"A fundamental principle of our government is that a well-informed citizenry can take part in the important decisions that set the present and future course of the nation. Our Founding Fathers provided in the Constitution and in the Bill of Rights freedoms for all Americans, many of which are promoted by open access to information . . .
Numerous acts of Congress, including the Freedom of Information Act, are intended to further this principle. Most Americans, having never known any other way of life, take for granted open access to information about their Federal, State, and local governments. They also understand that some secrecy is necessary to protect both national security and the right to privacy."
President Reagan went on to recall the beliefs of President James Madison, our fourth president and one of the principal figures in the Constitutional Convention. Madison eloquently and passionately expressed the guarantees found in the Bill of Rights, in particular the freedoms of religion, speech, and of the press protected by the First Amendment. We return to Reagan's proclamation:
"President Madison understood the value of information in a democratic society, as well as the importance of its free and open dissemination. He believed that through the interaction of the government and its citizens, facilitated by a free press and open access to information, the government could be most responsive to the people it serves. Surely the American experience has proved him right."
President Reagan was a man with unwavering principles, and one of his core beliefs was that limited government, a slave to its citizens, was the best type of national authority the world had ever seen. And one of the cornerstones to this relationship between government and its people relied upon trust, civic education and involvement, and open communication about the inner workings of government when possible.
We remember his words of wisdom as we prepare to celebrate the 47th anniversary of this landmark of freedom between a government and its people. But lest we fail to honor this commitment we might do well to heed Reagan's famous words about an expanding and unchecked government, "I think you all know that I've always felt the nine most terrifying words in the English language are: I'm from the government and I'm here to help."
