The Real Cost of Free Speech
By Brandon Marlowe, Letter to the Editor
Re "Toward freer speech," editorial, Jan. 30
This editorial is an abomination. The free speech you seek
to protect is the lastminute advertising paid for by
special interests with exceedingly deep pockets. This is
free speech for the rich and for corporate interests like
yourselves, not for the people of this country. We should
not encourage citizens to vote based on a last-minute ad
funded by a corporate or special interest and produced by
an advertising agency.
The exploding cost of elections in the U.S. and the
accompanying corruption of elected officials are the
biggest problems in our country today. Until elections are
about ideas instead of money, our democracy is lost. We
need full public financing of elections and free air time
for candidates, not handouts to our plutocracy under the
guise of free speech.
BRANDON MARLOWE
Santa Monica
See the article on Los Angeles Times website