Treatise on Open Government

It is the duty of any government to provide the means to its inhabitants an ability to follow and understand what the government is doing.  In our nation, the system of checks and balances keep either the executive, legislative, and judiciary branches from attaining to much authority.  The people, however, are the final check on a government.  They give the consent to govern.  It is from them that the government gets its authority and legitimacy.  As a result, the government has an obligation to do what the people wish and make it evident that they are doing so.  The government must always be held accountable to the people, so the government should provide as much information as necessary to let the people know what is going on.