Senator Ensign Requests Key Lawmakers Debate on House/Senate Compromise Stimulus Bill Be Open to the Public

Debate on the House/ Senate Compromise Stimulus Bill by key lawmakers apparently will not be open to the public via CSPAN, as last week's was. This next round of debates will be behind closed doors. Although this may be current protocol for Congress, given the current economic crisis the US is facing and President Obama's pledge of greater transparency in government, Senator Ensign's request makes sense. I believe that Americans are currently paying closer attention than ever before to how their government operates. Decisions made behind closed doors in the absence of a public hearing will tend to lead to more questions, frustration and cynicism at a time when Americans need to believe that our representatives are acting on behalf of all of us and not out of loyalty to their specific constituents and themselves.