Campaign Finance Reform

Alan Ungar’s article concerning campaign finance reform is one of total nonsense (“Disclosure Key to Fixing System,” July 13). His support of the Doolittle bill to provide total and immediate disclosure of contributions is a totally naive and useless procedure.

Ungar fails to deal with the main problem of campaign contributions, the damage done by the money itself.

The major problem faced is what does all this money buy? Access to officeholders, influencing legislation, controlling the political process and most importantly convincing the electorate that money controls their vote, so why bother to vote?

The public pays little enough attention to campaigns today because of excessive monies spent on negative television and radio ads; merely informing them of the names of the contributors is no way to improve political campaigns or control the money.

If Ungar’s main complaint is that the McCain-Feingold bill is defective, then he should make suggestions to improve it, especially the method of enforcement. If the FEC is disastrously overworked, understaffed and underfunded, the solution is either totally eliminating the FEC, or working to strengthen it so that it can be more effective.

Until the public decides that it is important to control financing, nothing will be done by Congress.

MELVIN WEISZ

Calabasas