Nancy Watzman, our research and investigative projects director and resident Muckraking Mom writes at TomPaine.com today about the myriad ways in which families are short-changed by corporate interests buying influence in Washington. Everything from the minimum wage, to family leave, to the air is affected by who's writing checks to whom. This election cycle - which, according to recent estimates will cost about $2.6 billion - you can watch the money-shuffling game in action as those who've traditionally given to Republicans look at possible Democratic victory on election night and start writing checks to them. Amazing how pliant ideology is to money's prevailing winds. And a shift in which party controls Congress doesn't necessarily mean a more voter-focused agenda, as Nancy writes:  When Congress is back in session, the likelihood that measures which make life easier for American families will get priority is low. Proposals that are good for American families—like increasing the federal minimum wage, passing paid medical leave, beefing up environmental regulations—will get passed over in favor of those that give back to big industry contributors. While rules exist requiring lawmakers to disclose their sources of campaign funding, these disclosure requirements don't do enough to hold them accountable for pushing policies that benefit their contributors. Of course, Clean Elections exists to thwart this very practice -- and American families need it worse than ever.