35°

The problem today is that anyone seeking an elected office has to have some means of paying for their campaign, including contacting the media, providing information and presenting themselves to the public for scrutiny.

On the other hand, those who make large contributions expect something in return for their support. At times, this has degenerated into situations where those in office vote for the special interests of their contributors simply to get the funds needed to be elected or re-elected. They can, in very subtle ways, try to persuade voters that their votes are for our best interests. The fact is, it is for their best interest.

Those individuals elected to public office, especially on the national level, garner the "good life." They are paid well, their families have health care, they travel, at times at taxpayer expense. They become celebrities with power and prestige. But to continue this life, they must raise campaign contributions.

I don't think that our founding fathers could have ever have foreseen how their dreams and hopes might become so perverted. They could never have envisioned how the desire for campaign election and re-election funds might one day destroy all that they hoped would happen.

A few folks in Juneau are not going to change the world, but perhaps we can make a small start. Maybe we as a community can come together in honest, open, respectful discussion and arrive at something that works for us. For example, we might have a forum in which elected officials, former candidates, and those with knowledge and experience in many fields come together to discuss possible solutions. If it works for us, we might propose a statewide program. If Alaska finds a solution, it could be presented to the nation as an example.

There are no easy answers. But if a society is dying of a cancer, they must seek some kind of cure to prevent money, wealth and special interests from controlling elections.

Wally Olson

Auke Bay