences] mission is about creating technology that can help with earlier detection, better prevention, and more effective management of serious health conditions. I am joining the team to explore how this mission can be applied to mental illness. That the life sciences team at Google would establish a major exploration into mental health is by itself a significant statement — recognizing the burden of illness from psychosis, mood disorders, and autism as well as the opportunity for technology to make a major impact to change the world for the millions affected."

I should add one more thing that may also tag along with this whole idea.

Now Facebook seems to be on board.

So the two big players seem to be walking right into this but no one seems to piece this together. It might have been harder to spot but suddenly all 3 news articles comes out at the same time. They're not exactly hiding it, or maybe they just think that we wont "get it".