Government transparency has entered a new era. The National Taxpayers Union, in partnership with the online resource Sunshine Review, has integrated its "Show Me the Spending" Web site with Sunshine Review's Wikipedia-like site that enables users to find and post information and edit pages to reflect the latest news in government transparency. Now, everybody -- from policy wonks to ordinary citizens -- can act as watchdogs to ensure that government is accessible, effective, and responsible with taxpayer dollars.

How transparent is your state? If you've wondered how much public employees get paid or how the state's budget is allocated among different agencies, www.showmethespending.com is the place to start. Each state's database (if it exists) will be evaluated by seven criteria: searchability, grants, contracts, line-item expenditures, department/agency budgets, public employee salary, and exemption level.

If your state doesn't make available the information you're looking for, public officials deserve to know -- and they're paying attention, especially when it comes to expanding their states' disclosure policies. For example, Nebraska Treasurer Shane Obsorn has viewed and praised the interactive site. If you think your state needs more transparency, let your legislators know.

The revamped site also is useful for policy groups interested in promoting their own work. Has your organization published a new study on transparency efforts among local governments? Link to it on your state's www.showmethespending.com page, and enjoy higher traffic to your home page as a result. A Wiki community is mutually beneficial for users and viewers.

We hope the site will become a one-stop shop for all things transparency. Each month will feature a collaborative, transparency-related project, such as a comprehensive list of links to each state's employee salary data or links to states' transparency pledges for public officials. The new site continues the work of the NTU-led "Show Me the Spending" Coalition, a group of organizations dedicated to transparency (including the Sam Adams Alliance, which sponsors Sunshine Review).

Visit www.shomethespending.com today and join the conversation!