I was pleasantly surprised to read an article (Arizona Republic Mar 10, 2009 pg. B1 "Buddy could you help state save $3 billion?") by E. J. Montini this morning that suggested the same idea of putting the budgets on the web for citizen comment.

Here are more details of how I thought this process would work:

1. The budget or stimulus or whatever (aka "package") would be put on the web as a read only spreadsheet; probably in MS Office format.

2. Every person could download a copy to study at home.

3. Every line of the spreadsheet would be numbered (the default) so that citizens could refer to specific lines when voting and/or making comments.

4. To really get a feel for how the public feels, there could a page on the site controlled by the agency that produced the package. Each documented person could log in to that page using their Social Security number or their federal tax id number. They could then type in the line number(s) they are referring to and then select one of three options: 1) veto/delete, 2) keep as is, 3) keep with modifications.

The first two selections would be stored as a "vote" and would be keyed to the id number used to log in. If more than one vote is received for a particular line, then the assumption would be that someone was trying to "stuff the ballot box". This would lead to the "vote" being negated and an email being sent to the owner of the id number, so they could again cast their ballot on that line. An option button for putting in a comment should also be on the "vote" page.

The third option of "keep with modifications" would register a vote and then pop up a comment screen.

All comments for a particular line would then be compiled into a report that could be reviewed on line by the agency that produced the spreadsheet.

5. The net results of all the votes as well as any comments should be made available on the web during the voting process. It should be updated at least daily, and I assume it could even be done in nearly real time.

Tell me what you think.

"Today is the first day of the rest of your life."

How many times have we heard that and just dismissed it without actually understanding what is really being said? This blog is my attempt to reshape the rest of my life by asking questions about what is happening around us. I hope that my questions and the responses will help us all to more clearly see where we are now, and whether we are going in the right direction.

My first comment will be what I see as a common sense way to have "transparency" in government. The states and the federal government are both in a financial mess. The president ran on a platform of "transparency", but has now signed away billions of my/our dollars in packages that no one has fully read nor understood.

To correct that problem I am suggesting that government at all levels implement the following idea: put all packages (whether 'stimulus' or budget) on the web in a spreadsheet that has each item clearly listed on lines with numbers. Let each person read and then submit their ideas for things that should be "vetoed" on a line by line basis. Count all the times each line is vetoed, and see whether it should be removed from the package. This voting could even be on-going so that all of us will have time to study and comment on these packages. If an item vetoed by a majority of responders, then it should be referred to a non-partisan panel to determine if it should be deleted.