Political Buzz - 'Pandering to a public perception that there should be openness in government'

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Wednesday, May 14th, 2008

'Pandering to a public perception that there should be openness in government'

Posted by Hunter George @ 11:27:55 am

It sounds like the Sunshine Committee, the group studying whether all of the exemptions to Washington state's public records law are necessary, had a spirited meeting Tuesday.

State Sen. Pam Roach and the committee chairman, Seattle city attorney Tom Carr, tangled. And farm industry representatives strongly objected to proposals to lift the exemptions that keep agricultural data secret. Check out this gem by Jim Halstrom of the Washington State Horticultural Association, which represents tree fruit growers and shippers.

"You're subjecting my farmers' information to scrutiny by the public," without showing there's a problem, said Halstrom. He called the proposal "ludicrous" and said the committee is just "a cynical political exercise pandering to a public perception that there should be openness in government."

Yeah, read that quote again.

Richard Roesler of The Spokesman-Review has a full account, along with links to TVW audio clips.

Update: Open-government advocate Greg Overstreet also saw Roesler's story.

The need for open government is merely a "public perception"? Is that because closed governments have such a swell history of treating people well? Name one. Anywhere in the world. At any point in human history.

Find the rest of Overstreet's opinion, along with comments about other important open-government issues in Washington state, on his Og-blog.

Categories: Legislature, Open Government • 1 comment

COMMENTS:

Comment by jimkingjr @ 15:55 - Wednesday, May 14th, 2008

Let's have the government require reporters to file personal information, then subject it to disclosure, and see how some of you feel. It is time journalists got off their high horse that they are some sort of above-the-rest-of-us superclass and come back to the real world. That includes providing information in court, as well. No more special privileges for the self-anointed.

Way to go Halstrom!

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