I would be remiss if I did not respond to comments made about my campaign in your article, "Lesser-known candidates also want to be governor," July 11.
Let me explain why I'm running for governor.
My name is Ralph Jaffe. I am a political science teacher. When I first started teaching in 1964, I told my students that Maryland was one of the most corrupt states in the union. Fast forward to 2010. Nothing has changed. This is why I am now a candidate for governor in the September 2010 Democratic primary. I want to put a stop to the moral bankruptcy in Maryland politics and replace it with a new word, "ethics." My campaign is a movement to get "corruption out and put ethics in."
My platform is based on five principles.
No. 1 - I will not accept campaign contributions because they are disguised bribes. (Over $30 billion will probably be raised in the form of campaign contributions throughout the U.S. in the coming election. I ask, don't you think that this money could be better spent in helping people find jobs?)
No. 2 - I will have no dealings with paid professional lobbyists.
No. 3 - I will serve one term only. This way, I'm not in the campaign for power, fame, or personal wealth, but rather I want to be a good public servant.
No. 4 - I will tell the truth all of the time, not some of the time.
No. 5 - I will serve free. I will set aside the $150,000 annual salary of the governor for the purpose of trying to hire a combination of three teachers, firefighters and/or police officers.
Since 1990, all of my services as a teacher, counselor, and job recruiter have been free, for I love helping people. I am proud to be a volunteer. In a nontraditional school I run, the students do not receive grades, but rather they learn for the love of learning.
My running mate is my sister, who is a former teacher and librarian in the Baltimore county school system. She adheres to the same principles as I do.
My campaign is an educational tool for the citizens to learn what needs to be done in order to bring about real, true ethical reform in Maryland government. My campaign gives Maryland citizens a choice: they can continue to condone the corrupt politics in Maryland or they can be part of a movement to bring ethics into the political process.
Ralph Jaffe, Pikesville