Cross-posted at the Albany Times Union.

There is only one solution to the state senate meltdown: the personal touch.

Each senator should pick one senator of the opposing party from a different part of the state from his or her own district and quietly and personally reach out to that senator. Make a phone call, send an email, have a mutual friend reach out - heck, even send a hand-written note. And then, meet in person. Quietly. Off-the-record, somewhere out of the way or behind closed doors. Air your grievances, try to understand the other's point of view - but stick with it, keep talking. Build the relationships that are necessary to break the deadlock, but are also necessary for effective legislating.

Governor Patterson is following the right approach, forcing the senators to stay in Albany. But, as the old adage says, "You can bring a horse to water, but you can't make him drink." Senators should break the tedium of their enforced stay in Albany to break out of the existing echo chambers that they seem trapped in.

Executive Director of Colorado Common Cause , Jenny Rose Flanagan, recently wrote an article explaining the work her office is doing to monitor American Recovery and Reinvestment Act spending. Common Cause Colorado is currently working with other state groups to ensure that Colorado stimulus funds are invested in an accountable and transparent manner.  Read more after the jump.

Common Cause Georgia is currently working with other Georgia organizations to monitor the transparency and accountability of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).  After the jump is an article by Jayne Watson, Assistant Executive Director of Common Cause Georgia, which highlights the Georgia coalition's recent work on stimulus oversight.

Common Cause today launched a campaign to commend the members of the Judge Advocate General's Corps (JAGs) who refused to carry out orders to torture detainees at Guantanamo and other prisons, and who spoke out in defense of basic human rights. In a tremendous show of bravery and integrity, these military and civilian officials stood in direct defiance of their superiors at the Pentagon and White House in order to defend the rule of law. As US Attorney General Eric Holder recently said,

"In our current struggle against international terrorism, when others surrendered faithful obedience to the law to the circumstances of the time, it was the brave men and women in the JAG Corps who stood up against the tides, many times risking their careers to do so. We all can learn from their example."

We echo Attorney General Holder's sentiment; during one of America's darkest chapters, these individuals risked their careers to defend the ideals that this nation was built upon.

Take action, by clicking here to sign our letter of thanks to these brave JAGs. We will deliver the letters of commendation - with your signature! - and a "Common Cause Award for Uncommon Courage" around the 4th of July, the most patriotic of our nation's holidays.

Click here to read the stories of the JAGs we are honoring.

Ross Douthat, the New York Times' new columnist, writes that we can't just sweep torture and illegal abuses of power by the Bush administration under the rug, but that when we look back at them we shouldn't do anything about what we learn.Then why are we looking back, exactly, Mr. Douthat?  So we can "struggle toward consensus" on torture?  We already agreed that we should not torture.  And a society of rules and laws should simply follow them -- which means a full vetting and, if necessary, action against the wrongdoers.  Douthat's "sensible middle" position does not exist here.

AIG will receive yet another cash infusion from the taxpayers, prompting a fresh round of calls for transparency.  AIG, as the world's largest insurer, has backed the assets of many huge financial institutions -- but aside from Goldman Sachs, we still don't know who they are.  In other words, we don't know whom we're bailing out by propping up AIG.

If you missed the premiere last night of Frontline: Inside the Meltdown, I strongly encourage you to take an hour out of your day to watch it.  America's economic meltdown is not an easy thing to understand, but PBS did an excellent job in connecting the dots, explaining the various players, tactics, and schemes involved in the collapse, and providing analysis and interviews that give insight into the problems that got us into this mess.

Secretary Geithner’s testimony before the Senate Banking Committee provided a much-needed moment of catharsis and a signal of change in direction. Although former Secretary Henry Paulson was not present, the spectator of his deeds and broken promises haunted the proceedings. Senator Shelby, the Ranking member of the Committee warned Secretary Geithner against repeating the same mistakes of the past: absence of transparency, accountability, and oversight of the allocation of TARP funds.

Secretary Geithner came prepared to make a clear break from Paulson. But did he? In the midst of the praise and promises of the return of transparency, accountability and oversight to TARP, no one noticed that Geithner is continuing a policy that strips the American taxpayers of the right to say how their money is being spent. During the meeting, Secretary Geithner promoted preferred stocks as a good investment of the American tax dollars. However, the name "preferred stock" is camouflage. Preferred stocks have no voting rights but received preferential treatment in payment of dividends and liquation. As an owner of preferred stocks, American taxpayers are forced to trust the decision-making process of ailing financial institutions.