Edward Rapp of Inverness, Fla., scares me. His letter published in the New York Times will hopefully never come to pass, though it is just what many liberals want.

The country is moving in the right direction on cleaning up campaign financing. We should go further and start serious debate on public financing of campaigns.

"Clean money" reform is working in several states where a set amount of money is apportioned to candidates.

The McCain-Feingold and Shays- Meehan bills are merely steppingstones to true reform: public financing.
EDWARD RAPP
Inverness, Fla., Feb. 25, 2002

Public financing? Is this guy crazy? Does anyone seriously want to be taxed in order to fund the candidacy of someone like former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke? How about Rep. Gary Condit? Rep. James Traficant, who's on trial now for allegedly forcing his employees to kick-back portions of their salary to him?

Forcing people to fund candidates who they fundamentally oppose is not democracy. It's not right. And hopefully there are still enough people in Congress who will stand up for what is right.