The State Is A Bully: Ugly Public Prying Into Private Giving
Jon Riches of the Goldwater Institute writes in the Sac Bee that California Attorney General Kamala Harris now wants to know who donated to what organization, what their address is, and how much they gave:

Several weeks ago, the organization for which I work, the Goldwater Institute, received a demand from Harris' office to turn over a copy of private tax information that includes the names and addresses of our contributors. Although this information is protected from disclosure under both the First Amendment and federal tax law, refusing to comply with this demand would presumably result in our organization losing its ability to solicit new members in California.

Harris' demands are part of a broader national effort to force private nonprofit organizations that want to engage in political dialogue to turn their donors' names, addresses and contribution amounts over to the government. Couched as "transparency" measures, these mandates are actually a concerted effort to stifle speech with which disclosure advocates disagree.

Privacy rights are integral to a free society. Riches explains why:

Private giving also prevents retaliation against speakers by those who disagree, particularly when speaking truth to power. From the 1960s civil rights era to today's most contentious debates, groups have sought the identities of opponents to threaten, harass and intimidate them into silence. Privacy has been essential for unfettered dialogue in politics, literature, the arts and journalism, among many other fields.

That's why the Constitution prevents these types of government intrusions.

...Harris claims a law enforcement purpose in collecting the names and addresses of donors, but this justification is no more persuasive than the National Security Agency's bulk collection of Americans' phone records without lawful authority. As the state's chief law enforcement officer, Harris should know that court warrants are required, lest we all fall within their dragnet.

Every American has the right to support the causes we believe in without the fear of harassment and retaliation. Disclosure mandates undermine this basic freedom, dry up donations to charities and silence political speech.