With great respect for Alexis de Tocqueville, let us consider democracy in America; not the book — but the phenomenon.  The creation of our democratic republic was something bold and new in the world.  For the first time in human history, government was to be strictly limited in its powers and the people were to have any and all remaining power.

For many years our republic flourished with very little growth of government.  Most government was very local, very small and naturally transparent.  People knew what was going on and had a say in it.  Waste was hard to hide.

As the nation grew faster, so did government.  Like any bureaucracy, the larger government got, the more wasteful and inefficient it got.  But the more local government was, the more naturally transparent it generally was, because people could see the outcomes and effects of government with their own eyes.

In more recent years, government growth has been primarily at the state and Federal level, where it is, by definition, not local, and by nature increasingly opaque and hidden from the eyes of the people.  To address this concern, state and federal government established entire bureaucracies just to audit the government for waste and inefficiency.

The problem with this arrangement is obvious: Government cannot objectively audit itself any more than an individual or corporation could objectively audit themselves.  There is an inherent conflict of interest, as well as the bias and indifference that comes with spending other people’s money.

For generations, ever-expanding government was only tracked on paper, and then eventually on proprietary computer systems controlled by government itself.  Freedom of information requests were — and often still are — paper forms submitted in person or through the mail, which eventually yield paper results.

None of the information was easy to obtain or easy to consume.  The people had little choice but to rely upon government to audit itself and hope for the best.

No more — now we can have Democracy in America 2.0!

The late 20th and early 21st century have brought to the masses unprecedented access to information and technology.  Nearly all government operation occurs on computer systems which can produce information that is easy to obtain and easy to consume — and easy to understand.

Fundamental to democracy working correctly is civic engagement.  The people need to know what their government is doing, and be able to participate through the democratic process of voting.  According to polls commissioned by the Association of Government Accountants, government transparency is very important to the American people.

Here in Massachusetts we have a paradox: One of the most technically well-equipped states, with a complete lack of state government transparency.

So why no transparency?

Because most politicians and candidates do not embrace true transparency.  They have learned that “transparency” is a word they can throw around and win points with, but unless they are talking about true and total transparency, where the people can directly see the information with their own eyes, then it isn’t transparency.

Any politician who says that they will find government waste and show the people isn’t offering transparency, they’re offering to go behind the curtain and tell the people what’s back there.  That is not transparency.  No politician is immune to the influences of being in government; they cannot be objective.  And with the sheer size and scope of today’s state government, it is hubris to make such claims or promises.

Until recently, we had little choice.  But today we have the democratizing benefits of technology.

The Internet, powerful home computers, and smart mobile phones have given billions of people on the planet cheap and instant access to vast collections of news, information and wisdom.  We no longer have to go to libraries and search through card catalogs in hopes of gaining knowledge.  We no longer have to rely solely on a very small set of news outlets such as newspapers and television.

We no longer have to allow our government to operate secretly and without transparency.  We no longer have to trust politicians and rely on government to objectively audit itself.

We have had the technology and the ability.  We have only lacked the right government Auditor to make it happen.

Until now.

I’m Kamal Jain, and I am the ONLY candidate for State Auditor with a promise and a plan to bring Total Transparency to our state government.  I promise to return the power to oversee government to the people by making all financial information freely accessible and easy to understand.  I’ve made other pledges as well.

I will establish a Massachusetts version of the famed Grace Commission, which will enable volunteers from the private sector to actively audit government operations.  These things will empower the people to become citizen auditors.

No politician, bureaucrat or government department can objectively audit government or tell the people what is going on inside.  Only Total Transparency can. Only Total Transparency will return the power to rein-in government back to the people. If we want Democracy in America 2.0, we have to demand Total Transparency.

Only one candidate for State Auditor offers Total Transparency: Kamal Jain.

Please vote for Kamal Jain in the Republican primary on September 14th.

Thank you!

Tags: Accountability, Democracy, Transparency

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