Kerry Criticizes Calif. Union Dues Proposal

[NVMojo]

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Sen. John Kerry said Thursday that a ballot initiative on union dues backed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger could end up depriving working people of having a say in politics.

Proposition 75 would require public employee unions to seek written permission from members before using dues for political purposes.

Kerry, speaking outside a downtown firehouse, said the initiative would condemn workers to "a completely unfair system."

The proposal "represents part of an ongoing effort by the Republican Party to create an unfair playing field, to change the balance of democracy in America," the former Democratic presidential nominee said. "They want a one-sided argument - their side."

more...

http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/nat-gen/2005/oct/13/101302738.html

[Vektor]

1. Don't worry, Kerry baby. I'm wise to that gap-toothed asshole.

I know exactly what he's doing and why. And I'll DEFINITELY vote NO.

[cosmicdot]

2. I hope the entire Democratic Party pours it on ...

re the Nov. 8 election ... a full-court press ...

the Gropinator's initiatives must be resoundingly rejected/ defeated

the outcome will play big nation-wide and in the national debate ... issues ranging from choice to labor to healthcare ...

it's a referendum on the right-wing/GOP


"Praise the Lord and Pass the Initiatives"
````````````````````````````````````````````
State GOP hires a Bush campaign veteran to get evangelicals to the polls. Abortion is the draw.

By Michael Finnegan, Times Staff Writer


State Republicans are moving to rally Christian conservatives behind an abortion measure on the November special election ballot in hopes that, once drawn to the polls, they will back the rest of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's fall agenda.

The party has hired Gary Marx, a top liaison to social conservatives in President Bush's reelection campaign, to assemble up to 10 organizers to build support among evangelicals and other religious conservatives for Proposition 73. The measure on the Nov. 8 ballot would require parental notification when minors seek abortions.

~snip~


Propositions
`````````````
The Official California Democratic Party Positions on the Ballot Props

Vote No:

-Proposition 73 Termination of Minor's Pregnancy. Waiting Period and Parental Notification. is just the latest attempt by right-wing conservatives to take away a woman's right to choose.

-Proposition 74 Public School Teachers. Waiting Period for Permanent Status. does NOTHING to help improve public education.

=Proposition 75 Public Employee Union Dues. would silence the voice of working men and women.

-Proposition 76 School Funding. State Spending. is an Arnold Schwarzenegger power grab that gives him the power to bypass the legislature and make cuts to the budget without any oversight or public approval.

-Proposition 77 Reapportionment. is a flawed redistricting initiative that requires no public input, has no accountability provision, is unfair to those most underrepresented, and quite frankly doesn't make any sense.

-Proposition 78 Prescription Drugs. Discounts. is sponsored by all the major pharmaceutical companies…need we say more?


Vote Yes:

-Proposition 79 Cheaper Prescription Drugs For Californians Act. State-Negotiated Rebates. Unlike Prop. 78, Proposition 79 will provide real prescription drug discounts to those who need it most.

-Proposition 80 Affordable Electricity & Preventing Blackouts Act. will establish an energy policy for California that guarantees that the lights stay on, protects ratepayers from the market manipulation of private energy companies, "greens" our energy portfolio by increasing environmentally clean and sustainable renewable energy sources, assures that utility industry personnel are well trained, and repeals the failed electricity deregulation scheme that exposed Californians to blackouts and cost ratepayers billions of dollars.

-

[kick_them_hard]

3. State GOP hires a Bush campaign veteran to get evangelicals to the polls??

That aint gonna fly in California. I think the majority of Republicans vote Republican because of the freebies they get for being RICH, not religious.

[msongs]

5. ...it will fly. these people vote early and often nt

[GeorgeGist]

4. Do corporations need permission from their shareholders?

I have never been asked.

[Judi Lynn]

6. Kerry says Prop. 75 would slant system in corporations' favor

Kerry says Prop. 75 would slant system in corporations' favor
Mark Martin, Chronicle Sacramento Bureau

Friday, October 14, 2005

Former Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry attacked a California ballot measure that could weaken labor's clout in a visit to the state Thursday, describing Proposition 75 as a Republican-led effort to tilt the political playing field toward corporate interests.

Standing in front of a fire station in Los Angeles, Kerry lent his support to a union-led effort against the proposition. Kerry's visit was part of an intensifying battle over a measure backed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger that could alter political power in the state.

Prop. 75 would require public employee unions to obtain permission from their members before spending dues on political candidates. Schwarzenegger and the proposition's backers have framed the measure as a way to allow union members more say in how their money is spent.

Labor leaders say it's aimed at making it more difficult for unions to gather money and have a voice in California politics.
(snip/...)

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2005/10/14/BAGF6F8D3O1.DTL

[Nickster]

7. Sorry to say, but my first thought was "Duhhhhh!"

[tk2kewl]

8. Slant it any more and it will be a vertical drop

x(

[David Dunham]

9. A lot of the public on their own would not understand this point.

[RevolutionStartsNow]

10. Good for Kerry for helping out on this one

I'd like to see other Dems show up in CA before Nov 8.

[babylonsister]

11. It's great Kerry is bringing attention to this proposition.

Without the facts, most people just wouldn't know or care. Maybe this will encourage people to listen up and see how it's not in their best interests.