Originally Posted By Darkbeer <a href="http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-money12oct12" target="_blank">http://www.latimes.com/news/lo cal/la-me-money12oct12</a>,0,3097442.story?coll=la-home-local >>Led by public employee unions, organized labor has raised more than $80 million in its effort to defeat the initiatives promoted by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, campaign finance reports show. With a month left before the Nov. 8 special election, unions, particularly those representing state and local civil servants, could shatter California spending records for ballot measure battles. The tally changes daily as reports are filed. And the overall sums are difficult to track with precision, given the volume of donations and transfers among campaign accounts. Schwarzenegger has raised $34 million to promote his initiatives this year, plus $2.1 million for his 2006 reelection effort. Separate campaigns for initiatives he is pushing have raised about $8 million more. In California's initiative battles, the biggest spenders generally win. The governor's aides said Tuesday that the magnitude of labor's assault could sour the public on the unions' cause. "There is a tipping point," Harris said. "We believe the union bosses have far surpassed the tipping point." Private employee unions have made comparatively modest contributions to defeat the governor's measures. The biggest donations by far have come from unions that represent California civil servants, including prison guards and psychiatrists, Caltrans engineers, government clerks and public school teachers. The California Teachers Assn., which represents 330,000 public school teachers, is the biggest contributor, reporting $48.11 million so far. In addition, the teachers union has spent $8.2 million to influence decisions, according to its lobbying report. The report does not detail how that money was spent. The second-largest contributor is the Service Employees International Union and its various affiliates, including a local that represents 140,000 state workers. SEIU and its affiliates report having contributed nearly $14 million. <<
Originally Posted By Darkbeer <a href="http://www.spectator.org/dsp_article.asp?art_id=8870" target="_blank">http://www.spectator.org/dsp_a rticle.asp?art_id=8870</a> >>The attack on these measures has been furious. Public employee unions have been pouring millions of their members' dues dollars into fighting Proposition 75, thus reminding individual members that they have no say in how their money is spent. Union bosses, of course, do not want to lose the power of the purse, which is usually divvied up amongst favored Democrat legislators and candidates. They also fear that if members are given control over how their dues are spent, they will opt out. Washington state provides the example. "Payroll protection" passed there in 1992. Soon after, 90 percent of the state's public school teachers chose to withhold contributions from their union's political action committee. In Utah, the figure was 95 percent. Underscoring the desperation of the unions, the California Teachers Association announced last weekend that it had used up its war chest of some $20 million and now wants to make a special assessment to raise more money in the final weeks of the campaign to defeat Proposition 75. The upshot? A SurveyUSA poll now shows all four measures ahead. Proposition 74 (teacher tenure), 55-44; Proposition 75 (payroll protection) , 60-37; Proposition 76 (state spending), 58-36; and Proposition 77 (redistricting), 59-36. It is too early to declare victory, but the Terminator seems to be on his way to terminating some entrenched forces in the erstwhile Golden State.<<
Originally Posted By Kar2oonMan >>In other news, the sun rose this morning as expected.<< Got a link? ; )
Originally Posted By DlandDug So when special interest union money is dumped all over an election, it's just the sun rising as usual, but when special interest contributions to the Governator are dumped all over an election, it's the end of the world. Noted.
Originally Posted By cmpaley >>So when special interest union money is dumped all over an election, it's just the sun rising as usual, but when special interest contributions to the Governator are dumped all over an election, it's the end of the world.<< Not quite. Nice attempt at spin, though. Let's add something that you intentionally left out to make the spin work...the Governor made a big point about not needing special interest money. In fact, he makes it a point to REFUSE money from people who are not already rich or donors who are not corporations. That was during the Republican-Do-Over Election. Once the Coup was complete, he turned around to the corporate special interests and his fellow rich people and stuck his hand out so they can "help" him to revert California to the Gilded Age. The word for today is hypocrite.
Originally Posted By Darkbeer <a href="http://www.news10.net/storyfull2.aspx?storyid=13626" target="_blank">http://www.news10.net/storyful l2.aspx?storyid=13626</a> >>The union that represents California public school teachers is seeking a $40 million line of credit to continue campaigning against the governor's special election ballot initiatives. The California Teachers Association, which represents more than 335,000 teachers, has spent $50 million on advertising and protests to oppose Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's reform agenda. The union is now looking to borrow more to continue to fight against the governor's reform agenda. << And of course, the union did not ask its members if it was OK to get this loan, the leaders just decided to do it....
Originally Posted By cmpaley >>And of course, the union did not ask its members if it was OK to get this loan, the leaders just decided to do it....<< Does your legislator contact you personally and ask you if it's okay to vote this way or that? Of course not. Similarly, union members elect leaders to make the big decisions just like you elect representatives to make the big decisions. I don't see the problem.
Originally Posted By Darkbeer Hey, California Law requires that a vote of the people must be taken before a tax hike in most situations, sometimes requiring 2/3'rds of the voters to approve. So yes, our legislators do have to contact the people before taking more of our money. And we also have to approve loans, aka Bonds.
Originally Posted By cmpaley >>Hey, California Law requires that a vote of the people must be taken before a tax hike in most situations, sometimes requiring 2/3'rds of the voters to approve.<< Actually, the legislature can raise taxes with a 2/3 vote of both houses.
