http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/01/31/BAGK1HFMAS.DTL

It turns out that one of the biggest donors to any candidate in the mayoral race maybe you, the San Francisco taxpayer.  The more money candidates raise from private sources, the more that the city will match.  I think that while public funding of elections is a very important way of making sure that politicians work for us, the amount of taxpayer dollars the city is about to shell out seems excessive.  The whole point of public campaign funding is to reduce the costs of campaigns.  This current system does not accomplish that goal.

Thoughts? Should the taxpayers be an ATM for the city?