An idea whose time hasn't come

• Published in: Daily news (New York, N.Y. : 1920)
• Main Author: Hammond, Bill
• Format: Newspaper Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York, N.Y Tribune Interactive, LLC 09.04.2013
• Subjects: Bharara, Preet; Smith, Malcolm

  Let's have a quick show of hands: After the latest corruption bombshells dropped by U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara, how many New Yorkers are inclined to throw money at politicians? Me neither. But that's what many reformers are pushing as a solution to rampant sleaze in Albany: government financing of election campaigns. They want the state to adopt a version of the campaign finance system New York City has used for 25 years, in which candidates can collect up to $6 in public funds for every $1 they raise in small amounts from private donors. The worthy stated goal is to mute the influence of wealthy special interests while giving candidates who lack deep-pocketed friends a fighting chance. But last week's arrests - far from bolstering the case for this potentially costly change - are powerful evidence that Albany simply can't be trusted to do it right. As reform medicine goes, public financing is tough to swallow. It means spending tax dollars on stuff New Yorkers don't want - i.e., campaign puffery, mudslinging and all-around ugliness - instead of fixing streets, improving schools or hiring police. In effect, you're asking the people to bribe public officials into being honest. It's only worth considering if voters can have basic faith that politicians will uphold their end of the bargain.