Letter: Transparency makes a government
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
The debate over economic policy in the U.S. between Democrats and Republicans tends to revolve around how big a role should the government have. I would suggest, however, that the quality of government may be more important than the size of government.
An organization called Transparency International has a ranking of the nations of the world called the "Corruption Perceptions Index" that is probably the best basis to judge the quality of government in the various countries of the world.
Many of the top 10 are in Scandinavia. These countries, in which the government has a heavy role in the economy, have some of the strongest economies in the world today. There are also thriving "small government" nations, for example Singapore, ranked number 5.
In contrast the U.S. ranks number 24. Greece, the basket case of Europe, is tied for 80th place.
I believe that if our elected officials in Washington, D.C., worked to make government fair, transparent, and consistent, rather than manipulating policies for political purposes as they do now, our nation would have a lot better prospect of a strong economy.
Lance B. Sjogren
Vancouver
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