www.socialsecurity.gov

FRANK BAITMAN: THANK YOU. I AM ENORMOUSLY PRIVILEGED TO LEAD THIS, THIS GOVERNMENT TEAM. THEY HAVE DONE A WONDERFUL JOB IN PUTTING THIS CELEBRATION TOGETHER TODAY. CELEBRATION OF OPEN GOVERNMENT. AND I'LL TELL YOU MANY OF THE GREAT IDEAS THAT WE HAVE PUT FORWARD AS PART OF THE OPEN GOVERNMENT ARE NOT MY OWN, THEY ARE THIS TEAM'S EFFORTS AND I VERY MUCH APPRECIATE THAT CREATIVITY, THE HARD WORK THAT HAS GONE INTO IT. I AM OFTEN ASKED WHAT OPEN GOVERNMENT MEANS TO ME AND HOW I ENVISION IT WORKING HERE AT SOCIAL SECURITY. I DON'T SEE OPEN GOVERNMENT AS BEING UNIQUE FROM THE WAY WE DO BUSINESS. WE HAVE AN OPEN GOVERNMENT PLAN. IT IS OUT THERE NOW. AND WHEN THIS IS FINALLY DONE, OPEN GOVERNMENT WILL BE THE WAY WE DO BUSINESS AT SOCIAL SECURITY. IT WON'T BE UNIQUE, IT WON'T BE STAND ALONE. IT WILL BE INTERWOVEN INTO EVERYTHING WE DO AT SOCIAL SECURITY. IT FOSTERS AN INFORMED AND ENGAGED PUBLIC THAT IS AWARE OF SOCIAL SECURITY'S MISSION AND THE BUSINESS PROCESSES THAT WE DEVELOP TO RUN OUR PROGRAM. WE HAVE DONE A LOT RECENTLY WITH OPEN GOVERNMENT. AS THE COMMISSIONER HAS SAID, WE HAVE PUT OVER 20 DATA SETS OUT THERE. BUT DATA SETS ARE ONLY JUST THE BEGINNING. AS I SEE OPEN GOVERNMENT WORKING, OPEN GOVERNMENT BECOMES AN EXCHANGE BETWEEN THE AMERICAN PEOPLE AND THEIR GOVERNMENT. IF YOU WILL ALLOW ME TO USE A TECH TERM THAT I KNOW YOU ARE ALL FAMILIAR WITH, MAYBE TOO FAMILIAR WITH, WHEN OUR COMPUTERS CRASH, WE REBOOT THEM. IT IS A FRESH START. ULTIMATELY, OPEN GOVERNMENT REBOOTS THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE AMERICAN PEOPLE AND THEIR GOVERNMENT. IT IS THE SAME THING. BY PRESSING THE START BUTTON, IT IS MORE COMPLEX THAN BOOTING UP A COMPUTER. WITH OPEN GOVERNMENT, WE ARE PUTTING IN PLACE THE TOOLS TO RESET THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE AMERICAN PEOPLE AND THE US GOVERNMENT. IT IS ABOUT GOVERNING WITH THE PEOPLE AND ALLOWING THEM TO GET MORE INVOLVED IN WHAT WE DO IN KNOWING, MONITORING, AND INFLUENCING WHAT WE DO AS A GOVERNMENT ON THEIR BEHALF. IF IT IS DONE WELL, OPEN GOVERNMENT HAS THE POTENTIAL TO REENERGIZE OUR DEMOCRACY. AND WITH 308 MILLION PEOPLE IT HAS BEEN A CHALLENGE FOR THE GOVERNMENT TO STAY IN TOUCH WITH PEOPLE. I SEE TECHNOLOGY AS BEING A NICE MEDIATING TOOL, BUT OPEN GOVERNMENT IS ALL ABOUT THAT RELATIONSHIP AND STRENGTHENING THAT RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE AMERICAN PEOPLE AND THEIR GOVERNMENT. THESE SOUND LIKE GRAND CONCEPTS. SO THE QUESTION IS, WHAT CAN I DO AS A SOCIAL SECURITY EMPLOYEE TO SUPPORT OPEN GOVERNMENT? THAT IS THE POINT OF TODAY'S CELEBRATION. I HOPE THAT TODAY'S EVENT PROVIDES YOU WITH AN UNDERSTANDING OF THE PRINCIPLES OF OPENNESS IN OUR EVERYDAY WORK LIVES. THERE ARE THREE PRINCIPLES I WANT TO JUST CALL OUT. TRANSPARENCY, PARTICIPATORY AND COLLABORATIVE. WE CAN ONLY BE TRANSPARENT TO THE PUBLIC IF WE KNOW WHAT WE HAVE TO SHARE, ACKNOWLEDGE THAT WE SHOULD SHARE IT BECAUSE IT IS THEIRS, AND THEN TAKE THE APPROPRIATE STEPS TO SHARE IT. WE CAN BE PARTICIPATORY IF WE FIRST FAMILIARIZE OURSELVES WITH THE TOOLS OF PARTICIPATION AND THEN INCORPORATE THEM IN INNOVATIVE WAYS INTO THE ROUTINE INTERACTIONS THAT WE DO AS AN AGENCY, THAT WE USE TO TOUCH CLOSE TO 60 MILLION AMERICANS EVERY MONTH. AND WE CAN BE COLLABORATIVE IF WE WORK TOGETHER TO CREATE OPPORTUNITIES WITHIN AND ACROSS AGENCIES TO IDENTIFY AND TACKLE PROBLEMS AND JOINTLY IMPLEMENT SOLUTIONS. TODAY, THIS EVENT IS ABOUT INCREASING OUR AWARENESS OF OPEN GOVERNMENT, SO THAT WE CAN IN TURN MAKE IT A REALITY FOR THE PUBLIC. REGARDLESS OF HOW MUCH ANY OF US KNEW ABOUT OPEN GOVERNMENT BEFORE TODAY'S PROGRAM, IT IS MY STRONG HOPE THAT WE'LL ALL RETURN TO OUR RESPECTIVE OFFICES WITH A BROADER UNDERSTANDING OF THE PRINCIPLES OF OPENNESS, THE TOOLS OF OPENNESS, SOME OF WHICH ARE DISPLAYED BEHIND US IN THIS ROOM, AND WE USE THEM IN OUR DAILY JOBS AS WE GO FORWARD. ONE THING I WOULD LIKE TO ANNOUNCE TODAY. I WANTED TO SHARE SOME EXCITING NEWS WITH YOU. THE ADMINISTRATION HAS BEEN ENCOURAGING AGENCIES TO INCREASE THEIR ABILITY TO PROMOTE AND HARNESS INNOVATION, BY OFFERING PRIZES AND CHALLENGES. AND WE ARE GOING TO ANNOUNCE ONE AT SOCIAL SECURITY NEXT WEEK. IT IS A VIDEO CONTEST USING SOCIAL MEDIA. WE ARE ASKING PEOPLE AS WE APPROACH SOCIAL SECURITY'S 75 ANNIVERSARY, TO SUBMIT SHORT VIDEOS DESCRIBING HOW SOCIAL SECURITY HAS MADE A DIFFERENCE IN THEIR LIVES. WE LOOK FORWARD TO GETTING MEANINGFUL STORIES ABOUT HOW WE HAVE HELPED PEOPLE WHEN THEY NEEDED IT MOST AND WHAT A GREAT TESTAMENT IT WILL BE TO THE PEOPLE OF SOCIAL SECURITY AND TO THIS LEGISLATION THAT WILL BE TURNING 75 YEARS OLD WHEN WE HAVE THESE VIDEOS OUT THERE, PEOPLE EXPLAINING WHAT SOCIAL SECURITY HAS DONE TO CHANGE THEIR LIVES. WE LOOK FORWARD TO SHARING THOSE VIDEOS, CHOOSING A WINNER, AND POSTING THAT WINNING ENTRY ON THE INTERNET. AND ALLOWING PEOPLE TO VIEW THEM ON YOU TUBE. WITH THAT I HOPE YOU HAVE ENJOY THIS PROGRAM. LET'S BE OPEN. THANK YOU. (APPLAUSE)