PENINSULA DAILY NEWS for Friday/Saturday, April 4-5, 2014 PAGE
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Surprise! The wealthy won one TODAY, WE ARE going to discuss the Supreme Court decision on political donations. Already, we have run into a terrible problem, which is the difficulty in having a fun conversation about campaign finance laws. Let me try for a second: Gail On Wednesday, Chief Collins Justice John Roberts Jr., who once played Peppermint Patty in a school production of “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown,” told the nation it was unconstitutional to say that a rich person could only give a total of $123,200 to congressional campaigns each election cycle. This would have been called the majority decision, except that Clarence Thomas, who never talks in court and had that pubic-hair controversy back in the day, wrote a little memo of his own. Roberts was joined by Antonin Scalia, Samuel Alito and Anthony Kennedy. Kennedy is the famous swing vote and also a person who once, as a young student, traveled around Europe for a summer with a bottle of whiskey his father had given him, which he used only to gargle. Their bottom line was that the founding fathers intended America to be a country in which every citizen had the inalienable right to donate, say, $3.6 million every two years. How do you feel about that, people? On the one hand, this cannot possibly be a helpful step forward. On the other hand, we already live in a country where billionaires can spend endless amounts of cash trying to influence elections with their own private groups. The Koch brothers’ group has spent more than $7 million on ads in North Carolina against Sen. Kay Hagan, and there isn’t even a Republican candidate yet. How much farther could we sink?
ONLINE NOW . . . ■ Should there be a constitutional cap on the amount of money donated to political campaigns? Peninsula Poll at www.peninsuladailynews.com.
MIKE KEEFE/CAGLE CARTOONS
“They can now do even worse things,” predicted Fred Wertheimer, the long-suffering leader of Democracy 21, a nonprofit that lobbies for campaign finance reform. There’s a big difference, he claims, between an independent group that has to at least pretend it’s not coordinating its message with a political party, and a rich guy simply “going to a leader in Congress and saying: ‘I’m going to write you a check today for $2.5 million, providing I know what your position is on the following. . . .’ ” Wertheimer has been working on this issue for a long time. “Let me see if I can add it up, 41 — no! — 43 years,” he said. “I started with Common Cause in 1971, and I was assigned to two issues: campaign finance reform and legislation to end the Vietnam War.” And, you know, now the Vietnam War is over. So Wertheimer is not going to give up on this issue. But what about the rest of us? The vast, vast majority of Americans believe there should be some kind of cap on
Peninsula Voices Sequim bond I Of late, there have been letters to this newspaper pushing a no vote on the upcoming [Sequim] school bond. An argument put forth is that it would place an undue burden on those who live on a fixed income. For those who have concerns in this area, they should be aware that those people 61 and older may be eligible for an exemption from these taxes. If you are at least 61 and earn less then $35,000 annually, you can contact the Clallam County assessor at 360-417-2400 and check on your eligibility. I have no vested interest in this bond other than my wife and I believe strong support for our schools is paramount to the well-being of our community. Scott Clausen, Sequim
Sequim bond II For or against, there’s agreement that the proposed school bond is a lot of money. After weighing everything, including the gulpfactor of the increased tax burden, I return to two deciding factors. First, it’s an optimum time to borrow money at historically low interest rates, thus eliminating the probability of a near-future bond issue at a much higher rate. It’s great bang for our buck. Second, Sequim is a small yet vibrant agediverse community, including well-educated retirees — scientists, lawyers, pro-
fessors, doctors and nurses. You name it, they are here by choice. By choosing Sequim, I chose not to live in an over55 community where all I see is people who look just like me. To ensure this healthy diversity into the future, good schools are paramount in attracting a work force that will provide more health care, more services, more selection, a better quality of life for all of us. And as new people relocate here, there is more demand for housing. So, when I want to sell my house, there will be a market for it. It’s a lot of money. I volunteer at Helen Haller [Elementary School]. Even ignoring the issue of security, the facility inadequately serves the current student body. Do I think the proposal should have been less? Yes. But, even with the bond components I don’t totally support now, I do see the need for them within the next 7-10 years. So, let’s fund them now while interest rates are low. And, from a self-serving financial perspective, let’s do this to increase and ensure the future marketability of our individual real estate holdings. For many, it is our largest investment. JoAnne Yerkes, Sequim
Sequim bond III The educational programs and operations replacement levy as approved by the voters [in 2013] for 2014 through 2017 provides $5.78 million
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longer be “eliminating a person’s right to choose.” This is the spin from Lincoln Brown, a talk-radio host who interviewed Shaun McCutcheon, the plaintiff in the suit that the Supreme Court just decided. This would refer to a right to give several million dollars directly to people running for federal office, not a woman’s right to control her reproductive system. But maybe there could be a trend. The interview, by the way, is up on McCutcheon’s website, along with the announcement that he is writing a book on the way he made legal history, which will be “ready in a few weeks.” For the CEO of an Alabama coal-mining firm, this guy is one fast typist. ■ 3. More talk about oligarchs! Watching events in Russia and Ukraine, you can’t help noticing all the stupendously rich oligarchs with their fingers in every political development. It’s a useful word, connoting both awesome power and a group you don’t really want to have around. In the former Soviet Union, the money elite generally get their power from the politicians. Here, it seems to be the other way around. But the next time casino zillionaire Sheldon Adelson invites the Republican presidential hopefuls to go to Las Vegas and bow before his throne, feel free to say they were just off honoring an oligarch. Apparently, the founding fathers would have wanted it that way.
the amount of money candidates can take in and spend. However, they don’t generally want to master the details of the independent expenditure-only committees or the aggregate spending cap. It’s tough enough being a concerned citizen. You’ve got to be able to identify your state’s senator and have an opinion on the level of pre-kindergarten funding in the municipal budget. There’s a limit. The downside to the decision is pretty clear, unless you are of the opinion that what this country really needs is more power to the plutocrats. But let’s try to be positive for a minute and look at the plusses: Potential upside of opening the door to bigger campaign contributions from rich people: ________ ■ 1. Perhaps Justice Roberts was trying to pile up some right-wing cred so that he Gail Collins is a columnist for The can swing left on the “Obamacare” contraNew York Times whose work often appears ception rule. on PDN Commentary pages. OK, I’m totally making that one up. Email her via the website http://tinyurl. ■ 2. The federal government will no com/gailcollinsmail.
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READERS’ LETTERS, FAXES AND EMAIL
Campaign spending
Another late-night ending
By now, most of you will have encountered some of the patriots who are gatherGET READY FOR another ing signatures to place Inilate-night shake-up: David Lettiative 1329 on the Novemterman is preparing to retire ber ballot. from “The Late Show” in 2015, When I-1329 passes, it the comedian announced Thurswill put the state of Washday. ington on record as wanting Before a “Late Show” audia constitutional amendment ence at the Ed Sullivan Theater clarifying that corporations in New York City, Letterman, are not people and money is who turns 67 this month, not speech. revealed how he had called CBS Letterman Without such an amendchief executive Les Moonves to ment, we cannot control the say he would be retiring. runaway spending in our “I just want to reiterate my thanks for the supelections. port from the network, all of the people who have News from the street worked here, all of the people in the theater, all the where signatures are being people on the staff, everybody at home, thank you gathered is that this is very much,” Letterman said. truly a bipartisan issue. “What this means now is that Paul and I can be Signers come from across married.” the political spectrum in Los Angeles Times roughly equal numbers. So I have to ask, are the politicians you support and per year, much-needed oper- school district levy would the political party you relate run between $3.94 to $3.95 to helping to get this done? ation funds for the Sequim per $1,000 of assessed value School District. If you don’t know, if you over the next 20 years. This money enables the haven’t heard from them on The caveat is that the Sequim School District to this issue, call them out. maintenance and operation pay for its educational serAnd by all means if you vices, including teaching, levy would have to reduce haven’t signed yet, do so at school supplies, technology, to $1.04 from the current your next opportunity. athletics, buildings and $1.58 over the next 20 years When this constitutional transportation. The levy cost in order to maintain a $3.95 amendment finally gets ratis set at $1.61 per $1,000 total levy. ified, you will be proud to assessed property value. The school operations say that you had a part in it. The school district bond money would have to be Roger Fight, request for $154 million is reduced by approximately Sequim intended to provide much $2 million per year to mainneeded upgrades to the tain a 20-year leveled Recognizing evil existing Sequim School Dis- assessment. Our society has morally trict facilities. If we are to continue at a deteriorated over the years The total Sequim district level of money needed to to where things are tax levy rate with the inclu- support the quality of eduaccepted now that only a sion of these bonds is purcation desired for our stufew years ago would have ported to cost property own- dents, the total school levy been looked on as repreers a total of $3.85 per would need to gradually $1,000 assessed property increase from $3.85 to $4.39 hensible. The more we continue value. per $1,000 assessed property Referring to the D.A. value over the next 20 years. down the road of moral Davidson & Co. report of decay, the evil of it all is We need to know. Jan. 6, using a bond value Larry Barnes, easy to overlook. of $150 million suggests the Evil has existed Sequim
NEWS DEPARTMENT Main office: 305 W. First St., P.O. Box 1330, Port Angeles, WA 98362 ■ LEAH LEACH, managing editor/news, 360-417-3531 lleach@peninsuladailynews.com ■ MICHAEL FOSTER, news editor; 360-452-2345, ext. 5064 mfoster@peninsuladailynews.com ■ LEE HORTON, sports editor; 360-417-3525; lhorton@peninsuladailynews.com ■ DIANE URBANI DE LA PAZ, features editor; 360-452-2345, ext. 5062 durbanidelapaz@peninsuladailynews.com ■ General news information: 360-417-3527 From Jefferson County and West End, 800-826-7714, ext. 5250 Email: news@peninsuladailynews.com News fax: 360-417-3521 ■ Sequim news office: 147-B W. Washington St., 360-681-2390 JOE SMILLIE, 360-681-2390, ext. 5052, jsmillie@peninsuladailynews.com ■ Port Townsend news office: 1939 E. Sims Way., 360-385-2335 CHARLIE BERMANT, 360-385-2335, ext. 5550, cbermant@peninsuladailynews.com
throughout the history of man. It has been more obvious at times in history than other times. Evil exists hand in hand with deception and the compounding of deception. There were some notable evil world leaders from the past. They were disguised because of the cloak of lies and deception they used — the classical wolf in sheep clothing. The author of lies and all evil in this world doesn’t show himself as the ugly monster that he is. Otherwise, you would be instantly repulsed and not fall prey to the deception. In present times, there are multitudes of people who have been deceived and aren’t recognizing evil when it’s right in their face. Look at our political leaders, some worse than the others, who continually lie to us because they have an agenda to move forward that they couldn’t do if they told the truth. This is what evil looks like. On the surface, they want us to believe they are nice people. An example of pure evil is [Saddam] Hussein. It should have been obvious to everyone. He isn’t the only one. There is a league of people supporting him in that evil, all equally guilty. Evil exists along with the master of lies and deception, Satan. All that’s necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing. I guess we are lacking good men. Larry Winters, Sequim
HAVE YOUR SAY ■ REX WILSON, executive editor, 360-417-3530 We encourage (1) letters to the editor of 250 words or fewer from readers on subjects of local interest, and (2) “Point of View” and “Teen Point of View” guest opinion columns of no more than 550 words that focus on local community lifestyle issues. Please — send us only one letter or column per month. Letters and guest columns published become the property of Peninsula Daily News, and it reserves the right to reject, condense or edit for clarity or when information stated as fact cannot be substantiated. Letters published in other newspapers, anonymous letters, personal attacks, letters advocating boycotts, letters to other people, mass mailings and commercial appeals are not published. Include your name, street address and — for verification purposes — day and evening telephone numbers. Email to letters@ peninsuladailynews.com, fax to 360-417-3521, or mail to Letters to the Editor, Peninsula Daily News, P.O. Box 1330, Port Angeles, WA 98362. Sunday RANTS & RAVES 24-hour hotline: 360-417-3506