Civics: government transparency

Tom Kamenick:

I mentioned earlier that public officials carry out the public’s wishes, but only subject to the structural limitations on government power. In America, that begins at the top with our federal and state Constitutions, but also consists of federal limitations placed on states and state limitations placed on municipalities. But those limitations must be more than just paper barriers. The USSR, for example, had a bill of rights giving people even more freedom than we have in America. But there was no enforcement of those rights, so they were worthless.
One of the most precarious problems facing our founders was how to actually ensure that the
limitations they created were enforced. Their solution was the compartmentalization of government
powers, “setting power against power” – division of responsibility not only between the three branches of government, but between the state and federal governments. So unlike Soviet Russia, we have methods of enforcement. But how can people know if those limits are being evaded without access to information about the government? It requires constant vigilance and access to the inner workings of
government to ensure that each portion of government stays in its proper sphere of authority.

All of these benefits of transparency help keep the source of government power where it belongs – with the sovereign people. More information leads to more informed voters. More information of abuses leads to people pushing back. My job at WILL is largely to challenge government officials when they are
violating people’s rights at any level. Government transparency is absolutely vital to that pursuit. It often takes government records to identify and prove government misdeeds.