Sunshine Week, March 11-17
March 11-17, 2007, is Sunshine Week.
Please take time to go to the link and read about it. Then participate.
Coeur d'Alene Planning Commissioner Mary Souza participated when she wrote an article headlined Our sweet, little community of Coeur d’Alene has been growing. The article was published on March 8, 2007, by the Coeur d'Alene Press.
I have little doubt Mary Souza will be vilified and have her personal character and motivation assailed by the very people who most fear honest, open government in Coeur d'Alene and Kootenai County.
Informed citizens who fearlessly insist on honesty and accountability from their elected and appointed officials are the best and most effective weapon against public corruption. Individual citizens asking thoughtful questions and being unwilling to accept nonresponsive or clearly deceptive answers from elected and appointed officials are just as important to good, honest government as the officials we select.
We, the People, sometimes forget that we have responsibilities of citizenship that equal or exceed the responsibilities of the hired help we elect to city, county, and state government. Let the hired help never forget that we are co-equal partners in government with them. If we fail to be diligent and attentive, if we allow corporate greed to control and corrupt city hall and its surrogates, we share with those whom we elected the responsibility for governmental failure.
Mary Souza's article asks that we simply look at what's happening and then meet our own personal responsibilities to ensure the government meets its responsibilities to all the citizens and that it does not become the tool of the corrupt.
It's not too much to ask.
Please take time to go to the link and read about it. Then participate.
Coeur d'Alene Planning Commissioner Mary Souza participated when she wrote an article headlined Our sweet, little community of Coeur d’Alene has been growing. The article was published on March 8, 2007, by the Coeur d'Alene Press.
I have little doubt Mary Souza will be vilified and have her personal character and motivation assailed by the very people who most fear honest, open government in Coeur d'Alene and Kootenai County.
Informed citizens who fearlessly insist on honesty and accountability from their elected and appointed officials are the best and most effective weapon against public corruption. Individual citizens asking thoughtful questions and being unwilling to accept nonresponsive or clearly deceptive answers from elected and appointed officials are just as important to good, honest government as the officials we select.
We, the People, sometimes forget that we have responsibilities of citizenship that equal or exceed the responsibilities of the hired help we elect to city, county, and state government. Let the hired help never forget that we are co-equal partners in government with them. If we fail to be diligent and attentive, if we allow corporate greed to control and corrupt city hall and its surrogates, we share with those whom we elected the responsibility for governmental failure.
Mary Souza's article asks that we simply look at what's happening and then meet our own personal responsibilities to ensure the government meets its responsibilities to all the citizens and that it does not become the tool of the corrupt.
It's not too much to ask.
posted by Bill McCrory | 8:26 AM
2 Comments:
This is so sad that we must expect deceptive answers and live the lies - so true. And, folks like Mary Souza are villifed with character assasinations here on a regular basis.
But, there are those of us who do know and understand the 'underlying current' here in this area - unfortunately - how do we survive while we expose the truth?
Some folks have so much weight in the area - all it takes is a phone call to ruin a person. We don't appear to have a competent judicial system in place to protect us.
Sometimes, I wonder if the only answer is to move, start over, and keep your social circle to fishing or quilting clubs? The truth goes with those who do move - not really good marketing for the area either.
Mary has stirred up a hornet's nest. As the hornets buzz about, they will reveal interesting things to those who ask them questions. They will also generate even more of an interesting email and paper trail that can be discovered and used in court.
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