Stacy Forster summarizes record Wisconsin special interest spending

Aside from the biennial budget, the so-called taxpayer bill of rights was the most lobbied bill in the session, representing 10,631 hours of lobbying, most of it this year. That was nearly equal to what was spent on the next nine most lobbied bills, according to reports filed with the state Ethics Board.
During the first six months of 2004, special interests spent $11.4 million, or 30% of the $37.8 million.

Highly decorated retired colonel David Hackworth on a CPA Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) Inspector General Report on 8.8Billion that is MIA:

In Iraq, $8.8 billion is MIA. Serious dough even for the big spenders in Washington, D.C.
A pal in Iraq slipped me a draft Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) Inspector General (IG) report dated July 12, 2004, that blisters the CPA for giving the missing billions to Iraqi ministries without appropriate controls.

Tony Palmeri, a Green Party candidate for the 54th Assembly District writes about a recent State Elections Board meeting…

Bryan Caplan on the contradictions of US citizens: we’re for spending restraint, but won’t identify any specific cuts. 64% believe spend too much on welfare, but only 26% are willing to actually enforce a 2-year limit if welfare recipients would have to take a “low wage that would make it difficult to support a family.” Fascinating reading.

Micah Sifry and Nancy Watzman in the L.A. Times (op-ed page): After All, it’s a Multiparty System. A sample:

In a pay-to-play political system, Americans’ votes don’t matter nearly as much as cold, hard cash. That’s why we need comprehensive campaign finance reform, including full public financing, to actually change the rules of the game. Under such “clean elections” systems, which are already the law in Arizona and Maine, candidates who collect a large number of small contributions and agree to abide by spending limits receive a public grant to run their campaigns. In that way, public officials are freed from their direct dependence on private donors.
If somebody is going to own the politicians, it might as well be us.

via doc searls The need for reform is clear, after reading articles like this.

Very useful site in this election year.

The Capital Times rightly takes Democratic Governor Jim Doyle to task for raising money at a faster rate than former Governor Tommy Thompson (himself a record cash machine).

During his first 18 months in office, Doyle raised $2.4 million. That means that Doyle is collecting checks at a more rapid rate than did former Gov. Tommy Thompson, who until now had been recognized as the state’s most aggressive campaign fund-raiser.
“When you’re significantly out-raising Tommy Thompson, that’s saying something,” argues Mike McCabe, executive director of the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign.
What it says, however, is not encouraging for campaign finance reform or good government in Wisconsin. Just like Thompson, Doyle has been raising large sums of money from individuals he has appointed to key positions in state government and from individuals and groups seeking favorable treatment from the state.

Wisconsin needs real economic and political leadership. Taking money from the entrenched interests does nothing to help our economic future. In fact, it often gets in the way.

The Democratic Party has invited a number of bloggers to their Boston Convention. Video blog post | Photo Blog Post.
Points to the Democrats for inviting bloggers to the party.

Today’s WSJ editorial correctly identiifes the major problem we, as a democratic society have with limited, or no ballot choices. I believe one of the reasons for this problem is the increasingly cozy ties between a concentrated media (which growing numbers of citizens are turning off) and politicians.