Excess government secrecy – often a hallmark of authoritarian regimes – is growing in the United States, where public business is supposed to be done in the open.
“Secrecy Report Card 2005,” by OpenTheGovernment.Org, a coalition of journalists, consumers, good-government advocates and environmentalists, indicates government secrecy hasn’t merely grown since the Sept. 11 attacks, it’s in overdrive.
“The fundamental finding is that secrecy in government – especially the federal government – is growing in a broad array of areas,” said Rick Blum, the Report Card’s principal author. “It’s surprising the extent to which secrecy is expanding and growing, not only federal, but state legislatures are passing secrecy laws and access laws.”
It’s not a partisan issue, says David Sobel, a Washington lawyer specializing in Freedom of Information Act litigation. Regardless of who’s in power, “the long-term trend has been toward an increase in secrecy, not only within the executive branch but at all levels and branches of the government,” he said during a recent phone news conference.
Among the indicators cited:
Presidential authority to designate “state secrets” was used 23 times 2001-2005, compared with 55 times during the 48 preceding years.
The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court approved 1,754 orders allowing surveillance in 2004, up from 932 in 2001.
The government slapped secrecy orders on 124 new patents last year, compared with 83 in 2001.
The feds created 15.7 million new secret documents in 2004, up 81 percent from 8.7 million in 2001. But only 28.4 million pages of secret materials were declassified, down 72 percent from 100.1 million pages in 2001.
Sixty-four percent of the meetings of federal scientific and technological advisory committees were closed, though by law they’re supposed to be open.
Whistleblowers saved the taxpayers only $554.6 million last year, down from $1.3 billion in 2001.
Secrecy isn’t cheap – the feds spent $7.2 billion to keep classified information secure last year, up from $4.7 billion in 2001. For every $1 spent to declassify information, $148 is spent keeping secrets.
In the nation’s legislatures, 126 secrecy bills were introduced last year and 49 percent became law. That compares with passage of 32 percent of open-access legislation.
History reminds us that traditionally, Cheyenne warrior societies insisted that chiefs hold councils in daylight. That’s the best way for any government to operate. Especially a modern democracy.
