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Senator visits WCU

Edwards: Soft money ban key to campaign finance reform

By Lisa Majors-Duff

Senator John Edwards Herald photo by Lisa Majors-Duff

Removing big money contributions from the political campaign process is essential to restoring people's belief in their government, U.S. Senator John Edwards said Tuesday night in Cullowhee. A guest of the Chancellor's Speaker Series at Western Carolina University, the freshman senator from Raleigh touted a ban on soft money to accomplish this end. The Democratic senator took questions from the audience following his speech, expressing his views on everything from private school vouchers to how government should support those adversely affected by free trade agreements.

The need to give government back to the people is critical for citizen participation in government. So said U.S. Senator John Edwards during the Chancellor's Speaker Series at Western Carolina University Tuesday night.

And the most important component to achieving future citizen participation in government is campaign finance reform and a ban on soft money, he said.

"The people have disengaged because they believe government doesn't care," Edwards told the crowd at the Ramsey Center. "And the influx of big money is a big part of the problem.

"Money is used to buy access, take my word for it," said the freshman senator from Raleigh. "And the little guy who didn't make a contribution is not going to be heard. Our government is supposed to be about the little guy."

A successful trial lawyer before going into politics, Edwards defeated incumbent Lauch Faircloth in November 1998. Labeled a "rising star" by the Winston-Salem Journal, Edwards serves on four Senate committees: banking, housing and urban affairs; governmental affairs; small business; and the special committee on the Year 2000 technology problem.

The future of citizen involvement in government is further crippled when people don't encourage their children to get involved and vote, he said.

"Everyone should believe their vote is important, and that's why we need campaign finance reform and a ban soft money now," said Edwards, who blamed the problem on both political parties. And it will be up to the incumbents to change the system, even though they are the exact people who benefit from it, he said.
Edward's speech was followed by a question-and-answer session during which the senator was asked his stand on a wide range of issues, from the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty to the flag burning amendment. Though Senate members have addressed a few issues with non-partisan support, the Test Ban Treaty was not one of those, and the issue failed during the last session.

"That's a sad way to do business," Edwards said about the debates on the treaty. "Public service should be service to everybody."

On the question of the Confederate battle flag flying over the South Carolina capitol building, Edwards was insistent in his belief that it should be taken down. "Not because I don't respect the past, but because it's so divisive."

He was not so sure of amending the U.S. Constitution to protect the U.S. flag from burning. While he said he supported making it illegal to burn an American flag, "we need to be careful before we start tinkering with the Constitution," he said. Such an amendment, he said, would be different from the previous amendments in that it would effectively be amending the Bill of Rights, specifically the right to free speech.

Responding to a question from a 30-year teaching veteran, Edward said he is against federal funds being used for private school vouchers. "I've never seen a voucher I like," he said. "They take money away from the public schools."

Government has a responsibility to allow teachers to do their job by raising their pay, treating them like professionals and giving them the resources they need, Edwards said. Though he was slightly more vague in his response to the question of public school accountability, he did say that issue needs to be addressed first at the local and state levels and that smaller class sizes and better school buildings could be a starting point.

Religious practices in schools face two conflicts, he said. On the one hand children should be encouraged to express their beliefs, but teachers should not be the ones to lead a Christian or Jewish prayer for all to follow.

The one question Edwards avoided Tuesday night was who he plans to support in the Democratic Primary for president. That answer was scheduled to be announced Wednesday in Raleigh, when both he and N.C. Gov. Jim Hunt were expected to endorse Vice President Al Gore.

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