Hazardous material
Rep. Steve Urquhart has a noteworthy posting on his blog about transparency in the Legislature.
He points to the institution's wonderful website -- and it really is terrific -- with a wealth of information. It contains everything from the full text of bills to audio of floor and committee speeches to voting records. All easily searchable.
Urquhart's point is that transparency makes for better government because it opens up the process to the governed. He leaves out any mention of the deliberation and decision-making that takes place out of public earshot or cyber-viewing. But still he raises a very legitimate link between transparency and good government.
I also give Urquhart credit for honesty. He quickly admits a large hole in the website that existed until relatively recently.
"When I entered the Legislature 8 years ago, information was hidden from voters," Urquhart said. "Though the Legislature had an advanced website, the decision was purposely made to not make legislators' votes readily accessible on the site. Why not? With straight faces, legislative leaders would say, because such information, taken out of context, could confuse voters."
I remember it well. And the arguments were even more ludicrous than he suggests. Some members claimed the release of such information on the Internet could be downright dangerous.
"Sometimes too much information can be as damaging as not enough information," then-House Majority Whip David Ure said in 2001.
The Legislature's top senator was right there with him.
"I can see all kinds of problems coming out of that," then-Senate President Al Mansell said.
Democrats pushed hard for the initiative though. And when Republicans saw that it was inevitable, they took it over as their own and made it happen.
Now it's hard to imagine that tracking a lawmaker's voting record would be any more difficult than a click of the mouse. And the good thing about technology -- it will never revert to the old way.
-dh
He points to the institution's wonderful website -- and it really is terrific -- with a wealth of information. It contains everything from the full text of bills to audio of floor and committee speeches to voting records. All easily searchable.
Urquhart's point is that transparency makes for better government because it opens up the process to the governed. He leaves out any mention of the deliberation and decision-making that takes place out of public earshot or cyber-viewing. But still he raises a very legitimate link between transparency and good government.
I also give Urquhart credit for honesty. He quickly admits a large hole in the website that existed until relatively recently.
"When I entered the Legislature 8 years ago, information was hidden from voters," Urquhart said. "Though the Legislature had an advanced website, the decision was purposely made to not make legislators' votes readily accessible on the site. Why not? With straight faces, legislative leaders would say, because such information, taken out of context, could confuse voters."
I remember it well. And the arguments were even more ludicrous than he suggests. Some members claimed the release of such information on the Internet could be downright dangerous.
"Sometimes too much information can be as damaging as not enough information," then-House Majority Whip David Ure said in 2001.
The Legislature's top senator was right there with him.
"I can see all kinds of problems coming out of that," then-Senate President Al Mansell said.
Democrats pushed hard for the initiative though. And when Republicans saw that it was inevitable, they took it over as their own and made it happen.
Now it's hard to imagine that tracking a lawmaker's voting record would be any more difficult than a click of the mouse. And the good thing about technology -- it will never revert to the old way.
-dh
Labels: Legislature, technology
1 Comments:
This is the most boring blog on the internet. Cut it loose!
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