FBI investigates Patty Murray and Norm Dicks’ dealings with PMA lobbyists.
Gregoire accepts money from Indian tribes. Rossi takes money from BIAW. Abramoff uses campaign money to control House Republicans. Obama accepts $541,000 from UBS bank. On and on. Every day a new scandal, smacking of corruption, weakens our faith in our government. And every one of them uses campaign contributions to “launder” obvious bribery.
Should we be furious with the politicians and lobbyists? The answer is a resounding “no.” They are playing the only game in town. The people we should be angry at are “We, the People.” That’s right, ourselves. Less than 0.3 percent of us ever give more than $200 to a political campaign. We think we’re getting something for nothing when we send our political candidates out begging for campaign money. Well, we’re not. The hundreds of billions of dollars of our money that has just been given away to the financial sector with no strings attached should make it perfectly clear that campaign “donors” get a great return on their investment. Add the insurance, pharmaceutical, petroleum and defense industries and you get the picture. We’re killing our democracy by letting special interests fund election campaigns.
Our officials will work for those who pay for their campaigns. It cannot be otherwise. Public funding of campaigns is public ownership of democracy. And we can have it. Contact your federal officials in both houses and demand they support the Fair Elections Now Act. See washclean.org for information.
Ken Dammand
Marysville
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