Support Proposition 1

In “Business lobby muzzles its bite” (Sept. 7), it was reported that the Building Industry Association of Washington will no longer be spending thousands upon thousands of dollars to support pro-business candidates and issues.

What struck me was not that such a political heavyweight is going to be spending less on elections (the economy no doubt is playing a hand in that), but rather how it’s assumed that they should be able to spend such monies in the first place.

It wasn’t always this way. When our country was founded, the concentration of power by wealthy corporations was not tolerated, for it was the British government and the oppressive tactics of its corporations that the American Revolutionaries had fought for independence against.

Rules were established limiting the purpose and scope of corporations.

But those restrictions have since been unraveled by business interests. And now, corporations can spend unlimited amounts of money to influence our votes and our lawmaking.

Proposition 1, on this November’s ballot in Spokane, will limit corporate influence. It secures the rights of our neighborhoods, environment and workers over and above corporate rights. Join me in supporting Prop. 1.

Lindsey Schromen-Wawrin

Spokane