Posted under Ethics & Politics
There are a lot of people who dismiss political blogs as the ramblings of people with an inflated sense of self importance. Occasionally that’s true, but oftentimes blogs can play a useful role in making government work better.
Recently, Maryland Politics Watch published a post noting that many members of the Maryland Legislature received “non-revenue” E-Z Passes that allowed them to go through toll booths for free. It was an uncomfortable revelation since the Maryland Transportation Department just imposed additional monthly fees on everyone else.
A few days ago, according to a document obtained by Maryland Politics Watch, the legislature announced they were ending the free E-Z Pass program.
I think this was the right call amid a national economic downturn and a persistent state budget deficit. But it also might not have happened had the free E-Z pass program not been publicized by a blog. It’s a small but important example of how new media can make government work a bit better.
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