Attention Tea Bagger Republicans: Transparency in Government Isn't Free

I have always been a supporter of transparent government and I'm more than willing to pay for it. Republicans claim to support transparency in government, but they're not willing to pay to make it a reality. According to Federal News Radio, in just two months, seven different government websites will go dark as their funding sources go dry.

One government official, who requested anonymity because they didn't get permission to discuss the topic, said funding will begin to run out on April 20 for public sites IT Dashboard, Data.gov and paymentaccuracy.gov. The source said OMB also is planning on shutting down internal government sites, including Performance.gov, FedSpace and many of the efforts related the FEDRamp cloud computing cybersecurity effort.

The official said two other sites, USASpending.gov and Apps.gov/now, will run through July 30 but go dark soon after.

"We need at least another $4 million just to keep USASpending.gov operating this year," the official said. "We are looking at a pass-the-hat approach, but it could be challenging to get that done in time."

The White House requested $35 million for the e-government fund in 2011. The House allocated only $2 million in its bill, H.R. 1. The Senate, meanwhile, would provide $20 million for the e-government fund.

When Republicans cut the budget, they don't increase taxes, they simply eliminate spending - and this Congress has focused like a laser on non-discretionary spending. It's convenient that one of the first cuts comes to one of the few programs that exposes the inner workings of government spending. Without this check and balance, the American people have less knowledge about how their money is being spent.

"Economic conditions demand wise budget decisions, but cutting money from multiple federal IT programs is penny-wise and pound foolish," said Leslie Phillips, a spokeswoman for the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, of which Lieberman is the chairman.

"Programs that modernize technology ultimately improve management and save taxpayers billions of dollars. Transparency and e-government programs encourage public participation in government. Small investments in IT modernization can reap enormous rewards, which is why Senator Lieberman opposes the proposed cuts to the e-gov fund and the administration's IT reform efforts."

Young said cutting the funding in the short term will cost the government in the long run.

In other words, Republicans are once again taking the most short-sighted action - the action that will cost more money in the long run.

I await the response of the Tea Bagger Republicans who have demanded government transparency at every turn, but who refuse to pay for it - just like every other government service they use.