State delegation leads way to federal transparency

Publication: Great Falls Tribune

Editorial
September 27, 2007

Transparency is a buzzword heard around the halls of power for the past couple of years, though exactly what it means surely varies with the user.

To us, it means that a citizen can see through the walls and veils of government in order to view and understand the proceedings within.

Montanans 35 years ago were smart enough to create a state Constitution that values and requires transparency.

In the intervening years the courts and, eventually, most state and local public officials have endorsed and embraced principles of openness. As they did so, they learned that it isn't as bad as they'd feared.

Oddly, in light of the federal Constitution's First Amendment, transparency isn't a word commonly associated with proceedings of the U.S. government.

As has been well documented, the number of federal secrets has grown exponentially in recent years. Getting even the most banal information can require a citizen to navigate a legalistic maze, with no guarantee of success at its end.

That's why it's refreshing and encouraging that Montana's congressmen are now viewed as leading the way on posting their meeting schedules on the Internet for all to see.

It may seem a small thing, but it is a giant, positive step for accountability.

A look at the schedules posted Wednesday, for example, showed that Malmstrom Air Force Base was on the agenda for all three members Tuesday afternoon. Sen. Max Baucus met at 4 p.m. with the 20th Air Force Commander Major Gen. Roger Burg; Sen. Jon Tester met with the general half an hour later; and Rep. Denny Rehberg met with two Committee of 80 Malmstrom supporters the same afternoon.

Baucus' office said the senator and Burg brainstormed strategies for securing a new mission at Malmstrom.

Tester and Burg got acquainted and talked about the future of the base, the freshman senator's office said.

And a Rehberg spokesman said the congressman's meeting with Greg Schwandt and Warren Wenz of Great Falls also was to discuss Malmstrom missions.

Anyway, openness-in-government watchdogs have been pushing members of Congress to open their schedules to public view, and they praised the Montana delegation for leading the way.

"It's a tribute to Senator Tester," said Ellen Miller, executive director of the Sunlight Foundation. "He's a populist and he seized on this idea early" shortly after taking office in January.

Rehberg followed suit in June, and Baucus started posting his schedules online this week. A Baucus spokesman said it took longer to work out a way to post his schedule because of the complexities of his obligations as chairman of the Senate Finance Committee.

The schedules are interesting and undoubtedly will prove useful in the long run.

Maybe these rays of Montana sunshine will lead to more transparency on Capitol Hill.