Letter: 'Donor class' overly influential
I strongly disagree with your editorial "Can we find honest pols?" [April 28]. First, I dispute your number regarding the cost of public campaign financing. The Washington, D.C.-based Campaign Finance Institute, an organization that researches campaign finance issues, recently stated that enacting a small donor matching system across New York State would cost a maximum of $40 million, not the wildly inflated $200 million that you cite.
Second, you fail to address how our existing campaign finance system is wholly owned and operated by corporate interests. If public financing were enacted, our lawmakers could listen to and rely on ordinary people to finance their campaigns rather than sell out to well-heeled lobbyists.
Ultimately, this is all about democracy. A system that allows big money to unduly influence lawmakers does a disservice to ordinary citizens. We can dilute the power of the donor class and take back our campaign finance system, but only if we enact publicly financed elections.
Paul Gold, Merrick