In recent months, Americans watched with apprehension as the national economy slipped and then stumbled into a steep downturn. It left many of us shaking our heads and wondering what went wrong.

We were told that shifting government responsibilities to the private sector would cut costs. So the White House gave no-bid contracts to special interests that produced astronomical profits, and we got poor results.

They said tax cuts would grow the economy. Instead we watched tax cuts for the wealthiest drive record deficits and the greatest disparity of wealth in our nation's history.

Special interests said we needed to roll back decades-old environmental protections and loosen financial oversight to grow the economy. Then profiteering plunged our nation into the most significant economic crisis in recent memory.

We learned too late that cutting government spending did not mean cutting any of the billions in wasteful special-interest giveaways, but instead slashing vital funds for education, job training and health care.

Now the special-interest "party" is nearing its end. No one should be surprised that we have been left with the bill: record deficits that will be paid by the middle class for generations to come, veterans and seniors without health care, and a crumbling public infrastructure. It is quite a hangover.

A lesson can be learned from this: Heeding special interest lobbyists and charged partisan rhetoric – no matter on whose side – result in terrible economic policy.

Which brings me to Ron Bancroft's most recent columns.

Bancroft has spent the last weeks delighting in the same kind of rhetoric that brought us to the brink of recession.

He has suggested that Mainers should consult with the special interests before voting. Ron suggested Mainers rely on the advice of MERI, a conservative business lobby group that purports to rate Maine lawmakers.

Let me save you the trouble of rushing to look up your lawmaker. Virtually all Democrats receive a failing grade and all Republicans a passing grade.

However, there are important reasons for people to take a closer look at MERI and the flaws of its dubious ratings.

Each year, 50 percent of a legislator's MERI score is based on the input of 14 anonymous, hand-picked special-interest lobbyists who secretly rate lawmakers based on how approachable they are.

The remaining half of MERI's ratings is based on legislation that has little to do with the economy. Its hit list of so-called anti-business bills includes initiatives like clean water standards, middle-class tax cuts and legislation to prevent drug companies from hiding clinical trial results that reveal health hazards.

Equally disconcerting is what is not counted in a MERI rating. These include the state's largest-ever investment in business, research and development; creation of the state's first business court; elimination of the business equipment tax; and tax credits that help Mainers pay for college.

MERI is a classic example of how special interests use enormous resources to market their own interests in the guise of the public's. Unfortunately, Bancroft's endorsement reveals a more-disturbing fact – sometimes their tactics work.

While President Bush would have likely enjoyed a 100 percent MERI rating, thanks to his partisanship and cozy relationships with special-interest lobbyists, it is also clear that most Americans would give him a failing grade in economics.

Bancroft shows us how easy it is to lose sight of the fundamental and substantive conversation needed to grow social and economic prosperity, and MERI shows us just how easily that conversation can be corrupted.

We crave a real and honest discussion about these issues. We are ready to leave behind partisan rhetoric for progress.

This requires celebration of our successes and thoughtful analysis of our...