My "Letter to the Editor"

The text of my Letter to the Editor at the Arizona Republic is as follows (I hope it is published):

I am a college student in California, who lives in the valley during the summer and I have watched the recall campaign with great interest. My critique arises not from being a member of a political group, but rather as a supporter of democracy.

Unlike many who have recently commented on its "grassroots" nature, in reality, the campaign consists of people being paid to gather signatures, funded in large part by the Darrell Issa for Governor Committee, in support of a man who has long wanted to be governor himself.

This conflict, while being in large part the fault of Gray Davis, will never be cleansed of monied politics. The mere fact that I, as a voter in California, could not recall Davis, as I do not have the millions of dollars to pay the signature gatherers, shows what a small role democracy has played.

While I in no way dispute the grievances with Davis, a man with lots of money and his own political agenda cannot be allowed to control the course of the world's fifth largest economy.