State government, our government, works best if its activities are transparent and open to everyone. Montana’s constitution is a national leader in protecting taxpayers’ right to know what their government is doing — whether it’s a local zoning board or the Governor’s Office. Unfortunately, the Montana Legislature is on the brink of hiding much of its work from public view.
A transparent government benefits its citizens in several ways. First, all citizens should have the ability to know who’s influencing Montana’s elected officials and staff. After all, they work for us and their decisions cost money and impact our rights as citizens.
Second, a lack of transparency opens the door to manipulating government actions without the public’s knowledge. Citizens should be able to hold public officials and staff accountable and know that government is acting in the best interests of Montana…