In his first hours in office, President Barack Obama has sent some important and encouraging messages to the American people.
He instituted a wage freeze for White House employees earning over $100,000 a year. The measure is mostly symbolic - it affects only about 100 people. But the symbolism in this case should be appreciated by a nation that is hurting financially. There are many in the workforce - not making $100,000 - who will have their wages frozen or cut in the coming year. The message Obama has sent is that "we're in this together."
Obama also on Wednesday announced a "new standard of openness" in adhering to open records laws. The president instructed federal agencies to be more responsive to Freedom of Information requests for public records. Not only should the federal government provide more information, it should do it more quickly, Obama said.
"They should not wait for specific requests from the public," Obama said in a memo. "All agencies should use modern technology to inform citizens about what is known and done by their government. Disclosure should be timely."
Certainly, the more open government is about decisions made and money spent, the better off we all are. Knowledge is power. And, at least in word, the Obama administration does not appear afraid of giving the people the power of access to information. It's a positive step, indeed.
Finally, the president instituted new lobbying rules that prohibit any Obama aides from lobbying former colleagues for two years after they leave the administration. While the position certainly is tougher than any stance taken by the Bush administration regarding lobbying, it falls fall short of an executive order President Bill Clinton issued in 1993 that prohibited senior executive-branch employees from lobbying within five years of leaving their jobs. And it's also short of what first was reported, that Obama employees would be prohibited from lobbying for the length of his tenure in the White House. Such a measure certainly would have been tougher, but also more appropriate.
He instituted a wage freeze for White House employees earning over $100,000 a year. The measure is mostly symbolic - it affects only about 100 people. But the symbolism in this case should be appreciated by a nation that is hurting financially. There are many in the workforce - not making $100,000 - who will have their wages frozen or cut in the coming year. The message Obama has sent is that "we're in this together."
Obama also on Wednesday announced a "new standard of openness" in adhering to open records laws. The president instructed federal agencies to be more responsive to Freedom of Information requests for public records. Not only should the federal government provide more information, it should do it more quickly, Obama said.
"They should not wait for specific requests from the public," Obama said in a memo. "All agencies should use modern technology to inform citizens about what is known and done by their government. Disclosure should be timely."
Certainly, the more open government is about decisions made and money spent, the better off we all are. Knowledge is power. And, at least in word, the Obama administration does not appear afraid of giving the people the power of access to information. It's a positive step, indeed.
Finally, the president instituted new lobbying rules that prohibit any Obama aides from lobbying former colleagues for two years after they leave the administration. While the position certainly is tougher than any stance taken by the Bush administration regarding lobbying, it falls fall short of an executive order President Bill Clinton issued in 1993 that prohibited senior executive-branch employees from lobbying within five years of leaving their jobs. And it's also short of what first was reported, that Obama employees would be prohibited from lobbying for the length of his tenure in the White House. Such a measure certainly would have been tougher, but also more appropriate.
