Here are some talking points for Letters to the Editor regarding FOIA in Delaware’s General Assembly:
1) The General Assembly has exempted itself from FOIA. No other governmental agency, including the Governor and Cabinet agencies, is exempt.
2) What can be gained by excluding the public from the public’s business?
3) Open government is ethical government.
4) Closed government is frustrating for good legislators who do the right thing.
5) Changes in technology make open government more affordable.
6) The General Assembly is losing the public trust by insisting on secrecy.
7) The General Assembly is a public body. It should act like a public body.
8) Everyone else is held accountable in their jobs, why not our legislators?
9) What role do lobbyists play in legislation versus our elected officials?
10) FOIA has applied to all Delaware governmental agencies since the passage of the Delaware FOIA bill in 1977. When will our General Assembly catch up with everyone else.
11) For five years Senator Peterson has been trying to pass legislation to bring FOIA to the General Assembly. What is so secret?
Remember to keep you letter to 200 words or less. Personal attacks only get people’s backs up and don’t persuade anyone to your point of view.
To send an electronic LTE here are some addresses. Hint: For the News-Journal and other websites with little boxes for the text, I like to compose my letter in a Word Document and then cut-and-paste to the little window on the website . . .
THE NEWS JOURNAL: http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?Category=OPINION
DELAWARE STATE NEWS: Send an email to soundoff@newszap.com
THE COMMUNITY NEWS (serving New Castle County suburbs): Send email to
editor@communitypub.com
THE DOVER POST: http://www.doverpost.com/pages/opinion.html
(This is another website with a little window.)
THE MIDDLETOWN TRANSCRPIT: Send email to editor@middletowntranscript.com
SMYRNA-CLAYTON SUN TIMES: Send email to editor@scsuntimes.com
SUSSEX COUNTIAN: Send email to editor@sussexcountian.com
THE MILFORD BEACON: Send email to editor@milfordbeacon.com
THE CAPE GAZETTE: Send email to newsroom@capegazette.com and put LETTER TO THE EDITOR in the subject box.
THE NEWARK POST:
http://www.newarkpostonline.com/shared-content/perform/?domain_name=newarkpostonline.com&form_template=letters
(This is another website with a little window)
Happy writing in this New Year!
Onward!
Rebecca
