Munger Wants to Buy Our Democracy

Billionaire Charles Munger Jr represents everything that’s wrong with our campaign finance system – and he would still be able to spend as much as he wants if the deceptive Prop 32 were to pass. We cannot allow one billionaire to gut our education, attack public safety and silence the voices of millions of working Californians- fight back by sharing this infographic and voting YES on Prop 30 and NO on Prop 32!

Proposition 32, a measure appearing on the November statewide ballot, is not what it seems. While it claims to be about “stopping special interests” the measure actually gives special exemptions to corporate special interests and Super PACs. It would do nothing to fix what’s broken in Sacramento. Instead, Prop 32 would give even more power to the wealthy and well-connected to influence elections, control government and weaken our state’s middle class.

The millionaire backers misleadingly call it “The Stop Special Interest Money Now Act,” claiming it would rein in campaign contributions by both unions and corporations. In fact, the deceptive wording of the initiative specifically limits the voice of union members like our local teachers and nurses and the firefighters and police that keep us safe.

This one-sided measure would make our system even more imbalanced and it does nothing to stop the flow of money from the wealthy in politics.

Here’s what leading newspapers say about the deceptive measure:

“…a fraud to end all frauds” – Michael Hiltzik, LA Times

“…dripping with cynicism” – Dan Morain, Sacramento Bee

“…a sham… wouldn’t even begin to do what its backers promise” – Ventura County Star

“…would magnify the influence of wealthy interests while shutting out many middle-class voters” – San Jose Mercury News

“…a phony veneer of fairness…one-sided and biased” – Tom Elias, Long Beach Press Telegram

“…a deceptive sham…would make a bad system worse” – Contra Costa Times

“…would just expand unaccountable independent expenditure committees, the super-PACs” – George Skelton, LA Times

The Facts

• Prop 32 was written to limit the voice of union workers and create special exemptions for corporate interests, giving the wealthy and well-connected even more political power to write their own set of rules.
• Prop 32 exempts secretive Super PACs and corporate front groups, which can raise unlimited amounts of money from corporate special interests and billionaire businessmen to support their candidates or defeat their enemies. The measure does nothing to prevent anonymous donors from spending unlimited amounts to influence elections.
• Prop 32 is NOT campaign finance reform, as its backers claim. The wealthy supporters of this initiative created exemptions for Wall St. hedge funds, real estate investors, insurance companies and other well-heeled special interests allowing them to continue contributing directly to the coffers of political candidates.
• Prop 32 would severely restrict union members in both the public and private sector from having a voice in our political process. As a result, teachers, nurses, firefighters, police and other everyday heroes would be unable to speak out on issues that matter to us all—like cuts to our schools and colleges, police and fire response times, patient safety and workplace protections.
• This measure would give corporate CEOs and their lobbyists even greater influence over our political system. Corporations already outspend unions 15-1 in politics. This measure would effectively clear the playing field of any opposition to big corporations’ agenda, which includes outsourcing jobs, gutting homeowner protections, slashing wages and health benefits and attacking retirement security.
• Non-partisan groups like the California League of Women Voters, California Common Cause, Public Citizen and Public Campaign, who advocate for policies that curb special interest influence, are urging voters to REJECT Prop 32. Public Citizen calls it “an attack on labor masquerading as campaign finance reform”. California Common Cause says it “will do more harm to California’s democracy than good.”
• The primary financial backers are retired CEOs and millionaires associated with the extreme right-wing Lincoln Club of Orange County. All of the primary funders of the measure would benefit personally from the exemptions created for certain companies and organizations.

Despite the proponents’ claims that this initiative is geared toward “getting special interest money out of politics,” the truth is Prop 32 is a deceitful measure designed to silence working people while giving big CEOs and the very wealthy free rein to exert limitless influence on our political system.

Prop 32 is misleading, deceptive and full of consequences that hurt all of us. It does absolutely nothing to limit special interest influence on politics while severely curtailing working people’s ability to stand up to powerful corporate interests. The result would be a devastating tilt in power to big banks, corporate CEOs and billionaires that would further undermine California’s middle class.

Prop 30

After years of cuts, California’s public schools, universities and local public safety services are at the breaking point.

Once renowned for our world-class education, California now ranks 47th in per-pupil funding. Police have been taken off the streets and firehouses closed.  These cuts hurt California’s middle-class, working families, children and college students the most. We cannot keep cutting schools, universities and public safety and expect our economy to grow. We need to invest in our future.

Prop 30 gives Californians a real opportunity to take a stand for schools and public safety. Prop 30 is the only initiative that will protect school and safety funding, while addressing the state’s chronic budget problems.

Prop 30 offers three solutions to help keep families safe and save our public education:

• Prevents deep school cuts: Schools face an additional $6 billion in cuts if Prop 30 does not pass. Instead, Prop 30 will provide billions in new funding starting this year, which will go towards things like smaller class sizes, updated textbooks and rehiring teachers. Learn more.

• Puts more cops on the streets: Prop 30 will make sure public safety is required in our state’s constitution, so that funding cannot be cut without voter approval. It will put more cops on the streets and save the state billions on future prison costs. Learn more.
• Helps balance the budget: Prop 30 is a critical step in addressing the continual budget shortfalls that plague California. It will help pay down the state’s debt— built up by years of gimmicks and borrowing. Learn more.