Our lefty friends over at NC Voters for Clean Elections had a press conference today touting the fact that several Council of State candidates will be taking advantage of the new law allowing them to use taxpayer dollars to finance their campaign. I know, I know, it comes as a shock to you to learn that politicians would rather coerce more tax dollars rather than solicit voluntary contributions to finance their campaigns.
In short, this program uses your tax dollars to finance the campaigns of politicians you otherwise wouldn’t give a dime to. First, let’s get rid of the ridiculous moniker of "voter-owned" elections. When I own something, it’s because I chose to spend my money on it. Second, if these folks are so inept at balancing their own campaign finances, how are we to trust them to oversee multi-million dollar government agencies? At least State Auditor Les Merritt showed a bit of remorse for participating in this liberty-destroying sham:
"I want to say I’m sorry to anyone out there that I’m using their tax dollars and they don’t want me to really win this race,"
I’ve written before on why this is such a bad idea, and how none of the intended benefits of this funding mechanism are realized, but the infringement on our liberty is very real and undeniable.
Lobbyists influencing politicians in merely a symptom of a government reaching far beyond its proper parameters. It is simply naive to think that a bit of tinkering with campaign finance laws will eliminate a practice as old as government itself: shady dealings between those who wield great power and those who seek to profit from it.
It’s quite ironic that the same champions of "voter-owned" elections are very same people that advocate for a larger, more powerful government – the very source of rising special interest group influence.
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