Written by Alex Lawson
Dear Mr. Bowles and Senator Simpson:
President Obama and many others have advocated both government in the sunshine and the participatory engagement of those affected by government decisions. They recognize that conducting work in these ways promotes accountability and improves the quality of decisions. We share those values. Accordingly, as advocates for the American people — working families, seniors, women, people with disabilities, children, people of color, veterans, young adults, those in poverty, and communities of faith – we urge that:
• All Commission meetings and, if you have them, subcommittee meetings be open and accessible to the public, that C-Span be invited to televise them, and that the proceedings be streamed live over the Internet.
• The Commission show the distributional impact of its proposals on different subgroups of Americans (including, for example, by income, race/ethnicity, gender, region, those with and without disability, age) and also the impact on investments in such essential assets as jobs, education, energy, and infrastructure.
• The Commission confer with experts reflecting the full range of views on the issues before it.
• The Commission hold hearings not simply to educate the public, as you have stated as a goal, but also to listen and learn from the public directly affected by changes you may propose.
We note that Members of Congress who span the political spectrum have made requests similar to those in this letter. Like those members, we believe that these actions will best serve the American people.
Sincerely,
Organizations Signing Letter
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