The Raleigh News and Observer profiles the latest report (pdf) by Democracy North Carolina on the nearly $15 million in fees paid to lobbyists in 2005 -- that's a lot of influence bought and sold at the Capitol building, and a good example of the perfectly legal but questionable activity that happens in a pay-to-play political system. Luckily Democracy North Carolina is on the case, pushing to curb the influence of money in politics by creating full public financing of campaigns.

What are we really fighting for when we embark on campaign finance reform? Mark Schmitt, of the New American Foundation and The Decembrist, opens an engaging dialogue on TPM Cafe urging reform-minded folks to not get bogged down in the details of campaign finance and to keep our eyes on the ball: using policy (like Clean Elections) to create opportunities for more people to become involved in politics and spark social change.

Steven Hill writes in The San Francisco Chronicle about growing voter disenfranchisement and apathy in California and what can be done about it. In doing so, he says efforts to win full public financing should be abandoned - pointing to the loss of Proposition 89, the Clean Elections ballot initiative, in 2006. But if most eligible adults aren't voting, can you point to an electoral loss as evidence against pursuing full public financing?

The Kansas City Star today gets after Congress to fix the presidential public financing system. Decrying the attitude of Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) who wants to junk public financing for good, this editorial suggests that neglect has caused a breakdown in the system, but that public financing is still sorely needed to reduce corruption and restore accountability in elections.

Apparently, the presidential public financing system died over the weekend. In lieu of flowers, letters can be sent to Congress and the White House asking why they have let a once-vibrant election reform languish even as the cost of campaigns (and attendant threat of corruption) skyrockets. Hillary Clinton didn't kill presidential public financing. It's been ailing for years -- but it can be revived.