Reader Response

More Support for Public Financing

Clarity Sanderson: In his response to Mr. Axford and Ms. Bonham's comments regarding the need for some form of public campaign financing, Scott Hinrichs falls back on the tired mantra of the "free market." Political campaigns, like business, work best when the government butts out.

Of course, there is no such thing as a pure free market, and never has been. This concept has gone from an economic principle to an ideology clung to almost as fiercely as Leninism was in the old Soviet Union. But one need look no further than endless government guaranteed loans for big business, pension costs being picked up by the taxpayer, and the US tax code to see the free market does not truly exist in the business world, let alone the political one.

But let's get back to the original subject, the role of money in politics. In 2002 33% of the money spent just on Utah state House and Senate races was donated by just 20 business and individual donors. Given more than 1.3 million voters participated in Utah's 2002 elections, the incredible influence of these top 20 donors amounts to a monopoly, not a free market.

Several states have now adopted public financing for elections candidates can voluntary choose to participate in. These systems open the democratic process up to those without the connections to men, women and businesses such as Utah's top 20 donors, and free these candidates to explore solutions to public problems these donors may not wish candidates to explore.

Furthermore, public financing frees up OUR representatives to spend more time with we, the people they are supposed to serve. In a July 1996 article then Kentucky Secretary of State John Y. Brown III reported many US Senators estimated approximately 70% of their time in office was spent raising money. This is time not spent serving the people, but rather catering to the interests of those capable of giving the huge sums necessary to finance a campaign.

Public financing would not be hugely expensive to implement. The cost per vote for each vote cast in 2002 state House and Senate races was only $2.72. Given many eligible voters don't vote, the cost to each taxpayer for a publicly financed campaign system would only be approximately $2.00 per year or less for every Utah taxpayer. That's a small price to pay to expand participation and enable our lawmakers to represent us instead of the fewer than 100 donors currently disproportionately covering campaign costs.