Cannot see the forest for all the trees...

I see that the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel is addressing campaign finance reform as it relates to WI Supreme Court Justices. Although I understand their argument, I am not sure if new laws accomplish anything.

So, conservatives, how would you feel about your tax dollars going to help elect state Supreme Court Justice Louis Butler Jr.?

So, liberals, how would you feel about your tax dollars going to help elect state Supreme Court Justice Annette Ziegler?

That is the one of the real choices we are faced with.

Even if you believe that public financing of these supreme court justices campaigns is the way to go, how do you stop the special interest groups?

These 527 groups are financing the campaigns, but are not necessarily giving directly to the candidates themselves.

Common sense folks attempting to support the candidates of their choice, would give their money to these 527 groups instead of directly to the candidates. There are very few rules controlling these groups. Any individual can give millions of dollars to these groups and their identities will protected.

Basically, you are shifting the millions of dollars poured into these campaigns away from the scrutiny of campaign finance laws and placed the millions of dollars directly into the hands of murky 527 groups that can keep their finances hidden.

These 527 groups have a monstrous effect on our elections anyway, can you imagine the incredible power you will place into their hands?

These special interest groups will have complete control over the elections and the airwaves.

If our state legislature does pass a bill forcing supreme court justices to adhere public financing, what would they really accomplish other than stifling good and honest people from donating to the candidates of their choice?

My fear is that with this passage of legislation, the problem will grow from being a big problem into a monster problem.

Until the problem with these 527 special interest groups are brought under control by our federal government, any passage of new state laws will do nothing more than destroy the integrity of elections. This will drive the money in politics even further underground into these murky well hidden 527 groups.

Yes, we all want integrity in our election process. The passage of this legislation does nothing more than take a big problem and creates a monstrous problem.