To the editor:

Privacy and the First Amendment received a boost in Kansas when the Legislature dropped an effort to force independent citizens groups to disclose their donors if they run issue ads (“Worthy Effort,” March 30).

Your editorial points to “national” groups running ads, but obscures the fact that almost every such group includes Kansans among their membership, citizens of the Jayhawk state who join these groups so that among other things they can call on them to speak out in campaigns.

Disclosure of such donations adds little to the debate of issues, other than knee-jerk responses based on whether someone has a positive or negative view of the group. The accuracy and relevance of the message should be what is at stake, not whether the message is promoted by an unpopular group.

Criticizing candidates who disagree with your point of view is protected under the First Amendment, and disclosure is simply a step towards limiting this criticism. Kansas is better off without this attempt to stifle such political speech.