Soft-money issue shows self-serving side of state senate

It is a classic case of what happens when the foxes guard the henhouse. And this one drips with a particularly odious brand of irony.

Senators in the Alaska Legislature last weekend, led by Gene Therriault of Fairbanks, advanced a measure to bring unlimited "soft money" back into the state's electoral process. This reverses both an Alaska law and a nationwide trend. That it has been attached to the governor's "election reform" bill is a cynical and troubling manipulation of public policy for strictly self-serving purposes.

Soft money is any contribution not regulated by federal election laws, which themselves are in desperate need of overhaul. The exemption to federal laws was made, in theory, to encourage "party-building" activities that benefit the political parties in general, but not specific candidates. In practice, the loophole has become the parties' primary means of raising huge sums of money from wealthy contributors.

Recent reform efforts on the national stage are a decent enough start. But the last election cycle, heavily influenced by distortions, half-truths and outright lies supplied by soft-money-funded special-interest groups, proved that the McCain-Feingold reform bill really is no more than a starting point.

This shouldn't be surprising. When legislators are entrusted to pass laws regulating themselves and what they do, bad public policy is sure to follow. One look at this state's legislative code of ethics is all anyone needs to realize how unseriously lawmakers take ethics rules. They are stunningly vague and, consequently, toothless. It is foolish, then, to expect sound, rational campaign finance reform legislation from people whose political lifeblood is money.

Therriault says his amendment has no nefarious purpose. It comes with strict limitations. Money raised, he says, will only be used for warm and fuzzy grassroots efforts to get out the vote and get more people to participate in the process.

We have no reason to doubt Sen. Therriault's good intentions. There is great reason, however, to doubt his grip on reality in thinking that anything good, ultimately, could come out of this bill.

If it's all so right and proper, why isn't everyone in the Capitol lined up in support of it? Why has the governor, whose bill is tainted by this amendment, dodged questions about its value to the people of Alaska? And why was the amendment secreted through the normal process - waived past one committee, then quickly heard by and passed out of another?

Local voters might ask that of Sen. Lyda Green, who rushed the amendment through the Finance Committee she chairs in an unscheduled meeting without any public notice or input.

If the Senate is really so concerned about increasing voter interest and participation, here's a novel suggestion: How about working for a better quality of life for all Alaskans instead of just for your own political preservation?

Injecting more money into the process will never be the answer. Whatever its intention, this amendment reeks of corruption and stands to perpetuate policy that has nothing to do with what's good for Alaskans. It's about greed, power and keeping power, and anyone who's not standing up in loud opposition to it ought to be ashamed of themselves.