Campaign Reform Casts Wide Net

In the course of impugning Sen. John McCain’s motives for seeking campaign finance reform (“At the Heart of McCain’s Quixotic Fight: His Ambition,” Commentary, March 20), James Pinkerton pooh-poohs the notion that money in politics is a big problem. He discounts the problem as being merely a “media feeling.” His mistake, I believe, is that he equates the lack of public clamor about this problem with indifference. The people are not nearly so indifferent as he thinks. Rather, they distrust the entire political process to the point of doubting their ability to do anything about it.

People may not be expressing their discontent with the corrupting influence of big-money campaign contributions as loudly as they should. But just ask the average guy or gal and listen to the mutters exactly about that problem.

DEWEY WASSER

Thousand Oaks

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Re “Have You No Shame, John McCain?” Commentary, March 21: Does George F. Will have no shame? Of course legislators tend to vote their ideologies, but it is money that allows the rich and powerful to put people into office whose ideologies can be counted on to cause them to vote in a certain way.

ANDY ROSENBERG

La Verne

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I would like to know what union gets permission from its members to use part of the members’ dues money to support any political cause or party the union leadership may favor (letter, March 20)? I know I can “opt out” of that “political” portion of my dues paid to the three unions I belong to now, but I would rather have the option of “opting in.”

TERRENCE BEASOR

Santa Monica