Results from the 17th year of a poll routinely taken by the Wall Street Journal and NBC News show that only 16 percent approve of the job Congress is doing. 52 percent of those polled said they'd prefer a Democrat-controlled Congress, while 37 percent prefer Republicans.

Remarkably, most representatives usually win re-election and this is not likely to change. Why? Follow the money!

Incumbents can radically outspend challengers. Advertising definitely pays, but it also costs. Senate incumbents raise more than challengers by a factor of nine or ten to one. House incumbents enjoy only half that advantage - about five to one.

Political Action Committees, or PACs, have become a major force in campaign finance, providing crucial early advantage to chosen races by infusing them with cash well before challengers can solicit contributions from individual donors. In return, PACs enjoy open access to legislators throughout the session. That's quite a bit more than average citizens enjoy at our local congressional offices - ask Ellen Murphy! House Democrats tend to benefit the most from early PAC contributions, though Republicans attract more overall.

Sadly, It could be that the public's approval rating of Congress doesn't really matter. The public doesn't buy campaigns, PACs do. If legislators' approval ratings with their PAC contributors were to drop, it should be reflected in diminished contributions - and that hardly ever happens!

Government of, by and for the people? Campaign finance reform? It's like what Ghandi said when asked what he thought about western civilization: "That would be a very good idea!"