Open Government Austin

Sen. Cornyn explains why openness is bi-partisan

In an interview in today's Statesman, Senator John Cornyn (R-Texas) explained why open government is a bi-partisan issue and why more conservatives should care about transparency. Cornyn is working with Democrat Senator Patrick Leahy on the Senate's version of the OPEN Government Act discussed by Rep. Smith yesterday.

Cornyn explained that though “they don't agree on a lot of other things,” the two Senators are “on the same page when it comes to open government.” Cornyn also had this to say about why conservatives should care about this issue:

I've always been amazed by the extent to which conservatives haven't recognized the inherently conservative argument in favor of open government. If the people are going to be in charge, then the people need to know what's going on and hold their elected officials accountable. To me, that's the ultimate conservative argument in favor of open government – also, the ultimate argument in favor of democracy.

If some of the informal conversations that I've been having are any indication, Austin's Open Government Online Amendment is something that also cuts across party lines. Nobody wants wasteful insider deals when it comes to how their tax dollars are spent, and this is just the kind of reform that will help prevent wasteful spending.

posted by opengovaustin @ Thursday, March 16, 2006