The Publics Right to Know The effective functioning of a free government like ours depends largely on the force of an informed public opinion. This calls for the widest possible understanding of the quality of government service rendered by all elective or appointed public officials or employees. Justice Black, Barr v. Matteo Printer version |
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All federal agencies are generally required under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) to disclose records, requested in writing, by any person. However, agencies may withhold information that falls within nine exemptions and three exclusions contained in the statute.
This is not only a federal issue. Many states and commonwealths have Right to Know laws. Pennsylvania's House of Representatives thwarts efforts to find out information about their spending by making the processes exceedingly onerous. Pa. legislators shut door on 'open government'. http://www.yorkdispatch.com/features/sunshineweek/ci_00012761958
"The best weapon of a dictatorship is secrecy; the best weapon of a democracy is openness." Edvard Teller 1 Increase in the Number of Documents Classified by the Government, New York Times, By SCOTT SHANE Published: July 3, 2005 National Constitution Center - Interactive Constitution * Pennsylvania's open records law has been ranked as one of the worst in the country - Pennsylvania Newspaper Association
Internet Hunts / Nature / Computers / Pennsylvania Projects / Puzzles & Projects / Constitution Studies / Site map / Home posted 9/2006, utd 3/09 In the spirit of Thomas Paine - released to public domain by Cynthia J. O'Hora Aligned with the following Pa
Academic Standards - Reading, Writing Speaking, History, Civics and
Government, Mathematics, Civics, Science and Technology Save a tree - use a digital answer format - Highlight the text. Copy it. Paste it in a word processing document. Save the document in your folder. Put your name and the date in a header. Answer on the word processing document in a contrasting color (not yellow) or font (avoid symbol, , or other ornate artistic fonts). Save frequently as you work. I do not like losing mine. You will not like it either. Submit your response via a class drop box or email. Bad things happen: Save a copy of your work on your computer. Or perhaps you have the resources to record verbal answers. If you do, be sure to first read / record the question. Then record the answer immediately after it. Proof read your responses. It is funny how speling errors and typeos sneak in to the bets worck. |