Calvin
Leman
516
Hope Avenue
Salmon,
ID 83667
208-756-4104
phone or fax
661-600-7659
cell
January
12, 2007
District 35,
Terreton
1764 E 1200 N, Terreton, 83450
Home (208)663-4585
FAX (208)663-4428
Email: siddoway@dcdi.net
Dear Jeff,
I
ask that you support a new Fair
Elections bill like S1290, Idaho Fair Elections Act from 2006. You can see S1290 at http://www3.state.id.us/oasis/2006/S1290.html.
I
attended a meeting in Salmon last night where we discussed the problem of the
excessive money in politics. We saw a
video about the Fair Elections that are occurring in Maine and in Arizona. You can see this video at http://www.caclean.org/materials/watch.php. We discussed how this money may cause our
elected officials to vote in ways that support the people who give them money
rather than the people who elect them. If we do nothing, then our elected
officials may rely on the wishes of other people. These people may think that there is no
problem of money in elections. Some special interest lobbies do not want Fair Elections. They might have to share access to lawmakers
with ordinary people.
When
I asked you about Fair Elections, this is what you said: “I don't know if it si a real problem in Idaho, yet. It sucks at the national
level. The real bad part is a good candidate cannot get his idea or platform
"out there" without money, so limiting it seems counter. I don't
know. Jeff”
If
Fair Elections had been in Idaho last year, you could have used public funds
rather than your own for your campaign.
Even if you cannot
support the bill, I ask that you support a public hearing on the bill so that
you can hear from ordinary people.
Sincerely,
Calvin
B. Leman