Fast-forward 10 or 20 years and you might see a Congress that passes "wikied" legislation created by millions of Americans, a president who submits a daily diary via video, and a vast online repository of all the Freedom of Information Act requests ever submitted.
Rewind back to today, and you'll see a handful of innovative, tech experts discussing these ideas at Google's Washington headquarters. During a panel discussion today, a packed room listened to Internet-savvy people within Congress, from the presidential campaign and third parties weigh in on how President-elect Obama should use the Web to promote open government.
So, what sort of things should the Social Security Administration do to promote open government? What are your ideas?
I will start by mentioning one small area. Social Security should quit keeping most of its Emergency Messages to its staff secret. Anything that is available to tens of thousands of Social Security employees cannot be truly sensitive. Social Security employees do not have to engage in the old school bureaucratic nonsense of keeping pointless secrets to prove their importance. I already think Social Security employees are important. Knock off the pointless secrecy, Social Security.
I will start by mentioning one small area. Social Security should quit keeping most of its Emergency Messages to its staff secret. Anything that is available to tens of thousands of Social Security employees cannot be truly sensitive. Social Security employees do not have to engage in the old school bureaucratic nonsense of keeping pointless secrets to prove their importance. I already think Social Security employees are important. Knock off the pointless secrecy, Social Security.
5 comments:
I would also like to see Social Security being more user friendly to Social Security recipients. I takes our office several phone calls to several different places to request basic information. As an entitlement program, I think Social Security fails in being "helpful" in getting information to the people in a more streamlined manner - Attorney Nathan Craig, FRANCIS & FENTRESS, Cadiz, KY
I would like to see the disability process being more transparent to claimants and/or representatives. It would be great to be able to see the actual case worksheet when the case is at DDS so we could see when requests for records are sent, what records or forms are outstanding, when the case goes to consult, etc. It would also enable us to see when an adjudicator hasn't touched a case in 3+ months as sometimes happens. This would eliminate the need for us to call for case status updates.
While there are probably too many emergency messages (EMs) that are classified as sensitive many should not be made public. Many EMs deal with tips to help SSA employees detect fraudulent activity such as presenting false documents. Others deal with how to establish identity in the case of some one who is erroneously shown as deceased on SSA records. Publishing such instructions could help people steal the identity of deceased individuals.
SSA cannot be "user-friendly" with no staff.
By the way, for "basic information"--use the internet--that is what it is for, so get used to it.
"a vast online repository of all the Freedom of Information Act requests ever submitted."
How about an FOIA report on where the bailout money went now.
Congress, President and Agencies for all their talk of openness don't want people to really know what's going on or stuff wouldn't be buried in bills passed in the middle of the night or without debate.
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