Despite the news being dominated in recent weeks by the financial crisis and the presidential election, Pennsylvanians should not be distracted from news coming out of Harrisburg. And based on what has been happening — or not happening — in the General Assembly, most incumbents probably are thankful that voters are distracted.

The Bonusgate investigation was back in the news earlier this month, when testimony was given on the extent of the political work done by House Democrats at taxpayers' expense. One staffer who had worked for former state Rep. Mike Veon, D-Beaver Falls, testified that state employees under Veon often worked exclusively on campaign work, and sometimes for weeks at a time.

Such activity is against the law, because elected officials and their staff work for all their constituents, not just for one political party.

One former aide, Patrick Lavelle, was paid $75,640 in 2006, and has told prosecutors that his state job primarily was raising campaign money. Lavelle, who is cooperating with prosecutors, has agreed to plead guilty to four felony charges. He reported directly to Veon.

Additional testimony revealed that feverish campaign work in the 2006 campaign used computers, printers, copiers and went through dozens of $300 color printer ink cartridges — all paid for with public tax dollars.

Beyond that campaign work, other staffers have testified that efforts to knock 2004 presidential candidate Ralph Nader off the ballot in Pennsylvania to improve the chances of Democrat John Kerry were "massive and completely consuming."

House Democrats are charged with using staffers, paid with taxpayer money, to challenge Nader's nomination petition, to remove him from the ballot. One former staffer said, "That's what we did all day long."

Earlier this summer, when he learned of the efforts of the state employees in the House Democratic caucus, Nader said, "This was one of the most fraudulent and deceitful exercises ever perpetrated on Pennsylvania voters."

Nader also has questioned assertions by House Democratic Leader H. William DeWeese that he was unaware of the massive staffer effort to disqualify signatures on Nader's nominating petitions.

Nader, like most others following the Bonusgate story, suggests that it is hard to believe that DeWeese did not know of such a coordinated effort involving scores of staffers in his caucus.

In late September, Nader requested that the FBI and the Federal Election Commission look into the Bonusgate matter to see if federal election laws were broken.

And this week, the latest news from the Bonusgate probe is that an aide who raised money for DeWeese is cooperating with state prosecutors. A technology businessman from Pittsburgh has said that he dealt with the DeWeese aide, Kevin Sidella, on campaign finance issues during the workday at the Capitol. Again, such action is prohibited for a state employee, paid with taxpayer dollars.

As a DeWeese staffer, Sidella was paid $81,500 a year and received a $20,185 bonus for his work in 2006.

DeWeese, who is not among the 12 people charged in the ongoing Bonusgate investigation, denies any wrongdoing and says he was unaware of both the extensive political work being done by House Democratic staffers as well as the massive $2.3 million taxpayer-funded bonus program paid to hundreds of people in his caucus for campaign work in the 2006 elections.

Democrats in the House and voters in DeWeese's district should look very carefully at these developments — and decide what is credible and what is not.

Voters across the state, when encountering any candidates for the General Assembly — incumbent or challenger — should ask them what they will do to end the culture of corruption and self-dealing as well as the extreme partisanship that makes Harrisburg so dysfunctional.

The dramatic financial news of recent weeks and the concluding presidential campaign have dominated the headlines recently. But it's worth paying attention to the ongoing revelations of corruption coming out of Harrisburg.

With an election arriving in less than three weeks, voters should be demanding dramatic changes in the General Assembly. There must be an end to the corrupting culture of entitlement and a clear rejection of politicians who view their jobs as lifetime gravy trains and are more interested in serving their own personal or political interests than the interests of their constituents.

With the ongoing Bonusgate investigation, which could well expand to the three other caucuses, there is a chance that the courts will complement voters' actions in bringing new faces, and a new culture, to Harrisburg.