The Washington State Public Records Act, which this request was made under, states its spirit very unambiguously:
The people of this state do not yield their sovereignty to the agencies that
serve them. The people, in delegating authority, do not give their public
servants the right to decide what is good for the people to know and what is
not good for them to know. The people insist on remaining informed so that
they may maintain control over the instruments that they have created. This
chapter shall be liberally construed and its exemptions narrowly construed
to promote this public policy and to assure that the public interest will be
fully protected. In the event of conflict between the provisions of this
chapter and any other act, the provisions of this chapter shall govern.
Beautifully put. This information is _there_ whether we like it or not. I’d rather have as much access to it as a government employee than none at all.
