More Information, Better Information?

The more open and transparent our government can be, the better. But I also think we have to ask ourselves what exactly do we want to do with the information we crave. Some is to satisfy curiosity, some is to simply reinforce preconceived notions. But in general, the open access to information helps build trust as people see that their elected officials are not afraid to share the truth.

I think it would great if our elected officials blogged regularly--not necessarily here on this site, but in general, to say, "here is what I did today, these are the issues I'm thinking about..." But being that open will mean that without the support of all the many silent folks in town, you are now open to attack and criticism from the people who make a life out of being upset about everything that might change their lives. The lesson so many have appeared to learn is that the cost to effectiveness is not worth the ideal of openness.

But there is also a question of relevance...do we really need to see all the details of what construction work is going on so that we can determine if the project is meeting our expectations? We need to elect/appoint/entrust others with that responsibility--otherwise nothing will ever be done as the people trying to solve problems are buried in the minutia of responding to everyone's questions about everything. I think we don't have that level of trust and we need to get there somehow.