An Alabama Senator Made a GoFundMe Campaign to Crowdfund the State's Budget

The state of Alabama, like much of the United States, has a budgeting problem. Currently, Alabama is more than $200 million over budget, which as of today, forced the state to cut millions of dollars from Medicaid, mental health programming, law enforcement, and other state agencies. Instead of asking taxpayers to turn over the money needed to balance the books, Alabama state senator Paul Sanford came up with the most democratic solution possible: He created a GoFundMe page.

The crowdfunding campaign, Fund the Alabama State Government, was started three days ago and encourages people to "send an amount that fits your budget, even request where your money be used." So far, 13 people have donated a total of $255 toward the $300 million goal.

Senator Sanford told local media that he would "make sure that the Department of Revenue receives the donated funds on behalf of each individual that contributes." But he also said he set up the account to "prove a point" about how nobody wants to pay more taxes, which is sort of like giving someone a booty call and then pretending it's a joke when they're not into it.

People have turned to crowdfunding for all sorts of weird things—spaceships, medical research, funerals, abortions. And while Senator Sanford's campaign seems especially bizarre, it's actually not unprecedented: Earlier this summer, someone launched a "Greek Bailout Fund" on Indiegogo, to which people pledged over $2 million.

The good people of Alabama do not seem as game. Senator Sanford's GoFundMe page is littered with comments accusing the Alabama state government of mismanaging the money it collects in taxes. (For what it's worth, Alabama has the fifth-lowest taxes in the state, according to Kiplinger.) One commenter, Kenney Smith, wrote: "I already have given to the state of Alabama. Every Friday for the past 32 years I make a donation to the State Fund. It's called state taxes. What did you do with that money?"

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Screenshot via GoFundMe