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What is a can't-miss signal that we in the freedom movement are having an impact? When the Left starts muttering about a "well-funded, shadowy right wing network" that's attacking "the middle class."
That's why we took it as a good sign when MSNBC and Mother Jones magazine took a swipe at us and our allies last week, accusing us of defending the free market, among sundry other wrongdoings.
You can watch the video here, and read a related article from Mother Jones magazine here.
 Clearly, they're worried. They've seen the impact you and I have had over the past two years. They've seen the public debate change from one about how many taxes they could raise, or how many pork projects they can get away with, to a debate about how deeply we have to cut spending.
That has certainly happened in Washington state. The budget debate has been radically different this year because of the message you sent in November. Government unions and their allies felt desperate enough to rally in force, and to even storm the governor's office. And that's despite the fact that their legislative allies are still in charge!
And what's happening here can have a great impact on other states. Many of you stood with us during our 10-year battle with the Washington Education Association. You helped us spread the idea of protecting worker rights to other states. Those Supreme Court precedents set the stage for states like Wisconsin and Ohio to enact legislation increasing the freedom of teachers and other workers. And this week Florida passed a bill to prohibit automatic payroll deductions of union dues, one of the reforms we have long advocated.
Mother Jones and Ed Shultz demonstrate how the Left is gearing up their public relations to try and discredit you and me--the people toiling on the front lines every day for freedom and free enterprise. Thanks to your generosity and your partnership, we are making significant progress.
Just last Thursday our work garnered a $15,000 fine against Sound Transit for hiding $813,000 worth of lobbying expenditures. The fine was a result of a complaint we filed against them last year, and was one of 68 similar complaints against agencies and other government bodies across the state. In the process, we discovered that government agencies and government unions have spent over $60 million dollars in the last decade lobbying the Legislature. They are the most well-funded voice in the Capitol. (Full report here.)
Is it any wonder that our spending has risen precipitously during that same period? We believe this practice should stop, to undercut the machinery of overspending that currently exists. That's why we've been working hard to change this practice. So far the Public Disclosure Commission has fined five entities, and just this week Rep. Matt Shea filed a bill seeking to limit taxpayer-funded lobbying that uses the model language we put together. (See Seattle Times article here.)
This is just one of the avenues we are pursuing to change the culture in Olympia, to reduce the influence of government unions and other rent-seekers, and to put power back in the hands of citizens.
The other side knows this, and they'll stop at nothing to discredit you and me and our work. But we must keep up the pressure to make real, transformational change. Together, we can win. Thank you for your support.
For Freedom,
Jonathan Bechtle, J.D.
Chief Executive Officer | | | | |
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