Government Financed Elections

Many people believe that the federal government ought to finance, at the least, the presidential elections. The idea seems to be based on fairness: whoever is running deserves to be viewed on equal terms with every other major candidate. This attitude begs several questions, not the least of which is that of whether the government ought to elect itself.

That is exactly what we get when Washington funds elections. If government is where the campaign cash comes from, then the government is electing itself. Yet that does not elicit the fear and hang wrangling which comes when folks think about corporations giving money to those running for public office. It would be safer if private giving fueled elections because then it would be true free speech and expression at work rather than the government telling us who merits election through its funding.

Where would government financing elections come from? Our taxes. Well, why should any given individual's tax money go towards a candidate he doesn't like? At least if FedEx gives cash to a presidential wannabe they aren't taking the money from me. Yes, theoretically that money comes from a fund where, what, three bucks, of an individual's taxes are set into at his discretion. But that's paper ploy: if the feds pay for an election the money will come from wherever it must. That may not really be the point anyway. It is an affront to an individual's dignity to have his government support candidates he would not support on his own. That isn't fairness. It's insulting.

Another question which grows out the fairness concept is one of presumption: who says all ideas and all candidates merit equal consideration? This is an issue beyond whoever's money is involved. Yet if we should mandate government funding of elections we would be mandating cash for, perhaps, ill thought out if not downright poor, stupid, or evil ideals. Again, it would be better to let the private citizenry fund office seekers.

That we should be careful about corporations giving money to candidates is certainly an, ahem, fair concern. But we should be more wary of government playing the game. Washington is a greater threat to our rights than Exxon.