Reform campaign money
I thank the individuals who wrote after the election still supporting my campaign for Council at Large. I also want to thank all that voted for and supported my election—19,400 or so.
I still hope the principles I stood for become policy. However, I fear the financially “selected ones” now holding office do not have the intellect, courage or desire to change elections, or much else, for the general public’s benefit.
I spent only $950 on my campaign for city office. Candidates should not “buy” elected office regardless of their sources! We must change our campaign methods with publicly financed elections.
Restrict money going directly to the candidates by :
1) Voter Guides to ALL voters with equal information from all the candidates, and references to more election information. These should be sent to all voters before elections.
2) Publicly financed web pages for candidates to answer important questions from the general public, and from organizations and groups that currently send questions (whose web pages often get limited attention.)
3) Publicly financed web pages providing candidate biographies and endorsements.
4) Implement Instant Runoff Voting. (I have leaflets on this method and its benefits.)
5) Voting by mail to increase public participation and cut down on costs. (Oregon already does this).
6) Cut off all donations to candidates two weeks before the election date, with a listing of all contributions available immediately for the public via the media or the internet.
7) Printed material of the above (where applicable) to read at public places (libraries, court houses, schools, etc.) for those that are not internet active.
8) Televised forums/debates and radio shows of candidates available for free on public access channels as well as purchased on commercial TV for regional campaigns.
Let’s be leaders in the state and/or nation, and internationally, to prove democracy is participatory and NOT bought by corporations or the rich.
Don Pratt
Former candidate for Council at Large
210 Walton Ave.
389-7694 or 552-2235
Dbp91044@gmail.com
Props for Main Street
Finally someone articulates (“Propping up Main Street,” January 19) the misguided policy decisions our city has been pursuing since Scotty Baesler was mayor. A well-written, thoughtful piece.
Name Withheld
Racist foreigners
Our lone response to our publication of the La Voz editorial, “SB 6 is racist.”
It is called nipping it in the bud before it can bloom into a problem. When I was kid\teenager just 35 years ago you never saw a Mexican, Oriental,whatever in this once great state in my area anyway and every “Real American” citizen that would work had a good job. Now these illegal Mexicans just pour North at an ever increasing pace and they take away jobs at a lower cost from real American people. It is an outrage and I think the Founding Fathers would agree and they would not put up with all the bullshit that goes on in this country nowadays fro a minute!
It is time to deport Mexicans,Middle Eastern people,etc and any other foreign group that does not want to adopt the rules of this country and our way of life as it has been for 200 plus years. That includes adjusting our Constitution however we must to allow it to happen before the “Real American” citizens have their very existence threatened in their own country by these people who don’t really belong here. Freedom of religon also needs to be revised and a clause added to ban anything Muslim in this country and the mosques could then be torn down and eliminated across the continent. SB 6 is a good thing a a good start to get the ball rolling in that direction. I support it 100%.
Mike Brown
The NoC editorial staff drew straws; Keith won and was allowed to respond on behalf of the paper:
Some questions for you, Mike:
1. Exactly how long, in years, does a person’s family have to have resided in this country before you consider him/her a “Real American?”
2. What if “Mexicans, Middle Eastern people, etc” DO want to adopt the rules of this country? Do we deport them anyway? Or just the ones who don’t want our way of life?
3. How should the Constitution be adjusted to protect our existence?
4. Should we ban any other religions, or just Islam? What about Jews? None of the founding fathers were Jewish, to my knowledge. In fact, none were Baptist either, so what about getting rid of them too?
Your responses are appreciated.
Keith Halladay
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