New Wave Of Conscience In Madison?

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Sunday's Janesville Messenger contained an article (Page 4, bottom) by a Forward Janesville official summarizing their annual lobby junket of organized business interests and other appointed officials from Rock County to inform state legislators about their "prosperity" agenda. Most of their road to riches ideas are primarily tax cuts and tax credits for themselves while supporting the local road building and construction industry with tax hikes for everyone else. So they're not kidding when they refer to their presentation as a "roadmap." They mean it.

But what I thought was really unusual was this seemingly new development...

Janesville Messenger Excerpt:
Speaking of obstacles, some of our groups reported that an unfortunate trend is gaining steam at the Capitol. A number of offices have posted "no soliciting " signs on their doors with messages to the effect of, "If you aren't from our district, we don't want to receive your information."

The writer says he was outraged by this development and that those legislators should be called out. Say what? I agree to a point, but called out and awarded trophies for finally standing up to unsolicited special interests.

For a change, it doesn't matter whether they were Republicans (yes even Republicans, God help me), Democrats, Independents, black, blue, green or pink, what mattered is that they are messaging they are not for sale. So yeah, I'm interested in learning who those state legislators are so I can post them here with little "good government" badges next to their names. It certainly is not the end all to the corrosive influence of special interests and lobbyists in government, but it's a small baby step. Can't speak for the rest of the legislators.

I'm continually surprised by politicians who seem to be oblivious to the fact that the more entrenched they become with special interests, particularly with private interests from outside the borders of their district, the more intolerable and even unacceptable they become. Perhaps that notion too is a new development. I hope so.