Letter to the Editor:

Act now while the moment is right

October 29, 2008

To the Editor:

We trust our government to be open and to always do the right thing… as “We, the People,” see the right thing. “We, the People,” have been sadly disappointed.

The current Illinois Constitution is nearly silent on the issue of open government, and the state’s Freedom of Information and Open Meetings Acts have been open jokes among those of us who care. The very basis of
these laws is flawed.

(Check it out on the website of the Illinois Press Association [www.il-press.com]. Click on “WORSTY Awards,” the IPA’s annual list of worst abuses of these state laws.)

Yes, all our records are open – the government tells us – except the records that aren’t. And “We, the Government,” are the deciders. Yes, all meetings of public bodies are open to the public, but there are exceptions – far too many exceptions, including all the meetings of the General Assembly. And “We, the Government,” again, are the deciders.

The presumption of public access must be with the people. “We, the People” should be the deciders. Public access should automatically come with every government document. Every agency should post theirs on the
Internet. To do otherwise is a restraint on free speech, and with the technology available today, not to do so is a shame.

The only expedient way to do that is to make changes in our state constitution. On Nov, 4 we have an opportunity to do that. We will not have one again for another 20 years.

-Lloyd Weston, Riverwoods, IL.

A retired reporter and editor, Lloyd H Weston has covered Illinois politics for more than 40 years. He currently is writing about national politics for
www.2SenseOnline.com from his home in Lake County Illinois.