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A Genuinely Troubling Source of Campaign Funds

Here’s a letter to the Christian Science Monitor:

Pretending to expose the forces of darkness, President Obama alleges that GOP campaigns are funded, in part, with foreign money (“GOP buying Election 2010 with foreign cash? What Obama’s talking about,” Oct. 11).

What’s annoying about this allegation is not the insinuation that the same voters who are smart and discerning citizens when they encounter campaign ads funded by Americans (with no ties to corporations!) become dumb and mesmerized dolts when exposed to ads funded by foreigners.  Such contorted suggestions are par for the political course.

Instead, Mr. Obama overlooks the most corrupting source of campaign funds: innocent taxpayers.  Because the typical political campaign is a series of promises to give to A what is taken from B, the most disturbing aspect of political campaigns is not the nationalities of people who voluntarily contribute their own money to help their favorite candidates. It is, instead, the use of money ‘contributed’ involuntarily by B to help C buy the vote of A.

Sincerely,
Donald J. Boudreaux

And here’s some common sense on this matter from Paul Jacob.

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