Cheat-Seeking Missles

Monday, August 15, 2005

Cal Unions Fighting For Life

Proposition 75, to be voted on in a California special election in November would make break the union's hold on mandatory union dues by letting union members opt out of paying union dues into the union bosses' slush funds.

Here's an interesting email from Cal Assembly member Ray Haynes (R-San Diego), on the subject:

The current effort of the ruling left in Sacramento, and their allies in the press and public employee unions, is to damage Governor Schwarzenegger’s credibility going into the November election. The “paycheck protection” initiative, on the November ballot, is designed to eliminate the ability of the public employee unions to require every single state employee to pay them money, even if that employee doesn’t agree with the union. The current system allows the public employee unions to take people’s money, spend it on the left wing politicians in Sacramento, and then use the influence that the money gives these unions over the politicians to get more state employees to pay the unions more money, to get more influence, and so on. You and I pay the tax bill for this scheme, and the union and political bosses get the benefit.

These bosses fear Governor Schwarzenegger will come out in favor of the paycheck protection initiative, and his popularity will push it over the top, ending their control of the levers of power in Sacramento. So they are working overtime to destroy his reputation, his credibility, and his influence, so that his endorsement won’t affect the outcome of the election.

In an extreme demonstration of arrogance, the unions are forcing additional assessments on their membership. The California Teachers Union has already assessed its membership additional dues sufficient to raise $50 million to fight this initiative. The California Correctional Peace Officers Association are assessing their membership $30 million, and other public employee unions are in the process of following suit. They expect to raise $200 million to fight the Paycheck Protection Initiative and the other initiatives the Governor supports. They see this as a battle for survival; they will do everything possible to defeat the Paycheck Protection Initiative because it would greatly inhibit their ability to force people to continue to pay them money to sustain their power structure.

It appears that in the short term their strategy has had an effect. The press has been relentless in its attack of Schwarzenegger, and the television commercials have not let up. The only hope for this state is that people are smart enough to see through the hype, and end the current corrupt system. That really is the only way to stop the Russians from actually coming.

h/t Jim