Posted on 10/05/2005 5:28:08 AM PDT by OESY
...Mr. Schwarzenegger's goals as governor include shaking up Sacramento, where an intransigent legislature beholden to special interests had turned the state into an economic basket case. Arnold does have something to show for his efforts to date, insofar as the fiscal bleeding seems to have stopped. California's credit rating is out of the gutter, and the economy has created a quarter-million new jobs in the past year.
Still, important reforms remain unaddressed, and the passage of Proposition 75, also known as "paycheck protection," would go a long way toward ending California politics-as-usual. By forcing public-sector unions to get written permission from employees before using involuntary dues for political purposes, Proposition 75 has the potential to significantly reduce the political influence of the state's quintessential special interest....
The Sacramento Bee reports that unions "are muscling up as never before" to protect their interests. In the 2004 election cycle California's public-sector unions spent $38 million on behalf of candidates and ballot initiatives-- 89% of which went to Democrats, by the way. Since July of this year, reports the Bee, "The California Teachers Association-- which has pledged to spend $50 million fighting the governor's agenda-- alone has accounted for $27 million in direct contributions" to political committees opposing the special-election initiatives.
Everyone involved knows the stakes. Where paycheck protection has been instituted, public employees have expressed little interest in having their mandatory dues spent on political activities. Paycheck protection passed by initiative in Washington state in 1992. Subsequently, according to a study by the Olympia-based Evergreen Freedom Foundation, "over 90% of Washington state public school teachers declined to contribute to their union's political action committee."...
One big question is whether business is going to get involved this time. In 1998, it sat on the sidelines and watched paycheck protection lose 53% to 47%....
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
(Denny Crane: "Sometimes you can only look for answers from God and failing that... and Fox News".)
over 90% of Washington state public school teachers declined to contribute to their union's political action committee."...
Is this making a difference is Washington state?
'Fraid not, sorry. The Conspiracy is not a "theory," and as soon as T. D. Jakes and his Potter's House comes around we'll have "Mrs. President." :>(
Well, I don't know about all that, but what I do know is that Arnold will win! Clean sweep. Five propositions, 73 through 77; all winners. The poly-ticians, they are fiddling, and fumbling, and failing. But Arnold is fit. Colly-fornians will join him! We will pump up Colly-fornia! We will not be girly-men. Hear me now, believe me later: Arnold will win!
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