Comments on: A new legislator signs on . . . a retired one weighs in http://PassOpenRecords.Org/2007/06/29/a-new-legislator-signs-on-a-retired-one-weighs-in/ A Movement to Lift the Lid on Pennsylvania Government Sun, 20 Jul 2008 21:09:58 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.2 By: veblen http://PassOpenRecords.Org/2007/06/29/a-new-legislator-signs-on-a-retired-one-weighs-in/#comment-40 veblen Fri, 29 Jun 2007 18:08:30 +0000 http://PassOpenRecords.Org/2007/06/29/a-new-legislator-signs-on-a-retired-one-weighs-in/#comment-40 I guess we must distinguish between generic support of transparency and generic support of more transparency. The former, as expressed by Huck, is meaningless. The latter is not quite as meaningless, but nonetheless gives one no idea of what the speaker has in mind. Further, keeping a tally of those who have gone on record generically for more transparency may have a downside. Once a generic support for more transparency is made by a legislator and touted here, public pressure on them for change may subside. If they are pinned down to specifics, public pressure can be directed at the points at which their support for change is the weakest. That at least is my take on things. Cheers, veblen I guess we must distinguish between generic support of transparency and generic support of more transparency. The former, as expressed by Huck, is meaningless. The latter is not quite as meaningless, but nonetheless gives one no idea of what the speaker has in mind. Further, keeping a tally of those who have gone on record generically for more transparency may have a downside. Once a generic support for more transparency is made by a legislator and touted here, public pressure on them for change may subside. If they are pinned down to specifics, public pressure can be directed at the points at which their support for change is the weakest.
That at least is my take on things.
Cheers,
veblen

]]> By: JamieB http://PassOpenRecords.Org/2007/06/29/a-new-legislator-signs-on-a-retired-one-weighs-in/#comment-39 JamieB Fri, 29 Jun 2007 15:51:18 +0000 http://PassOpenRecords.Org/2007/06/29/a-new-legislator-signs-on-a-retired-one-weighs-in/#comment-39 Yes. But first things first. We have never even had much lip service in the past, so to get people to publicly accept . . . and even call . . . for a fundamental change is a big step. It is only the first step, however, not the end of the trail. Yes.
But first things first. We have never even had much lip service in the past, so to get people to publicly accept . . . and even call . . . for a fundamental change is a big step. It is only the first step, however, not the end of the trail.

]]> By: veblen http://PassOpenRecords.Org/2007/06/29/a-new-legislator-signs-on-a-retired-one-weighs-in/#comment-38 veblen Fri, 29 Jun 2007 15:45:38 +0000 http://PassOpenRecords.Org/2007/06/29/a-new-legislator-signs-on-a-retired-one-weighs-in/#comment-38 The devil is in the details. Supporting transparency is like supporting baseball, apple pie and the Fourth of July. Exhilarating and expected of you, but in the end meaningless. Consider <a href="http://www.pennlive.com/letters/patriotnews/index.ssf?/base/news/1181943644126330.xml&coll=1" rel="nofollow">Lloyd Huck's recent letter</a> to Harrisburg Patriot News concerning extending the law to cover state-related universities. He states quite clearly that he is ,"a strong supporter of transparency on the part of public institutions." But turns around in the next sentence and says "I believe that Penn State makes available all information important for the public to know." He's in favor of transparency as a general principle, but thinks thing are fine the way they are. Unless people are pinned down on the specifics their support of transparency is a meaningless as Huck's. BTW, I take a close look at Huck's letter <a href="http://thorsteinveblen.blogspot.com/2007/06/lloyd-huck-tries-to-undo-grahams-damage.html" rel="nofollow">here.</a> The devil is in the details. Supporting transparency is like supporting baseball, apple pie and the Fourth of July. Exhilarating and expected of you, but in the end meaningless. Consider Lloyd Huck’s recent letter to Harrisburg Patriot News concerning extending the law to cover state-related universities. He states quite clearly that he is ,”a strong supporter of transparency on the part of public institutions.” But turns around in the next sentence and says “I believe that Penn State makes available all information important for the public to know.” He’s in favor of transparency as a general principle, but thinks thing are fine the way they are. Unless people are pinned down on the specifics their support of transparency is a meaningless as Huck’s.

BTW, I take a close look at Huck’s letter here.

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