Government Transparency

Kerby Anderson, Point of View: For years, watchdog groups have said that government needs to be more transparent. In the last few years, the federal government and many state governments have taken meaningful steps to be more transparent. The Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006 set up a free, publicly searchable website that taxpayers can use to find all federal grants and contracts. This website allows each of us (as well as columnists, commentators, and reporters) a chance to see what happens to our tax dollars.

The authors of the legislation were Oklahoma Senator Tom Coburn and Illinois Senator Barack Obama. Their legislation has been especially helpful to various think tanks and advocacy groups to track spending and earmarks. Even more encouraging is the fact that many states have been willing to follow the federal example and enact similar legislation. Texas, for example, has a website that allows visitors to search on various categories (such as state agency search, vendor search, spending category search, or purchases code.) Apparently, with a little expertise, you can get down to the finest detail.

More than a dozen states have such a website, and others promise to be online soon. It is reasonable to assume that eventually all states, along with the federal government, will provide citizens with information about where their tax dollars are spent. I think that this is an encouraging trend. Earmarks and pork barrel spending have been a concern for many years. Most earmarks are secured in secret and doled out without much publicity. These websites will be a great disinfectant to some of the back room deals and even the governmental corruption of the past.

But information is only part of the solution. When this information is made available, citizens should demand accountability to make sure that our taxes are spent wisely and efficiently. While I am grateful for more government transparency, it is only an important first step. Now it is up to us to use that information effectively. I'm Kerby Anderson, and that's my point of view.
ARRA Editor Note: Concerned about transparency, visit Sunshine Review

---

Tags: government transparency, Kerby Anderson, Point of View, Sunshine Review To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!