Taking issue with stand on Prop. 89

By Jean Seager, Letter to the Editor

Contrary to the Union-Tribune's Aug. 24 editorial, “No on Prop. 89/It's badly written, unconstitutional and futile,†Proposition 89 is not an infringement on free speech. It is instead just the opposite: a proposal that would increase free speech. If California were to move to a clean money system where candidates (on a voluntary basis) could run for office using public money, then big money donors and personal fortunes would not be required for political campaigns. This would allow more people to run and more ideas to enter the marketplace. That's precisely what happened in both Arizona and Maine where clean money is already successful. Not only did more candidates vie for office, the races were more competitive, the political advertisements more substantive, and the voters were more interested. Elections became exactly what they are supposed to be â€" contests of ideas, not money.

Jean Seager
Coronado

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