Daily Bread for 4.19.22: Four Reasons People Oppose Open Government

Good morning.

Tuesday in Whitewater will be chilly with intervals of clouds and sunshine and a high of 48.  Sunrise is 6:05 AM and sunset 7:42 PM for 13h 37m 17s of daytime.  The moon is a waning gibbous with 90.2% of its visible disk illuminated.

Whitewater’s Common Council meets at 6:30 PM.

On this day in 1775, the Revolutionary War begins with an American victory in Concord during the battles of Lexington and Concord.

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Yesterday’s post addressed the opportunistic use of open-government principles to advance selfish, particular ends. See The Opportunistic Use of Open-Government Principles. The use of open-government principles opportunistically is a temporary use; open government becomes closed government when it no longer serves a special interest group’s purposes.

Why, however, would a person or group oppose open government consistently? There are four basic reasons.

Ignorance. Those who oppose open government through ignorance believe that the community doesn’t have a right to know the business of government because they mistakenly treat government as though it were merely another private party. They see government not as an instrumentality of popular sovereignty but as a separate and independent organism. There is a name for those who see the state as a living creature with rights over and above people: they’re called authoritarians.

Arrogance. In this case, pride grips those within government to see themselves as special, as secular gnostics with knowledge only they have and only they must possess. This pride is intoxicating, and rapidly consumes those who might otherwise insist that they’re good government advocates.

A reminder: Hubris invites Nemesis.

Indolence. Public work that is known to the public requires a higher standard than hidden work in which errors remain commonly unknown. A concealed shoddy standard is easier for the lazy to maintain than a revealed shoddy standard. Slothful officials love the shadows except when extolling their own praises.

Malfeasance. Once corrupt officials or special interests seize control of government, closed government thereafter aids their control. They may have talked about open government to get inside, but once inside they shut the door. In those concealed spaces, they deal for themselves and against competitors or perceived adversaries.

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Japanese ‘electric’ chopsticks makes food seem more salty: