Pennsylvania's New Open Records Law Thesis

What has been concealed as sensitive information on behalf of the security of the Keystone State? Well, the top-secrete salaries of the entire town council of Hamilton Township, Adams County, to cite just one example of The Philadelphia Inquirer. When the people of the state have more information about aspects of Pennsylvanian government that makes its politicians look greedy or hypocritical, politicians are more responsive to the popular will. People have better access to their own records that could contain potentially unflattering information and dispute the facts of the contents, if there are inaccuracies.And governments are less apt to keep private data about citizens that infringes citizen's privacy rights, if they know citizens will have access to such documents.

Knowledge is power -- and knowledge about your government and what your government knows about you is power. This philosophy is at the heart of right-to-know legislation.

Works Cited

Couloumbis, Angela. Pa. open-records law takes effect today. The Philadelphia Inquirer.

January 1, 2009. March 29, 2009. http://www.philly.com/inquirer/local/pa/20090101_Pa__open-records_law_takes_effect_today.html.....