Scrutiny by the People  by | October 2006  In the ongoing debate
over which came first, government opacity or citizen apathy,
there are two basic schools of thought: One side argues that
citizens have checked out because they've been so effectively
blocked by government from weighing in on issues, both large and
small. The other camp argues that citizens themselves are to
blame; that they're too distracted, too busy and too self-
absorbed to get involved.  Whatever the case, Washington State
has decided to make the first move in a one-of-a-kind experiment
that seeks to bring citizens back into the decision-making fold.
The opportunity has arrived in the form of a voter initiative
passed last fall that grants state auditor Brian Sonntag both
sweeping new performance audit powers and a dedicated revenue
stream with which to pursue those audits--about $10 million per
year from state sales taxes.  Sonntag, for his part, says he's
committed to aggressively courting citizens by involving them at
key junctures throu