[StBernard] election ethics

[Westley Annis]

A few weeks ago Garland Robinette was interviewing a person (forgot who)
about campaign ethics laws. The person said that in LA it's normal that
someone slander and outright lie about a candidate and hide under some bogus
name, like Citizens for a Better Parish as an example. The candidate who has
been put through the proverbial wringer may have a difficult time finding
out who the actual human being is that did the slander. Then, once it's
discovered, even if the campaign ethics board agrees it was a violation, a
small fine is levied. So the culprit pays a thousand dollars, but it's chump
change in the cost of a campaign and if the person slandered loses, then it
was just another donation.  I just wonder why more candidates don't take
these kind of people to court for liable and slander in a personal lawsuit,
the way movie stars do with tabloids, in order to show them there is a
higher price to pay for damaging one's reputation.  I suspect we'll see some
vicious attack ads on  Thursday and Friday prior to election as a last ditch
effort.  Kudos to two citizens who ran against each other based on a
campaign on their own merit- Gary Gadwaw and Frank Auderer.  ddk