Wisconsin Democracy Campaign Correct To Name Legislators Who Accepted Campaign Cash

To some it may seem like nit-picking, or being too much a stickler for detail.  But the reporting of those members of the Wisconsin State Legislature that accepted campaign contributions during the recent budget process is an important matter to take note of.  First off there is to be no asking for, or accepting of, campaign cash during any portion of the budget process once the Governor has submitted it to the Legislature.  The fact that a government watchdog group, in this case, the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign, is monitoring closely the flow of monies from special interests to the members who make the budget decisions is a  darn good thing.  Granted, some of the sums might seem small, and even a paperwork snafu might have been involved in a case or two.  But the larger mission of reporting on the all too easy flow of campaign cash, and the effects it has on the political process is priceless if we are to hope for a more responsible and ethical government.

Some will wonder what harm such a small amount, such as $50.00 can play in the complexity of the over-all budget process.  But money and water are both insidious things that have a way of flowing and getting to places that no one would have ever thought possible.  And the damage once done is often hard to repair.

We all can be proud of the determination and efforts by Wisconsin Democracy Campaign to bring to light not only the large amounts of cash, but also the small ones.  Since there should have been no amounts at all solicited or accepted no one can blame anyone accept the legislators named in the reports.