Public Campaign | Clean Money Clean Elections

Submitted by Katie Schlieper on Tue, 11/13/2007 - 2:15pm.

That's what we like to see during Fair Elections Action Week: two good letters in support of the Fair Elections Now Act, one in Wisconsin (top of the page) and one in Pennsylvania (third down). Full letters reprinted after the jump.

From The Wisconsin State Journal:

Fair Elections Act worth supporting

Lately our Senate is looking a lot more like Britian's House of Lords, where money and family get one (and keep one) in office.

We need to give the Senate back to the people. But this won't happen unless our senators are willing to give up the money chase and return our elections to the voters. They have an opportunity to do that by cosponsoring S. 1285, the Fair Elections Now Act, authored by Sen. Richard Durbin, D-Ill., and Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., to create a voluntary system of public financing for congressional candidates.

Without public funding of elections, we will see more scandals involving campaign cash. But it's the giant earmarks and the socially bankrupt policies bought by special interests that are really scandalous.

-- Margaret J. Welke, Madison

And from the Scranton Times-Tribune:

Switch emphasis

Editor: I support the Fair Elections Now Act (S.1285), the bipartisan bill introduced in the U.S. Senate that would create a voluntary system of publicly funded elections.

Elections should empower voters and volunteers instead of campaign donors and wealthy special interests. Modeled on the successful Clean Elections programs in cities and states around the country, the Fair Elections Now Act would give congressional candidates an opportunity to win elections by speaking with constituents to earn their trust, respect and votes instead of by chasing campaign dollars.

At a time when scandal and corruption sometimes appear to touch all levels of government, I am excited that members of Congress are working to enact a proven solution to the pay-to-play system.

I urge our senators to support the passage of this most important bill.

HAROLD CAMERON

SCRANTON

Thanks to Harold and Margaret. Keep writing those letters and sending them in!

. . . . .