In our bimonthly poll, OhMyGov! asked readers what change in government operations they thought would most improve government. While the responses were mixed, the largest percent of our readers (21 percent) thought that increasing government transparency would have the greatest positive effect on government performance.
Running a close second and third as the most requested change mechanism were increasing incentives for hard work (16 percent) and making it easier for the government to fire poor performers (14 percent). Interestingly, the same percentage of people (14 percent) believed the government could improve its performance if its budget was decreased. This stands in stark contrast to the six percent who thought that the government could improve with a larger budget.
Lagging behind in support were increasing communication within the public sector (13 percent) and enhancing the use of improved technologies (11 percent). Noteworthy write-ins included "getting out of the war business, a competent president, and term limits," which we assume are meant for members of Congress.
The full results of the poll are as follows:
So what is transparency, anyway?
Transparency, a cornerstone of
President-elect Obama's platform and one of the few successful Senate
bills he sponsored, typically involves providing citizens with better access
to government information and facilitating their understanding of the
decision-making process. It also provides a basis for accountability, by
creating a mechanism for evaluating mismanagement and corruption in an
open and public forum. In theory, this openness will instill public
confidence as well.
The Sunlight Foundation,
a non-profit organization committed to helping citizens, bloggers and
journalists be their own best congressional watchdogs, is currently working with Congress to pass the Transparency
in Government Act of 2008. The draft legislation is a broad
legislative effort intended to make the work of Congress and the
executive branch more transparent by creating laws and regulations that
would bring more information online and available to the public in a
timely manner. It is an amalgamation of bills that have already been
introduced, along with new provisions. If enacted, it would create
historic changes in the way the executive and legislative branches
provide information to the public, and foster a better and more
complete understanding by the public of how the government works.
Thanks to all who responded to the survey. We’d like to hear more
about what you think would improve government. So keep the comments, stories, and poll submissions coming!
Other OhMyGov! Polls:
[+] OhMyGov! Poll is in: 91 percent say we are in a Recession or Depression
[+] OhMyGov! poll results in: Supervisors are lacking in skills
[+] OhMyGov! poll results in: Readers say 'hell no!' to government bailout
[+] OhMyGov! Poll in: Readers Pick Obama as next President