Democracy Rising

There are several people working hard to initiate reform in Harrisburg. Leaders like Gene Stilp, Russ Diamond, and Tim Potts come immediately to mind. The Pocono Record did a profile on Potts and his Democracy Rising PA organization. It's a good piece and I recommend you follow the link and read the entire article. Here's a snippet:

The coaliton's "roadmap to reform" includes a ban on all legislative gifts and entertainment paid for by lobbyists, adjournment of all legislative sessions by Oct. 1, greater public access to records generated by the legislative and judicial branches, online detailed links to legislative votes within 24 hours of those votes, and a 72-hour waiting period between final amendments and passage of all legislation.

The coalition also seeks a monthly online accounting of each legislator's salary, benefits and expenses; detailed vouchers for all reimbursed expenses; and a rollback of health insurance coverage so that it is comparable to current private sector coverage for ordinary workers.

Democracy Rising proposes to make elections more competitive by prohibiting fundraisers while the Legislature is in session, requiring public reporting of campaign donations one week prior to elections, drawing legislative boundaries to make races as politically competitive as possible, and to "level the playing field" for all citizens who want to run for office, regardless of party affiliation.

Reforming campaign finance and lobbying is one of this blog's goals and a subject we frequently cover. It's rather shocking that none of those issues mentioned above has been enacted in Pennsylvania. It's time for reform and the voters are ready to demand such. Please support efforts like this.