Anti-tax Group Opposes Gov. Perdue’s Push For Political Speech Restrictions, Taxpayer-funded Gubernatorial Campaigns

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Monday, January 12, 2009
Dallas Woodhouse (919) 839-1011, ext. 3 or cell (919) 671-1050, dwoodhouse@afphq.org

Anti-tax Group Opposes Gov. Perdue’s Push For Political Speech Restrictions, Taxpayer-funded Gubernatorial Campaigns

Americans for Prosperity Rejects Another Wrong Move Towards Taxpayer- Funded Welfare For Politicians

RALEIGH - Americans for Prosperity opposes Governor Perdue’s proposal, advanced on her first day to create a taxpayer-supported endowment fund that would provide equal amounts of campaign money to gubernatorial candidates, forcing North Carolinians to fund candidates with which they may or may not agree.

"If Governor Perdue gets her way, North Carolinians will have their political speech rights curbed and their taxes raised to fund candidates they disagree with,” said Dallas Woodhouse, state director for Americans for Prosperity- North Carolina. “An endowment would only encourage a potentially unconstitutional way to fund future campaigns for governor.”

The endowment for the first time would regulate which issues candidates could speak about, restricting political debate.

“North Carolina has a long history of tough political campaigns, which is the cornerstone of a strong and healthy democracy,” said Woodhouse. “The thought of a group of people selected by politicians deciding what candidates can or cannot say or is frightening. Voters are quite capable of deciding what political speech is acceptable and these decisions are best left to the market place of ideas controlled by the voters.”

Americans for Prosperity opposes the idea for several reasons including:

  • Taxpayers would be forced to fund the plan funds as they have with council of state races

  • Although the plan is supposed to be voluntary, unwilling candidates would be forced into the system.

  • The plan creates unacceptable restrictions on political speech

  • The plan appears to be unconstitutional and will create long and expensive court battles.

Americans for Prosperity-North Carolina (AFP-NC) is the North Carolina chapter of the nation’s premier grassroots organization of citizen leaders working at the state and local level and committed to advancing every individual’s right to economic freedom and opportunity. AFP educates and engages citizens in support of restraining state and federal government growth and returning government to its constitutional limits. For more information, visit www.afpnc.org

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