In the United States of America the government belongs to the people. It is chosen by the people, paid for by the people, and is intended to serve the people.

It follows that the people should have easy access to most government records, especially government financial records.

This idea is reflected in Nebraska's open records and open meetings laws, which I vigorously enforced when I was Nebraska's Attorney General.

The NebraskaSpending website, originally created by my predecessor, which I administer as the State Treasurer, takes open government to the next level. It provides much faster and easier access to many state financial records than the public records request process.

I want to take this opportunity to ask the news media and the public to help us improve our website, www.NebraskaSpending.gov.

To do that, go to the website and click on “contact us.” In the comments section, type in what additional information you would like to see on the site, or any suggestions you have to make the site easier to use.

As State Treasurer, I am committed to making as much state financial information as possible available to Nebraska taxpayers. I welcome and encourage the news media and the Nebraska public to suggest ways we can improve the NebraskaSpending.gov website.

Nebraska has the potential to lead the nation in the government transparency movement. We must take this opportunity to set the bar for other local and state governments in order to improve public access to government information across the country.