Today begins "Sunshine Week," an observance with which you may not be familiar. It has nothing to do with the coming spring weather. It is not a forecast.

Instead it is a hope.

Sunshine Week is an attempt by the newspapers of the United States to highlight the need for openness in government and how that laws we have can help citizens learn about what their government is doing.

Transparency in government is not a natural occurrence, even when that government is a democratic one, even when all those who run the government live in the same small community.

Indeed, it is the rare public official – though we do have some here in Harrison County – who will go out of his way to make certain the public knows what is going on. For a fact, it is easier for public officials not to have to worry about scrutiny. It makes things so much simpler. For many, the tendency is to take that easy way out.

But fortunately, we have laws that govern this state and nation that require public officials to make certain material public. Not everything is public, to be sure, but a great deal is and it is important for all citizens to remember that public material is not just open to news agencies, but everyone.