(Two in One: Support clean money AND protest Doolittle! Edited slightly for space - promoted by SFBrianCL)
Does the culture of corruption have a cure? California’s nurses think so.
This week, nurses are in the process of turning in 600,000 signatures to registrars around the state to qualify an initiative for “Clean Money Elections,” also known as public financing of elections. Think of it as the Jack Abramoff anti-dote, or as the comprehensive campaign finance reform that voters are desperately looking for. You can read about it here and here. More in the extended... |
| Why nurses? For years nurses have watched patients suffer while the deep-pocketed healthcare corporations convince the legislature to block reform of our broken healthcare system. Nurses are patient advocates, from the bedside to the ballot box.
Why Clean Money Elections? The system is working well already in Arizona, Maine, and Connecticut. It enjoys bi-partisan support, has stood up to multiple court challenges, and has allowed everyday Americans—nurses, teachers, firefighters, women, ethnic minorities, healthcare activists—to run for office and win, instead of the parade of millionaires we’ve become used to.
It's a simple cure: if candidates don't beg corporations for money, they can't be bought. Simple, but powerful, as we believe it has the potential to remake the political landscape in the Golden State, and reverberate across the nation.
Make no mistake, this will be a tough election. Our Clean Money Elections initiative sharply reduces the influence of lobbyists and corporations on our political system, and they will fight back to protect what they view as theirs.
You can help two ways. One, visit our online home and let us know what you think. Sign up to help!
Or, if you’re in Sacramento, come to our first public protest of the campaign next Monday. Dick Cheney will be in town to raise money for John Doolittle. You may have heard of this Congressman? He’s taken money from both Jack Abramoff, and from Brent Wilkes, the un-indicted co-conspirator in Duke Cunningham case. Oh, and John’s fundraiser is his wife Julie, meaning that 15% of everything he raises goes straight into the family checking account. Nice work if you can get it.
Come join us at the Sacramento Hyatt (1209 L Street) at 10:30 am. Questions, email spreston@calnurses.org
Full disclosure: I am, clearly, a political organizer with the California Nurses Association... |
