This Fourth of July celebrate FOIA's 43rd anniversary
Happy birthday, U.S. Freedom of Information Act.
On July 4 you will celebrate your 43rd birthday. You're a bit worn after years of getting beaten down by privacy exemptions, odd court rulings, and resistant presidents. The occasional reconstructive surgery (e.g., Open Government Act of 2007), like many Americans' health care, is helpful but still fails to keep you as strong as you should be.
But despite your middle-age ailments and unfulfilled dreams, no need to go into mid-life crisis and hop a plane to Argentina. You are still an essential part of this relationship we call democracy. Open government provides the ability of citizens to maintain their independence from tyranny. Many states patterned their state laws after you. More than 60 countries have adopted FOIA laws based on your leadership - only two countries (Sweden and Finland) have had FOIA laws before you (1766 they adopted a basic law, then 1949 Sweden adopted a more comprehensive version, and Finland followed suit in 1951).
So keep your chin up, as you mature and develop, like Steve Austin, the battered astronaut turned bionic man. We have the capability to build the world's best access law. Better than you were before. Better, stronger, faster. Protecting Americans' independence and right to know.