RALEIGH – I watch American Idol. There, I said it.

Not that I’m ashamed of this or anything. Indeed, I’ve written several times about the show in this space and elsewhere. Having performed for and judged auditions in the past myself, I find the process unfolding on the screen entertaining and somewhat familiar.

One thing has been bugging me about the 2005 season, however. In recent programs, Idol contestants have been interviewed discussing their astrological signs and what they reveal about personal traits and aspirations. What a horrible influence on American youth! What a tragic way to devalue science and real knowledge!

Consider how ridiculous this is. I was born February 9, which makes me an Aquarius. That means, according to astrological poseurs, that I am inclined towards intellectual and idealistic pursuits. “You require a great deal of personal freedom and are fixed in your pursuit of this,” confides Milton Black, whose web site objectively reports that he is “Australia’s Leading Astrologer.” He goes on to tell my fellow Aquarians:

• “You rebel against authority, preferring to find new ways of thinking and of action.”
• “You love nothing better than contesting thorny issues. You thrive on intellectual stimulation and alternative views. You are quickly bored by small talk.”
• “Others find you aloof and unreadable at times, a bit vague and distant.”
• “Aquarians prefer to work independently and are hard to boss around, for they will follow their own interests.”
• “Your idealism may rob you of decisiveness and the ability to cope practically with the concrete necessities of life . . . [you have] a tendency to daydream.”

Quite to the contrary, I am actually … hmm … well, uh, maybe I’ll just change the subject.

In case a read of your local newspaper and a glance at the pieces summarized today at Carolina Journal Online haven’t already made this clear, Sunday marked the official beginning of “Sunshine Week.” It’s a state and national salute to open-meetings and public-records laws and how they help to reveal what’s really going on in the dark recesses of our government.

As a happy coincidence, a new coalition for lobbying reform here in North Carolina has scheduled a kick-off press conference on Wednesday down at the General Assembly in Raleigh. I’ll be speaking at the event, which will bring together folks from across the political spectrum to call for change. The idea isn’t to restrict the transmission of information or opinion to public officials. Obviously, this is a critical element of policymaking, and involves cherished natural rights such as the freedom to speak, print, assemble, and petition our government. Rather, the goal is to ensure that lobbying expenditures are fully reported, and that they don’t extend to lobbyists giving valuable gifts and perks to lawmakers, which put the latter in a difficult position and invite public skepticism about the legislature, the executive branch, and other institutions of government.

As several editorialists have already suggested, it’s time to “let the sunshine in.” Which, speaking of singing, is a reference to a popular lyric from the musical Hair. Which, speaking of, follows the line, “This is the dawning of the Age of Aquarius.”

Gotcha.

Hood is president of the John Locke Foundation and publisher of Carolina Journal Online.