State of the Union

The President's speech was well-written and well-delivered. The time for careful analysis hasn't yet arrived. For now, I'd like to point to one signal I thought was particularly welcome:

In the coming year, we will also work to rebuild people’s faith in the institution of government. Because you deserve to know exactly how and where your tax dollars are being spent, you will be able to go to a website and get that information for the very first time in history. Because you deserve to know when your elected officials are meeting with lobbyists, I ask Congress to do what the White House has already done: put that information online.

This might well help to bring needed pressure on Capitol Hill legislators to spend a little more time working and a bit less partying with lobbyists. We can only hope!