Elections, Once Again, Are Auctions
Letter to the editor
After claiming he hasn't "sold out to any special interest groups," Arnold Schwarzenegger actively solicited more than $4 million from corporate donors.
Not to be outdone, Cruz Bustamante pocketed over $4 million from Indian gaming tribes. Again, our elections have become auctions, and as a middle-class American, I want my voice to be heard.
Something needs to be changed, and there is a simple answer to giving elections back to all Americans. It's called publicly financed campaigns, or "clean money" elections.
Candidates who show broad public support are offered the choice to forego private fund-raising in favor of public financing. They are no longer beholden to their wealthy contributors and special-interest groups nor do they need to be multimillionaires.
It's worked in Arizona and Maine and could work in California. Rather than recall the governor, let's recall the campaign-finance system.
Ranya Cohen
Moraga
See the article on Contra Costa Times website
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