E Pluribus Unum

You've heard me say it before: I think it is a bad idea for the interests of government and the interests of business to coincide.

Why?

Because in the world of business, one share equals one vote. But in the world of governance, one person equals one vote.

What this means is that for our system of governance to work best, the natural power of money cannot be allowed to outweigh the natural power of the people.

Easier said that done, right?

Fifty years ago, a politician in California said "Money is the mother's milk of politics." It was true then and, despite the efforts at campaign finance reform, it's true now.

Republicans have a natural advantage: their fundraising activities are organized around their corporate contacts. By calling on the heads of large corporations (remember Enron and Ken Lay?) they can gather in hundreds of millions of dollars in campaign cash.

Democrats are at more of a disadvantage -- our business contacts are not nearly as deep or as wide-ranging. But the Internet, especially blogs, have given us a way to catch up. In the last election cycle, Democrats used the Internet to draw nearly even with the Republican money-machine.

Now we're looking at the 2006 election cycle and that is where you can help.

I'm writing to tell you about a Democrat running for a seat in the Florida Legislature: Laura Leyva:

• Laura is a South Florida native of Hispanic decent.

• Laura is an MD and is very active in Miami's medical and social services communities.

• She is the director and founder of Family AIDS Coalition, a non-profit organization focusing on the needs of families and individuals affected by HIV/AIDS.

• Her commitment to serve her community on this important issue has made Laura a frequent contributor to local and national media programs.

• She also serves on the Board of the Unity Coalition of Miami-Dade County.

• Beyond health care, Laura is committed to serving as a passionate advocate for small businesses, neighborhoods and senior citizens.

• And Laura is also serious about meeting the high standards of the Democratic Party in delivering accessible and affordable health care, protecting the rights of everyone and investing in education.

Here are some important facts and figures about Laura's campaign:

• Laura is running in Florida's state legislature District 107 -- Key Biscayne, the Brickell area and parts of Miami Beach and Little Havana.

• The district is more than 60% Hispanic. Laura’s Cuban-American roots will help her represent the district well.

• Laura is the only Democrat running in a district that is 61% non-Republican.

• If elected, Laura would be only the second Hispanic woman in the Florida Legislature.

Here's how you can help (and I'll let Laura do the talking here):

My consultant thinks that asking for help on blogs is a waste of time and money.

So we have a friendly wager going. I bet him that blog readers would help our campaign raise $2,500 in the next two weeks.

He bet it couldn't be done.

If I win, and we raise $2,500 or more, he'll pay for the ads himself! If he wins, we stop advertising on blogs.

So I need your help.

Click on my photo on the upper right of Ara's blog and make a small contribution.

You can make my consultant eat his words and open his checkbook!

Making a contribution will not only open my consultant's eyes, your donation will be put to use winning a swing seat in the nation's largest swing state!

So there you have it: You can help a young Democrat win a seat in the Florida Legislature with a simple click of your mouse.

More important than that, you can help even the score in this country between the power of money and the power of the people. And wouldn't that be a welcome relief to know you've had some small part in turning a red state into a blue state?

But don't wait -- her wager with her consultant ends in less than two weeks. Do it right now, before you open your next email, or scribble a reminder on a post-it note, or before the next phone call comes in or before you have to run that next errand.

Here's what to do to help Laura right now:

1. Click on her photo (upper right).

2. Scroll down to the bottom. You can make a donation with your credit card...

3. ... or with a check.

That's how easy it is. Don't wait -- you can make a difference, but only if you do it now.

Thanks.

P.S. If you contribute $100 or more and include your phone number, Laura will call you personally to say thank you.