You might think it’s easy to get people outraged at the idea of the government’s pushing for its own favored policies by quietly funneling tax money to one side in public debate. At least when the topic isn’t tobacco; in that case, taxpayer-funded Astroturf efforts seem to be perfectly fine. (Tony Messenger, “When judging anti-smoking efforts, follow the money”, Columbia (Mo.) Daily Tribune, Apr. 17)(via Jacob Sullum, Hit and Run, in a post titled “Bowing to Their Own Pressure”). For a particularly egregious example from California, see Jan. 5, 2000.
Government-funded lobbying
You might think it’s easy to get people outraged at the idea of the government’s pushing for its own favored policies by quietly funneling tax money to one side in public debate. At least when the topic isn’t tobacco; in that case, taxpayer-funded Astroturf efforts seem to be perfectly fine. (Tony Messenger, “When judging anti-smoking […]
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