Secrecy Quote of the Day

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"Secrecy is vital for intelligence work, but not at any cost. And especially not when that secrecy looks like it has been disingenuously wielded to avoid public repercussions for incompetent, wrong-headed or careless behaviour."


-- from the Chronicle Herald Editorial Called 'The limits of secrecy' (Aug 2007)

U.S. one of the more open governments

Monday, February 2, 2009

U.S. one of the more open governments

Erin Spiegel THE WASHINGTON TIMES

The United States is not alone when it comes to keeping the inner workings of its government secret - a practice that President Obama is attempting to change.

The International Budget Partnership (IBP), a Washington-based research group, said an overwhelming majority of governments withhold more information from their citizens than the United States - especially when it comes to money.

Eighty percent of the world's governments fail to provide adequate and timely budget information for the public to hold them accountable, according to a recent report by the group.

IBP's Open Budget Survey 2008 found that nearly half of 85 countries studied provide minimal information to the public and that only five, including the United States, provide extensive information.

"Transparency is critical for citizens to hold their government to account and is fundamental to the public´s trust in government," said Nancy Boswell, president of Transparency International USA, a global organization fighting corruption.

FULL ARTICLE

WASHINGTON - SEPTEMBER 28: (L-R) Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), House Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank (D-MA), Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), and Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee Chairman Christopher Dodd (D-CT) hold a news conference at the U.S. Captiol September 28, 2008 in Washington, DC. The Congressional Democrats talked about the compromise legislation between Congress and the Bush Administration for the $700 billion bailout plan for the Wall Street financial crisis.Image by Getty Images via Daylife

Spending web sites make politicos take transparency seriously

By Lise Bang-Jensen
Manhattan Moment Columnist | 2/24/09 6:10 PM

Did $165 billion in taxpayer dollars disappear into the ether? Probably not, but eight top financial executives, appearing before a House committee last week, were unable to account for how they spent federal bailout money.

The episode speaks poorly for the banking industry. (Let’s hope banks are more prudent with our personal checking accounts.) It also makes government look terrible—and increases demands that the federal government track every dollar of the $789 billion stimulus plan.

Transparency has emerged as a political buzzword, but it’s not a new concept. Thomas Jefferson observed, “Information is the currency of democracy”. Two centuries later, another president, Barack Obama, has promised “an unprecedented level of openness in government”.

Democrats and Republicans, liberals and conservatives embrace the transparency movement. As a U.S. senator, Obama joined with Republicans Tom Coburn of Oklahoma and John McCain of Arizona in co-sponsoring the Federal Funding and Accountability Act of 2006. It posts federal contracts and grants on a website, www.usaspending.gov

Government transparency is about more than tracking federal contracts or stimulus funds. Citizens have a right to know how every tax dollar is spent.

FULL ARTICLE

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"Without publicity there can be no public support, and without public support every nation must decay."

-- Benjamin Disraeli