The Montgomery Advertiser has a feature that's sort of a point/counterpoint between family members. Today's edition is a debate on public financing of elections between Mel Cooper Sr., retired executive director of the Alabama Ethics Commission and his son, Mel Cooper Jr., president of an online consulting firm. No offense to Jr. on this one, but we have to agree with Dad.

One place where the public financing solution is seeing increased traction is in regards to judicial races, where the conflict between accepting campaign contributions and maintaining judicial impartiality is all the more clear. North Carolina has adopted it, Washington is thinking about it, and now legislators and citizen groups in Alabama and New York are weighing the option.