RALEIGH — North Carolina’s system of awarding taxpayer money called “matching funds” to political candidates participating in a state campaign finance program could be headed toward the scrap heap. A June U.S. Supreme Court ruling points in that direction. Daren Bakst, Director of Legal and Regulatory Studies for the John Locke Foundation, discussed the issue with Donna Martinez for Carolina Journal Radio.
RALEIGH — North Carolina's General Assembly should repeal its unconstitutional taxpayer-financed campaign system in the wake of a new ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court. The John Locke Foundation's top legal expert reaches that conclusion after reviewing the high court's ruling. In an Arizona case, the Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that a provision of that state's "clean elections" law was unconstitutional.
RALEIGH — Some people equate the concept of “clean elections” with taxpayer funding of election campaigns. That equation is wrong, according to Bradley Smith, professor of law at Capital University, chairman of the Center for Competitive Politics, and former chairman of the Federal Election Commission. Smith discussed taxpayer-funded election campaigns with Mitch Kokai for Carolina Journal Radio.
Today’s government budget woes highlight the problem of overspending during the good times.
Some legislators want to expand North Carolina's failed system of forcing taxpayers to pay for political campaigns.
RALEIGH — Some critics contend that North Carolina needs to get “big money” out of politics. State lawmakers have responded to that argument by starting taxpayer financing of races for appellate court seats and some Council of State offices. But a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling casts serious doubt on whether North Carolina’s public financing schemes are constitutional. Daren Bakst, John Locke Foundation Legal and Regulatory Policy Analyst, recently discussed the topic with Donna Martinez for Carolina Journal Radio.
RALEIGH — North Carolina earns a D grade for its Taxpayers’ Return on Investment, a new measure that compares states’ tax burdens to their performance in education, road quality, health, and crime, along with income and population growth. A new John Locke Foundation Spotlight report explains that grade.
RALEIGH — In today’s Friday interview, Carolina Journal’s Mitch Kokai discusses taxpayer “standing” issues with Bob Orr, former N.C. Supreme Court Justice and executive director of the North Carolina Institute for Constitutional Law. The interview aired on Carolina Journal Radio (click here to find the station near you).
What do the new Harry Potter movie and fireworks displays have in common? Each has its 'magical' component. Yet, objections to screening Harry Potter films in publicly-subsidized theaters like Raleigh's IMAX at Exploris are entirely justified. These commercial films should not qualify for taxpayer-subsidized presentation. They are neither undersupplied, nor 'public goods.'
