Cockroaches famously scurry for their hideouts when the lights come on. Why do they hide? Light brings trouble — swatting brooms, smashing feet and toxic clouds of pesticide.
In other words, the party’s over (for the moment).
Like those apocalypse-proof denizens of the baseboard, governments aren’t too keen on the idea of having a light shined on their activities, either. The more exposed their activities are to scrutiny, the more likely someone is to ask uncomfortable questions (Three grand charged to the Holiday Inn? I didn’t know they had a presidential suite. They don’t? Maybe it was those mini-bar Snickers, then. All of them. On the entire fifth floor).
The move to shine even more light into Virginia’s budget is the topic of my latest column. I take a spin through Commonwealth Data Point to see where the money is going, and find lots and lots of data.
But for all the numbers and all the names, one critical piece of the puzzle is missing: Context.
For example, why did someone at VDOT charge over $500 at a Bass Pro Shop? There might be a legitimate reason for this expenditure (after all, how many people still dig up their own night crawlers?). But you’ll never find out why the money was spent there, or at any number of tire centers, or hardware stores or newspapers because there’s no context for the charge.
Putting the state’s finances in perspective is one of the goals of transparency. It will allow some, of course, to say that the holy trinity of waste, fraud and abuse is rampant and needs to be addressed immediately. Others will be able to discern spending patterns — who the favored vendors are, why spending increases in December, and more. Still others will look at the mess and wonder how they can get in on the good times (cut-rate night crawler salesmen will be beating down VDOT’s door at any moment).
The legislature had a shot at passing a wide-ranging transparency bill in this session, but refused. Meanwhile, other states are passing measures either unanimously or by executive order. Some are more comprehensive than others, but all are aimed at the same, general goal:
Turning the lights on, and seeing what scurries toward the baseboard.
