Transparency is good for government

If there is one thing that residents of the Commonwealth of Virginia will soon love, this will be the fact that they can watch how the government spends money. In addition, they will be able to monitor virtually every aspect of the state government. Transparency, not only provides accountability, but it provides an insight into which programs receive more money than others, etc. This is simply put, good politics and good government.

The Richmond Times-Dispatch recently discussed how transparency will benefit the government. While we can monitor how the government spends our hard-earned dollars, many of our lawmakers will also be able to see the benefits as well. They can take a glimpse into which programs are receiving more funding than others and know where to make cuts. Even, Del. Sam Nixon (R-Chesterfield) made a good point when he said, “The public has the right to know when people are being paid by other people to represent their interests before the government.”

While there had been some dissension in the past with transparency, this will be beneficial to hold our legislators and government accountable for budget expenditures.