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Help Hawaii become Voter Owned!
Voter Owned Hawaii is a non-profit coalition that is promoting a bill to free our public officials from representing private interest groups.
Political campaigns have transformed into expensive publicity campaigns. Today, winners are no longer determined by their ideas, but instead by their finances. A candidate's campaign budget, which is virtually funded entirely by private interest groups, reflects their capability to buy advertisements, mailings and commercials.
Want an example? During the 2004 Hawai'i election cycle, land developers alone, mostly from the mainland, contributed over $650,000 to local political candidates. Construction firms gave another $185,000 to their favored candidates. It's no secret those groups expect something in return.
What does Voter Owned Hawaii's bill do? The bill (Comprehensive Public Funding Bill 3223) will enable approved candidates to run campaigns using public funding. The word "public funding"; may carry negative undertones of more taxes, but not much at all. The estimated cost to fund all state-level races (although this bill covers only State House of Representatives races) would be only 1/16th of one percent in general taxes.
This program continues to work successfully in Maine and Arizona.
The number of elected women and minorities rose, including voter turn-out.
Both Republicans (Arizona U.S. Senator John McCain) and Democrats (Hawai'i U.S. Senator Daniel Inouye) support this clean election program.
So why the big fuss? As of right now this bill is in a heap among other bills waiting to be introduced to Hawaii's Senate Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs Committee.
This bill must be introduced by next week Wednesday (February 15th 2006), before it is too late.
Please call the Committee Chair, Senator Colleen Hanabusa Now! And tell her you support this bill!
Her contact number is (808) 586-7793
All you have to say is "Hi, my name is _____________ and I wanted to ask Senator Colleen Hanabusa to please introduce the Voter Owned Election Bill (Bill 3223) to the Senate Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs Committee. Thank You!"
Call immediately and voice your support! Remove private and corporate interest out of Hawaii politics now before it is too late!
MAHALO!
For more information go to www.HIclean.org