Something interesting happened as Republican U.S. House members who represent conservative districts returned to Washington after their recent break. As you may have seen or… Login to continue reading Login…
I have not written an article for the newspaper in a while. I am distracted from my usual musings. The chaos in the White House has me on edge. I try to find a comfortable balance between being well-informed, taking appropriate actions in response to the daily news, and living my own life with joy and gratitude.
As the director of the Virginia Coalition for Open Government — a 29-year-old nonpartisan, nonprofit devoted to helping the public navigate the ins and outs of access to state and local government records and meetings — I’m often asked which state has the best open records or open meetings law.
Newspapers at their foundation provide a living history of their communities. The reports necessarily include a mixture of good news and bad news.
FOIA can help restore balance of power
On March 18 we celebrate National Ag Day, a time to recognize the incredible individuals who make agriculture possible and reflect on its impact. Agriculture is a team effort that extends far beyond the farm. It’s an entire community of dedicated people, from farmers and ranchers to agribusiness professionals, educators, scientists, truck drivers, retailers and many others that work together to provide for our nation.
It’s fair to say that these have been confusing and even traumatic times for U.S. public servants. They’ve been attacked as lazy and as ripoff artists — by a White House official. They’ve received a steady stream of “buyout” offers whose legality was initially questioned by the courts. They’ve watched as entire federal agencies — most notably the people responsible for providing life-saving foreign aid and the people charged with protecting American financial consumers — have been shut down or ordered to stop working. And, of course, the richest private citizen in the world has been busy installing his private-citizen colleagues in key command- and-control positions in the U.S. government.
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So there I was minding my own business, gazing out my window before pulling the shade against the night. When, lo, I saw two tiny white lights glowing in my garage window. What? Never saw that before. My garage is closed for the winter. I park outside. (“Why?” you may ask? I will get into that another time, if you MUST know.)