Earlier this week, the three Republican members of the Federal Election Commission (FEC) released a statement of reasons explaining their votes in May to dismiss a case against a no longer active 501(c)(4) group, Freedom's Watch.

In Wednesday's New York Times, there was an interesting coda to one of our recent Watcher articles: despite receiving large amounts of money from the recently passed state aid bill, school districts are not acting quickly to rehire fired teachers. The worry is next fiscal year might see even larger budget gaps, necessitating another, larger, round of firings. So the school districts would rather save the money, to try to stave off what could be an even worse FY 2011, and in the process, are potentially hamstringing any positive effects of the state aid bill.

On Monday, the administration of Afghan President Hamid Karzai announced that all security contractor firms would have to end operations in the country within the next four months, allowing employees to either join the Afghan police force or look for another line of work. Successful implementation of Karzai's order, though difficult, could radically transform the debate around the use of private security contractors (PSCs) in war zones.

Discussions of government transparency often involve cover-ups, shady dealings, or attempts to reveal official wrongdoing. Sometimes, though, it's about what government does right: when federal agencies produce valuable information with taxpayer dollars, it should be open so that the public can use and benefit from it.