If you think the public doesn 't care about open government laws -- think again.

Virtually every Wisconsin resident -- 96 percent -- who responded to a recent survey expressed support for keeping government transparent and honest. In fact, Wisconsin citizens favored right-to-know laws more than any other proposal for making government work better.

The public made its views clear in 400 interviews recently conducted for the Midwest Democracy Network, an alliance of civic and political reform groups.

Wisconsin has a strong sunshine law. It allows the public to see budgets, audits, contracts and salaries of public employees. It also lets anyone attend open meetings of elected bodies.

The politicians might think only news reporters care about open government laws. But the Midwest Democracy Network poll shows that view is terribly wrong.

Journalists do routinely use open records and meetings laws to reveal significant information on public health, safety and good governance. But ordinary people use these laws even more.

Parents use public records to check on the backgrounds of school teachers, bus drivers and baby-sitters.

Homeowners use public records to ensure they 're not being over-taxed and to see if prospective contractors have past or pending lawsuits alleging poor work.

Those are just a few of many, many examples.

Most public officials abide by Wisconsin 's open records and meetings laws. Yet too many government officials still try to circumvent the law, citing bogus security or privacy concerns. In reality, they just don 't want the public looking over their shoulders as they perform public duties. That 's usually because they 're doing something they know the public might object to.

Challenging government secrecy in court can cost huge amounts of time and money -- something most ordinary people can 't afford. That 's why strong public support for right-to-know laws is so important. The public 's declaration should warn every public official not to get sneaky.

The public already has fragile trust in Wisconsin government. The Midwest Democracy Network survey suggested that a majority of Wisconsin residents trust government to do the right thing only some of the time or almost never.

By diligently following Wisconsin 's open government laws, government officials can significantly improve their reputations and public support for their decisions.