Draining the Swamp

The Nashville Tennessean has been running a three part series on the lobbyist situation in the Capitol, how money is the grease lubricating the machine and secrecy is the norm. It's a great series, concluding today, but it's nothing new to longtime watchers of Nashville. Still, go and read it.

Then go reading blogging legislator Representative Stacey Campfield's own observations of the mess.

And finish up with some scrolling through the South End Grounds, for a former Republican party worker's view.

Where's the Memphis Commercial Appeal in all this? Good question! With so many of the indicted legislators in the Tennessee Waltz sting coming from here you'd think they could do more than focus on FBI informant Tim Willis. Ford, Dixon and Bowers are all very well-entrenched and powerful people. Either the rot of corruption was so wide-spread it reached them, or it spread from them to parts unknown. The citizens and voters of Memphis deserve much more and better.

In the meantime, turn to Nashville.