Two weeks ago, South Carolina's new governor, who campaigned on a platform promoting "sunshine" in government, decided to slam the door to his cabinet meetings in the face of the public.
"I have a fiduciary responsibility to the taxpayers of South Carolina to produce good sausage," Gov. Mark Sanford said. "The media, with all due respect, adds little value to the actual sausage-making process." Sanford wants disclosure only after the debate is over and public officials have "a final product."
The problem is, this isn't sausage making. It is democracy in action. It's a cacophony of ideas that often clash. It is the foundation upon which this country was built.
Democracy demands that citizens know how their elected officials conduct their business. Citizens can't decide whether their government made the right decision without knowing which options were eliminated.
Lively discussion behind closed doors isn't necessarily better government. If that was the case, citizens wouldn't need the state's FOIA to keep panels and committees, even advisory panels, operating in public view.
America's founding fathers established a government of the people, for the people and by the people. Wonder what they would have thought had they been around to have the doors of state government slammed in their face?
They would find that open government is in jeopardy. America is developing a culture of secrecy in which officials try to keep information secret. Instead of open government where citizens stand face to face with public officials, ask a direct question and get a direct answer, they get the runaround.
The governor has many worthwhile ideas about the operation of government. Unfortunately, closing his cabinet meetings isn't one of them. Gov. Sanford should open the doors to his cabinet meetings to all South Carolinians. Lead other public officials into the "sunshine