Involuntary speech

Bob Hall of Democracy North Carolina boldly labels a public financing program for political candidates as honorable and voluntary ("Honorable alternatives for campaign financing," Nov. 5 Point of View article). He is wrong on both counts.

Public financing of political campaigns involves taking taxpayer dollars and making them available to candidates who choose to participate in the program. The voluntary part only applies to the candidates. Taxpayers, however, have no choice. Our tax dollars are directed to candidates we may not otherwise voluntarily support.

I fail to see anything honorable about the use of government force to compel taxpayers to financially support the promotion of ideas they find to be wrong-headed, harmful or even immoral.

Forcing taxpayers to financially support candidates they disagree with is akin to forcing citizens to actually work for the campaign of candidates they oppose.

Hall claims to want to promote ethical politicians, but how can we take that claim seriously when his alternative involves such an unethical use of government coercion over the finances of private citizens?

Brian Balfour

Raleigh