Declan McCullagh wrote earlier today after speaking to a Democratic aide, “The proposal–expected to be made public soon after Tax Day–would rewrite the ground rules for Internet and mail order sales by eliminating the ability of Americans to shop at Web sites like Amazon.com and Overstock.com without paying state sales taxes.”

That’s sure to upset a lot of people who are accustomed to saving money by shopping online, and when it comes to nonessential things like music and movies, an Internet sales tax may decrease sales for a time, given the state of the economy.  And/or increase piracy rates, for that matter.

Traditional retailers are no doubt hoping to see more customers visit their brick and mortar stores, however, which could happen if online retailers like Amazon lose a key pricing advantage.

Also, it seems that with or without significant amounts of cost-cutting, most states’ budgets could use an influx of cash these days.

So we’ll see what happens.  As noted earlier, this won’t exactly be the first time the idea of an Internet sales tax has been put up for debate, and powerful organizations sit on both sides of the issue.  We won’t bombard you with every single soapbox press release, but stay tuned for further significant developments.

"There are two reasons I’m asking for your help and participation," writes Senator Durbin. "The first is because I think we need more public participation and transparency in the way Congress crafts significant legislation. 

"This is an approach to legislation that has never been tried before.  If it’s successful — as I believe it will be — it may become the way lawmakers approach drafting bills on other issues like education, health care, and foreign policy.

"The second reason I’m doing this is because broadband policy is one of the most important public policy issues today.  Frankly, America does not have a national broadband strategy, and we are falling behind."

Durbin says he has three principles in mind to guide discussion: universal and affordable broadband access; preservation of online innovation; and furthering the democratic process via broadband technology.

Proponents as well as detractors call Durbin’s plan "an experiment," both sides disagreeing on whether the general public has a place at the legislative table among policy experts, lobbyists, and special interest groups. Durbin hopes to prove that there is a place for them.

"At stake is not a set of wonky policy details," writes Matt Stoller, both an advocate for Network Neutrality and Durbin, "but a fundamental vision of how Americans communicate and relate to each other.

"Legislating is often known as a sausage factory, or a contest of interests done in private.  And in fact, I think a lot of the negative impressions of our lawmaking bodies comes from the secrecy of the process.  With the internet, we can put everyone and every lobbyist on a level playing field, and have a genuinely open contest of ideas."

Stoller’s words also appear on OpenLeft.com, aptly titled "Legislation 2.0."