Exactly this. Finance transparency should be a requirement for public officials. I honestly don't care if my politician has a NW of 10 million. I do care if that's tied to industries they are supposed to be regulating. I also care if they started out with nothing and became millionaires after joining politics.

That said, billionaires should be barred from ever interacting with politics. Congratulations, you won capitalism, now leave the rest of us alone.

City officials typically don't take bribes, they'll buy land after learning about a project, or select a company for a job that uses supplies from your company. One of the famous politicians in my area bought a bunch of land when a highway project was announced and made millions.

The catch is that it applies to city officials, not state or national level. So, not to any of the Republicans who sponsored or supported it.

I think this works much better in society with low inequality, or maybe for ones that got rid of most robbers, scammers, and fraudsters. But then again, maybe Finland and Norway are good in that regard and that's great then.

Privacy is by and large the tool of the powerful to abuse power and privilege.

I can see why people would not like it from a privacy standpoint. It would never fly in America for everyone. For government officials? I like this one.

Had the exact same thought process.

The reason is it's like a treasure map with multiple "x"-es for any burglar. While in the Nordics it's not that much of a problem (though I did read once or twice stories of people who were repeatedly and uniquely targeted because they were somewhat richer than their neighbours and despite not showing off), in any country with a large, unsupported poor population and limited to none public trust...

Because you see it from your personal point of view. Seeing it from a government perspective it’s public money and should be easily identified. Also if I remember correctly, in Norway you have to identify yourself to get access to the data.

Because it could potentially subject you to a planned robbery? That's about it, although I think it definitely depends on the place too. Norway likely doesn't have to worry about that issue.

Many state officials already file a Form 6, including the governor and Cabinet, legislators, county council members and sheriffs.

Thanks for the context, that certainly changes my view of it. Sounds like the usual "rules for thee, not for me" dick move.