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The Sunlight Foundation, which broke the Hastert Highway scandal, is putting the grassroots to work: “Citizen Muckrakers have investigated 438 members of Congress, and tentatively found 19 spouses who were paid by a member’s campaign committee — totaling some $637,424 since January 1, 2005.” Bobby Rush and Danny Davis are the Illinoisans on that list. This looks like good news for organized transparency in government, and bad news in what was found. So, is “family” getting more important in politics, or are we just touchier about it? Bear in mind that 1972 was the last presidential election in which neither a Bush nor a Dole was on the Republican Presidential ticket. A Stroger for your thoughts!
In related news, the lobbying group Secular Coalition for America has opened a contest to find the highest elected official in the U.S. who is an atheist, humanist, or freethinker. Nominations are open through the end of the year; the person who nominates the winner will get $1,000. The person who next runs against the winner will get a free pass to public office.
