As Rick pointed out, a legislative committee is expected to take up a bill (SB 20) that would expand taxpayer financing of campaigns to the treasurer’s race.
Last week, the Senate heard loud and clear what the public thought about taxpayer financing. Yet the House is about to ignore the will of the people and push this bill anyway. As I explained last week, the very idea that the legislature would try and expand taxpayer financing is shocking.
This expansion of taxpayer financing is still unethical and illegal–nothing has changed in a week. So, to sum up:
1) Some House members want to push an unethical bill that will force taxpayers to subsidize candidates they oppose.
2) These same legislators want to take your hard-earned dollars and give it to politicians for their own personal political use (i.e. political welfare).
3) The bill almost certainly is illegal. The U.S. Supreme Court just three weeks ago blocked the use of matching funds (a central part of taxpayer financing that we also have in NC) from being issued in the Arizona elections. This follows the Supreme Court’s decision in a case called Davis v. FEC that likely spells the end to matching funds. Even a leading proponent of taxpayer financing, Harvard law professor Larry Lessig, admitted that these matching funds will be struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court.
4) The public is outraged and vehemently opposes this action, yet these same legislators don’t care.
Any wonder why there’s no faith in the North Carolina legislature? Pushing an unethical, illegal, and unpopular bill doesn’t inspire much confidence.
