Keeping the public in the dark

The Philadelphia Inquirer recently published an editorial about efforts in the state Legislature to allow government entities to place public meeting notices and other legal advertisements in shopping circulars and online instead of newspapers with widespread circulation in a community.

It's another effort by politicians to keep residents in the dark. For every door that opens on Pennsylvania's antiquated Sunshine Law, another one closes.

Politicians want residents to remain in the dark so they don't see how tax dollars are spent.

"The biggest and most important issue is the public's right to know and how best to get the information distributed to the broadest audience," the Inquirer writes. "Newspapers face many challenges these days, but they remain the cheapest and most reliable way to keep the public informed."

Tell you legislator to start working on real problems like property taxes, repairing roads and bridges and providing affordable health care instead of spending time on something that doesn't need fixing.

Read the full editorial, "Public Notices: Keep them where the audience is," here.