Yes, they do. Transparency is no better, if not worse, at the state level. See, Feds get low marks for online spending transparency, and Legislative Audit Bureau plans state’s Contract Sunshine website.
Open Government
Open Government, Police
The Predictable, Dead-End Response
by JOHN ADAMS •
Writing about the feud between Milwaukee’s Chief Flynn and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Bruce Murphy writes that Experts on police departments will tell you that criticism from outside inevitably results in everyone on the force circling the wagons. That’s very true. So true and predictable, that it’s more predictable and regular than Old Faithful has…
Official Misconduct, Open Government
Racine Journal Times Investigation Uncovers Municipal Abuses in Mount Pleasant
by JOHN ADAMS •
For those who obstinately contend that bureaucrats and politicians are always and forever public servants, selfless, giving of themselves, exist for a better community, etc., a compelling refutation will be found in a series from the Racine Journal Times, entitled, “JT investigates: Climate of fear in Mount Pleasant.” The JT describes the series: The abrupt…
Economy, Government Spending, Open Government
The Fed’s Secret Lending Program
by JOHN ADAMS •
One doesn’t have to be a libertarian critic of the Federal Reserve (Ron Paul being the exemplar) to see that billions in secret loans to financiers represents another example of government over-reach and (as they were at the time secret loans) unaccountability. Here, from Reason.tv, is a segment of Andrew Napolitano’s Freedom Watch, where guests…
Open Government
WisconsinWatch.org: Lawmakers shouldn’t meet in secret
by JOHN ADAMS •
Town, village, city, school district and county governments are prohibited from having such closed-door meetings, except in very limited circumstances, to discuss sensitive matters such as employee discipline or negotiating purchases of property. And even then the public must be notified of the general topics to be discussed. In contrast, the Wisconsin Legislature routinely passes…
Freedom of Speech, Open Government, Politics, Press, Press Release
Tracking the Influence of Money in Politics
by JOHN ADAMS •
The Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism has issued a press release with good news about new resources to track the influence of money in politics. Here’s the press release, with links to a new tracking website: The Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism and MAPLight.org, a nonpartisan nonprofit research organization, today announced a major initiative to…
Open Government, Walworth County
Election Transparency: How Jefferson and Rock Counties Top Walworth County
by JOHN ADAMS •
All Wisconsin has been debating and pondering the reporting of votes from the Town of Brookfield in the supreme court race. Waukesha County’s become a national topic, in the worst way. One way to prevent something like this is to allow citizens to see – on election night – how each precinct within a county…
Law, Open Government
Sunshine Week, March 13 – 19
by JOHN ADAMS •
It’s Sunshine Week in America this week. Here’s a quick description of the initiative, from the Sunshine Week website: Sunshine Week is a national initiative to promote a dialogue about the importance of open government and freedom of information. Participants include news media, civic groups, libraries, nonprofits, schools and others interested in the public’s right…