Bradley Smith and Paul Gessing write about legislation in New Mexico that regardless of where you reside, should make you sit up and take notice. Do we really want the states requiring residents to disclose every donation we make to every cause and then compiling that information into a publicly searchable database? If you live in an area where a donation to Planned Parenthood, for example, could create backlash against you, your family, or your business, would you rather keep your donation private?
Read this commentary and then think about your state and whether campaign finance reform proposals or laws may go too far:
Doug Nickle’s recent column (“Campaign reporting proposal creates necessary, nation-leading disclosure in NM”) is an example of Orwellian doublespeak at its best.
Nickle’s purpose is to drum up support for “Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver’s proposed rules and regulations addressing campaign finance reporting,” which, Nickle notes, is based on legislation that was vetoed by Governor Martinez earlier this year due to her concerns about the invasion of privacy triggered by the legislation. So, Nickle now wants Oliver to impose the failed legislation through bureaucratic fiat.
(Editor’s note: Oliver did just that last week, after this column was submitted for publication.)
Read more on NMPolitics.net.