Volstead Lounge
Clean Up Elections
RECEIVED Tue., July 6, 2010
Dear Editor,
The problem with our political system isn’t so much that individual members of Congress are corrupt but that the system is corrupt. Sure, there are bad apples in the barrel, but the real problem is that the barrel is rotten. No matter how honest you are, when your ability to get elected depends on collecting millions of dollars from special interests, there’s no way you can be objective. And having to spend so much time fundraising just discourages good people from running and prevents those who do get elected from doing what we sent them there to do: Solve the problems of everyday Americans. It’s time our elected officials started listening to the voices of everyday Americans, not their corporate sponsors. We need to clean up our elections, and do it now.
The Fair Elections Now Act has 156 congressional co-sponsors but only six from Texas. Convincing Rep. Ron Paul, in particular, would make a big difference.
The problem with our political system isn’t so much that individual members of Congress are corrupt but that the system is corrupt. Sure, there are bad apples in the barrel, but the real problem is that the barrel is rotten. No matter how honest you are, when your ability to get elected depends on collecting millions of dollars from special interests, there’s no way you can be objective. And having to spend so much time fundraising just discourages good people from running and prevents those who do get elected from doing what we sent them there to do: Solve the problems of everyday Americans. It’s time our elected officials started listening to the voices of everyday Americans, not their corporate sponsors. We need to clean up our elections, and do it now.
The Fair Elections Now Act has 156 congressional co-sponsors but only six from Texas. Convincing Rep. Ron Paul, in particular, would make a big difference.
Paul Silver,
Common Cause of Texas
Common Cause of Texas
