Congress and the Benefits of Sunshine

CONGRESS AND THE BENEFITS OF SUNSHINE
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Editorial Staff]
[Commentary] Representative-elect Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) has decided to post details of her work calendar on the Internet at the end of each day so constituents can tell what she is actually doing for their money. For all the worthy proposals for ethics reform being hashed out by the incoming Congress, a heavy dose of Internet transparency should not be overlooked in the effort to repair lawmakers’ tattered credibility. The technology is already there, along with the public’s appetite for more disclosure about the byways of power in Congress. The Web is increasingly wielded by both campaign donors and bloggers clicking and tapping as wannabe muckrakers. Politicians would be wise to catch up. Local citizens were enlisted to track pork-barrel abuses in the last campaign by a new watchdog organization, the Sunlight Foundation, which enlisted Ms. Gillibrand’s disclosure pledge. It aims to have voters use the Internet as an engine of political information. Much more than disclosure is needed to cure the Capitol’s ills -- particularly some sort of independent agency to prod Congress to fully investigate corruption allegations. But prompt, searchable postings of basic data -- from lobbyists’ itineraries and expenses to incumbents’ donor ties and legislative labors -- should be part of any corruption cure. In the information age, this amounts to a modest proposal for a Congress truly intent on reform.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/14/opinion/14thu3.html
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