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Public employee unions funnel public money to Dems [AFSCME is #1 campaign spender]
Washington Examiner (newspaper) ^ | Michael Barone

Posted on 10/27/2010 4:12:57 AM PDT by RatherBiased.com

Who is the largest single political contributor in the 2010 campaign cycle? You can be pardoned if you answer, erroneously, that it's some new conservative group organized by Karl Rove. That's campaign spin by the Obama Democrats, obediently relayed by certain elements of the so-called mainstream media.

The real answer is AFSCME, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. The union's president, Gerald McEntee, reports proudly that AFSCME will be contributing $87.5 million in this cycle, entirely or almost entirely to Democrats. "We're spending big," he told the Wall Street Journal. "And we're damn happy it's big."

The mainstream press hasn't shown much interest in reporting on unions' campaign spending, which amounted to some $400 million in the 2008 cycle. And it hasn't seen fit to run long investigative stories on why public employee unions -- the large majority of which work for state and local governments -- contribute so much more to campaigns for federal office.

Nor has it denounced the Supreme Court's Citizens United decision last January allowing unions to spend members' dues on politics without their permission and without disclosure.

AFSCME's No. 1 status is emblematic of a change in the union movement over the years. Before public employee unions won the right to represent employees in New York City in 1958 and federal employees in 1962, almost all union members worked in the private sector.

(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonexaminer.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Government
KEYWORDS: 0pansy; afscme; governmentunions; is; latrine; ready; stimulous; stimulus

1 posted on 10/27/2010 4:13:00 AM PDT by RatherBiased.com
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To: RatherBiased.com

If liberals are leveling accusations against the other side, it means that they are already doing it themselves.


2 posted on 10/27/2010 4:15:35 AM PDT by Hoodat ( .For the weapons of our warfare are mighty in God for pulling down strongholds.d)
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To: Hoodat

That is our tax money. Dick Morris said that most union employees are livid about their dues being spent in huge sums. Worst that when the Mafia took their money.


3 posted on 10/27/2010 4:18:02 AM PDT by scooby321
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To: RatherBiased.com

The Democrats are going to get slaughtered at the polls on Tuesday. No amount of ads will help them. People are fed up with Marxist Obama and his thug Administration and Congress.


4 posted on 10/27/2010 4:18:40 AM PDT by thethirddegree
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To: RatherBiased.com
They are really running nasty radio spots in SE Michigan.

Mike

5 posted on 10/27/2010 4:30:43 AM PDT by MichaelP (Put a Stake in the RATS hearts November 2nd)
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To: RatherBiased.com

That’s 87.5 million dollars that could go toward a secure pension fund.


6 posted on 10/27/2010 4:35:49 AM PDT by Venturer
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To: RatherBiased.com

We must make it illegal for these unions to exist... smash them... jail their leadership and their dim enablers.

LLS


7 posted on 10/27/2010 4:37:43 AM PDT by LibLieSlayer (WOLVERINES!)
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To: RatherBiased.com

AFSCME and the NEA are flooding the airwaves around here with 30-second lies. They’re even advertising on Rush’s show.

I never thought I would miss hearing GEICO ads.


8 posted on 10/27/2010 4:39:47 AM PDT by Fresh Wind (King: "I have a dream"...Sharpton: "I want a check")
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To: MichaelP; RatherBiased.com
They are really running nasty radio spots in SE Michigan.


9 posted on 10/27/2010 4:40:20 AM PDT by WVKayaker (Faith is putting all your eggs in God's basket, then counting your blessings before they hatch.)
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To: MichaelP

Agree. Spend spend spend but the dems are still going to.lose big time. I said this before, we need to clean up our local and state governments as well was the Fed system that feeds the corruption from the head to the feet. OUR Country needs a good scrubbing to rid us of the parasite democrats.


10 posted on 10/27/2010 4:40:40 AM PDT by Gasshog (going to get what all those libs asked for, but its not what they expected.)
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To: RatherBiased.com

11 posted on 10/27/2010 5:08:59 AM PDT by pgyanke (You have no "rights" that require an involuntary burden on another person. Period. - MrB)
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