The New York Times editorializes on the state of politics in New York and makes some suggestions.

"CLEANER MONEY New York’s campaign finance system is a disgrace. When the Legislature is in session, lawmakers spend every night harvesting campaign funds, often using loopholes as big as a bank. Write “party housekeeping” on the check, and it can have as many zeros as you want. Corporate subsidiaries have a field day. And the lobbyists who write the checks then also write the laws. Public financing should be the goal, but even real, enforceable limits would be a start."

The Joint Committee on Government Reform in Illinois has been actively "examining proposals to improve state government and deter wrongdoing by government officials and employees."

Washington Post columnist Richard Cohen penned an op-ed yesterday that dealt in part with the lobbyist culture in the nations capital.

Yesterday, Public Campaign, along with Change Congress, Democracy Matters, and U.S. PIRG, sent a letter to members of Congress calling for an investigation to see if Bank of America, AIG, and other recipients of billions in bailout money used those taxpayer dollars to send "large contributions" to any political organizations.

Kelly Williams and Andrew Stengel of the Brennan Center for shooting down ethics bills that could address major areas of concern for New York Voters. The pair chides state legislators for watering down recent ethics bills and encourages a number of reforms including full public financing of campaigns, like the Clean Elections program enjoying success in neighboring Connecticut.

Scuffles over the involvement of independent groups and their millions of dollars in ad spending sparked the discussion over moving to public financing of elections for judicial races in Washington last year.  Will similar concerns about independent expenditures in this year's high-profile gubernatorial match-up in the state move the discussion forward?