News
Jul 16 2006
Editorial: Open Up
It's time to open the federal government's books to the American people.
A move is afoot in Congress to create a database of almost all government grants and contracts and to make it accessible through the World Wide Web. It's a brilliant idea.
If the database is created, anyone could simply type in a search word and see all grants and contracts associated with it.
By typing in ABC Widgets Inc., for example, the researcher might find that the government has a contract with the company to supply widgets to the Department of Defense and the Internal Revenue Service.
There's nothing like sunshine to force efficiencies in government, and such a database would almost certainly do that.
In its reporting on the initiative, The New York Times notes that a search for "Alaska" and "bridges" would bring up the $315 million Gravina Island project that is now infamous as the "bridge to nowhere."
Will the average citizen conduct such searches? Probably not. But many citizens are not average. There are numerous watchdog groups of all political stripes operating in the country, and they'd be certain to get great help from the database. In a number of cases over the last several years, independent citizens have uncovered government waste and fraud and then reported their findings in Web logs, or blogs.
The potential for watching Washington is enormous, and that's why Republican Sen. Tom Coburn's idea has attracted considerable support from his natural allies, conservative budget hawks.
But Coburn, an Oklahoman, is also finding a lot of support from lobbying organizations most often identified as liberal.
The bill's co-sponsor is Sen. Barack Obama, an Illinois Democrat. The Times reported that liberal groups hope that the database will show the American people the many good things the government does, such as feeding the poor and keeping water clean.
Much as lobbying reform in North Carolina has brought conservative and liberal groups together in common cause, so has this database idea in Washington. It may be hard to believe, but Phyllis Schlafly, the conservative Christian spokeswoman, and the largest gay-rights group are on the same side here.
By placing the nation's contracts and grants on a searchable database, Congress will be creating true sunshine in government. And with that ray of light could very well come both a renewed appreciation for what the government does well and fiery outrage over what it does poorly.
Congress should make sure that a comprehensive database goes on the Web.
Such openness would certainly lead to better government.
A move is afoot in Congress to create a database of almost all government grants and contracts and to make it accessible through the World Wide Web. It's a brilliant idea.
If the database is created, anyone could simply type in a search word and see all grants and contracts associated with it.
By typing in ABC Widgets Inc., for example, the researcher might find that the government has a contract with the company to supply widgets to the Department of Defense and the Internal Revenue Service.
There's nothing like sunshine to force efficiencies in government, and such a database would almost certainly do that.
In its reporting on the initiative, The New York Times notes that a search for "Alaska" and "bridges" would bring up the $315 million Gravina Island project that is now infamous as the "bridge to nowhere."
Will the average citizen conduct such searches? Probably not. But many citizens are not average. There are numerous watchdog groups of all political stripes operating in the country, and they'd be certain to get great help from the database. In a number of cases over the last several years, independent citizens have uncovered government waste and fraud and then reported their findings in Web logs, or blogs.
The potential for watching Washington is enormous, and that's why Republican Sen. Tom Coburn's idea has attracted considerable support from his natural allies, conservative budget hawks.
But Coburn, an Oklahoman, is also finding a lot of support from lobbying organizations most often identified as liberal.
The bill's co-sponsor is Sen. Barack Obama, an Illinois Democrat. The Times reported that liberal groups hope that the database will show the American people the many good things the government does, such as feeding the poor and keeping water clean.
Much as lobbying reform in North Carolina has brought conservative and liberal groups together in common cause, so has this database idea in Washington. It may be hard to believe, but Phyllis Schlafly, the conservative Christian spokeswoman, and the largest gay-rights group are on the same side here.
By placing the nation's contracts and grants on a searchable database, Congress will be creating true sunshine in government. And with that ray of light could very well come both a renewed appreciation for what the government does well and fiery outrage over what it does poorly.
Congress should make sure that a comprehensive database goes on the Web.
Such openness would certainly lead to better government.
