Transparency in government spending is moving ahead in Colorado, says Jon Caldara of the Independence Institute. Here's what he had to say in a recent email:

The Denver Post made an issue out of accountability in government. This is the kind of thing that gets me excited!  The editorial is one part in a series called Open Government 2008 by the Colorado Press Association. At the bottom are links to the other pieces, all discussing open and transparent government.

A few of the articles state that Colorado is ahead of the curve with our Sunshine Laws and Open Records Act. (Sidenote: Take a look at Colorado’s page on the Sunshine Review website). Pioneer or not, Colorado still has a way to go in terms of accountability and transparency.

As Justin Longo points out, it’s great that we don’t have a huge and intrusive NJ-style state government. Instead we’ve got over 3,000 local governments here in Colorado running around doing what they want, and it’s difficult to keep our eyes on each and every one of them.

But with allies like the Independence Institute, the Denver Post and the Colorado Press Association, I have hope for the future of transparency in government.