Public campaign financing could end big donor rule of government
Another mass shooting. Another round of thoughts and prayers. And likely another failure to keep automatic and semiautomaticweapons off the market and particularly out of the hands of the mentally disturbed.
However, the systemdoes work well for big- donating special interests like the National Rifle Association, which pours millions of dollars into election campaigns to get its way in spite of public opinion.
This is the same playbook used by financial institutions, oil companies, pharmaceuticals, insurance companies and a long list of other special interests to prevail over the public interest.
Politicians often calculate that they gain more fromtelevision ads in their favor than they lose from public awareness of who is paying for them. This perverse incentive is baked into the system.
Yes, the system is rigged. We have government of, by, and for big donors. Donald Trump, to his advantage, articulated this during the campaign, but once in office has taken the money and favored the donors. Money talks. Those who pay the piper call the tune. Don’t bite the hand that feeds you. Follow the money.
But there is a game- changing concept: If we want government to work for everyone, then everyone must pay for election campaigns.
For as little as $ 10 yearly per person, over two years we could raise more than $ 6 billion to fund federal election campaigns. This could restore shaken faith in our system and be an unprecedented bargain for transforming our presumed democracy into a true democracy.
Richard Barsanti, Western Springs
Stop the shooting
This. Must. Stop. Since the Sandy Hook school shooting five years ago— when many spoke up, saying “this must stop”— there have been 1607 mass shootings ( four or more shot), more than one a day.
And yet, rather than pass strict gun laws ( which the state of Maryland did), most states passed more- lenient gun laws. The political motivation is understandable: half the people champion gun rights, half favormore gun control, and the GOP finds gun rights advocates a great target audience for them. As a result, we have death after death, and yet the GOP keeps advocating to their gun rights base by passing more lenient gun laws.
Lee Knohl, Evanston
SEND LETTERS, including your neighborhood or hometown and a phone number for verification purposes, to letters@ suntimes. com.