Sunshine Week - let the sun shine on government

National Sunshine Week has been celebrated every March since 2005, coordinated by the American Society of Newspaper Editors. Participants include print, broadcast and online news media, civics groups, non-profits, schools, and libraries. The activities are funded from a grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation to enlighten the public about their right to government information and strengthen their communities.

Open government benefits us all. It protects our rights and makes it possible for those who want to stop government from wasting taxpayers' money to alert others to join in the fight for more responsible spending.

It's ironic then, that Beth Ashcroft, director of the state's Office of Program Evaluation and Government Accountability, OPEGA - a government oversight agency, wants sole authority to decide which records will be public and which ones will not. The purpose, according to OPEGA's website, of the agency is "to improve the accountability, oversight and performance of state government for the benefit of Maine's citizens." Also, to conduct "objective and independent performance audits of state government programs and activities to ensure they are achieving intended results and are effective, efficient and economical."

Apparently she wants to exclude backup documents used in writing reports - so how is the average citizen to judge, or the average newspaper reporter to judge the methodology used in reaching whatever conclusions are in the oversight report? Wow - this is the worst idea that's come along in years. We should be shining more light on government, not less.