Editorial: Plan to put knowledge into hands of citizens
The Republican
July 8, 2006
Sometimes an idea is so obviously right that one can only wonder, upon learning of it, why it hadn't been thought of before.
Such is the case with a proposal by Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., to make available online a searchable database of spending by the federal government.
Want to know how much federal money is going to Halliburton? Just plug in the oil service company's name and take a look at its contracts. Curious about projects related to the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina? Wondering who is getting paid for the seemingly endless construction on that highway bridge you pass every day on the way to work?
Coburn's plan would make that information available to the citizenry. Talk about government for the people.
And searchable by the people, too.
Coburn, a freshman senator, is among the more conservative members of the Republican Party. His notion has been embraced by right-leaning groups that favor smaller government. The theory: If the people can easily see where Washington is spending money, federal lawmakers may become a bit more careful with the people's money.
But it is not only conservatives backing the database. The proposal is co-sponsored by another newcomer, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., a favorite of the left.
And a number of liberal groups have lined up behind the plan.
Now comes the hard part.
There are those with specific agendas, activist groups and organizations of one stripe or another, who would look to see that a watered down version of the searchable database becomes law. They'll offer their changes in the name of this or of that, of national security or of greater openness that is really more secrecy. But any such effort - whether it comes from the right or from the left - must be seen for what it most likely is: an attempt to offer protection to a favored cause by shielding it from scrutiny.
That cannot be allowed. Legitimately protecting national security, of course, is imperative, but everything that can be made public must be made public.
Coburn and Obama have come up with a wise idea that will make our federal government more accountable to the people of this nation. That's something that everyone should be able to support.
