Campaign Finance Reform

This issue has been a hot-button topic for years and will continue to be.  To alleviate a screaming conflict of interest, I offer a modest proposal for campaign finance reform.  Public sector unions should not be able to direct mandatory union dues to political candidates, and there is ample logic behind this statement.

·         You and I are taxpayers.

·         Government workers are paid by taxpayers.

·         Many government workers are required to join a union and pay union dues.

Therefore, union dues are paid by taxpayers.

·         Unions contribute money to political candidates.

Therefore, unions influence politicians to give them favorable terms when negotiating compensation and collective bargaining rights.

·         The overwhelming majority of union political contributions are allocated to one political party.

Therefore, money is taken from you and me to support political candidates we may agree, or disagree, with.

Setting one’s personal politics aside, this situation is blatantly unfair.

There are two simple ways to make this more equitable, and either one would suffice:

1.       Prohibit public unions from contributing to political candidates

Workers are required by law to pay taxes, and via compulsory union representation and dues, taxpayer money gets directed to finance certain politicians.  These politicians are empowered by unions, so the politicians effectively negotiate on the union’s behalf against their employer (government / taxpayers).

In essence, taxpayers literally pay money so that a group can more effectively negotiate against taxpayers!

2.       Union dues that are allocated to campaign contributions become voluntary

Currently, millions of government workers personally support opponents of union-backed political candidates, yet their union dues are directed against their interests.

Union members should voluntarily contribute to union-backed candidates or have the ability to opt out.

Campaign finance reform is riddled with complexity, but here is an eminently fair, reasonable, and logical approach to protect taxpayers and to better align the preferences of government workers with the unions representing them.