TNT Op-Ed on Gov't Spending Searchable Database

This op-ed piece in the Tacoma News-Tribune describes how the federal government is creating a searchable database for citizens to find out how their money is being spent. The article is by Jason Mercier of the Seattle-based Washington Policy Center, a think tank doing phenomenal work on government accountability and many other public policy topics.

A searchable government spending database is a very doable project. The state of Florida partnered with Google to create one. Not to be outdone, Microsoft has indicated a willingness to partner with states to do the same. Hawaii, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Minnesota, South Carolina, Missouri and Texas are currently considering a searchable database. The federal project was sponsored by senators at opposite ends of the political spectrum: Barack Obama (D-Ill.) and Tom Coburn (R-Okla.). It passed unanimously in Congress. This is not a controversial issue. Not even close.

If a government official in Washington state says we don't need this or it's too hard to do, they have something to hide in that database.