To the degree that election to the State Legislature is in effect a life-time ticket to serve the leadership, Albany and state politics in general is a tough nut to crack. Were legislative districts fairly drawn, were public funding of campaigns to replace moneyed interests in our elections, some things indeed would be different. Will any proposals for facilitating popular participation in politics have legs or will these issues be stalled again?

I’m not going, but perhaps you should think about it. Good government groups (“goo-goos," in somewhat pejorative political slang) are meeting in Albany Monday April 23, 2007. The general call by groups ranging from the Brennan Center to Common Cause and Demos is here . The schedule is here and the page for registration especially for free buses is here .

Knock ‘em dead!