California Clean Money and Fair Elections Act

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A few days ago, something wonderful happened...

A few days ago the Clean Money Elections bill, AB 583, died a quiet, lonely death in a California State Senate committee. This bill would have given candidates for public office a choice in financing their campaigns: Do what they do now, which is solicit and accept large donations from wealthy individuals and corporations or, they could collect only small, individual donations and receive public financing. More importantly, this bill would have given us voters a choice too. We would have been able to vote for a Clean Money representative able to vote his own conscience or for the usual, Pay to Play politician.

The wonderful thing that happened a few days ago was not the demise of the Clean Money Bill. No, that was awful. But the California Nurses Association, anticipating the moral failure of our elected representatives, sponsored a Clean Money initiative. 620,000 concerned California voters signed their petition and a few days ago, Proposition 89, the "Clean Money and Fair Elections Act" qualified for our November ballot. Regular Californians, you and I, will be able to vote on this issue and, if it passes, no corporate shill will be able to veto it.

The Clean Money and Fair Elections Act is no less than a Declaration of Independence from our Monarchy of Money and the current version of taxation without representation. It returns Democracy to the voters who will have a clear choice on election day. We will be able to vote for candidates who either spend their time begging for campaign money from those who demand expensive favors in return or for those candidates who do not.

As good as it sounds, Clean Money and Fair Elections has a huge battle ahead of it. In last November's Special Election, the pharmaceutical industry spent $76 million to defeat a proposition that would have given Californians cheaper prescription drugs. With so much money spent on propaganda, it's no wonder that we voted to shoot ourselves in the foot. But the Clean Money and Fair Elections Act will cut the influence of ALL corporations and wealthy individuals, not just one industry. You can imagine the amount of money that will be pumped in, from all around the country, to defeat this proposition. This fall, as you hear the worst possible lies and distortions, constantly, and from every medium, realize that if corporations invest tens of millions of dollars to kill Clean Money, they must be reaping billions in favors - at our expense - with Pay to Play.

The Clean Money and Fair Elections Act is a dividing line issue between the extremely rich, who want politicians dependant upon their big money donations and the rest of us who want our representatives to be free from the influence peddlers. Always remember, Clean Money is simply about having a choice on election day. As Americans, we deserve nothing less.

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Clean Money Means Fair Elections

Special interests, lobbyists, pay to play... 64 percent of California's voters say that campaign contributions have had a negative effect on public policy decisions and 78 percent believe that the state government benefits special interests more than our citizens. Apparently, the other 22% have never read a newspaper.

If you're sick of politics as usual, then Proposition 89, the Clean Money and Fair Elections Act is for you. Prop 89 gives candidates a choice in financing their campaigns: Either do what they do now, which is solicit large donations from wealthy individuals and corporations or, collect only small donations and receive public financing. This proposition gives us voters a choice too. We will be able to vote for candidates who spend their time begging for campaign money from those who demand expensive favors in return or for candidates who do not.

The "Clean Money and Fair Elections Act" is a dividing-line issue pitting the extremely rich, who want to keep politicians in their pockets and the rest of us, who want our representatives free from their control.

This fall, corporations will be investing tens of millions of dollars to crush Prop 89. Ordinary Californians who want a better future don't have that kind of money, but we do have you... and you have relatives, friends, and co-workers. Start or join a local Clean Money group now. Talk it up at work. Post flyers and write letters. Just Google "clean money" to find out more.

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prop 89 – fighting political corruption

almost all voters, regardless of party affiliation, agree that there is entirely too much greed and corruption in sacramento and washington these days. most of us are just plain disgusted. granted, politicians need money for their signs, ads, and commercials in order to be elected or re-elected; unfortunately, today’s high-stakes pay-to-play is completely dominated by corporate lobbyists. we ordinary folks have been priced out of the access game. furthermore, these lobbyists have vastly different agendas than you or i. while we spend our days working for our dollars, they spend theirs dreaming up novel ways to snatch those dollars from us. to them, politicians are simply highly paid employees facilitating the exchange. we should make politicians cover their expensive suits with sponsor patches, like nascar drivers, so we can all tell where their loyalties truly lie.

if you’ve ever thought, “there must be a better way;” wondered why corporations with billions in profits legally pay less in taxes than you; or swore you would “never vote for those crooks ever again;” rejoice! proposition 89, the clean money and fair elections act, is coming soon to a ballot near you. if we all work hard and get this passed in november, prop 89 will allow candidates to remain “clean” with public financing for their campaigns. our representatives would actually represent us, not the special interest lobbyists. imagine, taxation with representation. what a revolutionary concept! yes on 89.

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Specializes in Critical Care.

Keeping Democrats limited to public financing while allowing Republicans to continue current practices sounds like an EXCELLENT way to bring a Republican majority to Calif.

Sounds good.

But, in just a very few elections cycles, the 'public financing' garbage will be proven so ineffective that I wouldn't bet on anybody using it. As it is, the trend in PRESIDENTIAL politics is away from buying into what amounts to a cap on free speech.

Go ahead and place it on your ballot. Good luck trying to get any candidates to consistently agree to such free speech limitations.

Declaration of indepedence from the mother's milk of politics? Hardly. Declaration of impotence is more like it. Having the gov't spend my hard earned money to solve every problem is NOT good gov't.

In fact, some problems just can't be solved that way. But, I don't mind waste of time sideshows if you don't. . .

~faith,

Timothy.

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Keeping Democrats limited to public financing while allowing Republicans to continue current practices sounds like an EXCELLENT way to bring a Republican majority to Calif.

Sounds good.

~faith,

Timothy.

I agree!:monkeydance:

As to the issue of "clean money", limiting access to contributing to politicians simply because you don't agree with their message is limiting Americans of their free speech rights.

Every group has lobbyists and special interest groups with lots of money. Right, left and in-between.

One of the things that disappointed me was when President Bush signed the McCain/Feingold fiasco.

I won't vote for this bill - but I'm all for the freedom to put it on the ballot.

steph

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Tim and Steph, Please try to find out what this proposition is all about before injecting your pre-concieved biases. My thoughts can be found at: nurseactivist.blogspot.com Mike

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Specializes in Critical Care.
Tim and Steph, Please try to find out what this proposition is all about before injecting your pre-concieved biases. My thoughts can be found at: nurseactivist.blogspot.com Mike

My pre-conceived biases about the government's missteps in trying to by my Daddy are well earned.

The gov't is NOT the solution to all problems. Look at the last PRESIDENTIAL election, after 'campaign finance reform'. All it did was allow the George Soros (moveon.org) and Bob Perrys (think 'Swiftboat') of the world to loom large. And STILL, the American public, by my estimation, got it right.

I don't subscribe to the notion that the American public is too stupid to breathe unless the gov't holds their hands.

And I don't subscribe to the notion that my limited tax dollars go to rich people to spare them of the antiquated notion of making their mark in the actual arena of public opinion. Sure, you'll get more fringe candidates that now have the means to wax on about their fringeness, because YOU and I are paying for it.

But that's not really essential to anything, especially politics.

It's a bad idea, but, since it's a politically motivated bad idea, I don't take much stock in it, either way. The law of unintended consequences and the fondness of politicians to make loopholes that benefit them will make the actual language of any such law pointless, arcane, and ultimately, even more entrenched in the very concepts the law will be meant to combat. Except now, we have to pay for it.

If it satisfies some liberal notion that everybody, even politicians, should be on welfare, so be it. But, no more complaints about laws favoring the rich. You can't have it both ways.

Don't EVEN pretend this is about protecting the little guy. When it comes to money and politics, that is NEVER the case. The politicians advocating this little gem only do so because they think it will give them an advantage at the ballot box. As I said, the American public actually IS smarter than that.

~faith,

Timothy.

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Who is afraid of the big, bad nurse?

http://www.dirtymoneywatch.org/article/?storyId=1353&lk=5552422-5552422-0-23321-derHQ8SUJH9rb868EwBbR7dIC8ULSeIF

PS: It is nurses not politicians advocating this. Neither party will support it.

I think when the big corporations, unions, chamber of commerce, and all leading polititions are against it it may be a good idea.

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The gov't is NOT the solution to all problems.

~faith,

Timothy.

The current adminstration has proved that point. "W" and the boys sure screwed everything up royally.

Which begs the question, "Why is Bozo in charge"? Oh yeah thats right, it's the money

Time to cut off supply.

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Specializes in Critical Care.
The current adminstration has proved that point. "W" and the boys sure screwed everything up royally.

Which begs the question, "Why is Bozo in charge"? Oh yeah thats right, it's the money

Time to cut off supply.

Actually it's because ME and millions of other Americans voted them in.

And Proudly so.

they 'screwed up everything' is a political estimation. I disagree.

In any case, if THIS is the reason behind this provision, then it's quite clear that the whole concept is just for partisan political purposes. But then, that was a no-brainer at the start.

~faith,

Timothy.

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