Common Blog

Voters rightly recognize that pricey gifts come with influence and expensive dinners give interest groups air time with legislators. The state pays enough for legislators to survive in California, so any additional benefits come with their own intentions. Regular citizens cannot cough up gifts to receive special consideration, so government officials truly serving the public interest should not accept gifts from special interests.

  Common Cause has obtained the financial disclosure reports of eight of the nine Justices of the Supreme Court. Justice Alito’s is unavailable, either because it was not yet ready for release or because he filed an extension. Of particular note, Justice Antonin Scalia reports reimbursement for “Transportation, Food and Lodging” from an organization called [...]

In 1978, the Supreme Court decision in First National Bank of Boston v. Bellotti struck down a Massachusetts state law barring corporations from spending money to influence ballot question votes. The decision set the stage for corporations to spend millions advocating for or against ballot questions across the country. The consequences of this decision and the [...]

The Senate’s filibuster rule is a microcosm of everything that’s wrong with Washington: the stubbornness, the bald partisanship, the compulsion to cut backroom deals instead of having honest, public debate. It’s not just that filibusters are annoying—they have real consequences for everyday people. Remember the Paycheck Fairness Act, which would have reduced gender discrimination in [...]

College students are drowning in debt, and keeping student loan rates low won’t be enough to save them. Last week, President Obama urged Congress not to let government-backed student loan rates double; unless the House and Senate act by July 1, student loan interest rates will jump from 3.4 percent to 6.8, adding an average [...]