Dan Lynch, a friend of mine in Colorado and a long-time politico, recently sent me this proposal to reform the corrupt campaign finance system. I'm posting it here to solicit your comments and suggestions on his behalf.

Thanks to Jack Abramhoff, Tom Delay, Bob Ney, Randy “Duke” Cunningham, and many others, the public is discovering what political cognoscente have known all along: Congress is irredeemably corrupt. While Republicans have taken corruption to undreamed of new levels, the system encourages corruption, whoever is in power.

The reactions of both congressional parties to the current scandal clearly shows that those who are “in”, do not wish to forfeit their advantage in knowing how to work the system to those who are “out”. It is nice to staunch the flow of lobbyist cash used to feed and entertain our congressional representatives in both houses, but it will do nothing to cure the ills that the take-it-when-you-can system inevitably brings with it.

As we have long known, the only cure is public financing, but that brings with it a lot of baggage that concerns too many of our fellow citizens. Funding political races strikes many as one-more-way to fatten already overstuffed representatives. Besides, incumbents get to vote on how much is given. Many think that alone is sufficient cause to oppose it. The current big givers will fight it tooth and claw because the present system gives them what they pay for.

[Sounds of trumpets] There is a system that requires politicians to ask their own constituents for money, allowing voters to give, or withhold, at their will, and at no cost to themselves. It would transform American congressional elections! [Lower the trumpets – fade to muffled drums.]

Read it on the flip.

Is 2006 the Year of the Netroots™?

In what capacity do blogging and netroots activism truly affect campaigns? In what areas do we have to improve in order to be a credible resource to political candidates and a real threat to opponents of progressivism?

This is simply pure, unadulterated brainstorming. There are no right or wrong answers.

Ready. Set. Go.

UPDATE: In the last hour, the Warren Library has deleted the links. I am leaving the story up, because I think we need to know this happened. The original site can be found at this cached link.

The City of Warren, Michigan is located just north of Detroit. It has the longest border of any Detroit area suburb with the City of Detroit.

To "honor" Black History Month, it carries two links on its Library website.

One links to a webpage on Nobel Prize Winner Martin Luther King.

The other links to a skinhead website on Dr. King, titled: "Martin Luther King Jr. - A True Historical Examination".

OMG.

We all are in the midst of many ecosystems, whether we are aware of them or not. In fact, what may matter the most is what is invisible to us. If only we could make the invisible visible . . .

I think it was really cool that Russian Ice Dancers Navka and Kostomarov wore the Unbossed colors to the Olympics. I mean, I know our readers are loyal, but this was unexpected. I'm touched. Of course, now we're gonna have to re-think what we'll wear to YearlyKos in Vegas...

We all have heard the drumbeat from the Administration: This is the best economy evah. Or words to that effect.

Meanwhile groups such as the Economic Policy Institute have been regularly reporting data that tell us: All is not well with the economy. Last December they issued a report that outlined the problems and provided data to explain their conclusions.

A new report from the Federal Reserve not only confirms what EPI has been saying, it shows that the Fed is a DOMA-free area.

Is it impossible for a GOP wingnut to discuss immigration or immigrants without being a complete racist buffoon?

Don't answer that lest your head explodes.

From today's Loveland Reporter-Herald: Musgrave opens up to inmates

FORT COLLINS -- When she was little, she wanted a normal family.

She didn't want an alcoholic father. At times, her family lived in what she called "Mexican shacks" on a Greeley-area farm with no running water or bathrooms.

When she was a little girl, Congresswoman Marilyn Musgrave was ashamed to bring her friends home.

We here at the White House are anxious to move beyond the Vice President's unfortunate hunting accident. That's why we encourage the press to cover other important issues the American people need to know about...

h/t onegoodmove.org

Now this is an idea worth exploring.

The Blue Flower Project:

The BlueFlower Project's goal is to increase the number of pro-choice, Democratic women serving in public office in Colorado. We do so by educating the public on the importance of women's leadership.

Our sister organization, the BlueFlower Fund, is a small donor committee that gives you the opportunity to empower women candidates with a small contribution of just $50 a year. Click here for more information on how to Join the Fund.

Colorado was the first state to elect a woman to the state legislature, and currently we rank 7th in the nation for the number of women state legislators.

Good news. But it's not enough. Pro-choice, Democratic women make up only 14% of the state legislature today. Colorado has never elected a woman as Governor or to the U.S. Senate.

Thoughts?

How often have you needed a bio-ethicist, yet found the yellow pages sadly lacking? Fret no more. Now there is the UNESCO Global Ethics Observatory. They provide bio-ethics information, experts, and more.

From WaPo:

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Energy Department said it has come up with $5 million to immediately restore jobs cut at a renewable energy laboratory President George W. Bush will visit on Tuesday, avoiding a potentially embarrassing moment as the president promotes his energy plan.

In his State of the Union speech last month, Bush called for the United States to use less Middle East oil and develop alternative energy sources, including renewable energy such as wind, solar power and biomass.

Bush proposed spending millions more dollars in renewable energy research. However, Democratic lawmakers and environmentalists questioned the administration's commitment when jobs were being eliminated at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in Golden, Colorado.

- snip -

The Energy Department took the money from other accounts. The DOE said it will try to restore those funds by using money from several projects mandated by Congress in 2001 and 2002 "that have failed to make progress."

A new report out on what affects success in education should be widely read. Its findings tell us that success in college is all but determined by what happens in the early years of high school.

In short, this report is bad news for school districts that are starved for dollars and resources for students, and this means districts with high percentages of minority and poor students. If higher education is the route out of poverty, this report tells us that for all but those in well-to-do, resource rich districts, the road is full of roadblocks when it is not completely closed.

State election officials are rushing to meet federal deadlines on voter records, but what are they doing to keep the computerized data safe and private?

The Association for Computing Machinery, voting and computing experts, has issued a new report which included an exhaustive set of guidelines for protecting digital databases.

The American Association for the Advancement of Science, (AAAS), is holding its annual meeting this week. There are more than 200 symposia, plenary lectures, topical lectures, seminars, presidential tracks and other sessions.

That means lots of breaking reports in a wide range of areas - evolution, child care, climate change, the environment, and much more.

For example,

Caregivers hide actions to enhance careers

Organic diets lower children's exposure to two common pesticides

Penn bioethics researcher gives talk on the neuroscience of ethics at AAAS Meeting

You can find many more links here.

OK, it's Monday. Back to business everyone. And for most of us that means paying attention to what counts. So here's a little help for you.

Grrrrr! Buzzwords!!!

Today's comic - For Better or Worse - has some great examples.

So, what's on your Buzzword Bingo card?

Open Letter from the Bruin Alumni Association:

"Dear UCLA Supporter," the letter begins. "Like me, you care deeply about what happens at UCLA. And thanks to your support in the past few years, we’ve changed our world for the better – in medicine, in science, in athletics, and a hundred other ways."

It continues:

You stood by UCLA while we weathered some major scandals – healthy football players using handicapped placards, the Medical Center selling body parts for money, and worse.

But UCLA is currently threatened by a different kind of problem…
…and it’s a big one.

If you think the letter goes on to hit you up for a donation to an endowed chair or student scholarships, you will be surprised.

Are US post-docs humming the Internationale while they work?

Perhaps they should be.

Want a few minutes of fun on the computer and very cool visuals? FSU has just the thing for you.

Life happens. Blog subjects get thought of or noticed but somehow never make it to the web. That doesn't mean they don't matter. It's just life and work getting in the way.

This report on the mistreatment of H-1B workers - and rampant and "legalized" fraud - has been sitting in my to-do box for a few months. Fortunately for me - but unfortunately for the workers - this topic is still relevant, because no one with clout seems committed to stopping the mistreatment of H-1B workers.

Complain all you want about the collusion of government and corporate-controlled media (yes, as a matter of fact, I have and will continue to do so!) but consider this news report:

The government’s treatment of the newspaper, which currently has 50% of its staff awaiting prosecution, is in direct contrast to their claims to support press freedom.

Take a guess from which country this quote originated.

China? Myanmar?
Abu Dhabi? The Maldives?

Late night talk shows riffs and tinfoil hatted conspiracies on everything from secret trysts to drunken binges have sprung up over the last few days as a result of Vice President Cheney's hunting accident.

I find it more interesting and frankly, more than a little puzzling, that the most interesting angle on this story has been fairly well ignored by the mainstream media and the blogs.

Heck, might as well think about it what with tax returns do in two months. So here is a second IRS blog to follow up on yesterday's. Sorry if this much on the IRS taxes your patience . . . get it . . . taxes . . .

Feel free to add more suggestions.

I will admit it. I have an obsession with the Admnistration's obssession about privatizing tax collection. Insisting on privatizing it even though it is 10 times more costly, even though in past privatizations it led to lost and compromised taxpayer personal information, even though it led to actions so bad on the part of the private contractor that it has led to criminal convictions. But, heh, that's just me. And them - they're at it again.

Amazing this does not make the news.

The March 2006 issue of Integrative Cancer Therapies will feature an unbelievable report: http://www.sagepub.com/preprint_8435.pdf" target="new">Diagnostic Accuracy of Canine Scent Detection in Early- and Late-Stage Lung and Breast Cancers (PDF).

According to California researchers, five ordinary dogs, with no prior training in scent detection, were trained to respond to human breath samples of people with breast or lung cancer. The dogs accuracy rate was 88% for breast cancer and 99% for lung cancer detection (95% confidence interval).

Though the reasons remain inconclusive—were the dogs truly detecting "cancer" or a by-product of inflammation, infection, or tissue necrosis—I have to admit that I'm more than a bit skeptical of the results.

Incredulousness aside, however there is a larger ethical issue to consider.

This is for the geeks among us (me included) who are just loving what science can uncover these days. Yes, we are the folks who just a few months ago invited you to release your inner hypochondriac. Read on for links on a new human gene project and what it can mean for your health.

Police around the country are going under cover - or at least their tattoos are. In some instances this issue is presented as one of esthetics versus self-expression. But if the tattoos are racist, do we want this fact covered up? Does the public have a right to know just who this person with the uniform and gun is?

Ranks are here. Your first reaction will be to notice that the blue states are at the top of the list.

Maybe not your cat, but perhaps the parasites your cat carries. Many cats carry Toxoplasma gondii, and the parasite can easily be transferred to humans. Half of humans are infected with Toxoplasma.

Harmless? No symptoms? Perhaps. Or just maybe not.

Sometimes the investigative blogger needs to check whether something is legal. Short of paying an attorney, what's the not-well-funded investigative blogger to do?

Yesterday's experience at thge Colorado Statehouse to testify in support of HB 06-1116(PDF)—Prohibition of Actions to Divert Traffic Onto Toll Roads—was nothing short of interesting.

Though the bill didn't make it out of committee for a variety of legitimate and questionable reasons, I would definitely encourage bloggers to seriously consider stepping away from the keyboard and getting more involved in the political process.

Instead of going into the specifics of this particular bill, I think it would be more instructive to dissect legislative sausage-making as it pertains to public commentary and how you really can make a difference.

First, we're going to the lawmakers and the lobbying process and then the committee hearing...

Yeeeaaarrrggghhhh!

This afternoon, Colorado House Bill 06-1116 (PDF) will be introduced to prohibit diversion of traffic onto toll roads from public roads.

This legislation was inspired by Unbossed's Roads Scholars series last August that focused on non-compete agreements and questionable public financing of private roadways.

I am testifying on behalf of the crack Unbossed investigative team to support HB 06-1116 and have included the text of my prepared remarks below the fold. Wish me luck!

As a Mexican-American with dark skin who spent a year living in Germany and traveling around Europe, I can only say one thing: you’re better off not being Muslim in that continent....

Do you work for or at an ethical employer? What the heck is an ethical employer?

I first read Betty Friedan's "The Feminine Mystique" in 1994, and I have a vivid memory of the experience -- sitting on my bed in my parents' house, turning the yellowed pages of my secondhand pocket paperback carefully so they wouldn't fall out, and wondering how things could have changed so much and yet stayed so much the same in the three decades since its publication.

Who are we?

What were we?

What will we become?

File this under "American capitalism at its worst".

The Advisory Board (registration required) recently reported:

Reprocessed medical devices found for sale on auction site eBay
Adding to the list of various products and services for sale at online auctioneer eBay, bidders can now purchase reprocessed single-use medical devices without sellers having to validate the quality of the product or purchasers having to identify who they are or how they intend to use the device, the Washington Post reports. Bellevue, Wash.-based ClearMedical, for instance, operated a “virtual storefront” for three months on the eBay website auctioning non-invasive refurbished single-use medical devices; the CEO of ClearMedical noted that the experiment “went so well” that the company plans to further explore the opportunity, although he declined to comment on what those plans entail.

- snip -

The FDA’s deputy director for regulatory affairs with the Office of Compliance in the Centers for Devices and Radiological Health says that federal regulators “periodically” monitor websites for the sale of reprocessed medical devices but notes that “specific rules about the sale” of such devices have yet to be formalized.

Sure enough. Somebody is selling a used dialysis machine on eBay today for the low, low price of $8,500.

It's Saturday, so chances are most of you are not reading this while you are at work. Phew! There can be some very, very bad consequences if you are blogging at work.

Here are some results from a recent survey on workplace surveillance.

Unbelievable, but true. The Rich are getting richer and the Poor are getting poorer. And the not so poor are also getting poorer.

Skeptical? Read on for the amazing details! And! You can find out how your state is faring by scrolling down to the link below.

So what else is news. Had this report - on how the Bush Administration has undermined safety in our mines - been issued a couple months ago, it would receive no public notice. After all, there are so many ways the Administration has failed us - both by omission and commission - it is hard to keep up the outrage.

But maybe now, after Sago, Aracoma Alma, and subsequent mine disasters and disasters to be, after the loss of life and misery was spread out before us, just maybe this one can get some attention. Sago and Aracoma Alma were not accidents. So reset your outrage-O-meter and read on.

Welcome to Paranoia Week on Unbossed where we ponder the queasy questions:

Are we paranoid when, in fact, people are out to get us.

Are there others out there who agree with our little world of paranoia.

Are our choices to be afraid and worried or to be somebody's lunch?

What it comes down to is that we are all Punxsutawney Phil now, poking out heads out of our comfy burrows means getting a blast of frigid air, blinding camera flashes, and boisterous crowds of idiots full of sound and fury signifying nothing - and they are the ones who will tell the tail, tale.

Another stellar online short film from the fine folks at ProgressNow Action.

Click here to watch the video or download the Podcast.

While you're at it, sign the No-Spy List and request official government protection from unwanted domestic eavesdropping today!

Good work, Jen and crew!