The Push for Government Transparency is Growing
By Krystle Weeks | Thursday, November 11th, 2010 | PolicyToday, Sunshine Review launched a new website called Sunshine Standard, which is a new online platform designed for legislators and activists that will become a national model for launching transparency reforms across the country and will assist Americans in holding their legislators accountable.
Mike Barnhart, President of Sunshine Review, said in a statement:
“Most state and local governments do not embrace transparency. Even fewer proactively share information.”
Transparency exists largely at the munificence of officials, with the burden of negotiating complex and costly FOIA petitions resting squarely on the shoulders of citizens and journalists.
Barnhart stressed that “state and local governments, and school districts, have an affirmative obligation to transparency reforms that proactively share the information people need to hold officials accountable for how tax money is spent and how the people’s business is conducted. We must set the bar for state and local government transparency.
Sunshine Standard is a guide to these reforms being implemented across the country.”
Sunshine Standard model transparency legislation was endorsed by state legislators, who attended the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) Annual Meeting earlier this year.
Transparency, at the local, state, and federal levels, is needed now more than ever. When Barack Obama was campaigning for President in 2008, he promised the nation that he would allow people to access a more transparent government. Unfortunately, this has been a promise that has been mostly unfulfilled by the President and Congress.
Cross posted at Crystal Clear Conservative
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About the author
Growing up in Maryland typically does not yield a Republican. Fortunately, Krystle Weeks was one of the lucky few booted to the Commonwealth for her staunch conservative views. From an early age, she has been debating politics, and since 2006, she has been involved here in the Commonwealth helping Republican candidates to victory. Aside from politics, Krystle is a runner and a dynamite cook. You can email her here. Krystle also blogs at Crystal Clear Conservative and Charm Offensive Cooking.
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3 Responses to "The Push for Government Transparency is Growing"
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The campaign promise has not just gone unfulfilled, as you’re generous to the administration to suggest.
The exact opposite of transparency is what takes place in this administration, from the crafting and negotiations of bills, to the strong-arming of BP and GM, to even this week Joe Biden’s closed-door meeting with the Chairman of the Stimulus Transparency Board.
The emperor truly has no clothes.
I agree with Brad. Even when the Administration has made a fuss about transparency as with the Stimulus Program website, their statements and data have been fraudulent. That’s not even my opinion since that has been verified by liberal newspapers across the country. No autocratic government in the history of the world has ever permitted citizens to scrutinize it so why should people think this one is going to be any different.
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