Bruno: Transparency and Accountability

Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno wants you---the public---to know how your tax dollars are being spent by state agencies and the judiciary.  They want to make it as easy as a point-and-click---by passing legislation that would let the public see expenditures online for cellphone bills, salaries, car use and more.

The legislature has already come clean; Bruno says since the year 2000, the Senate and Assembly have printed all their expenses for the public to see.  Since then he says their budgets have gone up 12 percent while the state budget has gone up 61 percent.

“Transparency and accountability mean reduced taxes, reduced spending means reduced taxes,” says Bruno.

Blair Horner of New York Public Interest Research Group welcomes the openness in government.  “If the public didn’t like it they could demand less spending. Or they could demand more spending. Opening up state government to a million sets of eyeballs makes a lot of sense, “ Horner says.