Welfare for Politicians

There's a major push under way to extend to New York State elections the same system of public financing that in New York City matches every one dollar contributed to a campaign with six dollars in taxpayer funding. The argument made is that the New York City program is a "success" and a "national model," but in fact the re-election rate for incumbents on the New York City Council is almost as overwhelming as the body's domination by a single political party. Some of the state's largest labor unions representing government-funded employees are behind the campaign, which would probably make it even easier than it is now for them to elect tax-and-spend politicians in Albany.