Time to pressure Senate leaders on VOE
Submitted by KatyMunger on Tue, 05/25/2010 - 4:22pm
Dear Blue NCers: we need your help over the next few days in convincing Senate leadership that they need to KEEP provisions that would allow for expansion of local and state public campaign financing programs in this year's pending ethics reform bill. I realize that we are facing budget cuts and painful decisions must be made -- but until we change a system that allows $1 BILLION IN SPECIAL TAX BREAKS EACH YEAR to be engineered and protected by PAC's, we are going to find ourselves facing these kinds of painful decisions again and again. Please look to next year and beyond and help us make a permanent change in the system. This bill is likely our one hope this year to pass a few more VOE programs in the state. Action links inside.
This link takes you to an action alert page that makes it easy for you to contact Senators Basnight and Nesbitt about keeping VOE in the ethics bill: Take Action
In addition, if you are in Josh Stein's district or Dan Clodfelter's, they are two more Senators who hold the fate of VOE in their hands and both need some encouragement to step up to the plate. You can send them a message easily here.
Thanks if you can help. I know there's a lot going on right now, but I feel like we're making worthy causes pay the price for special interest legislation and that's not fair. We need to keep it from happening so much in the future.
Done (& quick msg to James)
and shared on facebook & twitter.
As the Volunteer Coordinator on the Mark Kleinschmidt for Mayor campaign I saw first hand that the Voter Owned Elections public financing program can and does work. Mayor Mark Kleinschmidt and Town Council Member Penny Rich were the voter owned candidates in our most recent round of elections in Chapel Hill and they both won more votes in their respective categories than any of their better funded non-VOE opponents.
Voter Owned Elections can open the doors to those who want to run for office but who aren't wealthy enough to do so, and they can keep officials once elected loyal to the voters rather than special interests since they are limited to small dollar donations from locally registered voters to qualify for the public funds.
Not only do I think Voter Owned Elections are a solid step towards good governance, I think they can be good politics as well. In a time when people are justifiably upset over the influence of Wall Street, of special interests, and over the SCOTUS ruling allowing more corporate influence over elections, I think the public can support this sort of election reform to return power to the voters and to the people.
I really hope a lot of people will take a moment to click that action link and send that e-mail at the very least. And if there is anyway there is room on the front page of BlueNC then I really hope to see this blog posting find its way there because I very much believe in the importance of this cause.
Done (& quick msg to James)
Thanks for this frontline view, Jake -- and for contacting the Senators. Really appreciate it.
Katy Munger,
Progress North Carolina
www.progressnc.org
Lead, follow or get out of the way....
Sometimes it takes me awhile
:)
Do good. Be nice. Have fun.
ethics reform bill
What could be more ethical than politicians voting to take taxpayer money and give it to politicians?
Bravo for ethics reform!
A common misconception:
FYI: Voter-Owned Elections do not necessarily use public money. Some are paid for with modest fees on entities doing business with that particular office. For example, the NC Treasurer's office program could be funded by fees on investment companies making millions off the state each year. Other funding techniques have also been proposed. Regardless, for a penny per day per voter in NC, we could have enough money to fund all statewide races, including NC house and NC Senates. Compare that to the $1 billion a year in special tax breaks our current system creates and it's even more of a bargain. So, yeah -- it is a great idea! :)
As to local public campaign financing: the current bill would give NC cities with populations above 50,000 the right to decide for themselves if they want a program and how they would pay for it. Since self-determination is an important plank in the far-right platform, we've gotten support from both sides of the aisle from people who agree these municipalities should have the right to decide for themselves whether a Voter-Owned Elections program is worth it to them.
To learn more about the facts and track record of public campaign financing programs, please visit our VOE section on Democracy NC's website.
Katy Munger,
Progress North Carolina
www.progressnc.org
Lead, follow or get out of the way....
I'd rather have politicans feeling beholden to us tax payers
than to fat cat donors who exploit every tax loop hole and buy politicians wholesale so they can continue to game the system unchallenged. It seems to me if we want our representatives to work for us rather than special interest, we need to make an investment in an election program that puts us in control, not the big money guys.
Also, our elected officials can actually do the work we elected them to do instead of hosting yet another fundraiser.
Resistance is Fertile
Real Solutions
You could give your OWN money, instead of volunteering mine. You could get out and volunteer instead of making me work to pay for your candidate's campaign.
I seem to recall President Obama used many small donations and a large volunteer effort to win in 2008 while eschewing public matching from the federal government.
Brilliant Ideas
If not from the public, where does that money come from? My wife is a lawyer (not currently practicing, but is licensed) and she has to pay $50 to fund judicial elections under threat of her law license. I don't see how that is just or right. Judges and politicians have no right to hit her up for forced campaign contributions.
As for local public campaign financing, I don't see how my city (vs state of federal) government taking money out of my pocket to give to politicians is any better or worse.
How about this? I decide if I want to give money to a politician. I decide if someone has ideas worth supporting. Not you. Not the government.
I understand your frustration at our current system, but the solution is not to force me to support your politicians.
Done....letter sent.
n/t
Stan Bozarth