Nodler: Public financing of elections is "mindless expression"

Sen. Jeff Smith, D-St. Louis, saw his bill for public financing of Missouri elections shot down today, which should have not surprised him much.
One of those opposing the bill was Sen. Gary Nodler R-Joplin, according to an article posted on Missourinet:

The state senate says public financing of campaigns is not the way to control big money in political campaigns. It has rejected Senator Jeff Smith's proposal for taxpayer-support campaign funding and is, instead, working on a bill that removes all donation limits but requires faster filing of reports listing donors and amounts.

Smith says Main and Arizona, the only two states that have enacted public financing of campaigns, have seen election costs decline while costs in the other 48 states have "skyrocketed."

But Joplin Senator Gary Nodler says taxpayer-funding of campaigns means some donated money could be used by candidates or for issues that the taxpayer opposes. He prefers a person make donations to a specific cause or candidate. He says public financing of campaigns constitutes "mindless political expression" while donations to specific candidates is "purposeful political expression."