IMPORTANCE OF TRANSPARENCY
TRANSPARENCY
Transparency in all levels of government is at the core of the United States’ representative democracy. Since our founding fathers structured our society, we have been governed by the people and for the people. When John Adams wrote, “Liberty cannot be preserved without a general knowledge among the people, who have a right and a desire to know …,” he knew that the success of his newly united country depended on open and honest communication between the governmental leaders and their constituents. We, the people, choose our own path, and we rely on our governments to provide us with information on their operations, so we can make informed decisions.
The recipe for successful decision making is having available and accurate information, context for the information, and a desire to know. Information about policy, both fiscal and operational, should be provided by the government. This information should be provided with proper context to allow for understanding. But the burden of this responsibility is not placed solely on our governmental agencies. The citizenry has an obligation to educate themselves; when led to water, we must choose to drink. When those with a desire to know do their research to make decisions, they may deem the operations of their governments unreasonable or wasteful when, in fact, they are not.
2016 Q2 ISSUE COSTTREE CAPTURE. 07