Maryland Needs a New Open Government Paradigm

Maryland politicians routinely claim to be champions of open government. After all, to suggest otherwise would imply they have something to hide and are thus unaccountable to their constituents. These incentives help explain why during almost every legislative session Maryland politicians introduce and pass legislation that they claim will improve open government in Maryland. The problem is that the worse the open government legislation — the more it is riddled with loopholes and costly enforcement mechanisms that make it unenforceable — the more the General Assembly seems to support it.