Checking records

As part of "Your Right to Know Week," designated by the American Society of Newspaper Editors, the Star-Bulletin is running the kinds of things you can do with government records:

BUSINESS

Make sure the contractor you're thinking of hiring is licensed, and find out about any past complaints against the business.

Look at a charitable organization's financial report before making a donation.

See if a restaurant has been cited for health or cleanliness violations.

Check medical doctor licensing actions and malpractice suits.

GOVERNMENT

Know who makes campaign donations to candidates and political committees.

Find out what special interests have been hiring paid lobbyists to influence government policy and how much they spend to do it.

Get copies of agency rules to learn all of your rights.

CRIME

Find out any criminal background of a person you're hiring.

Learn about unusual crimes and use information as a way to avoid crimes.

Find out if a school bus driver has been convicted of drunken driving.

Find out what types of crimes are committed in your neighborhood.

ENVIRONMENT

Find out what is being dumped at a landfill near your home.

Check out costs of a freeway planned near your home.

PERSONAL

Learn the prior purchase price and assessed value of the home you intend to buy.

Remember you have a right to examine and correct any personal records the government keeps about you.

Check out criminal incidents at a specific school.

Find out what schools the Department of Education is considering closing.

Why free society needs
full-access government

Open government is the cornerstone of our democracy. Without full public access to government records and meetings, we cannot fulfill our responsibilities as citizens of a free society.

This week is "Your Right to Know Week," so designated by the American Society of Newspaper Editors in observance of the First Amendment and laws that mandate open government.

The Star-Bulletin will publish stories and features all week examining the state of open government in Hawaii. You'll also see the "Your Right to Know" logo on many stories during the week as a reminder of the important information that wouldn't be available to the public if not for local and federal laws that require it.

We invite readers to write and tell us why open government is important to you and how well or poorly you think Hawaii is doing in making official information and meetings open to the public.

David Shapiro
Managing editor