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Utah Repeals Anti-Transparency Law

Posted by timothy on from the opacity-the-law-for-behives-and-ski-mountains dept.

oddjob1244 writes "After enduring two weeks of public fury, Utah lawmakers voted Friday to repeal a bill that would have restricted public access to government records. While Senate President Michael Waddoups accused the media of lobbying on the issue and others blamed the press for biased coverage that turned citizens against them, Sen. Steve Urquhart said bluntly: 'We messed up. It is nobody's fault but ours.'"

4 of 80 comments (clear)

  1. No. by fuzzyfuzzyfungus · · Score: 5, Insightful

    You didn't "mess up", except in the very limited and weasely sense that you 'miscalculated the level of bullshit that you could get away with'.

    I'm pretty sure that you didn't just trip on your way into the state senate and accidentally draft and pass a bill. That would be "messing up". You can't do something that complex just by accident.

    While the attempt to simultaneously diminish your guilt and 'take responsibility' is rather cute, it is entirely false. Everyone who assisted in passing this bill didn't "mess up", they quite deliberately tried to get away with something. The only 'error' involved was miscalculating what they could get away with.

    1. Re:No. by EdIII · · Score: 5, Insightful

      While Senate President Michael Waddoups accused the media of lobbying on the issue and others blamed the press for biased coverage

      Let's not forget that one either. That there are people that won't admit any part of it is wrong. That there exists a "unbiased" view of anti-transparency that would convince the average citizen that transparency is bad for our society.

      These people are the exact type of people that have no business being in government.

      If you can't understand that all information, ALL INFORMATION, that the government possesses, creates, or receives is the PROPERTY of The People... then you are completely unsuited to be a champion of the people, a guardian of our ideals, specifically those relating to freedom.

      The only exceptions that I will accept as reasonable are a very narrow area regarding national security.

      Trade negotiations are NOT national security, and the bus schedules are not owned by the government in a way that allows them to enjoy copyrights.

      The biggest problem with this story is this Waddoups douchnozzle that does not understand any of this and, right at this moment, still thinks he is right.

      The Senator is just a weasel as you said.

  2. Repealing the bill ain't enuf, People of Utah by macraig · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Fine, so "they messed up" and the bill was repealed. Is that enough to really fix the problem? Was the problem the bill itself? No. The problem is the intent and mindset of the people who drafted, promoted, and passed the bill. Such mindsets never change, even if they admit publicly "we screwed up"; they don't actually believe they did screw up... they just got caught trying to screw you over. It's the people behind the bill that need to be repealed as well. Does repealing the bill also make them go away for good? No.

    People of Utah, your work isn't done.

  3. Now THAT'S funny! by Dutchmaan · · Score: 5, Insightful

    A politician complaining about the media "lobbying" the public. I can't imagine a better definition of irony!