Just to briefly respond to Mr. Novoselic’s fine column this week: I think a Rock Party or some sort of political alliance that is community-based and not allowed to raise dough outside of itself is a great and brave idea. Too often these days, we are promised “transparency” or “change” in government, only to find these slogans as nothing more than marketing tools for an election.Lobbying, too, is a practice that leaves the common man on the roadside somewhere, scratching his head in bewilderment with no bandages for the accrued road rash. Did anyone catch the moment last July when the Health Care Reform Bill was left at the door of the Senate right before their summer vacation?First off, we were led to believe that the HCRB was being rushed there so quickly so that we all could feel the benefits of universal health care that much faster. IN REALITY, however, the Senate vacation has become the perfect yearly time for assorted lobbyists to come in and bid for their wares with our government. Then last summer, the Senate went on “vacation” and millions of dollars in lobby money from private health-insurance and related private heath-industry interests flooded into Washington, D.C. Universal health care doesn’t stand a chance against greedy politicians with a vote in the game. This Health Care Reform Bill never stood a chance. I’m still not sure if it was supposed to. At 1,260 pages, who was going to really digest this thing?But in truth, I WAS only joking about the McKagan/Novoselic ticket. Did no one pick up on the tongue-and-cheekness when I stated that I’d “want to not raise taxes, raise tax incentives for business, AND induce major reform with social programs”?But, Krist, I accept your nomination!!!