Open Illinois.org

While driving to Bartlett a few weeks ago, I saw a sign indicating the construction on the road was part of the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act.  In front of me I saw a stretch of orange pylons a mile or two long, but only 5 people working. I wondered how many tax dollars were flowing into this particular project that didn’t seem to be going anywhere quickly.

I visited Governor Quinn’s website, Recovery.Illinois.gov, to see what information I could find on that project or any other. While the site does give some details about how much money different government departments plan on receiving or asking for, I could not find anything that told me exactly what projects are in progress or have been completed.

Transparency requires more than putting up a website claiming dedication to transparency. Committing to transparency involves making information readily available for the public and as up-to-date as possible.  This way the public can hold government responsible for how well or poorly it’s performing.  Putting up totals for stimulus money by department is a start, but to really be transparent there needs to be a clear break down of every single dollar spent on each stimulus project.

Furthermore, for all the talk of transparency going on in Washington D.C., I have yet to find anything but estimations of how much federal stimulus money Illinois is receiving.

President Obama claims his stimulus package offers the best solution for helping America get through these hard economic times. How can we tell without transparency? There is no reason to keep spending details in the dark. Now more than ever, government needs to implement transparency to foster more accountability and shine light on spending decisions.