Costly Political Campaigns
The common-sense remedy for the obscene amounts of money spent on political campaigns and the corruption such spending breeds is simple: Stop political advertising on television. Cut it out. Don’t allow it anymore. Let the candidates and the mouthpieces for or against propositions get out on the stump. Let them work up a sweat and look the electorate in the eye. Maybe at crunch time, TV stations can provide some free air time as a public service, as their FCC licenses already tell them they’re supposed to do.
Like cigarettes and whiskey, political advertising on television is bad for your health.
LEE HUTSON
Agoura
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I saw a letter (Oct. 28) in which a woman says, “My husband and I have decided to stay away from the polls. Our vote does not count.” You know what? Your vote does count. The thing that is so frustrating is that the government institutions often pay no attention to our vote, as in the case she mentions, “Bilingual classes still thriving.”
What can we do about these cases? Well, the next step in the process is to keep active and flood the institutions (Legislature, the Board of Education, etc.) with letters, e-mail and phone calls to make sure the message is reinforced. God never promised us a rose garden free of thorns. We should expect to have to take follow-up action. If you have a cause that is a passionate issue with you, get on the phones, use your e-mail, send letters, storm the Bastille, so to speak, and never, never give up.
EARL H. HYGH
Mission Viejo
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I do vote. However, it is very discouraging to see our “public officials” (our employees) undo measures we have voted for, i.e. ignore (insurance commissioner), overturn or stall (judges), or file lawsuits against to overturn (teachers unions), with our money to boot.
In particular, can you print a list of judges who have overturned or stalled laws voted in by the “will of the people”? Also, as per your Oct. 28 editorial, I think that campaign contributions must be curtailed, especially contributions from foreign interests. This smacks of “payola” to me and many other voters.
LINDA CORMIER
Menifee