Rick and Daren explain the problems with Senate Bill 20 which will extend taxpayer funded campaigns to the State Treasurer’s race.  Where will the money come from?  The taxpayer, of course. 

The taxpayer has two separate checkoffs on their income tax return.  One for the political parties. One for $3.00 for the Public Financing Fund.  It’s the second one, for Public Financing, that the income ($2.50 of the $3.00) is being temporarily redirected from the fund for judicial campaigns to the Voter-Owned Elections fund for 2 years and will be used to fund the State Treasurer’s race for candidates who choose to milk, oops, use the system.  When the judicial fund runs short, they’ll take it from the General Fund, funded by…..the taxpayer.

Spin it anyway you want, it’s still Taxpayer Funding for political campaigns. And it’s still a bad idea.