Rendell Looks to Kind of Reform Legislature

Governor Rendell hasn't exactly been a model of ethics in politics, but he deserves some note for his halfhearted attempt at ethics reform. Appointing judges is an obvious step, as currently judges campaign on nothing in particular except name recognition, a game which is won mostly by raising money. Rewarding the state's best fundraisers with judgeships is a bit of a moral hazard.

Downsizing the state legislature is another good idea, although a massive thwack to its operating budget would have been even better. Still, reducing headcount of an ineffective organization is usually a smart move, and keeping the budgets constant might appeal to the senior members, as they get to split the pie between a smaller group of people.

The other two planks to this plan aren't terribly exciting. Campaign finance reform is really a red herring that has not even slightly hampered the ability of wealthy individuals and special interest groups to buy access to policymakers in Washington, so one suspects it is unlikely to do so in Harrisburg. The term limit idea is always interesting, but self-defeating, since the most influential people in the state legislature would essentially be voting themselves out of an office they just won a few months ago. Term limits exist: every two years, every member has to win an election.

The real hypocrisy in these "ethics reform" efforts is the fact that nobody wants to pursue the obvious crime of the election-themed public service announcements that incumbents in competitive districts mysteriously seem to produce. Well, poor Greg Vitali (D-Delaware) is still fighting the good fight, but he is without supporters on this battle. After all, how many legislators would willingly give up the ability to have our taxes help protect their re-election campaigns? One, apparently.