Utah Government tries to hide its secrets

KSL News reported:

"A bill moved forward today on Utah's Capitol Hill that has journalists worried government records will be kept more secret.

The Government Records Access Management Act (GRAMA) lets the public see what public officials are doing, but House Bill 122 could make it more difficult to see some of those records."

Though there may be good reasons for keeping secrets, transparency encourages honesty. Utah doesn't have the best government ethics records.

Comments

  1. bellyFebruary 9, 2009 at 3:51 PM

    I'm not going to disagree with you, but I read an article last year that explains "good reasons" for secrecy: "The Ritual of Legislation" from J. McIver Weatherford's book, "Tribes on the Hill", published in 1981. I think you'd enjoy reading it.

    ReplyDelete
  2. ChristopherFebruary 9, 2009 at 3:53 PM

    Thanks belly, I'll look into it. The KSL article had some good support points too.

    I just think if the government is going to spy on us, we should be able to spy on the government. Each could be a check on the other.

    ReplyDelete
  3. kathyFebruary 9, 2009 at 3:59 PM

    Even if Utah had a two-party system, some checks would exist. But because it doesn't, the secrecy seems even more suspect.

    ReplyDelete

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