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Making Government Spending Data Accessible to Citizens |
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Who We Are... |
Why Iowa Transparency... |
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The Public Interest Institute (PII) is an independent, non-profit organization. We do research on principles and methods to promote and encourage human rights, economic freedom, economic growth, and the creation of jobs here in Iowa. We research issues such as limiting government spending and privatization of government services.
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The key principle underlying government transparency is the fact that the government is a public servant of the people, and that the government’s affairs are the people’s business. Unfortunately, taxpayers are often left with little idea about what “their” business entails — or how much they’re paying for it. Many state governments as well as the federal government are moving slowly to “transparency” or making it easier for citizens to find out how much the government is spending and how those funds are being spent. Public Interest Institute is furthering the cause of transparency and accountability in Iowa state government with the creation of a transparency website, allowing visitors to easily see the votes and spending patterns of each Iowa Legislator. If our elected and unelected governing officials truly are public servants, then the people, as their supervisors, should expect full disclosure of their operations. |
“A popular government, without popular information or the means of acquiring it, is but a prologue to a farce, or a tragedy, or perhaps both.” James Madison |
| IECDB State and Local Campaign Disclosure Reports |