I keep listening to laments about Congress and its inability to act on important concerns of Americans. Here’s a stat that everyone should know and consider: The majority of all members of Congress list their major campaign contributor as living in Washington, D.C., not in their own districts, among their own constituents. Both Majority Leader Nancy Pelosi and Speaker of the House John Boehner collect more than 80 percent of their campaign funds from outside their districts.
If you want change in Washington, D.C., take the money out of politics. Only taxpayer-funded, public financing of Congressional campaigns will eliminate the influence of these special interests. “Higher taxes to pay for these bums’ campaigns?” you ask incredulously. It is preferable to the price we all pay now in higher costs passed on by these companies and special interests to recoup what they spend to sway and lobby, in addition to the price we pay in the form of choices made by Congress that fail to reflect our best interests.
I encourage readers to get hold of a copy of “The Best Congress Money Can Buy,” and see for themselves. Nothing will change without taking special-interest money out of the system.
Michael Newman
Vancouver
