"A popular Government without popular information or the means of acquiring it, is but a prologue to a Farce or a Trajedy or perhaps both. Knowledge will forever govern ignorance, and a people who mean to be their own Governors, must arm themselves with the power of knowledge gives." - James Madison

"You don't want to be doing something that's a bunch of window dressing," Fumo, a veteran of Harrisburg's political scene, said in an interview last week. "What we need is more transparency in the process."

http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/local/states/pennsylvania/counti...

Okay, those that know me will undoubtedly wonder why I would start a blog post with quotes from Madison and Fumo. But hey, if it works.

The fact is, there is something going on here and it is worth noting. It is also important for us to ask a variety of questions, this one comes to mind immediately:

What important laws would have turned out to be very different if PA was governed by lawmakers who were truly committed to transparency?

Check out Operation Transparency at www.casinofreephila.org to find out how we are using direct action to create a more transparent government. And help me understand what progressives think about transparent governemnt. How would our City and State be different if progressives, who are committed to tansparency (I am assuming) had their way? And besides elections and getting good people elected, how else do progressives make our government more transparent on issues that concern them, like public education, casino gambling, tax policy, planning and zoning, creating healthy and safe communities, environmental sustainability, etc.