I wrote several weeks back about the plight of the Massachusetts Clean Elections Law. The Clean Elections bill did pass in both the House of Representatives and the Senate.  But in cunning move, opponents of the Clean Election Law in the House - lead by the powerful house leadership - essentially gutted all funding for the Clean Elections Law. The Clean Elections Law is worthless without any money to back it up. After all, what incumbent is going to opt into a system with no pay-off?  And a bankrupt Clean Elections fund can't provide assistance to potential candidates.

Clean elections aside, how do those guys get away with killing a piece of legislation that had the overwhelming support of the electorate? I'm sorry, but do I hear faint echoes of "screw you" coming from the Statehouse?  Here in the Pioneer Valley, we can be proud of legislators Steve Kulik, John Merrigan and Ellen Story who supported the Clean Elections Law to the bitter end. But from what I can gather about the rules of engagement at the Statehouse, standing up for what their constituents want - if it's not what the leadership wants - may come back to haunt our representatives later on.

I intend to be watching the Statehouse closely for the next few months. I have several questions I want answered. Among them: Why do so few seem to have so much power in the House? How democratic is that? Didn't their mothers teach them to play fair?   And more importantly, how does this impact us and what can we do about it?

I hope you'll come along as I learn more about what goes on in the Statehouse. What do you know about fair play in the Statehouse?  And how does it affect how we are represented? Share your opinions and insights with me and I'll publish them in Valley Viewpoint. E-mail me at info2005@valleyviewpoint.com

For the latest in the Clean Elections campaign go to www.massvoters.org

What's Your Viewpoint?

Tell us what you think about this or any other issue. E-mail us at info2005@valleyviewpoint.com.