(Editor’s note: Opinion pieces are published for discussions purposes only.)
By Grant Woods, Terry Goddard, Paul Johnson, Jason Rose, Nan Walden and Dick Walden Guest columnists | Arizona Republic
The Republic extolling anonymous political spending, or “dirty money,” in our state contains so many misstatements about our Outlaw Dirty Money constitutional amendment proposal that, as the co-chairs, we felt we had to respond.
First, Mr. Gabriel is just wrong when he says the U.S. Constitution protects those who want to do their political spending in secret. There is no constitutional “Right to Hide” the source of political spending, as the justices have affirmed many times.
Second, while Mr. Gabriel proclaims that he is protecting our rights, he is only concerned about the rights of a few corporations and wealthy individuals. The rest of us have to disclose our name and address whenever we contribute over $50 to a candidate or cause. Why does he want a special exception for a few?
The Arizona Legislature carved out a special exemption for anyone (including those who don’t actually live in Arizona) who wants to dump millions to influence elections in our state and never disclose where the money comes from. The Outlaw Dirty Money initiative will get rid of such special favors. We want the same rules for everyone who spends money to influence an Arizona election. No exceptions.
