Who Watches The Watchers?

More great local examples of problems with government: Jon Lender writes in the Hartford Courant on the unchecked spending by independent "good government" agencies. It's actually not that much money, just under $25,000 on a trip to a conference on government ethics law, but the kicker is the extra spending in the face of a massive state budget deficit and the fact that this spending is seemingly unchecked by the democratic process.

It's almost comical how these sorts of situations tend to arise. Government corruption leads to the perceived need for independent agencies in government to keep tabs on our elected officials, but no one ever asks who's going to keep tabs on these insider watchdogs. The issue becomes newsworthy when citizens rightly demand more control and more transparency in the budgeting process in response to the economic crisis.

My libertarian answer would be less government, more transparency, and accountability through the Democratic process, but hey, what the hell do I know.