The Associated Press 

Two new polls gauging Americans’ views on government openness found a majority believe the federal government leans more toward secrecy than openness, while eight in 10 are convinced that an open government is necessary for an effective democracy.

The polls released Sunday also found, however, that the public believed government should keep some information private, particularly if it was necessary to combat terrorism.

One poll, by the Scripps Survey Research Center at Ohio University, found that 64 percent of respondents thought the federal government is somewhat or very secretive, while more than a third think their local and state governments lean more toward secrecy. Fifty-five percent said state and local governments were somewhat or very open.

But Americans were more closely divided on when government information should be made public, according to the telephone poll of 1,007 adults.

Forty-six percent said government records should be considered public and their release should only be blocked when it “would do harm”; 42 percent said the government should protect its information and only release it if there is a “sound legal case” for it to be public.

A separate poll released Sunday found respondents were supportive of open government and access to public records — though solid majorities also said that government officials should keep records secret if “necessary”, or to help in the war on terrorism.

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There are two issues here that I think are not understood by many Americans when it comes to government. While an educated body politic is to the advantage of the American republic, there are many issues which must be kept secret for legislative or national security reasons. The first statement “Two new polls gauging Americans’ views on government openness found a majority believe the federal government leans more toward secrecy than openness” is just not accurate. Most all legislation, executive orders, and Supreme Court decisions are available on the internet or from other government resources (excluding those affecting national security). I’ve looked up laws many times over the years and I believe most American people are lazy and not willing to look up the information they care about. Our country is ruled by a media which promotes nothing but 30 second sound bites, and those sound bites are what feeds most Americans. There cannot be an educated electorate when most listen to sound bites for their news.

Second, John Jay established and explained the need for secrecy in Federalist #64:

It seldom happens in the negotiation of treaties, of whatever nature, but that perfect SECRECY and immediate DESPATCH are sometimes requisite. These are cases where the most useful intelligence may be obtained, if the persons possessing it can be relieved from apprehensions of discovery. Those apprehensions will operate on those persons whether they are actuated by mercenary or friendly motives; and there doubtless are many of both descriptions, who would rely on the secrecy of the President, but who would not confide in that of the Senate, and still less in that of a large popular Assembly….So often and so essentially have we heretofore suffered from the want of secrecy and dispatch, that the Constitution would have been inexcusably defective, if no attention had been paid to those objects.

Here, John Jay explains that secrecy is of key importance, not only for the ratification of treaties or defining foreign relations, but keeping the Senate at bay. As we’ve seen with the modern issue of domestic spying (which is perfectly legal under FISA), the Senate has been up in arms because it was kept out of most FISA dealings, which by legislation, is an executive branch responsibility. Here, the Congress is not paying attention to separation of powers principles, but that is another issue.

Third, I have an issue with the second to last paragraph of the above article: “Forty-six percent said government records should be considered public and their release should only be blocked when it “would do harm”; 42 percent said the government should protect its information and only release it if there is a “sound legal case” for it to be public.” The American People must understand the above paragraph is essentially the purpose of the Freedom of Information Act. As it is common knowledge that our government is ultimately responsible to the people, it is essential we have the resources to find out what the government is doing. If people want to know what the government is doing and can’t find the information online or in other resources, they can simply file a Freedom of Information Act request for the information. Again, the above paragraph demonstrates a lazy American electorate, not willing to keep informed about their government.

On a different note, our founders knew that is was to our advantage to have an educated electorate. But they knew, as I know now, there are plenty of people who have no idea what the proper role of government is, nor do they understand how to find information about our government. That is why we have an electoral college.