Maybe we ought to start paying attention to the legislative races coming up here in the Beaver State. Today House Democrats, badly outnumbered, took a hard shot at their GOP nemeses, proposing new limits on lobbying and accusing the Republicans of being in bed with "special interests."

House minority leader Jeff Merkley of East Portland unveiled the proposed restrictions. House Speaker Karen Minnis, R-Wood Village, sassed him back.

The Dems clearly have the better of this argument. Just over a year ago, the Republican House (and evenly divided Senate) presided over the passage of an abomination of a bill that would have further legalized corporate graft beyond what's already allowed under Oregon law. The vote in the House was along strict party lines. Our fearless leader and governor, who was doubtlessly still taking calls from lobbyist extraordinaire Neil Goldschmidt in those days, first said he'd sign the bill, but after howls of protest, he backed down and vetoed it.

For Merkley to wheel this particular bandwagon back out of the barn at this time is pure, unadulterated election year politics. But if Minnis, who's been known to cruise with her public-official husband to places like Disney World on corporate and state money, thinks nobody's paying attention or cares about this issue, she's wrong.

In other sleaze news, those fine upstanding folks at Saif Corporation, the state's largest pot of loosely guarded public money, were held in contempt of court today. The fine could run as high as $1 million. Couldn't happen to a more deserving bunch.