Citizens Should Be Top Priority

By Lloyd Downs, Letter to the Editor

Recently I read in the newspaper a story about eminent domain. What jumped off the page for me were remarks and insinuations from Assemblyman Rick Keene that he is against legislators in Sacramento who employ rhetoric of "for the public good," and he goes on to assert that he's against "social justice issue proponents." Do we really need a Legislature in Sacramento who would want anything other than "for the public good, or for social justice?" Maybe this explains why he never answers my letters on the subject of "clean money" for politicians. There is only one other kind of money available for legislators when running for office and it's commonly thought of as dirty money. How can dirty money in politics embrace clean, clear, unbiased legislation for the public good or social justice? Money from special interests hinders in most cases and does nothing but cause bias against the public and forbids public justice.

The trend as I see it with legislators is corporate special-interest money donors are daily coddled as "special clients," and citizens are treated as lowly disenfranchised voters at election time only. I feel forsaken.

I'd say it's time to rethink Keene as a legislator, attorney and a citizen. What do we need people in our community like this for? Please note that I have not mentioned his political party affiliation, or his philosophy. You, the reader can figure this out for yourself.

Lloyd M. Downs
Magalia

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