Over the weekend, the N&O chimed in about the "money train" this election season.
The cure in their eyes, naturally, is the collectivization of campaign funding:
"Publicly financed campaigns may be the ultimate remedy…"
The fact that the N&O editorial board would so swiftly seek to compel taxpayers to fund candidates they disagree with reveals just how unconcerned journalists and editors have become with individual liberty. It's quite ironic that a newspaper would be so comfortable advocating for such a gross infringement of freedom of speech and expression.
Citizens attempting to curry favor with their elected officials is as old as the institution of government itself. The more power concentrated in the hands of lawmakers, the more intense the rent seeking will be - no amount of campaign finance laws will change that. The only way to derail the "money train" will be to restore the power and scope of government to its properly limited role. After all, there's no sense currying favor with government officials who have no authority to provide goodies and special treatment in return. But you'll never hear the N&O editors admit that.
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