NPR’s Marketplace program, which usually deals with commodities like hedge funds, stock portfolios, and the price of steel in China, last week turned its attention to Virginia’s Wild West campaign finance system (basically, anybody can give as much as they want to anybody, as long as they disclose it). Featured were Republican consultant Ray Allen (who speaks admiringly of the Virginia way of doing business), 2005 Attorney General candidate Creigh Deeds (who suggests that one reason for his 360-vote loss in the AG race may have been the gazillion dollars that came flooding into the state for his opponent in the final weeks of the campaign), and Delegate Brian Moran (who patroned a bill this session to close one of the Virginia system’s infinite number of loopholes).

Virginia campaign finance junkies can hear it all  here, and NPR junkies can finally see in print how Kai Ryssdal spells his name.