Iowa legislators should be transparent about ‘money in politics’

To the Editor,

   I wish to thank Mrs. Retzlaff for addressing an issue most politicians don’t like to talk about in her “Money or ideology” letter on Sept. 21, and that is the amount of money and influence that goes on at the Iowa Legislature.

   First, let me clarify. In my “Ready to run” letter, I stated “the combined amount raised by both candidates for campaigning was over $1.5 million (followthemoney.org),” not the amount they personally spent. An honest mistake, I’m sure.

   Here in Iowa, there are a few restrictions on campaign finance. You, or a group, can contribute unlimited amount of money directly or indirectly to a candidate. This has led to numerous special interest groups financing candidates in hopes of a sympathetic ear to their cause. There are over 600 registered lobbyists that roam the Capitol halls and almost 1,000 registered organizations that have lobbyists on staff to influence legislation. It’s getting a little crowded outside the two chambers. Many of these organizations have contributed to Mr. Bradley’s campaign. This all seems part of the culture in Des Moines. I, for one, have not, nor will not, accept money from special interest groups to fund my campaign.

   More disturbing is the amount of money organizations spend on behalf of a candidate, often referred to as “dark money.” This dark money usually takes the form of attack ads on TV and mailings by groups you have never heard of. If you are a Republican, remember all those flyers you got in the mail during this year’s primary attacking Lee Hein, paid for by groups like the U.S. Term Limits, The Family Leader, and even Americans for Prosperity (which is an anti-government, anti-public education, and anti any kind of taxation front for the Koch Brothers). This dark money is even showing up on Google and YouTube ads. I have no doubt a few will be coming my way.

   So, what can we do about this? First, we need to have a serious discussion on campaign reform to attract citizens to run for office unencumbered by big money. Second, limit the influence and access lobbyists, special interest groups have on our legislators. Third, I propose publicly publishing legislator’s calendars during the session. Let’s be transparent with the public about what they are doing and who they are meeting with. The voters of Jones County, and beyond, are tired of this. It’s time we got serious about money in politics in Iowa.

   Again, I call on Mr. Bradley to schedule a debate or town hall so voters can compare our stand on all the issues and decide for themselves who would be the better representative for Jones and Jackson counties.

   For more information about my campaign and stand on the issues, go to www.tonyamslerforiowahouse.com.

Respectfully submitted,

Tony Amsler

Candidate for the Iowa House,

District 66

Monticello, Iowa