The real motivations of Prop. 75 proponents.
This race has become part of the national power play by right-wing activists trying to shut up union members so they can ram through their extremist agenda. They see this election as a huge opportunity to start a national anti-union movement.
From the San Jose Mercury News:
Across the nation, labor's enemies are in a state of near-euphoria, and for good reason. Pro-business/anti-tax interests view unions in California as the linchpin of organized labor everywhere. They have a point. In California, unions represent 18 percent of the workforce, compared with less than 13 percent nationally. So, the thinking goes, if the legs can be pulled out from organized labor in California, the table will be set for similar coups in other states with less successful union movements. Sensing victory, anti-union groups have funneled millions of dollars into the ``Yes on Proposition 75'' campaign.
Proposition 75 is designed to bury unions in paperwork, reduce their clout and thus increase the ability of people like its sponsor Lew Uhler to advance his agenda, which by the way is:
To make structural changes in fiscal and governance practices at all levels of government, and to limit and control taxes and spending, so as to enhance the power and freedom of individuals and their enterprises.
Uhler heads the National Taxpayer Limitation Committeee, which claims to be concerned with protecting workers' rights. They're not. The NTLC has never shown any concern with anyone's rights. They're interested only in financial gains for extremely wealthy and for huge corporations. They figured they would portray themselves as the good guys trying to help out the average man, so they could push their real concerns; eliminating taxes for the richest Americans, like the estate tax.
They are trying to co-opt our strategy of bringing forth working men and women to tell their side of the story. They set up websites like this one that models itself after SEIU sites, clearly trying to capture some purple power.
As Drew pointed out they have been raking in cash from Club for Growth and the shadowy Council on National Policy members. Their dollars are not flowing for benevolent reasons. They could care less if cops can fight to protect things that matter most to them, like their survivors benefits. They are involved so they can shut them up, increasing the volume of their own megaphone.
Don't let them win. Get involved today.