Secret plan alleged on campaign financing

Sacramento Bee ^ | 9/19/6 | Jim Sanders

[SmithL]

A California Nurses Association publication indicates the group is pushing the Proposition 89 campaign-finance measure as a Trojan horse to get what it covets most: universal health care, opponents said Monday.

Allan Zaremberg, president of the California Chamber of Commerce, said the strategy basically was spelled out in a document that appeared on the nurses association Web site.

"They have a two-step process here," he said. "One is to eliminate the ability of business to communicate with the voters. The second step is to have government-run health care on the next ballot ... and deny voters the ability to hear the other side."

Proposition 89 would allow public financing of campaigns for state offices, an overhaul touted as a way to discourage undue influence by well-heeled special interests.

The measure, crafted by the CNA, is on the Nov. 7 ballot.

Chuck Idelson, spokesman for both the CNA and the Yes on Proposition 89 campaign, said the nurses group has supported universal health care for many years but that the campaign-finance initiative is not specifically linked to that goal.

Universal health care is a bitterly controversial concept to replace California's system of private health insurance with a state-run system to provide medical care to every resident.

[Always Right]

"They have a two-step process here," he said. "One is to eliminate the ability of business to communicate with the voters. The second step is to have government-run health care on the next ballot ... and deny voters the ability to hear the other side."

That is always the unstated goal of campaign reform, to squash free speech to help your side.

[Mad_Tom_Rackham]

Outlawing private political speech is blatantly unconstitutional. It's simply amazing that we have allowed the socialists to get this brazen. In a sane world, they would be tarred and feathered and run out of town.

[MNJohnnie]

Intresting. Same plan locally the Dems want nationally. Reimpose the Fairness Doctrine and crush talk radio and they may just get away with it.

[DustyMoment]

California's socialists never saw a government run plan they didn't love. That the NURSES are raising an issue about "campaign financing" should raise some eyebrows. That's the part that lends credibility to this whole story!

[DustyMoment]

Outlawing private political speech is blatantly unconstitutional. It's simply amazing that we have allowed the socialists to get this brazen. In a sane world, they would be tarred and feathered and run out of town.

May i recommend that you take a long, hard look at the McAin-Feingold Campaign Finance Reform Act that Bush signed a few years ago after claiming that it was Unconstitutional. The Supreme Court decided not to be the bad guys by striking it down, but its major provision is to limit our free speech rights.

[Mad_Tom_Rackham]

I am well aware of this monstrosity. And you are quite right about it.