Public Financing--A Cut-And-Paste Letter

Here is a letter you can cut-and-paste to ask your state or federal representatives to support public financing. This letter is provided courtesy of Public Citizen, an organization that has been working for years to support progressive causes. Simply cut-and paste the letter written below the line that is under this paragraph and send it to the elected official of your choice. You can either print it out and mail it, or just paste it into an email.

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Dear ____________________________ ,

As one of your constituents, I hope to be able to have my voice heard above the money chase that seems to dominate most of politics today. I fear that my voice, and the voice of my neighbors, cannot be heard unless we takeaction to remove money from politics through the full public financing of all Federal elections. This will restore the trust of the people when so many of us cynically assume that our Representatives' votes can be bought and sold. A recent Pew forum poll found that 60% of American voters see no difference between campaign contributions and bribery. This is why 42% of voters, according to exit polls, said corruption was an "important issue" in determining their vote in 2006. Since you, like most Representatives, probably spend about 20-30% of your time chasing money, we would prefer you spend that time speaking with us directly. Many of our public servants operate in an ethical manner; you can remove all doubt that you only represent the interests of us, your consitituents, by supporting public financing.

Some quick facts about public financing:

*It would cost between $6-$10 per person, less than the cost of removing a few earmarks or wasteful pork projects from the federal budget.
*Voters in states with public financing report tremendous satisfaction with the system.
*Politicians who use public financing report even greater satisfation.
*It increases participation by candidates from diverse backgrounds and participation by minority and younger voters. Publicly financed politicians look more like their constituents.

Your constituents support you getting off the fundraising treadmill! We urge you to co-sponsor public financing legislation. We will back you up in the voting booth for doing so.

Thank you,


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